THAILAND: Murder of Thai monk following an environmental and land dispute with local influential business figures 

ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION - URGENT APPEALS PROGRAMME

Urgent Appeal Case: UA-112-2005
ISSUES:

Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to inform you of the brutal murder of Phra Supoj Suwajano, a monk who had vociferously been protesting against illegal logging in Fang district, Chiang Mai province. Phra Supoj was stabbed to death on 17 June 2005 after exposing a log-poaching network near his Santi Dhamma monastery and a dispute over this land with local influential businessmen. His murder is the latest in a growing list of environmentalists and human rights defenders who have been killed in Thailand in recent years.

While the AHRC welcomes the news that Phra Supoj’s case has been transferred to the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), under the Ministry of Justice, we are aware that this department has in the past failed to solve pressing cases. Many family members of victims whose cases have been transferred to DSI have after a year or two complained that the department has not done its job.

We therefore call for your intervention by asking you to pressure the Thai government to fully investigate and promptly bring justice in this case. Those found to have been involved in the murder of Phra Supoj must be brought before a court of law and punished for their crimes. This is particularly important if it is found that influential persons are involved in this case and have paid others to do the killing for them. The Thai government must also ensure that thorough investigations are conducted into the deaths of other prominent environmentalists and human rights defenders and take measures to prevent further deaths.

Urgent Appeals Desk
Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)
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DETAILED INFORMATION:

Name of the victim: Phra Supoj Suwagano, a monk previously residing at Mettadhamma Forest Sanctuary Dhamma Center in Ban Huay Ngunai, Sansai sub-district, Fang district, Chiang Mai province, northern Thailand.
Date of murder: 17 June 2005
Place of murder: The compound of Suan Methatham religious centre in Sansai district, Fang district, Chiang Mai province.

Case Details:

On 17 June 2005, Buddhist monk Phra Supoj Suwagano was brutally stabbed to death by unknown persons. Phra Supoj had been a member of the Sekhiyadhamma Group of development monks and involved in the conservation of more than 280 acres of forest land. This land has been desired by a group of local influential businessmen who have previously intimidated monks living there with threats of violence and murder. These same businessmen are also alleged to have connections with local and national political figures in the ruling Thai Rak Thai party.

The Northern Development Monks Network believes that Phra Supoj’s murder may be directly linked to the local businessmen and the land dispute between these persons and the religious centre where Phra Supoj was stabbed.  Phra Supoj and two other monks at the centre had allegedly been previously intimidated by men hired by local businessmen in a bid to get them to vacate the land the centre occupies. A complaint was filed by the three monks with the local police against the businessmen, but the police refused to accept it.

The network has demanded the government find, without delay, the murderer and other persons responsible for Phra Supoj’s death. Such action would not only bring justice to Phra Supoj but would also help ensure the safety of those monks who continue to protect the land, which is being sought for orange farms and resorts.

The network and other activists, however, hold deep concerns that the murderer and those behind Phra Supoj’s murder will never be brought to justice. They fear, for example, that local police will be instructed by their superiors in Bangkok to excuse national politician, Thai Rak Thai MP Santi Tansuhat from the list of suspects. Santi has said that he had no involvement in any land encroachment issue and did not know the monk. Further, Santi said police had told him the monk was killed after repeatedly scolding log poachers. Such comments by the police raise further concerns that this case will be dismissed as the actions of a petty criminal and not that of organised, influential figures.

On June 20 Justice Minister Suwat Liptapanlop ordered the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) to investigate the murder of Phra Supoj. While this is welcomed news, the DSI has proven its ineffectiveness in similar past cases and concerned persons fear that their investigation into Phra Supoj’s death will be no different.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The murder of Phra Supoj is yet another death involving conservationists or human rights activists in recent years. As a party to the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, the Thai government has failed in its obligation to protect persons who have dedicated themselves to national interests such as the environment and the promotion of human rights.

The Thai government’s failure in this respect is an example of the inability of the state to address patterns of killings about which the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions expressed concern in his 2005 report. In the report he states: “In most situations, the isolated killing of individuals will constitute a simple crime and not give rise to any governmental responsibility. But once a pattern becomes clear in which the response of the Government is clearly inadequate, its responsibility under international human rights law becomes applicable. Through its inaction the Government confers a degree of impunity upon the killers”.

The DSI, under the Ministry of Justice, is a quasi-independent body that deals with serious criminal cases where “public interest” is involved. Although it has a sufficient mandate to perform its tasks, many cases transferred to it have reached no result. This is apparent in the cases of slain environmentalist, Charoen Wat-aksorn (please see UA-76-2004 and UP-40-2004) and the disappearance of human rights lawyer, Somchai Neelaphaijit (there have been numerous updates on this, the most recent of which are UP-49-2005 and UP-45-2005). The relatives of these two victims have stated skepticism about the ability of the DSI to resolve the cases.

The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) submitted a report raising concerns about many of these issues with the UN Human Rights Committee in March. The Committee is due to assess the compliance of the Government of Thailand with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which it is a party, in July.  The ALRC report was published as a special report in article 2, Volume 4, Number 2, April 2005 (also available at: http://www.article2.org/mainfile.php/0402/188/). Among the contents of that report was an article by Tyrell Haberkorn called ‘Collusion and influence behind the assassinations of human rights defenders in Thailand’ that discusses the role of influential figures in the killings of prominent human rights defenders and environmentalists (see http://www.article2.org).

