Court Sets October 25th Midnight Deadline for Tak Bai Defendants

[webfact]

FILE photo

 

The Narathiwat provincial court has given the seven defendants in the Tak Bai massacre case until midnight on 25th October to appear for trial. This decision was made by a panel of three judges overseeing the case.

 

The defendants were absent from Wednesday’s scheduled hearing.

 

The judges stated that, should none of the seven defendants appear voluntarily or be brought to court by the police by 25th October, the court will not immediately dismiss the case. Instead, it will wait the full 24 hours on that day to allow them a final opportunity to come forward.

 

If the defendants fail to appear by midnight, the statute of limitations on the case will expire, and the charges will be automatically dismissed. The judges are then set to reconvene on 28th October to discuss the case further.

 

During the hearing, the court allowed the prosecutor and victims’ relatives to make statements, though these will not be officially recorded due to the defendants’ absence.

Muhamad So-aree Useng, a relative of one of the victims, expressed to the court that dropping the case due to the 20-year statute of limitations would cause the victims' families to lose faith in the Thai justice system.

 

People’s Party MP Romadon Panjor thanked the 48 relatives of the massacre victims for their courage in pursuing the case. He expressed hope that the defendants would eventually appear to stand trial, warning that failure to do so would be a significant disservice to the public.

 

The seven defendants include:

 

- General Pisan Wattanawongkiri, former Fourth Army Region commander and ex-Pheu Thai MP
- General Chalermchai Wirunpeth, former commander of the 5th Infantry Division
- Pol Gen Wongkot Maneerin, former director of the Royal Thai Police’s Forward Command Centre
- Pol Lt-Gen Manot Kraiwong, former commissioner of the 9th Region Provincial Police Bureau
- Pol Maj-Gen Saksommai Putthakul, former Tak Bai district police superintendent
- Siwa Sangmanee, former deputy interior permanent secretary general
- Wichom Thongsong, former Narathiwat governor

 

The Tak Bai incident took place on 25th October 2004 during a protest by around 1,500 Thai Muslims outside the Tak Bai district police station. They were demonstrating against the detention of six defence volunteers accused of providing shotguns to insurgents, reported Thai PBS.

 

When protesters tried to enter the station, police responded with teargas and water cannons. Six protesters were killed after live ammunition was fired. Around 1,300 protesters were arrested, and 78 died from suffocation and organ failure after being stacked in trucks for a five-hour journey to a barracks in Pattani province.

 

-- 2024-10-16

 

 

[Artisi]

Unbelievable, commit a crime and then wait it out till some arbitrary archaic rule that allows the crime to expire - unbelievable. 

[edwinchester]

If the defendants are ordered to appear before the court and fail to do so surely the minimum they should be charged with is contempt of court not walk away without fear of further charges.

[Gottfrid]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

expressed to the court that dropping the case due to the 20-year statute of limitations would cause the victims' families to lose faith in the Thai justice system.

Not only them, and there is also not much faith left in that area.

[Artisi]

55 minutes ago, edwinchester said:

If the defendants are ordered to appear before the court and fail to do so surely the minimum they should be charged with is contempt of court not walk away without fear of further charges.

and arrest warrant issued with a lengthy time extension. 

[MikeandDow]

Has none of them been Arrested  ??  Arrest warrants issued Why the RTP not carrying out there duty, they should be sitting in a cell waiting for court date rather than hoping they will turn up  

[realfunster]

Nothing to see here, move on, absolutely nothing is going to happen.

[MikeandDow]

19 minutes ago, realfunster said:

Nothing to see here, move on, absolutely nothing is going to happen.

Going to look very bad for Thailand seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council,

 

[fondue zoo]

Bubbles wants to get Interpol involved apparently, so another Red Bull play in action?

Thai police must liaise with Interpol to secure the arrest of Gen Pisal Wattanawongkiri
 

[Artisi]

 

1 hour ago, MikeandDow said:

Going to look very bad for Thailand seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council,

 

do they care - considering the guy running the county thru' his clone was very clear with his statement some years back " the UN is not my father" 

[hotchilli]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

f the defendants fail to appear by midnight, the statute of limitations on the case will expire, and the charges will be automatically dismissed. The judges are then set to reconvene on 28th October to discuss the case further.

What?

[hotchilli]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

Muhamad So-aree Useng, a relative of one of the victims, expressed to the court that dropping the case due to the 20-year statute of limitations would cause the victims' families to lose faith in the Thai justice system

20 years already... what faith do they have left to lose?

[MikeandDow]

Powder keg waiting to B;ow

[Theforgotten1]

There should only be a statute of limitations on petty crime , sound like it’s there to protect the criminals