Political activist and Move Forward member found hanged in north-east Thailand

A member of the Move Forward political party, who disappeared on Monday, has been found hanged in the north-eastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima. Thai PBS World reports that the body of 27 year old activist Anan Lokate, aka “Boy”, was found hanged by a police kiosk in the district of Chaloem Phra Kiat yesterday.

The secretary-general of the Move Forward Party, Chaithawat Tulathong, has declined to comment on the activist’s death, saying he is waiting for the autopsy report before issuing a statement. Anan was a member of Move Forward’s financial team and had been in the Muang district of Nakhon Ratchasima on April 17 and 18 for a north-eastern candidate seminar, held in a local hotel.

According to Thai PBS World, he was last spotted at around midday on Monday, walking by himself along Chan Road. The location where his body was found is around 20 kilometres from where he was last seen. Some Move Forward members are asking businesses in the area to check their CCTV footage for clues as to what might have happened to the activist. His mother has visited Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital to claim her son’s body, stating that she doesn’t believe he committed suicide.

Meanwhile, Rangsiman Rome, a Move Forward MP, has posted on Facebook to express his shock at Anan’s untimely death, adding that nobody knows why he went missing on Monday. Rangsiman says he previously worked with Anan on a campaign that called for the rejection of the existing Constitution in a 2016 referendum.

The MP says police in the central province of Samut Prakan had previously arrested both Anan and himself while they were campaigning for charter rejection. They were detained for 2 weeks and their subsequent court case dragged on for 4 years, before they were eventually acquitted.

SOURCE: Thai PBS World