Angkhana Neelapaijit, a human rights defender at risk – Let us stand together in solidarity with her
CHARLES HECTOR
ON HUMAN RIGHTS, JUSTICE AND PEACE ISSUES, LABOUR RIGHTS, MIGRANT RIGHTS, FOR THE ABOLITION OF THE DEATH PENALTY, TOWARDS AN END OF TORTURE, POLICE ABUSES, DISCRIMINATION…
Friday, October 17, 2025
Senator Angkhana Neelapaijit, a prominent woman human rights defender (WHRD), former National Human Rights Commissioner of Thailand, and a long-standing advocate for human rights, justice, peace, and reconciliation is now facing death threats and online gender-, racial-, and religious-based attacks. Angkhana is the wife of disappeared Muslim human rights lawyer Somchai Neelaphaijit.In 2006, Angkhana won the Gwangju Prize for Human Rights, which honors “individuals, groups or institutions in Korea and abroad that have contributed in promoting and advancing human rights, democracy and peace through their work”. In 2019 Angkhana Neelapaijit was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award. (Bangkok Post)
As a human rights defender, it is our duty to HIGHLIGHT human rights issues, including possible human rights violations, and that is exactly what Angkhana did…
On 12 October 2025, Senator Angkhana Neelapaijit raised legitimate human rights concerns on her verified Facebook page, urging the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) to investigate reports of cross-border intimidation by Thai civilians and military-affiliated influencers who broadcast ghostly and military sounds into Cambodian villages near Sa Kaeo Province.
The Senator warned that such actions could undermine Thailand’s international credibility, violate international humanitarian principles, and potentially constitute psychological torture under the Convention against Torture (CAT), to which Thailand is a party.
Her warning was consistent with reports submitted to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights by Mr. Keo Remy, President of the Cambodia Human Rights Committee (CHRC), alleging that Thai military units had broadcast loud, distressing noises directed at Cambodian civilians, causing sleep deprivation, fear, and psychological distress among vulnerable groups.The letter emphasized that such acts contradict the UN Charter and violate the 28 July 2025 Ceasefire Agreement between Thailand and Cambodia. – Thai PBS, 14/10/2025
The response – a lot of ONLINE and other attacks including death threats like “Take this bitch and bury her in a grave.”(translated from Thai), etc..
See below a Statement by the Community of Women Human Rights Defenders – LET US STAND IN SOLIDARITY WITH HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER ANGKHANA
When it comes to human rights violations and injustices, everyone has the duty and obligation to HIGHLIGHT and act against such violations even if the alleged perpetrator is our father, our child, our friend, our Prime Minister, our country’s police or armed forces….and we should uphold the cause of justice and human rights without FEAR or favour. Despite the Thai-Cambodian border conflict, that is exactly what Angkhana did, and thus we should all stand in solidarity with her.
We ask Thailand, the ASEAN under the leadership of Malaysia, and the United Nations to investigate this allegation, and if true, take the needed action to end this Injustice or Human Rights Violations and take action against the perpetrators to ensure JUSTICE and HUMAN RIGHTS is done.
In this case, we expect to hear from Anwar Ibrahim who is involved in trying to resolve this Thai-Cambodian situation – Silence is not an option.
Article 14. No person shall be subject to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. – ASEAN Human Rights Declaration
We hope that the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand also speedily look into this allegation and do the needful.
If true, the violation is directed against INNOCENT civilians – something the world condemns as it does not against the Israeli Zionist Regime who is acting against the innocent Civilians in Gaza. Our response need to be CONSISTENT and not ‘selective’ by reason of religion, ethnicity, gender or even nationality…
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. – Mary Lawlor UN Special Rapporteur for human rights defenders
Statement by the Community Women Human Rights Defenders Movement of Thailand
October 14, 2025
We Stand for Truth, Human Rights, and the Dignity of Every Human Being
We stand in unwavering solidarity with Angkhana Neelapaijit.
In a time when fear is dressed up as patriotism and hatred is paraded as civic duty, parts of society have turned their rage against one woman — an independent senator, a women human rights defender, and a voice of conscience — Angkhana Neelapaijit.
She is a woman of courage, doing nothing more than fulfilling her duty — to question what is unjust, to speak truth with integrity, and to stand firmly on the principles of human rights.
Angkhana knows that speaking out today means swimming against the current.
Yet she speaks — because she believes that truth has dignity. Even when state power has been merciless to her family, she has never abandoned the side of what is right, even if it means standing alone.
She does not speak for herself — she speaks to protect the rights of us all.
Human rights do not belong to lawyers, NGOs, or any single organization. They live in our breath and in our everyday lives — in our right to speak without fear of reprisal, our right to access truthful information, our right as citizens to question the power of the state, the military, and capital — even influencers, and our right to live in safety and dignity without fear.
To question power is the heart of democracy. To question power is not to overstep —it is to hold power accountable when it fails its people.
When the state refuses responsibility, the people have both the right and the duty to rise and ask. To question is the highest act of civic responsibility — and the only path to protect truth, justice, and human dignity.
We can question Senator Angkhana Neelapaijit’s views — but we cannot build a culture of hate.
When Patriotism Becomes a Weapon
It is encouraging to see the public alert to the situation along the Thai–Cambodian border. But when we awaken, we must ask — Are we awakening to seek understanding and solutions?