SUGGESTED ACTION:

Please send a letter to the Minister of Justice calling for a proper and thorough investigation into this case and the many others involving the murder of environmentalists and human rights defenders. Please also ask for the government to protect, no undermine, human rights defenders and environmentalists in Thailand.

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To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER

SAMPLE LETTER

Dear Mr Suwat,

RE: THAILAND: Murder of Thai monk, Phra Supoj Suwajano following an environmental and land dispute with local influential business figures

I write to voice my deep concern regarding the brutal murder of Phra Supoj Suwajano, a monk who had openly exposed and protested against the illegal logging of forest land in Fang district, Chiang Mai province. Phra Supoj was stabbed to death on 17 June 2005 following an apparent dispute between himself and local influential businessmen regarding the exploiting of this land and the latter’s desire to obtain it. In fact Phra Supoj and other monks had previously received threats of violence and death for their occupation of this land by certain businessmen who wish to use the land for farming and tourism purposes.

It is for this reason that local figures who have previously attempted to access the land, must be questioned in regards to Phra Supoj’s death, to establish whether powerful influential persons were behind his murder. Investigations must look beyond simple crime and investigate the possibility of this being an organised killing against a person who was publicly critical of businessmen wishing to exploit the land.

While I welcome news that this case has been forwarded to the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), I am also aware of the ineffectiveness of the DSI in past cases. The murder case of Charoen Wat-aksom and the disappearance of Somchai Nilapaichit are two such examples. If the DSI is to pursue this case properly, it must ensure that all possibilities are investigated fully and it must do this promptly. 

I am aware that Phra Supoj’s death is the latest in a growing list of murdered environmentalists and human rights defenders in Thailand in recent years. The Government of Thailand has evidently failed to protect conservationists and human rights activists in the country.  As a party to the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, the government has likewise failed in its obligation to protect persons who have dedicated themselves to national interests such as the environment and the promotion of human rights.

It is due to these circumstances that I write to you now urging your immediate intervention. I call on your department to ensure that the DSI fully investigates and promptly brings justice in this case. Those found to have been involved in the murder of Phra Supoj must be brought before a court of law and punished for their crimes. The possibility that such persons might be higher influential figures must not be overlooked. The Thai government must also ensure that thorough investigations are conducted into the deaths of other prominent environmentalists and human rights defenders and take measures to prevent further deaths from occurring.

Yours sincerely,

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SEND A LETTER TO:

Mr Suwat Liptapanlop
Minister of Justice 
Office of the Ministry of Justice 
Ministry of Justice Building 
22nd Floor 
Chaeng Wattana Road 
Pakkred, Nonthaburi 
Bangkok 11120 
THAILAND 
Tel: +662 2 502 6776/ 8223
Fax: +662 502 6699/ 6734 / 6884

PLEASE COPIES TO:

1. Dr Thaksin Shinawatra
Prime Minister
Government House,
Pissanulok Road, Dusit District,
Bangkok 10300
THAILAND
Tel: +662 280 1404/ 3000
Fax: +662 282 8631/ 280 1589/ 629 8213
Email: thaksin@thaigov.go.thgovspkman@mozart.inet.co.th

2. Pol. Gen. Chidchai Wanasatidya
Minister of Interior
Office of the Ministry of Interior
Thanon Atsadang
Bangkok 10200
THAILAND
Tel: +662 224-6320/ 6341
Fax: +662 226-4371/ 222 8866
Email: webteam@moi.go.th

3. Pol. Gen. Kowit Wattana
Commissioner-General
Royal Thai Police
1st Bldg, 7th Floor
Rama I , Patumwan,
Bangkok 10330
THAILAND
Tel. +662 205-1313/ 205-220/ 205-1840-9
Fax: +662 251-5956/ 205 3738/ 255 1975-8

4. Professor Saneh Chamarik
Chairperson
National Human Rights Commission of Thailand
422 Phya Thai Road
Pathurn Wan District
Bangkok 10300
THAILAND
Fax: +66 2 219 2940
Email: commission@nhrc.or.th

5. Mr. Philip Alston 
Special Rapporteur on Extra-judicial, Summary, or Arbitrary Executions 
Atten: Lydie Ventre 
Room 3-016
c/o OHCHR-UNOG
1211 Geneva 10
SWITZERLAND 
Tel: +41 22 917 9155
Fax: +41 22 917 9006 (general)
Email: urgent-action@ohchr.org

6. Ms. Hina Jilani
Special Representative of the Secretary General for human rights defenders 
Att: Ben Majekodunmi
Room 1-040
c/o OHCHR-UNOG
1211 Geneva 10
SWITZERLAND
Tel: +41 22 917 93 88
Fax: +41 22 917 9006
Email: bmajekodunmi@ohchr.org 

 

Thank you.

Urgent Appeals Programme 
Asian Human Rights Commission

Document Type : Urgent Appeal Case
Document ID : UA-112-2005
Countries : Thailand,