Maitree Chamroensuksakul
Cases- Location of case in SG report
- 2018-103-001
- Relevant SG report
- Year of the report
- 2018
- From Country
- Country Geolocation
Latitude: 15.870032
Longitude: 100.992541
- Country Geolocation (linked Cases)
- Thailand
- From Region
- UN body that raised the case prior to the SG report
- Assistant Secretary-General
- UN Special Procedures: Thematic
- Dates of prior UN action
- 30 June 2017; March 2018; 27 April 2018
- Type of record
- Named individual
- Gender
- Male
- Was the victim a foreign national?
- No
- Was the victim a minor?
- No
- Individual's/organization's activity
Lahu indigenous human rights defender from a hill tribe group in the border between the north of Thailand and Myanmar; Mr. Chamroensuksakul had been documenting and publicly raising concerns of human rights violations committed against the Lahu community by law enforcement officers. In particular, he was seeking justice for the killing of Chaiyaphum Pasae, a 17-year old Lahu youth activist who was shot dead by military personnel on 17 March 2017 during an alleged anti-drug operation in Ban Kong Phak Ping village.
- Type of rights defended
- Accountability & impunity
- Indigenous peoples’ rights
- Was the victim a civil servant or member of the security forces or of the judiciary?
- No
- Reported trigger of reprisal
subject to harassment and death threats following a meeting he had with Mr. Michel Forst, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, on 27 May 2017during his academic visit to Thailand. ... Mr. Chamroensuksakul posted a photo of himself with the Special Rapporteur on his Facebook page.
- Engagement with UN body
- UN Special Procedures: thematic
- Dates of engagement
- 27 May 2017
- Type of attempted engagement
- Meeting with UN officials during country visit / with locally present UN officials
- Dates of mentioned reprisals
- 29 May 2017
- Location of mentioned reprisals
- Ban Kong Phak Ping village
- Reprisal information
subject to harassment and death threats; the police from Provincial Region 5 and Chiang Mai conducted a joint large- scale search operation of Ban Kong Phak Ping village, with a warrant issued by Chiang Mai Provincial Court, supposedly aimed at searching for drugs. The authorities searched nine houses, including Mr. Chamroensuksakul’s house, which they raided while he was not home. Two of his family members were arrested and charged with drug possession, and both were denied access to a lawyer during their interrogation by the police.
- Types of reprisals suffered
- Family/friends/acquaintances targeted
- Property damage/raid/search/confiscation
- Threats/Intimidations (incl. "fear of reprisal")
- Alleged/likely perpetrators
- State actors
- Was the reprisal based on new legislation?
- No
- Does the report make general comment about country’s environment for engagement with UN?
- No
- Further case development
At the time of writing the Government had not responded to the special procedures’ urgent appeal of 30 June 2017.
- Is the country cited for a "pattern of reprisal" in the context of this case?
- No
- Is a pattern of reprisals mentioned otherwise in the context of this case?
- No
- Does the report cite "self-censorship" as an issue in the context of this case?
- No
- How many times has the case been followed up in subsequent SG reports?
- 1
- In which SG report was this case followed up on? 0
- 2019
- Follow up information provided in SG report 0
The case of Mr. Maitree Chamroensuksakul, a Lahu indigenous human rights defender, was included in the 2018 report of the Secretary-General (A/HRC/39/41, para. 69 and Annex I, paras.103–104). Special procedures mandate holders raised concern at harassment and death threats against him following a meeting with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders (THA 4/2017), to which the Government responded. 158 Mr. Chamroensuksakul had documented and publicly raised violations against the Lahu community by law enforcement officers, and in particular the death of a 17-year old Lahu youth activist shot by military personnel in March 2017 during an alleged anti-drug operation. In May 2019, it was reported that Mr. Chamroensuksakul and his family continue to face intimidation and threats and are unable to return to their home. On 22 October 2018, the Government provided additional information to OHCHR, stating that the search of Mr. Chamroensuksakul’s home took place with a warrant and was unrelated to the visit of the Special Rapporteur. The Government further noted that Mr. Chamroensuksakul is entitled to file a complaint for any damages incurred, and is eligible for witness protection concerning the death of the youth activist.
- On 28 June 2019, the Government responded to the allegations providing detailed comments. The Government requested further details on the intimidation and threats against Mr. Chamroensuksakul and his family, in order to better understand how they relate to his cooperation with the UN. The Government also noted that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has asked relevant agencies to verify this case and is waiting for more information.
- Followup Trends 0
- Stayed same
- Did the government respond? 0
- Yes