Missing Lawyer: Somchai Is Dead: Chavalit

[george]

MISSING LAWYER: Somchai is dead: Chavalit

Sensational claim in Parliament is disputed by police; senators want proof

Deputy Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh dropped a bombshell yesterday, telling Parliament that high-profile Muslim lawyer Somchai Neelaphaijit, who went missing two weeks ago, is dead.

"I don't believe that Somchai was abducted to be put through the mill. But I know who he met before he lost his life," said Chavalit, during a grilling initiated by the opposition Democrat Party.

Chavalit gave no further details on the purported death of Somchai, and the Democrats did not pursue how the deputy prime minister had arrived at his assessment.

But Crime Suppression Division commissioner Pol Lt-General Wongkot Maneerin, one of the key agencies investigating Somchai's disappearance, insisted that there was still not enough evidence to support claims that the outspoken lawyer had been killed.

The deputy commissioner of police, General Charnchit Pienlert, also cast doubt on Chavalit's comments.

"It's probably not necessary to invite Deputy Prime Minister Chavalit for questioning because I believe the information he obtained was from secondary sources. It probably came from someone in the military," Charnchit said.

"We have our own intelligence unit working on it and we believe he [somchai] is still alive."

Somchai's wife Angkhana said she did not believe that her husband had died, but admitted to confusion as to why Chavalit said what he did.

Walapha Neelaphaijit, Somchai's aunt, said she was shocked that Chavalit had made such a statement.

"How come the family was not informed about his death?" Walapha asked. "No officials have contacted us with any information about Somchai's fate," she said.

Chavalit's statement also drew a strong reaction from Udon Thani Senator Niran Pithakwatchara and Bangkok Senator Sak Korsaengrueng, who called on the government to come clean on how the deputy prime minister had come to such a conclusion.

"This is very important. It amounts to an admission by the government that they have knowledge on how Somchai disappeared," Niran said.

"The government is going to have to explain itself. They can't continue to remain ambiguous about any of this."

Sak called on Chavalit to produce Somchai's body to verify his claim.

The disappearance of the lawyer on March 12 has triggered widespread accusations of government involvement. Somchai had been at loggerheads with the police and military over their alleged questionable tactics.

Besides leading a campaign to end martial law in the three southernmost provinces, he had taken up controversial cases, including defending five Thai Muslims accused of raiding an Army camp in Narathiwat on January 4.

He had a run-in with police following allegations that his clients had been beaten into confessions. And Fourth Army officers accused him of interfering with the government's work, because of his call for an end to martial law in the three provinces.

In his last public statement at the Santhichon Foundation, a Muslim civic group, Somchai told a crowd of more than 2,000 he believed rogue Army officers were behind the January 4 raid.

"Nobody would dare to snatch the liver of the Army unless it it's the Army themselves," he said.

--The Nation 2004-03-26

[et33.com]

so what is going to happen next... ???

[yeti]

Tomorrow will be the 4th anniversary of his disappearance and nothing happenned...

[sbk]

telling Parliament that high-profile Muslim lawyer Somchai Neelaphaijit, who went missing two weeks ago, is dead.

Two weeks ago?

[yeti]

I couldn't find the original post about his disappearance, so I posted in this one.

[sbk]

Oops! my bad, I just looked at the post date. Sorry!

There have been several news stories since then, but AFAIK, his widow still waits to find out about his body.

Thaksin Aide Link To Kidnap Of Somchai, Missing Lawyer

Takbai, Car-bomb And Somchai Lawyer Cases Are Not Dismissed

[bulmercke]

Somchai Neelaphaijit had balls.

He had the temerity to expose to the Thai media the extent of the torture being imposed on captured 'insurgents' in the south.