Supoj Kansong
Supoj Kansong is a land rights defender from Khlong Sai Pattana community in Chai Buri district of Surat Thani province. He is also the key witness in the criminal case of murdered human rights defender Mr Chai Bunthonglek, opened on 21 May 2015 by the Wiang Sra Public Prosecutor. Chai Bunthonglek, who worked at the Southern Peasant’s Federation of Thailand (SPFT), was killed on 11 February 2015 in Khlong Sai Pattana community. SPFT is a network that was formed in 2008, campaigning for the right to agricultural land in the Surat Thani province and other areas in the region.
Human rights defenders in Thailand face threats, physical assaults, arbitrary detention, judicial harassment, and extrajudicial killings. HRDs most at risk include those working with migrants, particularly along the border with Burma, those who are fighting for economic, social, and cultural (ESC) rights, and those working in the conflict zone of the three border provinces in Southern Thailand.
