This 17 June 2008 will be the three years anniversary of the murder of Phra Supoj Suwajo.  Phra Kittisak Kittisophano, the President of the Metta Dharmmaraksa Foundation and the Coordinator of the Friends of Phra Supoj Suwajo Network revealed that although it has been three years since Phra Supoj was murdered, the case has not made much progress despite that attention that the media and national and international human rights organizations had given to the case.  Although the case is under the responsibility of Department of Special Investigations (DSI) and has been under supervised by three governments, the perpetrator has not been identified.  The DSI working group has been unable to collect enough evidence to identify the perpetrator or the motive behind the murder  so that further action such as an arrest warrant can be taken.

The President of the Metta Dharmmaraksa Foundation also stated that it has been almost eight months since the witness protection program for him and Phra Maha Cherdchai Kawiwangso, a close acquaintance of Phra Supoj, was cancelled in October 2007.  When inquiries were directed to the Witness Protection Office, Department of Rights and Liberty Protection, Ministry of Justice, he was informed that as the case is under the jurisdiction of DSI, the Witness Protection Office cannot intervene and can only let the DSI proceed in the way they think is appropriate. 

Phra Kittisak said “I have been asking relevant departments.  I also launched a complaint to PM Samak Sundaravej through the Prime Minister’s Office Complaints Centre, but the answer I got was that the complaint has been sent to the DSI.  I have to wait for an update from there.”

“I have been threatened several times.  One time a truck driver was driving behind the car of a member of the Metta Dharmmaraksa Foundation.  The truck driver showed that he wanted to hit our car when we were travelling from Chiang Dao District to Fang District in Chiang Mai Province.  Gunshots were fired in Metta Dharm monastery.  There is one case of a motorcycle belonging to one of the workers of the monastery being hit by a car driven by plainclothes policeman.  The worker filed his complaint with the Lawyers Council of Thailand.  The responsible person at the DSI did not take the situation into their concerns.”

Because of the lack of development and slow response by the officials dealing with this case, the Friends of Phra Supoj Suwajo Network, together with the National Human Rights Commission, people’s organizations and human rights groups such as the Rak Bo Nok Group, Campaign Committee for Human Rights (CCHR) and the Thai Working Group on the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, and the Development Monks Network in Northern Thailand, will jointly organize a commemorative event for Phra Supoj to demand justice.  The event will be held between 15-17 June 2008 at Metta Dharm monastery, Moo 5, Baan Huay Ngo Nai, San Sai Sub-district, Fang District, Chiang Mai Province.

There will be a seminar on the use of excessive force and human rights violations in Thailand and a summary of the case of Phra Supoj.  There will also be a local style seminar on “People’s Rights and Access to Justice” by key social activists such as Ms. Rosana Tositrakul (Bangkok senator), Mr. Nipit Intarasombat (Democrat Party Member of Parliament), Mr. Pairoj Polpetch (Union of Civil Liberties), Dr. Nirand Phitakwatchara (former Ubon Ratchathani Province Senator), Mrs. Korn-Uma Pongnoi (wife of late Mr. Charoen Wat-aksorn), Mrs. Angkana Neelaphaijit (wife of Mr. Somchai Neelapaijit), and others.

Phra Kittisak concluded that “this activity will be a key lesson on the need to protect human rights defenders.  With these losses and suffering, we will discuss how civil society and related organizations can come up with ways and means to fight for justice in the future, since government agencies and the judiciary have failed to bring about an environment of justice.  There will also be a donation ceremony with the proceedings going to the establishment of the Phra Supoj Suwajo Foundation, an organization to study lessons learned and to protect other human rights defenders.”