Somyot Pumpanmuang,

Royal Thai Police Commissioner-General
Royal Thai Police,
1 Building, Floor 7 Rama 1 Road,
Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330
Thailand
Fax: +66 2 618 2538
Email: [email protected]
Salutation: Dear General

Dear General,

I am William Nicholas Gomes, Human rights defender and Freelance journalist.

I would like to draw your attention to the following case.

On 20 August 2015, a preliminary court hearing in the case of human rights defender Mr Surapan Rujichaiwat will take place at the Mae Sod Provincial Court. He is charged with defamation following a post on social media calling for an investigation into the activities of Tung Kha Limited Company (TKLC).

Surapan Rujichaiwat is a Wang Saphung community leader and human rights defender actively involved in opposing the opening of a gold mining project in Loei Province in north-eastern Thailand. He has regularly attended and given talks at environmental meetings. Surapan Rujichaiwat raised awareness about the possible negative impact of the mining operation on the health and livelihood of local communities. He has been part of the core coordination team of the Khon Rak Ban Koed Group (KRBK), a group of villagers from six villages that strives to protect the environment and natural resources in their region, and to uphold their community’s agricultural practices. According to an urgent appeal by the Asian Human Rights Commission, since 2009 there has been clear evidence of the detrimental effects of the mines on the health, agriculture, and livelihood of the surrounding villages.

On 20 August 2015, the Mae Sod Provincial Court will decide whether to conduct a trial against Surapan Rujichaiwat. If the Court accepts the case, the human rights defender will become a defendant in a criminal case and therefore may be detained.

On 7 May 2015, Suraphan Rujichaiwat received a warrant from Mae Sod Provincial Police station informing him of charges brought against him following a criminal complaint by TKLC. The company claimed that his post on the Loei-mining Facebook Page calling for an investigation into the mining activity is misleading and an act of defamation. The company further accused Surapan Rujichaiwat of submitting false information to the UN and other institutions.

Surapan Rujichaiwat and his KRBK colleagues have protested against the mining industry and the expansion of the Phuthapfa gold mine by TKLC, in the Loei province. As a result, Surapan and his colleagues have been targeted on several occasions. On 15 August 2014, TKLC had filed a criminal complaint against Surapan Rujichaiwat along with a separate complaint against fellow human rights defender Ms Porntip Hongchai, accusing both of “damaging the company’s reputation”. Although the cases were withdrawn on 8 December 2014, the harassment continued. On 16 August 2014, Surapan Rujichaiwat’s wife received an anonymous phone call in which threats were made against her husband due to his continued activism.

I express my concern over the repeated acts of harassment against human rights defender Surapan Rujichaiwat, which it believes to be an attempt to prevent him from carrying out his peaceful and legitimate advocacy in defence of human rights.

I urge the authorities in Thailand to:

1. Immediately and unconditionally drop the charges against Surapan Rujichaiwat, as Front Line Defenders believes to be an attempt to prevent him from doing his legitimate and peaceful work in the defence of human rights;

2. Guarantee in all circumstances that all human rights defenders in Thailand are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities without fear of reprisals and free of all restrictions.

Sincerely,

William Nicholas Gomes