Eyewitnesses to the abduction of Phnom Penh-based Thai activist, Wanchalearm Satsaksit, confirmed details of the incident to VOA Khmer, but Cambodian officials continued to maintain that they were unaware of the incident.
In a statement released Friday, Human Rights Watch said Thai pro-democracy activist Wanchalearm Satsaksit was abducted by armed men in Phnom Penh on June 4, 2020. Wanchalearm Satsaksit, who fled the Thai junta after the 2014 coup, is a prominent activist affiliated with the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD), also known as the “Red Shirts”, according to the statement.
VOA Khmer visited an apartment building in Phnom Penh’s Chroy Changvar district and spoke to eyewitnesses to the abduction. At least three eyewitnesses were able to identify photographs of Wanchalearm Satsaksit and said he was the person who was abducted on Thursday. All witnesses did not want to be identified in the story for fear of reprisals.
