4 southern men killed by soldiers in Pattani innocent, inquiry reveals

[webfact]

4 Southern Men Killed By Soldiers Innocent, Inquiry Reveals
By Khaosod English

PATTANI — The four men shot dead by soldiers during a raid in the restive province of Pattani last month had no links to the local Islamic insurgency, an investigative committee ruled in a report released today.

The four men, in their early twenties and thirties, were killed when security officers raided To Chud village on 25 March. The military said the operation was an effort to arrest local Islamic separatists and that two of the victims were members of RKK, a guerrilla group that regularly stages attacks in the region.

However, community leaders and relatives of the four men disputed the military's accusations, prompting authorities to form a 15-member panel to investigate the raid.

Waedueramae Mamingi, chairman of the Central Islamic Committee in Pattani and a member on the panel, said today that the four men did not have any links to the insurgency.

"The committee concludes that the four deceased were not extremists, and were not members of any extremist group," Waedueramae was quoted as saying by Isra News.

According to authorities, security officers began shooting after encountering gun fire from the suspects, who they believed were plotting attacks in the area. After the raid, officers detained twenty-two men and confiscated three assault rifles they said were found near bodies of the victims.

Full story: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.php?newsid=1428390705

-- Khaosod English 2015-04-07

[Just1Voice]

And so, will any punishment be doled out to the security officers for wrongful death? Oh, silly me, this is Thailand, so of course not.

[JOC]

And so, will any punishment be doled out to the security officers for wrongful death? Oh, silly me, this is Thailand, so of course not.

If they can get away with killing 85 in the Tak Bai Massacre, what makes you think, that anyone will be held responsible this time around??

Also known as impunity..........................

[Brit_Doggie]

Why were the men firing at the security officers,naturally they fired back let karma be done.

[webfact]

Seven rangers to be handed over to police for questioning in Pattani clash that left students dead



PATTANI: -- The investigation into the deaths of four suspected militants killed in clashes with government forces on March 25 made progress after the military agreed to hand over seven Army rangers to the police for questioning.

The seven rangers were said to involve directly with the clash that killed the four suspects.

The clash incident later sparked off outcry by local residents when two suspects turned out to be students of the Fatoni University in Pattani.

Later the Fatoni University demanded the setting up of a bipartisan committee to investigate the killing of its two students during the raid of a hideout of suspected RKK insurgents in Thung Yang Daeng district on March 25.

The university said it had never been warned by security authorities that some of its students were involved with the activities of the militants. It further said that its image had been tarnished by the report that its two students were among four suspected insurgents shot dead by government forces.

25 other suspects were also detained for interrogation.

Pattani police commander Pol Maj Gen Krisakorn Plitanyawong said commander of the Army rangers has notified the police seven rangers will be sent to the police for questioning mid this month.

He said police have finished questioning 39 people witnessing the clash.

He also said four assault rifles seized from the killed suspects have been sent for DNA and finger prints examination to see if they were used in previous crimes or not.

For 22 students detained for questioning after a raid at Princess of Naradhiwas University, the Pattani governor Nattapong Sirichana said 17 students have been released, but three were detained when they confessed to in connection with the recent bombing in Pattani.

Two others, one a student and a civilian are still being detained for more questioning, he added.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/seven-rangers-to-be-handed-over-to-police-for-questioning-in-pattani-clash-that-left-students-dead


-- Thai PBS 2015-04-07

[webfact]

Thai probe says four civilians shot dead in deep south were not rebels
AFP

BANGKOK: -- Four unarmed Muslim men shot dead last month in Thailand's conflict-racked south were not rebels, an investigation found Tuesday, raising the possibility of legal action against the security forces.

Two villagers and two students were gunned down on 25 March in a raid on Ban To Chut village in Pattani province, when security forces acting on a tip-off opened fire on a group of suspected militants.

In a region where killings of civilians are common and legal action against security forces is rare, initially authorities said the men were members of one of the patchwork of Muslim rebel groups waging a bloody decade-long insurgency.

But an investigating panel headed by Pattani governor Werapong Kaewsuwan found the men were unarmed and mistaken for militants.

"It is clear that all four people were not members of militant groups," the panel said in a statement, adding that weapons seized after the incident did not belong to the men.

"State actions have caused damage and severely impacted on the public, therefore all of the officials who were involved must be prosecuted in line with judicial process," it added.

Rights groups have for years accused Thai security forces of carrying out extrajudicial killings with impunity in the remote and inaccessible south.

Most of the nearly 6,300 victims of the last decade of conflict have been civilians, both Muslims and Buddhists, killed by rebels or the security forces.

Pattani police commander Kriskorn Paleethunyawong confirmed the panel's findings but dampened expectations of criminal proceedings.

"We are open and listen to all ideas and opinions but it depends on the judicial system to rule what is right or wrong," he told AFP.

Last week the commander said seven members of the security forces were being sought over the incident.

Civil society campaigners have little faith in investigating panels, saying that so far no members of the security forces have been prosecuted over civilian deaths.

When killings occur, inquests commonly rule that police, military and paramilitary forces acted "in the line of duty" even when victims are unarmed.

The Pattani case damages a highly-publicised "hearts and minds" strategy by the military to pay villagers to provide their own security and inform on insurgent movements.

It is also likely to deepen mistrust of the ruling junta, which is trying to revive a stalled peace process with several rebel groups seeking more autonomy for the deep south.

Thailand, a mainly Buddhist nation, annexed the region more than 100 years ago and stands accused of perpetrating severe rights abuses as well as stifling the distinctive local culture through clumsy, and often forced, assimilation schemes.


-- (c) Copyright AFP 2015-04-07

[rondii]

And so, will any punishment be doled out to the security officers for wrongful death? Oh, silly me, this is Thailand, so of course not.

