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Published on March 12, 2008

 He was never seen again. The then PM, Thaksin Shinawatra, suggested that Somchai's disappearance may have stemmed from the pressure of family problems. Somchai's supporters accused Thaksin of having a subnormal intelligence for rushing to such a conclusion.

At the time of his disappearance, Somchai was the chairman of Thailand's Muslim Lawyers Association and vice-chairman of the Human Rights Committee of the Lawyers Council of Thailand. He was also involved in a lawsuit alleging widespread police torture of Muslims in the conflict-ridden southern border provinces.

Five police officers - Police Maj Ngern Tongsuk, Police Lt Col Sinchai Nimbunkampong, Police Lance Cpl Chaiweng Paduang, Police Sgt Rundorn Sithiket, and Police Lt Col Chadchai Leiamsa-ngoun - were arrested in April 2004 in connection with Somchai's disappearance and charged with coercion and robbery. None of the officers has been charged with more serious crimes.

On January 12, 2006 the Central Criminal Court found Police Major Ngern guilty of physically assaulting Somchai, and sentenced him to three years imprisonment. The other four accused police officers were acquitted due to insufficient evidence. The judge concluded that the assault led to Somchai's "disappearance" and criticised the efforts of the police to bring this case to a satisfactory conclusion. It doesn't take a genius to see that the charges were written in such a way that the officers would sooner or later see the light of day.

With the exception of tough-talking Chuvit Kamolvisit - the massage parlour owner turned politician (because he got tired of paying bribes to the police) - nobody in the modern history of Thailand has ever succeeded in escaping from the authorities after being abducted. It is presumed that Somchai has been murdered.

Over the past four years, two prime ministers have come and gone, and no one has had the guts to press the police and the Department of Special Investigations to answer basic questions such as who might have ordered the abduction.

Brad Adams, director of Human Rights Watch Asia, said this is a "a test case for the new Thai government."

Since taking office in January, the current government has been silent on Somchai's case, and has failed to address other pressing human rights concerns, including numerous other "disappearances" in the deep South, many of which are suspected of being linked to the security forces.

For as long as anyone can remember, Thai society has always had difficulties balancing the need to save face - in this case, to protect officers from the wrath of the law - and the need to do the right thing. One cannot abandon one's subordinates, even if the crimes they commit have become a national embarrassment.

In the deep South, where nearly 3,000 people have been killed since January 2004, the Army has finally gathered enough courage to end its policy of placing suspected militants incommunicado for the first 72 hours of their detention. The decision was made amid growing allegations of torture and human rights violations. During that initial three-day period, bruises and black eyes don't completely disappear. At first, the 72-hour clock would restart every time a detained suspect was relocated to a different detention centre. As the old saying goes, time heals all wounds. But in Thailand's deep South, the wounds just keep coming back.

It has been more than 100 years since the Malay-speaking region come under the direct administrative rule of Thailand. The wounds, it seems, are as painful as ever.

The Nation