It was a spine-chilling message that nowhere is safe for critics of the Lao government.
Exiled Lao political activist Bounsuan Kitiyano was shot dead in Thailand last week, apparently gunned down as he rode his motorcycle through a forest in Si Mueang Mai district.
Bounsuan, 56, was a prominent figure. A former member of the Free Laos group, he was involved in several protests in front of the Lao Embassy in Bangkok calling for respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in Laos. He was also recognized as a refugee by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
He’s not the first Lao activist to be targeted. On April 29, an unidentified gunman shot and seriously wounded Anousa Luangsuphom, a critic of the Lao government, in the capital, Vientiane.
And other Lao activists who have fled persecution in Laos to neighboring countries have not been safe. Od Sayavong, a leading Lao human rights and democracy activist living in Bangkok, Thailand, has been missing since August 2019.
Thai authorities should, of course, investigate Bounsuan’s murder and bring the perpetrators to justice. However, it’s not clear if they will.
With an unacceptable deference to abusive neighboring governments, Thai authorities have consistently failed to respond properly when it comes to attacks on critics of repressive regimes in Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Myanmar.
Thailand has a new government coming into office following May 14 elections. Hopefully, they will break with this tradition.