Or are we being drawn into an information war (IO) that spreads hate under the banner of patriotism?
The nationalism being incited today is cultivating a culture of fear and hatred in the hearts of people.
When we sow hatred, we will harvest only violence.
When we nourish division, we destroy the roots of justice and peace with our own hands.
We must ask ourselves honestly: What kind of culture are we growing in our hearts and in our society? If we build a society rooted in hatred, we will be trapped within that hatred. But if we nurture a culture of understanding, justice, and care for one another, we will create a society brave enough to defend the dignity of every human life.
True patriotism is not measured by the loudness of hate, but by the courage to stand for the dignity of every person — even when the nation trembles.
Human Rights and Humanity Must Never Be Abandoned
Thailand is bound by international human rights and humanitarian law — including the Convention against Torture (CAT) and International Humanitarian Law (IHL) — which require all parties to respect the dignity of civilians and limit the harm caused by conflict. Even in moments of war or tension, we must not lose our humanity in the fight.
Lessons from Rwanda: When National Security Devours Human Dignity
In 1994, the “Hutu Power” movement in Rwanda unleashed hatred in the name of “defending the nation.” In less than a hundred days, over 800,000 people were slaughtered — simply for being born into a different ethnicity. Rwanda stands as a warning to humanity: State security must never come before human security. The silence of the world then remains an open wound today.
True patriotism cannot be built upon the bodies of our fellow human beings. Defending the country means nothing if we do not defend the dignity of every life.
Voices of Women Human Rights Defenders from Across Thailand
“Influencers have no privilege above the law. Nationalist incitement is a social danger that must be stopped at its root.”
“Thai or Cambodian — we are all human. Everyone deserves peace, safety, and freedom from violence and discrimination.”
“Authorities on both sides must resolve the Thai–Cambodian conflict responsibly. Do not let the people of both nations suffer from the greed and power of those who rule.”
“War brings only loss and pain. Peaceful solutions must always come before political pride.”
Our Urgent Demands
The Community Women Human Rights Defenders Collective of Thailand calls on the Thai Government, the Armed Forces, and independent institutions — including the National Human Rights Commission — to act immediately, transparently, and accountability in line with international human rights standards.
The state must:
Uphold International Humanitarian Law (IHL);
End the use of nationalist rhetoric and information operations (IO) that breed hatred;
Protect the dignity and safety of all civilians — regardless of sides or borders.
To the Media
We call upon all journalists and media outlets to report responsibly — to uphold ethics, accuracy, and fairness, and to reject hate speech. An honourable media does not amplify fear.
It shines light into darkness. “The duty of the press is to illuminate — not to deepen the shadows.”
The Power of the People
The power of the people is beautiful — when it rises for human rights, justice, and democracy.
We urge all citizens to use that power to question authority:
Why can we not elect a 100% people’s constitutional assembly (Sor Sor Ror.)? Why are citizens denied the right to amend every section of the constitution? Why does the economy collapse while inequality rises and people take their own lives? Why do political and border conflicts persist without resolution?
And — are the recent Bangchak stock acquisitions linked to money laundering by former Prime Minister Hun Sen or Thaksin Shinawatra? What is the role of Minister Thammanat — reportedly close to the influencer leading this nationalist campaign and to the network of scammers linked to the Bangchak affair?
How are these networks tied to scammers and financiers who exploit people’s resources and dignity, including those in Dan Khun Thot and other affected communities?
We demand truthful answers
And we urge the people —to keep asking these questions, with courage and clarity. Because the people are not accomplices to silence or hatred — they are the sovereign power of the nation,
with the right to know, to question, and to change their own future.
Lessons from October 14, 1973: The People Are the Heart of the Nation
The political awakening after October 14 was a turning point for modern Thailand. When students and citizens rose to question power, the nation learned that state authority only has meaning when the people stand tall in their own dignity.
We have lived through that pain — and its lesson still echoes: The strength of a nation is not built on silence. It grows from a society that embraces scrutiny, that upholds rights, freedoms, justice, and shared responsibility.
A great nation is not one that never errs — but one that faces the truth and rises again with dignity.
Our Stand
We stand in solidarity with Angkhana Neelapaijit, and with all human rights defenders and people across this country — not because we agree with every word they speak, but because we share the same principle: Every human being has the right to safety, dignity, and truth.
True security cannot be built on fear. Peace cannot grow from hate. Justice cannot exist without accountability.
When patriotism is used as a weapon, love must become our resistance.And when fear is turned into policy, courage must become our collective voice.
Community Women Human Rights Defenders Collective of Thailand
The Thai version can be found here.
About Us
The Community Women Human Rights Defenders Collective of Thailand is a grassroots movement of women from communities across the country — representing struggles in 19 key issue areas. We are mothers, caregivers, Indigenous women, rural and urban poor, garment workers, landless labourers, sex workers, and young activists — all dedicated to protecting life, land, and our way of living. We fight for land and housing rights, resist destructive mining and mega-projects, and advocate for migrant women, refugees, women with disabilities, and women in conflict areas in southern Thailand and Myanmar. We call for a Care Income for mothers and caregivers —because care work sustains not only families but the future of our nation.
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