Why do you hold Thailand to a higher standard than the rest of the world, besides your obvious hatred of Thailand.

Were the anti-terrorist police in England punished when they gunned down an innocent B unarmed Brazilian citizen on the London subway? No!

Are the USA commanders who order drone strikes that hit wrong targets and kill innocent civilians punished? No!

I truly hope they learn from the mistake, but just like most other countries and there anti-insurgency forces that's unlikely.

[EnglishJohn]

So were these people with a group who opened fire on the soldiers first or not ?. This is the key point and for some reason went unmentioned by the panel. Which leads me to conclude they were.

And also unmentioned is what these people were doing in a group which possessed 4 automatic weapons ?.

And I wish everybody down there kicked up the same fuss when the militants kill a teacher.

Bangkok Post has more details on the press release by the panel - and suffice to say that the AFP article contains blatant lies. What a disgrace. I bet it was written by the same weasel we see often from them.

[SOUTHERNSTAR]

So were these people with a group who opened fire on the soldiers first or not ?. This is the key point and for some reason went unmentioned by the panel. Which leads me to conclude they were.

And also unmentioned is what these people were doing in a group which possessed 4 automatic weapons ?.

And I wish everybody down there kicked up the same fuss when the militants kill a teacher.

Bangkok Post has more details on the press release by the panel - and suffice to say that the AFP article contains blatant lies. What a disgrace. I bet it was written by the same weasel we see often from them.

Sorry but you are wrong about AFP when you read both articles you find that AFP only wrote the uncomfortable truths, that the Thai press avoids. These 4 was not with anybody else them they where killed (go back to old reports) they where at a building site. The biggest question was the planting of the weapons on these people after their murder. This panel only had 7 days to investigate these murders and if they had more time they could have cleared up all the loose ends. I am not pro-insurgency but are for the accountability of armed forces.

[Just1Voice]

And so, will any punishment be doled out to the security officers for wrongful death? Oh, silly me, this is Thailand, so of course not.

Why do you hold Thailand to a higher standard than the rest of the world, besides your obvious hatred of Thailand.

Were the anti-terrorist police in England punished when they gunned down an innocent B unarmed Brazilian citizen on the London subway? No!

Are the USA commanders who order drone strikes that hit wrong targets and kill innocent civilians punished? No!

I truly hope they learn from the mistake, but just like most other countries and there anti-insurgency forces that's unlikely.

Wow, you make a hell of a lot of assumptions about someone you know absolutely nothing about, all from one simple statement.

First: "...besides your obvious hatred of Thailand." That actually made me laugh, as I've been coming to Thailand off and on for over 40 years, been living here permanently on Retirement for the past 7, have a wonderful Thai wife, and a 32 year old adopted Thai son that I couldn't love more if he were my own flesh and blood. I've traveled all over the north and north east of this wonderful country on my CBR, and have had nothing but good experiences from wonderful Thai people. You are welcome to go back through every post I've ever made on TVF, as well as BK Post forum, and I dare you to find one single post where I have said anything that would indicate any form of hatred for Thailand.

But I've also been here long enough to know how things work. Far too many times, police and military in the past have been able to kill with impunity and nothing is ever done. If you had any real knowledge of Thailand, you would know what I'm talking about. Hence my statement. Which only shows your own ignorance.

Second, this article has absolutely NOTHING to do with anything that has happened in England, or the US, or any other country in the world. It's an article about something that happened in THAILAND. Or weren't you able to figure that out? So comparing it to incidents in other part of the world is totally irrelevant.

The next time you decide to post something ignorant about someone you know nothing about, why don't you engage your brain before using your keyboard.

[ChrisY1]

<deleted>!&%**!.........4 innocents murdered..........mai pen rai!...............

So bad and so sad that these dumb ass forces who committed this crime will have immunity!

[Bluespunk]

Why were the men firing at the security officers,naturally they fired back let karma be done.

Good point.

Apart from the fact those killed weren't firing at anyone.

So not a good point at all really.

"But an investigating panel headed by Pattani governor Werapong Kaewsuwan found the men were unarmed and mistaken for militants.

"It is clear that all four people were not members of militant groups," the panel said in a statement, adding that weapons seized after the incident did not belong to the men".

[lewy67]

Army Commander Apologizes for Victims of Deep South Raid

http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.php?newsid=1428411146

Updated article -

However, an independent committee ruled today that the four men were not related to the insurgency, or armed when the raid took place, citing forensic evidence and witnesses' testimonies.

The panel's members included local administrators, human rights officials, military officers, representatives from the Central Islamic Committee of Thailand, and officials from Fatoni University, where two of the victims were enrolled as students.

Lt.Gen. Prakarn Chollayuth, the army commander who oversees Pattani and its neighboring provinces, said he accepted the panel's findings and apologized to the families of the victims.

[rametindallas]

4 Southern Men Killed By Soldiers Innocent, Inquiry Reveals

Surely not the best way to promote peace in the region. It's good the military is handing over the seven Rangers to the authorities to deal with. I have to wonder what kind of culture exists where your fellow soldiers are murdered in broad daylight (remember the video of the soldiers shot off their motorcycles and weapons taken?) and what kind to training by their superiors is given to help them put things in perspective and not take their revenge on the general populace. I do not envy any soldier serving in the Deep South as they are being psychologically pulled in many directions. Soldiers who react badly, as in this case, should be identified as soon as possible (preferably before they misbehave) and transferred to stations that are not so volatile. This situation is especially bad for those neutral citizens who are caught in the so-called crossfire and who are at risk daily of being caught up in the net of either the insurgents or the military. My heart goes out to the innocents in the region who are being victimized by both sides.