Now in her old age, the length of her life is very much evident at first glance—with her white lock of hair and wrinkled face. But by knowing her more, one would then notice her inner strength, marked by her ready smile and calm disposition. Constantly present in her organization’s activities, Sungwian is both a source of continuity and inspiration for the Relatives Committee of the May 1992 Heroes.
I am now 70 years old but I continue to earn my keep by selling towels in the streets of Bangkok. I am also one of those many mothers who lost their children during the popular uprising against Gen. Suchinda Kraprayoon dubbed as the May 1992 Event. On that fateful day of 17 May 1992, I lost my then-23 year old son Sompong Pumaong. Now, twelve years after his disappearance, I still insist in finding at least the remains of my son.
Before this tragedy struck us, our family was living quite contentedly. We were far from being affluent, but we were happy. My husband was a driver who earned a modest income, but at least, we had a house of our own. We also have three children, one of whom is incapacitated—though I have long learned to accept his condition without a tinge of bitterness in my heart.
A series of misfortunes, however, seemed to have trailed our family since my husband’s death at a time when our children were still very young. A decade later, Sompong disappeared. Losing two breadwinners, we eventually lost our house and our whole family got separated. Life was never the same again.
When we were still together, Sompong used to be a very dependable son. Losing his father while he was just 13 years old made him choose to study law while at the same time working as a house painter to augment whatever meager income that I had. Poverty, however, turned him into an introvert; that is probably the reason why he had very few friends. But he was a very good person.
It never occurred to me that May 17, 1992 would be the last time that I would see my son. On that day, Sompong accompanied her sister to file a labor case as she was illegally dismissed from her work. On the way home, they passed by a big pro-democracy demonstration where both of them took a curious look. They were just innocent bystanders, and they absolutely had no intentions of fighting the government. Eventually, my daughter went ahead. But Sompong decided to stay longer. He never returned home.
Immediately after realizing my son’s disappearance, I began the task of searching for him. With the help of my relatives and friends, we reported the incident to the concerned national agencies such as the National Police, the Ministry of Interior and the Social Welfare Sector. We looked for Sompong in almost all conceivable places—in the houses of our relatives, in hospitals, police stations, in practically every nook and cranny of Bangkok.
A few years ago, the Ministry of Defense announced that my son was one of those who disappeared during the massacre. However, while I fully accept this statement from the government, it will not, in any way, prevent me from continuing the search for my missing son.
The hotline center enabled me to get in touch with other families of the disappeared, the killed and the wounded during the May 1992 Event. My eventual membership in the Relatives Committee of the May 1992 Heroes gives me the opportunity to meet and listen to the stories of other people who have similar experiences such as mine.
Through our collective effort, we were able to get some relief fund from the government under the administrations of Prime Ministers Chuan Leehpai and Chavalet Yongchaiyuth. I must admit that the money I received helped me to somehow overcome the devastating economic effects of my sons’ loss, especially since Sompong was the family’s breadwinner. However, it could never ever compensate the loss of the life of my son.
What makes our plight more burdensome is the fact that the Thai government has done little to resolve the cases. Every succeeding government would promise to do something but would always fall short. Personally, I think Thai laws are less effective compared to other countries.
However, I remain optimistic that our collective dream of justice, freedom and peace will be achieved. I continue to hope that I will find my son and that the truth will eventually be known. After all, Thailand is often called as the land of the free.
