12 March 201 at 10.30am, Angkhana Neelapaijit and the family of Lawyer Somchai Neelapaijit and relatives of victims of enforced disappearance in Thailand as well as 20 activists from Amnesty International Thailand have gathered in front of the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) on Chaeng Wattana Road, Bangkok, to demand to know progress of his case and to commemorate the 17th anniversary of Lawyer Somchai Neelapaijit’s disappearance. They wore masks mimicking the face of Lawyer Somchai to show that despite 17 years past, they have not forgotten him. As part of the campaign, a caravan of 17 Tuk Tuks was launched and driven all over Bangkok and adjacent area, each attached with a sign featuring detail of the disappeared Lawyer.
Piyanut Kotsan, Director of Amnesty International Thailand says that it has been 17 years since the family of Lawyer Somchai Neelapaijit have lost a person they love. His fate cannot be determined and there is no burial ground for them to mourn. Amnesty reiterated the need to search for truth and justice for the enforced disappearance against Lawyer Somchai Neelapaiji. It is a “major test” in terms of respect on human rights in Thailand as well as the remedy and compensation for the arising human rights violation. This has also elicited questions over the sincerity or the capacity of Thailand to end the culture of impunity enjoyed by the perpetrators whose acts constitute a violation of international law.
“Amnesty continues to call on Thailand to effectively, impartially and independently investigate the disappearance of Somchai Neelapaijit to bring to justice the perpetrators through a fair trial and to offer effective support and remedy for those affected by enforced disappearance.”
Amnesty Thailand has also launched the campaign “Searching for Lawyer Somchai Neelapaijit” to raise public awareness that we shall never forget the enforced disappearance and call on the Thai authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice. In this campaign, a caravan of 17 Tuk Tuks with signs reading “Where is Lawyer Somchai?” has been launched and members of the public are invited to pose their photo with the Tuk Tuks and post them on social media with hashtags such as #WhereIsLawyerSomchai #17YearsOfInjuestice #17YearsOfLawyerSomchai. This campaign will run until the end of March.