BANGKOK — A Cambodian court has shuttered its investigation into the 2020 disappearance of Thai political activist Wanchalearm Satsaksit, according to his family and legal representatives, ending a five-year inquiry that human rights groups say failed to yield a single suspect.
The Cross Cultural Foundation (CrCF) announced Wednesday that Wanchalearm’s sister, Sitthanan Satsaksit, received notice from the Phnom Penh Municipal Court stating that the investigation into charges of unlawful detention and illegal weapons possession has been terminated. The order, signed by an investigating judge on Dec. 17, marks the first formal update in the case since late 2020.
Wanchalearm, a vocal critic of the Thai government and a refugee living in exile, was snatched from the street in broad daylight on June 4, 2020. Witnesses and CCTV footage showed armed men forcing him into a black van outside his condominium in central Phnom Penh. His whereabouts remain unknown.
Banners showing disappeared government and monarchy critic Wanchalearm Satsaksit are displayed at a pro-democracy protest on Sept. 4, 2020, in Ubon Ratchathani.“The case might be closed, but he will not be forgotten,” Sitthanan said in a statement, calling the court’s decision an “insult” to the family. “Receiving a document stating that the investigation has ended without identifying a single suspect is not only a failure of the law; it is an insult to the disappeared person and to the family still waiting.”
The closure of the case has drawn sharp criticism from human rights advocates who argue that Cambodia has ignored its international obligations. Cambodia has been a party to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance since 2013.
Prakaidao Pruksakasemsuk, deputy director of CrCF, said the decision demonstrates a “justice system that enables impunity,” particularly regarding “transnational repression”—a term used to describe governments targeting dissidents beyond their own borders.
Sitthanan Satsaksit, left, speaks about her brother Wanchalearm Satsaksit during an event organized by Amnesty International on Oct. 5, 2020.Earlier this year, the United Nations Committee on Enforced Disappearances urged Cambodia to intensify its search for Wanchalearm and conduct an impartial investigation. Despite these calls, the CrCF says Cambodian authorities failed to utilize available CCTV evidence or provide a transparent account of the procedural steps taken over the last five years.
The Cambodian government has long denied involvement in the abduction, and the court’s latest order effectively halts any domestic legal pursuit of the truth.
Rights groups warn that the termination of the probe sends a chilling message to political exiles in Southeast Asia, suggesting that host countries may not provide the protection required under international law.
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