Cadet’s family demands justice amid new probe

[webfact]

Cadet’s family demands justice amid new probe

By THE NATION

 

 

Mother claims military school was ‘heartless’; medical review panel to include teen’s sister.

THE FAMILY of the dead teen cadet Phakhapong Tanyakan has demanded that the military bring to justice the people who committed wrongful acts that led to their son’s death after an autopsy indicated that he might not have died from cardiac arrest.

 

Phakhapong’s parents and his sister Supicha Tanyakan yesterday held a press conference to make the demand in eastern Chon Buri province, giving details of the training he had received at the Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School (AFAPS) as well as a primary analysis of the initial autopsy report. 

 

His mother, Sukalya Tanyakan, said an anonymous physician had informed her that blood in his spleen and liver indicated that he might have been hit by a hard object, rather than injured by CPR performed to revive him.

 

 

CPR might have had an impact but it would not have affected the spleen and liver, she quoted the doctor as saying.

 

The 18-year-old died on October 17. Although an autopsy performed by the military-run Phramongkutklao Hospital indicated that Phakhapong had died of sudden cardiac arrest, his family suspected that his death might have been caused by corporal punishment he had received at the military school. 

 

The family later asked the Justice Ministry’s Central Institute of Forensic Science (CIFS) to perform a second autopsy to verify the cause of death, which found that some of Phakhapong’s organs were missing.

 

On Friday, the family collected his brain, heart, stomach and other internal organs from Phramongkutklao Hospital to submit them for additional tests but the results are still forthcoming.

 

Sukalya said her son was supposed to have received better treatment at the school. “Prior to his death, my son had just recovered from an illness. The people at the school were heartless to him,” she said. 

 

 

His elder sister Supicha said at the press conference that the first autopsy showed that his fourth right rib had been broken, which was confirmed by the CIFS’s report, she said. That injury might not have been caused by CPR, she added. 

 

The examination of other internal organs collected from the military hospital would be performed this week by the CIFS under the surveillance of a committee of which Supicha was a member, she said.

 

“By doing this, we don’t want to hurt the reputation of the military or the school, but we want justice for the responsible persons,” she said.

 

The military has set up a committee to investigate the case but its results have not been made public. 

 

‘Right to comment’

 

Supreme Commander General Thanchaiyan Srisuwan said yesterday that all parties had the right to comment, but should wait for the results of the autopsy and investigation before drawing any conclusions. People voicing their opinions now might pressure the investigative committee, he added.

 

So far, two senior military officers have been transferred from the Thai Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School in the wake of the scandal surrounding the death. Thanchaiyan last week ordered the transfers of Colonel Chatchai Duangrat and Commander Noppasit Pienchob, who both oversaw student affairs at the military school. Phakhapong’s father Pichet yesterday thanked authorities for the move but insisted that the family wanted to see wrongdoers punished.

 

The case has ignited widespread social debate over the past week. While the military, many cadets and alumni have posted on social media that Phakhapong was “too weak” to join the military and hard punishment was necessary to maintain discipline at the school, others voiced their opinions wanting to see transparency in the school and regarding its training. 

 

Even Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan has had to offer an apology to the family for his comments, in which he apparently jumped to the conclusion that the teenage cadet had died due to poor health. 

 

He also said people with health issues should not become soldiers, as hard training and corporal punishment were common practices to train civilians to become soldiers. 

 

“We want to make clear in public that my son was healthy and did not have a chronic disease when he entered the military school,” Pichet said. “We don’t want to quarrel with the military or the school but we want the military to examine the quality of its personnel.” 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30332540

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-11-27

 

[Get Real]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Supreme Commander General Thanchaiyan Srisuwan said yesterday that all parties had the right to comment, but should wait for the results of the autopsy and investigation before drawing any conclusions

Must be hard to wait for something incomplete, due to that some organs suddenly disappeared or are missing. 

[smutcakes]

Good luck with that..... time and again there will continue to be mysterious deaths of young armed forces personal but until the military's cloak of immunity is removed, nothing will happen. Every-time its the same, mysterious death, shipped off to ARMY hospital then nothing to see here.

 

I am sure there are times when sadly people do pass away without anything untoward occurring, and the army can go a long way to gaining trust if they hand all instances over to impartial bodies to investigate. The fact that there are probably very few bodies who would go against an army recommendation on the findings is a concern but it would be a step in the right direction.

[LazySlipper]

Nah... what right has a family to question the grinder? 

 

 

[IamNoone88]

It's a pity that they cannot arrange to send his body abroad for a private autopsy.

[grumbleweed]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

So far, two senior military officers have been transferred from the Thai Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School

 and here it is, the dreaded transfer. That'll teach them to be so totally inept and unfit for the job that people die under their watch.

 

"It wasn't the officers fault so we'll transfer them" Now get ready for an avalanche of cover ups.

 

I get the feeling that now they've found themselves in a hole they'll be frantically searching for a bigger shovel to dig themselves out.

 

To summarize:

• They kill someone
• They blame the victim
• They transfer the people responsible

Sounds about right

 

 

[Bob12345]

Quote

Although an autopsy performed by the military-run Phramongkutklao Hospital indicated that Phakhapong had died of sudden cardiac arrest

Time for the Thai medical council to make a statement they will be following this as someone who works at Phramongkutklao hospital is jeopardizing his medical license.

