'Misunderstanding Led To Shootings'

[Lite Beer]

SOUTH CIVILIAN DEATHS

'Misunderstanding led to shootings'

Thoranit Pirunlaong

The Nation on Sunday

PATTANI:-- Probe blames rangers' anxiety after attacks

The independent committee probing the shooting on January 29 in Pattani's Nong Chik district that killed four civilians and left four injured, has concluded that the action by on-duty rangers against unarmed civilians was possibly caused by a misunderstanding.

The Internal Security Operations Command Region 4 committee submitted on Friday sent its investigation report to the Army Region 4 commander.

The committee investigation found that the nine people in the pickup truck had bona fide residences in the area. All the witnesses gave uniform testimony that they were travelling to pray at a local mosque, and attend a party at another place before heading to a funeral in Ban Thung Pho. The DNA tests of the three injured persons did not match those on the database of militant suspects, hence there was no suspicion of the nine being involved in the violence in the South.

The investigation also looked into the controversy over the AK47 rifle found near the driver and a pistol found in the rear of the pickup among the dead. The rangers had claimed that the persons in the truck had shot at them first, forcing them to retaliate, leading to the deaths and injuries. The wounded villagers denied that the weapons belonged to them.

The committee found that there was no match between the weapons found in the truck and spent bullets found in the truck. A test on the three pickup passengers, who were suspected to have been the shooters, also did not reveal any traces of gunpowder on them. The committee concluded that the villagers' claim about the weapons in question carried more weight than that by the rangers.

The committee also looked into officials' claim of the violence in the South as being a factor behind the incident. The panel accepted the argument that the rangers were on duty and anxious as another military outpost had been attacked by militants around the same time that day. This point was corroborated by the local residents and the wounded villagers.

The committee concluded that the shooting by the rangers that led to the deaths of four unarmed civilians and four injuries was possibly due to misunderstanding. They said it was probably because of another attack on a nearby military outpost, combined with the existing bias and paranoia due to the ongoing violence. Despite the good intentions of both sides, a gunshot from an unknown party had led to the shootings.

Meanwhile, a teenaged schoolgirl was killed and four other schoolgirls were injured in a bomb ambush at Ban Datoh Tuwor in Pattani's Ya Rang district yesterday afternoon. They were on their way home on three motorcycles after appearing for their final exams.

-- The Nation 2012-03-18

[creck]

Sounds like a real investigation and genuine report. Nice to see. To suggest a truck full of travellers had ‘good intentions’ is slightly off mark; they seem to have had completely innocent intentions.

[edwinchester]

Planting false evidence to cover up for some trigger happy rangers shoot to kill romp is not a misunderstanding. Yet another miscarriage of justice in the deep south and yet another example of why the underlying problems will not be solved whilst this sort of thing is allowed to continue with no punishment of troops involved.

Posted with Thaivisa App http://apps.thaivisa.com

[noitom]

Coverup is a Thai commodity. Coverup is generally attempted everywhere. Usually the press is the barrier and smokes out coverup ar at least digs at it. Here in Thailand a reader could easily conclude that the press is a complicit partner in most coverups unless it is a "little" unimportant Thai person or a farang.

[hellodolly]

Amazing that when Israel retaliated by targeting members of hamas after rockets were fired at civilians that people on this forum called them state sponsors of terror.

However, when things like this happen in Thailand, clearly innocent civilians were targetted and murdered in cold blood nobody says $hi# about Thailand being terrorists.

Truly Amazing

Where is Genghis Khan when you need him. End to the problem.

[waza]

Good to see that the rule of law applies and genuine investigations can happen, sometimes. It might be the cynic in me but what does honesty and justice cost in LOS?

[submaniac]

I must say, I was surprised and pleased that the report was honest as it was regarding the possible planting of the AK-47. For something like this, it would have been easier for the investigators to say "yeah, the victims shot an AK-47 at the military"... For them to come out and say, yeah, that AK-47 was planted, is a good step in the right direction.

[MEL1]

Amazing that when Israel retaliated by targeting members of hamas after rockets were fired at civilians that people on this forum called them state sponsors of terror.

However, when things like this happen in Thailand, clearly innocent civilians were targetted and murdered in cold blood nobody says $hi# about Thailand being terrorists.

Truly Amazing

Where is Genghis Khan when you need him. End to the problem.

Lol..... where is his counter-part indded?

The problem here is that the mat has been lifted again to sweep away the dust, in that these rangers were 'anxious' and there is no indication as to whether or not they will be reprimanded. Anxious or not, they are supposed to be trained to deal with such events, not worry about what happened in the next soi, village or province.

So sad that innocent children were shot, and yet the excuse seems to be 'our rangers were anxious'.

It also highlights the severity of daily life in the far south, and muslim enticed areas, when what's probably more than a simple group of friends and family going to a Wat feel the need to be armed. That's a large loud cry of how dangerous it is down there. I may well be wrong, and admittedly have never been, nor will I venture, there. It just seems incredible that this kind of chain of events can happen, where young innocents are eradicated.

Then again, we only have to look to the Middle-East, Americas, African countries et al, to see a repetition of fear amongst the gun toters, who are completely ill-trained and useless, and more incompetent at their jobs and positions than could be envisaged.

-mel.

[anterian]

In the days of the American Wild West, the only good Indian was a dead Indian. I guess Pattani is Thailand's Wild West.

[jimbeam1]

PATTANI:-- Probe blames rangers' anxiety after attacks

The independent committee probing the shooting on January 29 in Pattani's Nong Chik district that killed four civilians and left four injured, has concluded that the action by on-duty rangers against unarmed civilians was possibly caused by a misunderstanding.

Well I'm pleased that has cleared that up

Murder = Misunderstanding?

jb1

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

This report gives just enough info to appear to be an "independent" report, but it's also sadly lacking.

No recommendation or info re any action against those responsible for shooting innocent civilians.

No matching of the bullets that hit the wounded with the weapons used by the rangers.

So now, anytime the authorities shoot and wound innocent civilians we'll just chalk it up to "a misunderstanding"???

Sorry, we just killed your family members... It was just a misunderstanding. Mai pen rai.

[chrisinth]

It was truely a tragic event. Now that they know that the weapons were planted and not used, follow-up action should be taken by the army (and police as this would now be a civil offence) on those involved.

That said, it only takes one person to react and pull the trigger wrongly and the rest will follow in stressful situations like this. However, this in no way condones what happened.

Another point is were these regular army or conscripts, or a mixture of both?

[waza]

It was truely a tragic event. Now that they know that the weapons were planted and not used, follow-up action should be taken by the army (and police as this would now be a civil offence) on those involved.

That said, it only takes one person to react and pull the trigger wrongly and the rest will follow in stressful situations like this. However, this in no way condones what happened.

Another point is were these regular army or conscripts, or a mixture of both?

The rangers are a part of the military, nicknamed the Black Shirt Warrior, female personell called the Iron Flowers.

Some of the Thahan Phran's initial recruits were convicted criminals whose sentences were remitted;^[3] others joined to obtain parcels of land granted as a reward for successful campaigns. By late 1981, Thahan Phran had replaced up to 80 per cent of regular army units in counter-insurgency operations on the Burmese, Cambodian and Malaysian borders.^[6]Numerous reforms have been made since the 1980s, particularly in screening recruits, and on the whole it is a more professional force than twenty years ago, but serious problems with discipline and human rights abuses remain.^{[9] The Thahan Phran are also suspected to have been involved in terrorist activities during the2010 Redshirt riots in Bangkok.[10][11]} http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thahan_Phran

[Rimmer]

One inflammatory post remove, if you have a point to make then please make it without all the flames.