Who Killed Chai Bunthonglek? Thailand’s Unsolved Land Rights Murder at Khlong Sai Pattana

Who killed Chai Bunthonglek? On February 11, 2015, two masked men entered his family’s shop in Khlong Sai Pattana, Surat Thani, and shot the 61-year-old land rights activist six times. Moments earlier, he had been holding his six-month-old grandson.This Shadows of Siam episode follows Chai’s life, the palm-oil land dispute, three earlier community murders, the trial and acquittal of alleged motorcycle driver Santi Wanthong, and the later ambush of key witness Supoj Kansong. No reliable public record identifies the gunman or proves who ordered the killing. Verified facts are separated clearly from community suspicion and theory.Content warning: Murder, gun violence, intimidation, and unresolved land conflict.SourcesThailand: Land Rights Activist Gunned Down - https://www.hrw.org/news/2015/02/14/thailand-land-rights-activist-gunned-downThailand: Accountability for Killings of Land Rights Activists - https://www.icj.org/thailand-accountability-for-killings-of-land-rights-activists-demands-involvement-of-department-of-special-investigations/Killing of Mr. Chai Bunthonglek in Khlong Sai Pattana - https://www.omct.org/en/resources/statements/killing-of-mr-chai-bunthonglek-in-khlong-sai-pattana-surat-thani-thailandEnd Impunity and Ensure Justice for Community Under Attack - https://www.omct.org/en/resources/statements/joint-statement-end-impunity-and-ensure-justice-for-community-under-attackSouthern Land Rights Activist Shot Dead - https://prachataienglish.com/node/4780Take Action for Supoj Kansong - https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/action/take-action-supoj-kansongThere Has Been Blood - https://landportal.org/news/2021/08/there-has-been-bloodUN Communication THA 2/2015 - https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=21151UN Communication on Supoj Kansong - https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=21924Thai Activists Risk Murder, Abduction in Fight for Land Rights - https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/9/24/thai-activists-risk-murder-abduction-in-fight-for-land-rightsThailand: The Struggles of Land and Environmental Rights Defenders - https://www.protectioninternational.org/news/thailand-the-struggles-of-land-and-environmental-rights-defenders/Joint Open Letter to the Prime Minister of Thailand on the Killing of Mr. Chai Bunthonglek - https://www.fidh.org/IMG/article_PDF/article_a17173.pdfClosing music: “Broken Wings” by Yoza.#ThailandTrueCrime #UnsolvedMurder #LandRights #HumanRights #ShadowsOfSiam