A human rights activist in Thailand’s restive Deep South has denied rumors that he is a member of an insurgent group in the region.
Weefah-ie Malor, 31, a human rights activist based in the Deep Southern province of Pattani, on Tuesday, 9 February 2016, through Wartani News, a local media in region, rejected the rumour that he is a member of an insurgent group affiliated with Abdullayib Dolah, 42, a suspect in the assassination of a Muslim cleric in Pattani, who died in mysterious circumstances in custody on 4 December 2015.
Earlier, the rumour of Weefah-ie’s involvement with an insurgent group’s operations was shared on social media. The rumour has it that he was working for the logistic unit of an insurgent group, procuring and distributing weapons for their militants. It also alleges four other individuals as suspects.
Prachatai has not been able to verify the original source of the rumour.
On the rumour, Weefah-ie said that it has severely tainted his image as an active human rights activist in the region, adding that he was one of the local activist who called for an investigation into the death in custody of Abdullayib.
“To call for justice, I will consult with the Muslim Attorney Center (Mac) in Pattani and will file a complaint to investigate and press charges against the source of the rumour,” said the activist.
In the past, Weefah-ie had worked with Angkhana Neelapaijit, the current member of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) as a working committee member to promote peace in the restive Deep South.
He was also a founding member of People’s College in the region and used to work as radio host of Media Selatan, a local radio operator awarded for its role in promoting peace, which was forced to shut down by the junta after the 2014 coup d’état similar to other community radio operators nationwide.
Weefah-ie Malor, 31, a human rights activist based in the Deep Southern province of Pattani (courtesy of Wartani)