 

Quote

and hard punishment was necessary to maintain discipline at the school

And time for the military command to make a statement they will be following this as the director of the school might also end up in jail.

 

 

Who am I kidding, right?

Nothing will come from this.

[retarius]

I really feel for this poor family on a quixotic quest for justice after the heartache of the death of their child.

[anon537687643]

Army officers=thugs


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[sjaak327]

2 hours ago, Get Real said:

Must be hard to wait for something incomplete, due to that some organs suddenly disappeared or are missing. 

Yeah, this tidbit already confirms the parent's claim. 

[newatthis]

" and hard punishment was necessary to maintain discipline at the school,"

" and corporal punishment were common practices to train civilians to become soldiers."

 

Good leadership would be better.

"You don't lead by hitting people over the head-that's assault, not leadership."....Eisenhower

[soalbundy]

Justice in Thailand, aaah, there's the rub.

[YetAnother]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

People voicing their opinions now might pressure the investigative committee, he added.

what ?! no mention of national security or thailand's image ?

[yellowboat]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

“By doing this, we don’t want to hurt the reputation of the military or the school, but we want justice for the responsible persons,” she said.

Sadly the whole school is to blame as they allow such poor, indisciplined behavior. 

 

4 hours ago, webfact said:

His mother, Sukalya Tanyakan, said an anonymous physician had informed her that blood in his spleen and liver indicated that he might have been hit by a hard object, rather than injured by CPR performed to revive him.

Everyone is afraid of the Army in Thailand. 

[SmartyMarty]

Thailand is a democracy (some of the time) and therefore needs independent reviews on such matters as this. Leaders are there to represent the people, and the people must be heard.

[edwinchester]

Several friends of my Thai wife regularly post videos on Facebook of the savage beatings that go on in the military. No way is it for training or disciplining reasons but instead it's cowardly and brutal bullying. Small wonder that those in charge defend it as they obviously have zero sense of morals and decency.

[RichardColeman]

You really think the Thai government will want to investigate 1 death in the army when they have 20,000 - 30,000 they are responsible for every year on the roads ? 

[helloagain]

1 hour ago, IamNoone88 said:

It's a pity that they cannot arrange to send his body abroad for a private autopsy.

I agree. 10 million baht compensation. 2 or more must go to prison for life if proved. Comander of camp must also face charges cos under his watch the same as in civalised countries

[kiwikeith]

1 hour ago, IamNoone88 said:

It's a pity that they cannot arrange to send his body abroad for a private autopsy.

What hope have the B2 got???????????

[sammieuk1]

Dad looks like he's not taking no for an answer hope he gets a result good luck and amulets are his only allies in this case . 

[TKDfella]

53 minutes ago, SmartyMarty said:

Thailand is a democracy (some of the time) and therefore needs independent reviews on such matters as this. Leaders are there to represent the people, and the people must be heard.

Not sure what you are saying with regard to the OP but whatever it might be the death has happened in a time of (more or less) military rule. Democracy has yet to be returned to the people. In this case an independent review would have been executed if all organs etc. were in situ. That did not happen here.

[jollyhangmon]

2 hours ago, sjaak327 said:

Yeah, this tidbit already confirms the parent's claim. 

... sure heard that one before ... ah, 'twas the 'missing' CCTV footage where they whacked that hilltribe-fella (activist?) at a checkpoint earlier this year, wasn't it ... 

[Bangkok Barry]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

So far, two senior military officers have been transferred from the Thai Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School in the wake of the scandal surrounding the death.

 

Why, if he died of cardiac arrest as they claim?

[The Teacher]

2 hours ago, retarius said:

I really feel for this poor family on a quixotic quest for justice after the heartache of the death of their child.

Yes R.I.P To the young soldier, I fear that this will be all swept under the carpet as you are not allowed to have justice when dealing with the Thai military. 

[Sid Celery]

12 minutes ago, jollyhangmon said:

... sure heard that one before ... ah, 'twas the 'missing' CCTV footage where they whacked that hilltribe-fella (activist?) at a checkpoint earlier this year, wasn't it ... 

It was. Thais often lose CCTV footage - from one of the 40% of cameras that actually work. Careless - no?

[Xaos]

Remember case when they dragged cadet and they put salt in his wounds then jailed aunty for trying to get justice?

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[Happyman58]

I wish this family would stop complaining ( Tongue in Cheek) He ran into a door knob the cadet did End of story Just pure bad luck on cadets side  Next case

[Sydebolle]

Well, lets wait how Prawit and his cronies are explaining the non-existing "Code Red"; sure it happened. The rug this time was not big enough to swipe everything underneath.  

Wondering also how the karma will treat the boys who ransacked the cadet; after all they killed him during their watch. 

No parent should attend their child's funeral - my sincere condolences to this worst of all impacts in their life. 

[Sid Celery]

18 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

Why, if he died of cardiac arrest as they claim?

Don't worry, it's only until the fuss dies down. Nothing will change, It's the Thai way.

[jollyhangmon]

5 minutes ago, Sid Celery said:

It was. Thais often lose CCTV footage - from one of the 40% of cameras that actually work. Careless - no?

Yeah, I thought so. 

By 'missing' couple of organs - or have the family traveling around hospitals to pick some up - they've put it on a whole new level though ...