Angkhana was one of two women activists who received the 2006 Gwangju Prize for human rights. The other recipient was 28-year-old Afghan activist and parliamentarian Malalai Joya who had been vocal against the domination of warlords and the oppression of the Taliban.

Somchai Neelapajit, a prominent lawyer and human-rights defender, disappeared on March 12, 2004, while he was due to defend five of the nine suspects charged in connection with the raid on the Army camp earlier in January of the same year.

Since then, his wife Angkhana has been in the forefront in obtaining justice for Somchai. Five police were arrested as suspects and one was sentenced to three years in jail. Nonetheless, his accomplices and masterminds of the crime remained at large.

The Gwangju Prize for Human Rights is given yearly to individuals, groups or institutions in Korea and abroad that have contributed in promoting and advancing human rights, democracy and peace in their work.

This year's nominations came from 10 different countries, and it is the first time that two winners have shared the award.

Five of the eight winners of the Gwangju Prize since 2000 have been women.