Will those responsible for a massacre in Thailand escape justice?

Those responsible for a massacre that left 85 people dead will no longer be charged after the statute of limitations expires on October 25, 2024.

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A case haunting Thailand is currently making headlines, as some of the accused are traveling abroad waiting for the statute of limitations to expire next week.

The Tak Bai Massacre

Military arrest of protesters in Tak Bai. Photo: AFP.

On October 19, 2004, Tak Bai police arrested seven village defense volunteers accused of handing over government-issued hunting rifles to criminals.

They were also accused of falsely reporting that the weapons were stolen.

These arrests, strongly contested by the population, have sparked a wave of indignation.

On October 25, 2004, a demonstration of about 1,500 people gathered in front of the Tak Bai police station to protest.

Several hours after the start of the demonstration, the crowd attempted to break through the police barrier to enter the police station.

Police responded with tear gas and water cannons, and the crowd responded by throwing stones.

Police then fired into the air and then into the crowd at head height, killing seven people.

Nearly 1,300 protesters were arrested at the scene.

They were ordered to strip to the waist, lie on their stomachs, and crawl to nearby trucks that would transport them to another site.

Footage taken by journalists confirmed allegations that many protesters were kicked and beaten with sticks even after obeying orders to lie down on the ground.

The detainees were then piled onto trucks and transported to the Inkayut military camp in Pattani province.

The journey took five hours, and by the time the trucks arrived at their destination, 78 inmates had died of suffocation or organ failure.

During the investigation conducted by the Songkhla Provincial Court, it was concluded that the cause of death was "asphyxiation in the custody of officers in the performance of their duties."

Following this massacre, there was a dramatic increase in violence in the provinces of Pattani, Narathiwat, Yala and four districts of Songkhla province, which are commonly referred to as the Deep South.

Map of dangerous provinces in southern Thailand

These four provinces have since been designated areas of Thailand that travelers should avoid according to the U.S. State Department.

The deaths in the Tak Bai massacre remained powerful recruiting tools for separatist insurgent groups in the region.

Those responsible were brought to justice late

A newspaper article about the Tak Bai massacre of October 25, 2004, is on display at the Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Anthropology Center on April 23, 2024. Photo by Pattarapong Chatpattarasill.

Nineteen years later, on August 23, 2024, the Narathiwat Provincial Court accepted the first batch of charges in the Tak Bai case involving seven defendants.

One of the accused, General Pisal, is the former commander of the army's fourth region and current member of parliament for the Pheu Thai party.

He is very close to Thaksin Shinawatra (see below) and was probably just following orders.

On September 12, the Attorney General ordered a second round of indictments against eight defendants.

There are only a few days left before the statute of limitations expires on October 25.

The long delay in bringing these defendants to justice has led to accusations that the case has been stalled due to the involvement of former high-ranking military and police officers, not to mention a highly influential politician, the father of the current prime minister.

On Tuesday, October 15, the seven defendants subject to an arrest warrant, including General Pisal, failed to appear in court to admit the charges against them.

Pisal is currently abroad, he said he had to leave to "undergo medical treatment."

Thaksin Shinawatra is not among the accused

Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, left, with his daughter Paetongtarn, the current prime minister. Photo: AP/Sakchai Lalit.

Thaksin Shinawatra , who was Prime Minister (from 9 February 2001 to 19 September 2006) at the time of the events, has not yet been charged.

It should be remembered that before Thaksin came to power, Prem Tinsulanonda , a former Prime Minister who died in May 2019 , had succeeded in calming tensions in the Muslim south by creating a system of collaboration between the Thai authorities and Muslim dignitaries.

This work earned him the appointment of advisor to King Rama IX .

But when Thaksin came to power, he ended this otherwise effective system and took a hard line against the Muslim rebels.

After the Tak Bai massacre, tensions rapidly worsened in the region and the pro-independence Muslim rebels were replaced by more violent Salafi jihadist groups.

It should be remembered that at the time, Thaksin described himself as a close friend of the Bush family and promised to act as a go-between for US interests and Thailand's resources.

In 2003, Thaksin agreed to send Thai army troops to invade Iraq, despite violent protests from both the Thai public and the army itself.

He was also the one who gave the CIA permission to use the country for its kidnapping-torture program in the network of secret prisons around the world.

He was therefore following a policy aligned with the interests of the United States.

Thaksin has been accused by some of escalating tensions in the south in order to prevent the Kra Canal construction project.

This canal, like the Suez Canal or the Panama Canal, would have strengthened China's economic power, which the Americans could not accept.

Map of the Kra Canal and Strait of Malacca project. Photo: theaseanpost.com

As the late King Rama IX had declared, it was impossible to create this canal, which would have cut the country in two, if tensions persisted in the south.

The sharp escalation of tensions in the south during Thaksin's term put an end to the project, which has since been replaced by a land bridge project, which is much less advantageous for China.

See: Thailand's land bridge project faces considerable challenges

Source: The Nation Thailand , The Diplomat