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

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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