Thai govt pays out more than Bt641m to Tak Bai victims

[webfact]

Govt pays out more than Bt641m to Tak Bai victims
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- The government has paid more than Bt641 million to victims wounded in the Tak Bai incident, and to the families of those killed during the violent crackdown by the Thai Army on protesters nine years ago this day.

The amount is in addition to Bt42 million paid in compensation by the Army in 2007 to the injured and to families of the deceased.

A total of Bt641.4 million has been paid - Bt561.1 million to families of 85 people killed, Bt60.4 million to 49 of those injured, and Bt6.3 million to a person disabled in the incident, according to the Isra News Agency.

Another Bt11.4 million was also paid to 766 people, who were detained as a result of the crackdown and later released, while an additional Bt2 million has been paid to 58 people who were sued by the government, but from which prosecutors later withdrew the cases against them.

A number of those affected still have not claimed their compensation.

Compensation by the government was pushed for by the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre, according to the news agency, which specialises in issues involving the Muslim-majority southern border region.

On October 25, 2004, several hundred people protested outside the Tak Bai district police station in Narathiwat against the arrest of six village defence volunteers accused of filing false reports about the theft of their government-issued guns.

Seven protesters were killed in a clash with police, while many others were arrested and transported in military trucks to a Thai Army camp in the neighbouring province of Pattani, about 150 kilometres away. The protesters, who spent more than five hours in the trucks, were piled face-down on top of each other, with their hands tied behind their backs.

The long journey and the fact that most of them were forced to lie on top of each other, was blamed for the deaths of another 78 people. Many of those who survived the ordeal became paralysed. Thaksin Shinawatra, who was serving as prime minister at the time of the incident, claimed that fatigue due to fasting during the holy month of Ramadan, was the main cause behind the many deaths.


-- The Nation 2013-10-25

[Local Drunk]

And you know "who", is you know "where".

[LuckyLew]

and the leader of this tragedy is the same person many Thais want to be back in power as PM

add the 2500 or so deaths during the war on drugs and it all adds up to crimes against humanity

Ladies and gentlemen ... your next PM .... what a great person indeed 555

[Thai at Heart]

Did anyone get arrested or any court find the government guilty of wrong doing?

How can they just give money away?

[Local Drunk]

It just happens to be...

[LuckyLew]

Did anyone get arrested or any court find the government guilty of wrong doing?

How can they just give money away?

Do you feel the same way but the compensation being given to red shirts for the events during the protests of 2010?

[ChrisY1]

Did anyone get arrested or any court find the government guilty of wrong doing?

How can they just give money away?

Did they actually give out this amount.....??

I doubt there has ever been any kind of audit....and if there has, I am surprised.

[ezzra]

Like an episode of All in the family... the brother ordered the killings and his sister pays... lovely...

[tingtongteesood]

So Thaksin's misdeeds have cost the Thai people another 641m baht ! He has cost the country billions upon billions that he has stolen through manipulation and outright sleazy corruption. This country can never be great whilst the Shin clan have their grubby claws in its back.

[simple1]

Did anyone get arrested or any court find the government guilty of wrong doing?

How can they just give money away?

Your question is one of the issues that are constantly raised. The Thai government never held trails to establish guilt or innocence of security forces members in OP deaths and injuries. Nor for those within the Thai security forces for torture of detainees and extrajudicial killings of those released after questioning.

[bigbamboo]

Better late than never.

The thorny of issue of responsibility doesn't go away though. The PM at the time was just as culpable for the army's actions as the PM was in 2010. The question is to what extent.

[SOTIRIOS]

Did anyone get arrested or any court find the government guilty of wrong doing?

How can they just give money away?

.....that is how they stay in power....

...they are experts at 'redirecting funds'...and.....'creative accounting'......as we have seen numerous times already

....furthermore....."A number of those affected still have not claimed their compensation."....

.how many...how much.....where is the money.where will it end up.....

[Thai at Heart]

Did anyone get arrested or any court find the government guilty of wrong doing?

How can they just give money away?

Do you feel the same way but the compensation being given to red shirts for the events during the protests of 2010?

Um. Yes. I don't mind if there is a court decision and someone is found guilty. But if, it's just politicking by government to toss some cash away, no I don't like that at all.

[Briggsy]

The court decision was that the army was not responsible for the deaths. The case was heard in Songkhla, I think. The Appeals Court refused to accept the appeal.

[centrala]

Unsurprising that Yingluck's government paid less compensation to the killed Southerners than to red shirts.

Another double standard her government pledged to stop.

[OMGImInPattaya]

An apology and trials/court marshals for the civilian and military leaders responsible for the massacre would have been cheaper.