On 21 May 2015, it will be 100 days since Mr. Chai Bunthonglek, a Thai land rights defender, was killed. Mr. Chai was shot dead in front of his family. He is the fourth member of the Southern Peasant Federation of Thailand (SPFT) killed since 2010.
May 8, 2015, 8:47 am
On 21 May 2015, it will be 100 days since Mr. Chai Bunthonglek, a Thai land rights defender, was killed. Mr. Chai was shot dead in front of his family. He is the fourth member of the Southern Peasant Federation of Thailand (SPFT) killed since 2010.
SPFT was formed in 2008 and campaigns for the right to agricultural land in the Khlong Sai Pattana community and Permsub community, in Surat Thani Province and other areas in the region. Together with the killings of the 4 land rights defenders of SPFT, there has been an ongoing campaign of intimidation against SPFT members, several leaders under the death threats. They have been threatened with eviction by the military, houses have been searched without a search warrant, one leader was summoned and detained for several days by the military and gunshots have been heard at night. This is taking a heavy toll on the morale of SPFT and community members who continue to live in fear and worry about who would be the next victim.
We call on the Thai authorities to investigate the killings, grant reparations for the families and ensure protection for human rights defenders working on land rights, who are particularly vulnerable to attacks and killings. #JusticeforChai
For more details surrounding the killing, please see below the petition initiated by Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA).
Source : asianhrds.forum-asia.org