Urgent Appeal: Death threats and impunity against the Southern Peasants Federation of Thailand Despite a legal judgement in favour of the Agricultural Land Reform Office five months ago, ordering the Jiew Kang Jue Pattana Co. Ltd. to vacate the land it is illegally occupying, no action has been taken on the ground. Furthermore, there remains little progress in the Police investigation into Mr. Chai murder case. Yet, following the murder of Mr. Chai on the 11th February 2015, the SPFT has received information that other SPFT members, especially leading members, would also be killed. On Wednesday 25th March 2015, 16:00, two SPFT members were travelling out of Khlong Sai Pattana Community, Chaiburi District, Surat Thani Province. Two cars, one in front of them and one behind them, stopped the SPFT members' car. An unidentified man stepped out of the front car and approached the SPFT members' car to look inside. The man then turned to address his colleagues in the two cars, saying, "It isn't the person we are looking for." The two cars moved out of the way and the SPFT members were free to pursue their journey. The SPFT members who analysed the incident believe that their car was stopped because this SPFT members' car is very similar in colour (greenish) and shape (two door pick-up 4x4) to Mr. Pratheep Rakhanthong car. Mr. Pratheep is a member of the SPFT Management Committee and resident in the Khlong Sai Pattana Community. According to the SPFT, the prominent Khlong Sai Community members who are under most risk because of their leadership role in the organisation are Mr. Pratheep, Mr. Supot Kansong and Mr. Theeranet Chaisuwan. On 17th March 2015 Channel TV11 journalists, accompanied by the local Army division, visited a community residing outside but close to Perm Sap Community, yet falsely claiming they are the Perm Sap Community. Yet, the broadcast of this visit contains no interviews with any community-members, as well as it shows photographs of people who don't reside in this community that was filmed. One of the pictures is that of Mr. Pianrat Bunrit, who is a leader of the SPFT member. The SPFT has not been given any national TV coverage since this Channel TV11 report, for them to respond to the claims made by Channel TV11 journalists and Army officers in the clip. Furthermore, the SPFT recently received information that the Provincial Army plans to call for meeting regarding the dispute between Perm Sap Community and Thai Boonthong Co. on Wednesday 1st April 2015. However, SPFT's position remains that matters regarding land disputes in Surat Thani's agricultural land reform areas should be discussed and addressed by the Committee to Address Problems Raised by the People Movement For a Just Society (P-move), no. 1/2015. This committee was set up on 23rd January 2015 by Office of the Permanent Secretary of the Office of the Prime Minister, and it is officially tasked with settling land disputes and distributing community land titles to people living in agricultural land reform areas in Surat Thani. SPFT members, and especially leaders under explicit death threats, are living under constant fear. Moreover, The lack of effective investigation into attacks faced by member of SPFT and the prevailing impunity in the country only enables further attacks on community based HRDs. This situation of constant intimidation makes it near to impossible for community based Human Rights Defenders - SPFT leaders - to pursue their work of advocating community rights and securing community land title deeds. Protection International calls on Human Rights actors in Thailand to urge the Thai authorities to: 1. Persuade the Krabi Provincial Court to immediately release an order the Legal Execution Department to implement the decision in the judgement against the Jiew Kang Jue Pattana Co. Ltd., in a dispute with Khlong Sai Pattana Community. This action requires the company to return the land to the governmental Agricultural Land Reform Office (ARLO), who is the rightful owner of the land according to Supreme Court's judgement on 11th November 2014. The ARLO should urgently embark the process of land redistribution based on collective ownership managed by the community. 2. Demand that the Ministry of Justice, Rights and Liberty Department, extend their protection mandate to provide immediate and sufficient protection to community-based HRDS. The Rights and Liberty Department should take all necessary measures to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity and security of Mr. Pratheep, Mr. Theeranet, Mr. Supot, Mr. Pianrat, and all SPFT members, their families, as well as other community activists. 3. Insist that the Committee to Address Problems Raised by the People Movement For a Just Society (P-move), no. 1/2015 at the Office of the Permanent Secretary of the Office of the Prime Minister, actively address the needs of the people living in agricultural land reform areas in Surat Thani. Such actions include, coordinating all concerned actors to suspend any activities that may cause further conflicts or may disrupt the livelihoods of SPFT members, and halting all efforts to evict the people should be immediately stopped. 4. Reiterate to the Thai government, its obligation to ensure a conducive and protective legal environment for Human Rights Defenders, to promptly and effectively investigate all threats and attacks against them, and to hold both State and non-State perpetrators accountable for their actions. UPDATE: On 8 April 2016, An unidentified gunman has shot Supot Kansong, a land right activist. Supot is a key witness to the assassination of Chai Bunthonglek, a 61-year-old member of the Southern Peasant's Federation of Thailand (SPFT) from Khlong Sai Pattana Community.