• Source: Tak Bai incident

The Tak Bai Massacre or Tak Bai Incident (Thai: กรณีตากใบ) was a riot during the south Thailand insurgency that occurred on 25 October 2004 in Tak Bai, Narathiwat Province, Thailand, which resulted in the death of 85 Thai citizens.




Clash


On 25 October 2004, a demonstration of around 1,500 people gathered in front of a police station in Tak Bai to protest the detention of six men. Several hours into the protest, the crowd attempted to cross the police barrier into the station. Police responded with tear gas and water cannons, and the crowd responded by throwing rocks. Police fired into the air and then into the crowd at head height, killing seven.
Almost 1,300 protesters were detained 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 they complied with orders to lie on the ground.
The detainees were then stacked atop one another in trucks and transported to Inkayut Army Camp in Pattani Province. The drive took five hours, and by the time the trucks arrived at the destination, 78 detainees had died from suffocation or organ collapse.




Retaliation


On 2 November 2004, Jaran Torae, a Buddhist deputy police chief, was found beheaded in Narathiwat Province. A handwritten note described the murder as retaliation for the deaths at Tak Bai. Several other killings of Buddhist village leaders and police officials were attributed to revenge for the incident.




Responses


Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra expressed regret for the deaths, but he insisted there had been no wrongdoing by military personnel.
On 2 November 2006, Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont gave a formal apology for Thaksin's policies in the south, and two days later the charges against the surviving protesters were dropped. The Asian Human Rights Commission called for prosecutions, stating, "After two years, the apology is welcome, but investigation and prosecution is imperative."
A 2009 inquest found that security officials had performed their duty without wrongdoing. Family members attempted to appeal the decision, but their appeal was denied in June 2012. As of October 2012, no charges had been filed against the security officials involved in the deaths. In 2012, the Thai government offered reparations to family members of the victims.
The Bangkok Post called the incident a "tragedy" and "one of the worst blunders ever committed by the military in the restive deep South". Amnesty International protested what it called the "virtual impunity" for human rights violations in southern Thailand, calling for members of the security forces involved to be "brought to justice".
On 24 October 2024, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra apologized for the deaths of the 78 protesters who were killed, hours before the statute of limitations on the case expired. Shinawatra advocated against politicizing the case, and argued that the 20-year statute of limitations could not be extended as the Council of State advised it would violate the constitution.




2024 criminal suit


In April 2024, criminal charges were filed against nine "former security officials" in the Narathiwat Provincial Court.
The nine defendants named were:

General Pisarn Wattanawongkiri, former Fourth Army Region commander
Lieutenant general Sinchai Nutsathit
General Chalermchai Wirunpeth, former Fifth Infantry Division commander
Police general Wongkot Maneerin
Police lieutenant general Manot Kraiwong
Police major general Saksomchai Phutthakul
Police general Pakdee Preechachon
Siwa Saengmanee
Wichom Thongsong, former governor of Narathiwat province
On 23 August 2024, the court accepted charges against seven of the officials. Pakdee Preechachon and Sinchai Nutsathit were acquitted.
On 12 September 2024, eight more people were "charged with premeditated murder with foreseeable consequences" in the Pattani Provincial Court according to media; furthermore, those are "six soldiers and two civilians".
The eight defendants named were:

General Chalermchai Wirunpeth
Sub-lieutenant Nathawut Lueamsai
Wisanu Lertsongkhram
Lieutenant junior grade Wisanukorn Chaisarn,
Piti Yankaeo
Chief petty officer 3rd class Pitak Srisuwan
Lieutenant colonel Prasert Matmil
Lieutenant Rithirong Promrit
Chalermchai Wirunpeth was charged in both cases. The 20 year statute of limitations is set to expire on 25 October 2024, but the Thai government could move to keep the charges active.
On 25 October 2024, the statute of limitations on criminal charges expired, and no state official was convicted of charges related to the massacre. On 28 October, the Narathiwat Provincial Court dismissed the charges against the suspects, citing the expiration of the statute of limitations and failure to arrest them.




See also


Dasht-i-Leili massacre




References






External links



Asian Human Rights Commission – Tak Bai homepage

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