‘Mysterious Disappearances’ On The Increase

[george]

‘Mysterious disappearances’ on the increase

BANGKOK: -- Thailand is experiencing a “resurgence of repression” as more people mysteriously disappear and have their cases ignored by the government, according to advocacy groups.

Aileen D Bacalso, secretary-general of the Manila-based Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD), told reporters in Bangkok that the increased number of disappearances in the deep South – now estimated at more than 200 – should be urgently addressed.

Those cases include missing Muslim human-rights lawyer Somchai Neelaphaijit. Additionally, there are another 200 people still unaccounted for from the May 1992 democracy revolt, she said. The AFAD’s appeal came after the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearance identified Asia as the continent with the highest number of involuntary disappearances over the past two years.

“In general, Asian governments are not respecting human rights,” Bacalso said, adding that only Japan supports the UN Draft Convention on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances.

National-security issues are the main factor behind the crimes, she said.

Bacalso will on Tuesday meet with senators and representative from the Foreign Affairs Ministry to discuss the issue.

However, she is not confident the government will change its stance and become a signatory of the draft convention. “The Thai government was not present during the negotiations [for the draft convention] last year and this year,” she said.

Other countries, including China and India, are simply against [the convention] while Indonesia, Sri Lanka and South Korea have no stance, Bacalso said.

The situation is different in Latin America, she said, where most governments support the convention.

In general, Europe supports it, but the United States has not lent its support to the convention, Gabriella Citrini, professor of international law at the University of Milan, told reporters.

“They are not supporting this convention, of course,” she said.

The United States’ refusal to back the convention stems from its policy of not wanting an international body to have jurisdiction over it – including the International Court, Citrini said.

Adul Khiewboriboon, chairman of the Relatives Committee of May 1992 Heroes - an AFAD member - urged the Thaksin administration to provide the public with clear information about involuntary disappearances.

He said there could be no unity in the predominantly Muslim deep South without justice, and that state crimes against the public must be investigated.

While calling the disappearance of Somchai last year a “national shame”, Adul said authorities must investigate the disappearances of the some 200 people still accounted for as a result of the May 1992 revolt.

--The Nation 2005-05-28