Dear friends,

We wish to share with you the following open letter from the
Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint
programme of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and the
International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH).

Asian Human Rights Commission

Hong Kong

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

AHRC-FOP-003-2010

January 21, 2010

An open letter from the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights
Defenders, a joint programme of the World Organisation Against Torture
(OMCT) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission

THAILAND: Lack of effective investigation into the assault against
human rights defender Mr. Sittichai Phetpong

Open Letter to Mr. Abhisit Vejjajiva,

Prime Minister of Thailand

Geneva-Paris, January 19, 2010

Re: Lack of effective investigation into the assault against human
rights defender Mr. Sittichai Phetpong

Dear Prime Minister,

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint
programme of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and the
International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), expresses its deep
concern over the lack of effective investigation into the assault
against Mr. Sittichai Phetpong, Vice-President of the Association to
Protect Maritime Resources, an NGO in the south of Thailand, who has
been working for the socially disadvantaged as well as for the
preservation of natural resources and the environment. He has also
played an important role in establishing and strengthening community
organisations, as well as in the preservation of the resources of
Songkhla Lake.

According to the information received from the Union for Civil Liberty
(UCL), on November 27, 2009, at 8.30 am, Mr. Sittichai Phetpong was
shot and severely wounded by a gunman on a motorcycle as he stepped
out of his car to buy food at a wayside stall, in the Khanghe district
of Haad Yai, Songkhla province. He received three bullets in the body
and one bullet in the arm. In the past, Mr. Sittichai Phetpong had
received many threats from those whose continued exploitation of
natural resources was curtailed by his initiatives. He had reported
those threats to Haat Yai police on May 31, 2009.

On December 3, 2009, representatives of various NGOs accompanied Mr.
Sittichai Phetpong’s father to submit a letter of complaint and
demand for justice, addressed to the Governor of Songkhla province.
Subsequently, the case was submitted to several senior police officers
of the ninth region. Yet, no attempt has been made to interview the
witnesses and no progress was made in the investigation.

On December 4 and 14, 2009, representatives of villagers and the
Coordinating Committee of Non-Government Development Organisations
reported the failure of the Puthawn police station in investigating
the case to the Governor of Songkhla province and to the Chief of the
police. Police Lieutenant General Wirayut, Commander of the ninth
region, then announced that he would assign a new person to take
charge of the investigation into Mr. Sittichai Phetpong’s assault
and appoint a special working group. He promised to achieve results
within the “next ten days”.

As no further results were achieved, on December 24, 2009, a new
petition calling for an effective investigation was submitted to the
Director of the Department of Special Investigation (DSI). Although a
letter acknowledging receipt of the petition was received on December
29, stating that the matter would be investigated, no progress has yet
been made in the investigation as of today. Meanwhile, Mr. Sittichai
Phetpong remains in Songkhla University Hospital in a critical state.

In the light of the above-mentioned elements, the Observatory calls
upon the Thai authorities to guarantee in all circumstances the
physical and psychological integrity of Mr. Sittichai Phetpong as well
as of all human rights defenders in Thailand, and to order an
immediate, thorough, effective and impartial investigation into his
assault, the result of which must be made public, in order to identify
all those responsible, bring them before a civil competent and
impartial tribunal and apply to them the penal sanctions provided by
the law.

The Observatory more generally urges the authorities of Thailand to
put an end to acts of harassment against all human rights defenders in
the country[1], so as to conform with the provisions of the
Declaration on Human Rights Defenders adopted by the United Nations
General Assembly on December 9, 1998, with the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights and with international and regional human rights
instruments ratified by Thailand.

We express our sincere hope that you will take these considerations
and requests into account.

Yours sincerely,

Souhayr Belhassen, FIDH President

Eric Sottas, OMCT Secretary General

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