The Story Of The Disappearance Of Thai Activists Due To Government Criticism

JAKARTA - An activist suddenly disappeared even though he was not in his own country. He is Wanchalearm Satsaksit or often called Tar, a Thai national who has lived in Phnom Penh, Cambodia since 2014. He has often spoken out about gender issues and LGBT rights in Thailand over the past decade and slowly he has also begun to criticize about democracy in Thailand. He is a pro-democracy.

Wanchalearm's figure has stolen the attention of the Thai military since 2014. At the time of the military coup that year led by General Prayuth Chan-o-cha, Wanchalearm was affiliated with the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD), also known as the Red Shirts. This group has criticized the military since the previous coup that occurred in 2006. At that time, they succeeded in overthrowing prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

After the coup ended, Wanchalearm's face appeared on TV. He was called to attend a meeting at a military camp. Wanchalearm understood this call was a sign that he would be silenced, so he chose to leave Thailand and start a new life in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. This was told to the BBC by Sunai Phasuk, a senior researcher for Human Rights Watch Asia, who is also a friend of Wanchalearm.

Last June 4th, Wanchalearm was kidnapped by 3 unknown people. That afternoon, he was in front of his apartment and talking on the phone with his older sister, Sitanun Satsaksit.

The disappearance of Satsaksit Whancalearm is not the first time this has happened. There are 9 Thai people who disappeared forcibly until now, but only 2 bodies were found. The government of General Prayuth Chan-ocha is known to be authoritarian and often oppresses government critics. 3 of the 9 Thais who disappeared suddenly were Surachai Shuracai Danwattananusorn (leader of Thailand's pro-democracy Red Shirt movement), Chatcharn Buppawan alias Puchana and Kraidej Luelert alias Kasalong. Quoted from The Guardian, they fled to Laos in 2014, after the military coup that raised General Prayoth Chan-ocha ended.

They hope to maintain power by forming pro-military political parties and putting forward the head of a military government. In addition, Thailand's new constitution was drafted and ratified by military forces, so it is not surprising that its contents are heavily inclined to support the military.

Until now, international institutions, human rights activists, legal experts, politicians, and the Thai people are still demanding that the Thai and Cambodian governments immediately carry out an investigation into the disappearance of Wanchalearm Satsaksit. They do not want their fate to end like Thai citizens who fled and disappeared in other neighboring countries. On the other hand, many also began to be pessimistic if he could be found safe.

Siniar VOI this time will tell the story of the disappearance of Wanchalearm Satsaksit. Please hit the listen button and we'll tell the story for you.