Published on November 05, 2005

Anocha Panjoy’s name still appears on her family’s household registration, and she has been on the list of eligible voters for every election held during the past 27 years since her mysterious disappearance in Macau.

“It’s conclusive that Anocha Panjoy lived here, and people who know her insist that the she is the same person as in the photo [shown by US army deserter Charles Robert Jenkins],” San Kamphaeng district chief Surachai Jongrak said yesterday.

Surachai said his office had been asked to verify that Anocha was registered in his Chiang Mai district.

In a Japanese-language book called “Kokuhaku” (“To Tell the Truth”), Jenkins revealed that Anocha was alive and well and living in North Korea following her alleged abduction from Macau.

Jenkins defected to North Korea in 1965, where he married a Japanese woman who had been abducted by Pyongyang. Just last year, Jenkins, his wife and their children were allowed to travel to Japan.

His book was published last week.

Surachai said he would report his findings about Anocha to the Interior and Foreign ministries.

He added that Anocha’s elder brother Sukham and nephew Banjong may soon be asked to travel to Bangkok to give information to the authorities about their missing relative.

Sukham, 59, said he had always believed that his younger sister was still alive even though she disappeared 27 years ago and had never contacted him since. “That’s why I have never removed her name from our household registration,” he said.

He added that he had always retained the hope that he would see Anocha once again. “And I would be very glad if we can meet,” he said, calling on the government to help bring Anocha home.

According to Jenkins, Anocha was abducted into North Korea and forced to marry another US army deserter, Private Larry Allan Abshier.

Somnuk Prakobkij, a kamnan in tambon Huai Sai and a close friend of Anocha, said he was fully confident that the woman in the picture shown by Jenkins was Anocha, whom he had known since she was very young. The photograph was taken in 1985.

“We were in the same class. We saw each other until she went to Macau and never came back. I can even tell you how she felt [in the picture]. She was pouting when the photo was taken,” Somnuk said.

Karbkaew Niyomkul, 52, also a close friend of Anocha, said she missed her a lot and often dreamed about her. “I wish to see her again,” she added.

Anan Paengnoy

The Nation

Chiang Mai

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