One of the key campaigners for a long-delayed bill banning torture and enforced disappearances said this morning people would have to “wait and see” what happens to it in the Senate after it was passed unanimously in the House of Representatives.
Angkhana Neelaphaijit, who rose to prominence as a rights defender since the 2004 disappearance of her lawyer husband, Somchai Neelaphaijit, said this won’t be the first time the bill has reached the upper house.
“The bill was advanced to the Senate before, but it did not get approval,” she told Coconuts. “I believe that the increased interest and attention will give the military Senate much to think about, so that we can protect people.”
Lawmakers to date have shown little interest in passing the law, as Thailand committed to 15 years ago when it signed onto a U.N. anti-torture convention. The military,…
