The Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) remembers Somchai Neelapaijit who was disappeared today, 15 years ago in Bangkok, Thailand.
Somchai was Thai Muslim lawyer and human rights activist. He is the former chairman of Thailand’s Muslim Lawyers Association and vice-chairman of the Human Rights Committee of the Lawyers Council of Thailand. He was last seen on the 11th of March 2004 as he was being dragged from his car by 5 police men in a busy street in Bangkok. Before his disappearance, Somchai was actively involved in a campaign to end martial law and also helped victims of torture. One day before his disappearance, he petitioned the state agencies against torture.