The UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights Defenders has raised concerns for a Thai senator and human rights defender after she received death threats over her criticism of the broadcasting of ghost sounds intended to disturb Cambodians along the border.

“Deeply concerned by reports of death threats & online attacks against Angkhana Neelapaijit, Senator, former NHRC Commissioner & woman human rights defender in Thailand. Defending truth, justice & dignity is not a crime. She must be protected, not vilified,” stated Mary Lawlor, UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights Defenders.

The concerns were raised after Angkhana faced a backlash from netizens after she questioned a well-known Thai social media influencer’s action in broadcasting the sound of howling ghosts to disturb Cambodians living along the border.

Guntouch Pongpaiboonwet, also known as Gun Jompalang, has used large speakers to broadcast noises resembling howling ghosts and aircraft engines at night along the border in Sa Kaew since 10 October, with the intention of disturbing the Cambodian military and civilians.

Senator Angkhana expressed her concerns on her Facebook page, questioning why the Thai government allowed such actions. She added that the Cambodian Human Rights Committee had already raised the issue with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

She also asserted that these actions by the Thai influencer could amount to psychological torture, which violates the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

Guntouch later responded on his Facebook page, which has over a million of followers. The exchange between them promptly spread and triggered a contentious debate.

While human rights advocacy groups and several parties have praised Angkhana for upholding the principles of human rights and questioned government for failing to stop an action that exacerbated the situation between Thailand and Cambodia, she has been accused of being unpatriotic and “taking the Cambodian side” by Thai netizens expressing strong nationalist sentiments and hostility toward Cambodians. She has also faced online attacks and death threats, with some calling for her removal from the Senate. 

Guntouch is a Thai influencer who also runs a foundation to provide legal and humanitarian assistance to those in need. His name has been heard more often since the Thai-Cambodian border dispute flared up months ago. He has portrayed himself as a civilian hero supporting the Thai military and Thais along the border amid the ongoing disputes with Cambodia.

He is also widely known among Thais for his tit-for-tat responses to the Cambodian military and civilians, despite them sometimes being deemed inappropriate. For example, he attempted to deploy septic tank trucks to spray sewage toward Cambodian military positions at the border, but the mission failed amid heavy criticism.