Thai police and Cambodian authorities have denied they know anything about the abduction of prominent activist, Wancharlearm Satsaksit, from his condominium in Phnom Penh earlier this week.
The 37-year-old, who lives in exile in Cambodia, was kidnapped at gunpoint by an unknown person and bundled into a black vehicle that sped away from the scene.
Thai police have said they have no information about the abduction. However, they had contacted Cambodian authorities earlier regarding the extradition of Mr. Satsaksit.
Pol Col Kirssana Pattanacharoen, the Deputy National Police spokesman, said that he was unsure whether Cambodian authorities were involved in the kidnapping.
Meanwhile, Cambodian police deny any knowledge of the abduction, with a spokesman for the police saying they did not detain or arrest the political activist.
They went on to say there was no enough information to open an investigation, with Chhay Kim Khoeun of the Cambodian National Police saying “We don’t know about it, so what should we investigate?”
The event has caught the attention of Human Rights Watch, with the group’s Asia Director, Brad Adams, calling for a swift response and investigation. He said:
“The abduction of a prominent Thai political activist on the streets of Phnom Penh demands an immediate response from Cambodian authorities.”
In Bangkok, a gathering took place on the skywalk outside of the Bangkok Art and Culture Center on Friday afternoon as students and activists called for justice for Mr. Satsaksit.
The hashtag #SaveWanchalearm was also trending on Twitter on Friday with more than 500,000 tweets.
Despite security footage of the kidnapping and widespread condemnation of the incident, a spokesperson for Cambodia’s Interior Ministry suggested the abduction could be “fake news”.
Source: Bangkok Post
