BANGKOK: Thai court on Friday agreed to hear a criminal lawsuit against seven senior security officials over their alleged involvement in the deaths of 85 Muslim protesters two decades ago.
The protesters, many of whom suffocated while being piled on top of each other in army trucks, were part of a 2004 demonstration in Tak Bai.
The lawsuit accuses the military and police officers of murder and unlawful detention related to their actions during the protest. The incident, which occurred in the town of Tak Bai in Thailand’s predominantly Muslim southern provinces, drew international condemnation and intensified the ongoing insurgency in the region near Malaysia.
Pornpen Khongkachonkiet, a lawyer representing the families of 48 victims, expressed hope that the court proceedings could deliver justice to the victims, their families, and the affected community. The court is set to summon the accused on September 12.
The Tak Bai incident also has implications for former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, as the case involves Pisan Wattanawongkiri, a former regional army commander and current lawmaker for Thaksin’s Pheu Thai Party. This development comes days after Thaksin’s daughter, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, elected as Thailand’s new prime minister.
Thailand’s government at the time expressed regret over the Tak Bai deaths but denied any wrongdoing, with police initially claiming that some protesters were armed. The crackdown, which occurred under martial law, was one of the deadliest events in a separatist insurgency that reignited in 2004 and has since claimed over 7,600 lives.
During the incident, seven people were shot by security forces outside the Tak Bai police station, where protesters were demanding the release of detained villagers. Many of the remaining detainees were bound, transported, and suffocated or crushed to death while stacked in army trucks. Survivors suffered severe injuries and lasting disabilities.
Amnesty International welcomed the court’s decision to accept the case, calling it a crucial step toward justice. The organization emphasized that the victims and their families have been waiting for nearly two decades for accountability for these “heinous crimes.”
