Extra-judicial killing of two village chiefs in the Southern Provinces

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), requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in Thailand.

Brief description of the situation:

The Observatory has been informed by Union for Civil Liberty (UCL) about the extra-judicial killing of two village chiefs who had helped villagers who had been victims of violence in the Southern Provinces to have their case heard by the authorities.

According to the information received, on October 20, 2006, Mr. Muhammad Dunai Tanyeeno, chief of Jaroh Village, Paiwan Sub-district, Takbai District, Narathiwat Province, was shot near his house. He had just gone out with his bicycle in order to meet a person who had phoned him at his home earlier. It has not yet been possible to trace the origin of the call. On the same day, the Network for the Affected Population in Relation to Southern Violence went to Bangkok in order to submit a petition to the Prime Minister’s representative.

The Observatory fears that Mr. Muhammad Dunai’s murder may be linked with his activities in favour of the rights of villagers. Indeed, on October 3, 2006, he had provided assistance to victims of violence by enabling them to meet the newly appointed Army Commander of Region 4, together with the Network for the Affected Population in Relation to Southern Violence.

Moreover, Mr. Muhammad Dunai had also been working closely with the coordinator of the Tak Bai case (whose name cannot be communicated for security reasons) in assisting villagers who had been persecuted since the massacre of 84 persons by soldiers and police, on October 25, 2004, after a protest outside the Tak Bai police station; 78 of them were in custody at the time. Before his murder, Mr. Muhammad Dunai had reportedly been contacted by two unknown military officials who wanted to meet with the affected families and the coordinator of the Takbai case. However, at the present time, the Observatory does not have further details about the content of their discussion nor about the military agencies involved.

Furthermore, on October 16, 2006, Mr. Asan Yamaleh, chief of Village n°3, Talo, Sub-district Yada, Raman District, Yala Province, was shot soon after bringing a group of people to meet representatives of the authorities in Yala 3. Before his killing, Mr. Yamaleh had attended a meeting with members of the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand and local human rights groups in order to complain about the brutality of the security forces in a raid on September 13, 2006. On this occasion, over 100 police and army forces had raided his village to search for suspects and bomb-making material. Five villagers were arrested after being brutally assaulted, while the security forces fired into village houses.

Up to date, no investigation has been opened into these two murders.

The Observatory expresses its deepest concern regarding these extra-judicial killings, which occur in the context of persistent violations of fundamental freedoms in Southern Thailand.

Actions required:

Please write to the Thai authorities and ask them to:

1. Conduct an immediate, independent and impartial investigation into Mr. Muhammad Dunai Tanyeeno and Mr. Asan Yamaleh’s deaths in order to identify those responsible, bring them to justice and sentence them according to law;
2. Guarantee that adequate reparation is provided to the victims’ families;
3. Put an end to all acts of harassment against all human rights defenders in Thailand, and guarantee their physical and psychological integrity as well as of their relatives;
4. Conform with the provisions of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on December 9, 1998, especially its article 6(b), which states that “everyone has the right, individually and in association with others (...) to publish, impart or disseminate to others views, information and knowledge on all human rights and fundamental freedoms”, and its article 8(2), which provides that “everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, to submit to governmental bodies and agencies and organisations concerned with public affairs criticism and proposals for improving their functioning and to draw attention to any aspect of their work that may hinder or impede the promotion, protection and realisation of human rights and fundamental freedoms”;
5. Ensure in all circumstances respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with international human rights standards and international instruments ratified by Thailand.

Addresses:

• General Surayud Chulanont, Prime Minister of Thailand, Email: prforeign@prd.go.th
• National Human Rights Commission of Thailand, 422 AMLO Building Phya Thai Rd., Pathum wan District, Bangkok 10330, Thailand; Tel: (66) 2-2219-2980, Fax: (66) 2-2219-2940, Hotline: 1377. E-mail: interhr@nhrc.or.th
• Ambassador Mr. Chaiyong Satjipanon, Permanent Mission of Thailand to the United Nations in Geneva, rue Gustave Moynier 5, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland, Tel: + 41 22 715 10 10; Fax: + 41 22 715 10 00 / 10 02; Email: mission.thailand@ties.itu.int
• Embassy of Thailand in Brussels, 2 Sq. du Val de la Cambre, 1050 Ixelles, Belgium, Tel : + 32 2 640.68.10. Fax : + 32 2 .648.30.66. Email : thaibxl@pophost.eunet.be

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Geneva-Paris, October 26, 2006

Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.

The Observatory, a FIDH and OMCT venture, is dedicated to the protection of Human Rights Defenders and aims to offer them concrete support in their time of need.

The Observatory was the winner of the 1998 Human Rights Prize of the French Republic.

To contact the Observatory, call the emergency line:
Email : Appeals@fidh.omct.org
Tel et fax FIDH : + 33 1 43 55 20 11 / 33 1 43 55 18 80
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