Authorities in Cambodia say they have closed a probe into missing Thai pro-democracy activist Wanchalearm Satsaksit, who was allegedly abducted in Phnom Penh four years ago.
Wanchalearm was pushed into a black Toyota Highlander SUV on June 4, 2020, near the Mekong Gardens condominium, where he lived, eyewitnesses told VOA Khmer reporters at the time.
Cambodian authorities said last week that they were unable to confirm he ever lived in the building, or find details about the vehicle he was allegedly taken away in.
"We have filed the report to court and the investigation is finished," Khieu Sopheak, secretary of state and spokesman for the Interior Ministry, told VOA Khmer on February 27.
Despite the ministry's remarks, it is unclear if the Phnom Penh Municipal Court has closed the case. Sam Chamroeun, the Cambodian lawyer for Wanchalearm's family, told VOA Khmer last week that he had not been given notice of the case being closed.
VOA Khmer asked a court spokesman for comment but received no reply.
Wanchalearm's family and advocacy groups criticized the lack of transparency in the investigation and called on Thailand's government to press Cambodia on why it appears to have ended the inquiry.
"It has been four years. I want them to tell the family members what happened, how the investigation is. It should not be secret anymore," Sitanun Satsaksit, Wanchalearm's sister, told VOA Thai by phone on February 28.
On March 5, The U.N. Committee on Enforced Disappearances called on Cambodia to ensure that allegations of Wanchalearm's forced disappearance "are investigated promptly, thoroughly, effectively and impartially." It also called on Cambodia's government to keep Wanchalearm's family informed throughout the probe.
Pornpen Khongkachonkiet, director of the Cross Cultural Foundation, which has assigned lawyers to represent the activist's family, said Cambodia should be more open about what it knows, and prove its claims that no state agents were involved.
"The investigation of a case of human rights violation cannot be treated with confidentiality," she said to VOA Khmer on Monday.
Wanchalearm was a political science graduate who worked at a series of nonprofits before moving into politics and working with the Pheu Thai Party in various positions, according to friends and relatives.
After the 2014 military coup, Wanchalearm was among the Thai activists who fled to Cambodia, although it's unclear when. Cambodia's Interior Ministry confirmed he received a visa to stay in the country in 2017.
But the ministry said it has no record of where he lived in the ensuing years, or what happened on June 4, 2020, the date of his alleged abduction.
At the time of Wanchalearm's disappearance, the Pheu Thai Party stood in opposition to Thailand's military government.
In December 2020, Wanchalearm's legal team and his sister, Sitanun, appeared at the Phnom Penh court and submitted evidence to support their allegation that he had been abducted, including a copy of his purported Cambodian passport.
A prosecutor took note of the complaint, and they were summoned by a Cambodian investigative judge, a move that suggests a criminal case was opened, according to Sam Chamroeun.
However, Pornpen Khongkachonkiet, Sitanun's Thai lawyer, said the legal team had not heard from Cambodia's court after that or subsequent visits.
"Cambodia police told us they could not find anything," she told VOA Khmer via email on Tuesday.
National Police spokesperson Chhay Kimkhoeun has not responded to VOA Khmer's inquiries for comments.
Sitanun again tried to bring attention to the case on February 22, when former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen met with his onetime counterpart, Thaksin Shinawatra, in Bangkok. However, she was unable to pass a request for the former Cambodian leader.
Thaksin's daughter, Paethongtharn Shinawatra, the Pheu Thai Party leader, has accepted an invitation to visit Cambodia March 18-19.
In a press conference on February 27, Danuporn Punnakan, a Pheu Thai Party spokesperson, was asked if Wanchalearm's disappearance would be discussed during the visit.
The spokesman said officials would "rather discuss economy and society than bringing up anyone's personal issue to the table. But if this issue receives public attention, the [party's] executive committees would consider this in their meeting."
Sitanun said she was disappointed by the response, telling the officials, "Do not forget that [Wanchalearm] is a Thai person."
