On the Office of the High Commission for Human Rights (OHCHR) statement on 6 January 2015 urging Thailand to fully investigate enforced disappearance and to ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforce Disappearance, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to clarify as follows.

         The Royal Thai Government takes all alleged cases of enforced disappearances seriously and they have been investigated in accordance with the law, without any exception. Efforts have been made to reply and update all relevant organisations, including the OHCHR on the inquired cases based on facts as well as on development of relevant legal frameworks. Thailand has signed the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (ICPPED) in 2012. As a consequence, Thailand has undertaken domestic preparation process in order to further ratify the ICPPED.  A draft “Prevention and Suppression of Torture and Enforced Disappearances Act B.E….” was submitted to the Cabinet for consideration. The draft Act aims to guarantee prompt, thorough and impartial investigation of any cases of torture and enforced disappearance. It would also set out principles and guidelines governing the proceeding of cases concerning allegation of torture and enforced disappearance, in addition to the general criminal procedure code. According to the draft Act, family members of victim of torture or enforced disappearance will be considered as injured party for the purpose of legal proceeding.

         The Thai authorities take all alleged case of enforced disappearance seriously, including the case of Mr. Somchai Neelapaichit, and have provided assistance to the family of the victim accordingly. Compensation as well as remedy was paid to his family by the authorities concerned. And Mrs. Angkhana Neelapaichit, Mr. Somchai’s wife, has been under the witness protection programme provided by the Department of Special Investigation (DSI). The case, as filed by public attorney and his family, has been final as the Court of Justice had examined all evidences brought before the Court by both sides, without prejudice and in compliance with due process of law.