Six years after rights activist Billy disappeared, justice remains elusive

[rooster59]

Six years after rights activist Billy disappeared, justice remains elusive

By The Nation

 

Pholachi “Billy” Rakchongcharoen

 

Amnesty International has urged authorities to ensure that the family of Karen human rights activist "Billy" learn the truth of what happened to him after he was last seen in the custody of Kaeng Krachan National Park officials on April 17, 2014, saying his suspected killing should not go unpunished.

 

 

The family of Pholachi “Billy” Rakchongcharoen last saw him six years ago. A few days later, on April 17, 2014, he disappeared after being taken into state custody by National Park officials in Kaeng Krachan National Park.

 

"After a year that saw the Thai government make unprecedented progress in the investigation of his case -- only for prosecutors to dismiss serious charges against suspects in January 2020 -- his family is still waiting for justice," Amnesty said.

 

Amnesty also raised his family’s struggle "with a cycle of violations, from forced eviction and destruction of their property in 2010 and 2011; death threats for seeking redress for these violations; his disappearance in 2014 and failure to provide his family with redress". Amnesty said there was an urgent need for authorities to make enforced disappearance a crime under national law.

 

In September 2019, the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) -- a specialist investigative unit – found breakthrough evidence in the form of charred bone fragments discovered in an oil drum underwater in the park where Billy had disappeared. DNA matches to Billy’s mother appeared to confirm Billy’s death. Two months later, the DSI pressed charges of premeditated murder, illegal confinement, and concealing the victim’s body against four suspects – including the then-National Park chief who had taken him into custody and two other state officials.

 

However, hopes for justice for Billy’s family’s loss were set back when in January 2020, the State Prosecutor dropped all but one charge – of official misconduct -- citing lack of evidence that Billy had died.

 

At the time of his enforced disappearance, Billy, a Karen environmental and community rights defender, was working with fellow villagers and activists in Kaeng Krachan Park to challenge human rights violations against Karen people, including his family members, who had faced forced eviction and arson. He had reportedly told his wife, Pinnapa “MueNor” Prueksapan, at the time that “The people involved in this aren't happy with me. They say that if they find me, they'll kill me. If I do disappear, don't come looking for me. Don't wonder where I've gone. They'll probably have killed me.”

 

Since his disappearance, the court ruled in 2018 on the case he had been gathering evidence for at the time of his disappearance. They confirmed that state park officials had acted unlawfully by burning villagers’ homes and property – including that of Billy’s grandfather.

 

In 2019 the Unesco Heritage Committee postponed any decision on awarding World Heritage status to Kaeng Krachan National Park, citing concerns about human rights violations. Billy’s community is among groups who have complained that new legislation on national parks will further limit their rights.

 

"The 2019 National Parks Act gives National Park officials increased powers to determine communities’ ability to access park lands. It gives official powers to search and destroy without court orders, which could lead to further forced evictions and destruction of their property – the very violations Billy was challenging when he disappeared," Amnesty said.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30386309

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2020-04-19

 

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[Somtamnication]

Sadly, it will never happen. Military in power, etc etc.

[smutcakes]

3 minutes ago, Somtamnication said:

Sadly, it will never happen. Military in power, etc etc.

Even without military in power nothing would happen. Countless cases of people getting away with murder on all sides of political spectrum.

 

There is probably more chance of improvement in the system with a non military Government but the system is very very corrupted through the police, political system and judiciary. There would need to be a long, vocal and probably highly distuptive rising from a lot of Thai people to force change.

 

Those who COULD mobolize that kind of support are often the very people who benefit from such a corrupt system the most. 

[Puchaiyank]

You have to have a conscience to care what has happened to missing Thai activists.

 

Billy was raising awareness of a gross injustice...not one official cares about this loss...????

[nobodysfriend]

7 hours ago, rooster59 said:

He had reportedly told his wife, Pinnapa “MueNor” Prueksapan, at the time that “The people involved in this aren't happy with me. They say that if they find me, they'll kill me. If I do disappear, don't come looking for me. Don't wonder where I've gone. They'll probably have killed me.”

He was a good man .

May he rest in peace .

There is no justice for him or his family because he was neither an important person nor well connected .

He was a troublemaker in the eyes of somebody ' influential ' .

This or these influential person(s) just gave the order to kill him and made sure that his body was never found .

I am not surprised about this , it is a dark part of ' amazing Thailand ' , where you can hire a ' hitman ' for 5000 Baht already .

Edited April 19, 2020 by nobodysfriend

[hotchilli]

8 hours ago, rooster59 said:

only for prosecutors to dismiss serious charges against suspects in January 2020 -- his family is still waiting for justice," Amnesty said.

And they will keep on waiting and waiting and waiting.

[Venom]

In Thai culture it's best to mind your own business and keep your mouth shut.  

[canopy]

This is one of the grossest miscarriages of justice I have ever heard of. They worked hard for years, eventually finding the burnt body in a drum and successfully matched the DNA. And the next thing you know it was thrown out "citing lack of evidence that Billy had died"? I'd like to hear more explanation from this ruling. This should not be acceptable, left alone, or forgotten by any person in Thailand. Why is no one talking about this or doing anything? Why is it that only Amnesty International is concerned? I guess this explains why these thing happen, nobody in this country cares.

 

The other aspect of the case that bothers me is they always portray Billy as this humble, benevolent, angelic saint, and activist. In fact, he was quite the opposite. He promoted squatting in the forest, fought against rulings to protect the forest, and stole from the forests himself. What little forests remain are being destroyed by such people. These people cut down all the trees, burn it all down, ruin the soil, then move somewhere to do it again and again. These are truly environmental wrecking balls of the worst kind. If you look at maps of how much forest they destroy year after year, decade after decade it's awful to see. It's like watching termites devour a beautiful piece of wood and everyone just stands around watching. And it's not always a case of they've been there forever or trying to just survive. Some of these people weren't even born in Thailand. Foreigners come down the river illegally to squat and loot what they please. But once the hill tribe card is played we suddenly feel sorry for them and it makes all the bad things disappear from our minds as if we were cast by a spell and we proclaim them as such gentle good people caring for the earth that need protected. We can be sure if old Premchai was caught lighting so much as a matchstick in the forest you'd feel far differently and have much to say about it. I am for justice for Billy and also for remembering Billy for the person he really was, not some made up illusion of what we would have wanted him to be like.

 

[Tarteso]

I heard they paints houses.