By Thai prosecutors announced Wednesday that eight former state security personnel will be indicted on murder charges for their alleged roles in the deaths of 78 Muslim protesters in southern Thailand in 2004.
The case, known as the Tak Bai massacre, gained notoriety due to the manner of the victims’ deaths. The protesters were arrested, their hands tied, and loaded onto trucks stacked like firewood. By the time the vehicles reached an army base, 78 had died from crushing or suffocation.
This legal action comes just weeks before the statute of limitations expires on October 25. The charges can still expire if none of the accused appear in court before the deadline.
The incident occurred during the early stages of a Muslim separatist insurgency in Thailand’s southernmost provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani, and Yala. On October 25, 2004, thousands protested at a police station in Narathiwat’s Tak Bai district, demanding the release of six detained Muslim men.
After the protest turned violent, about 1,300 protesters were rounded up and transported to a military camp. Seven were shot dead during the protest, while 78 others died during transport.
Prayuth Bejraguna, spokesperson for the Office of the Attorney General, said those facing charges are mostly truck drivers, but also include Chalermchai Wirunphet, commander of the 5th Infantry Division at the time.
“The defendants’ action could be expected to result in the victims being suffocated to death,” Prayuth stated at a news conference.
In a related case, victims’ families filed a lawsuit in April against seven soldiers and officials, including Pisal Wattanawongkiri, former commander of the 4th Army Region and now a lawmaker with parliamentary immunity.
The long delay in bringing charges has raised questions, with prosecutors receiving the case from police only in April this year.
