The outrage of Tak BaiThe outrage of Tak Bai

Category: Network

One of the most atrocious single violations of human rights occurred exactly six years ago. It is a poor comment on justice that successive governments have barely even acknowledged the horrific event. Almost 90 Thais died in what now is called the Tak Bai incident in Narathiwat province in the deep South. All but a few of the deaths occurred while the young male victims were already in the care of the army, which had been called in when an anti-government protest got out of hand. From the prime minister to the army unit directly involved, no responsible official ever has been made accountable.

One of the most atrocious single violations of human rights occurred exactly six years ago. It is a poor comment on justice that successive governments have barely even acknowledged the horrific event. Almost 90 Thais died in what now is called the Tak Bai incident in Narathiwat province in the deep South. All but a few of the deaths occurred while the young male victims were already in the care of the army, which had been called in when an anti-government protest got out of hand. From the prime minister to the army unit directly involved, no responsible official ever has been made accountable.

There are still divisive opinions about what happened on Oct 25, 2004, and who if anyone should be held responsible. The facts of the case are not in real dispute. An unruly mob of local people began the incident with a protest at the Tak Bai district police station. The demonstrators, including women and children, were demanding the release of six youths arrested as suspected insurgents. Police would not or could not control the protest, and called for the army to intervene.

Witnesses and other reports occasionally diverge on what happened next. An official report on the Tak Bai incident, however, determined the facts – although with wide disputes on who was responsible. The confrontation between the army and the demonstrators quickly escalated into violence. Videotapes, widely seen but banned by every government since Thaksin Shinawatra’s regime, show battles between groups of youths and soldiers. Several demonstrators died from injuries in that fighting.

Finally in control of the mob, soldiers stripped the shirts off the young male participants and rather brutally put hundreds on the ground, hands tied behind their backs. After a time, all the detained youths were loaded onto army trucks for the long trip to the main army detention facility in the far South, Camp Ingkayuthaborihaan in Pattani province. When they finally arrived at the camp, hours later, about 78 of the men were dead – a few from wounds during the riot, but most from suffocation in what seems to be mishandling by the army.

The members of the Thaksin government and the army have strongly defended the actions against the demonstrators, and have rejected all claims of malfeasance or even errors during the violence or in transporting the prisoners. Under the military junta which ousted Thaksin, then-prime minister Surayud Chulanont travelled to Pattani and issued an apology. “What happened in the past was mostly the fault of the state,” he said. He announced several procedural changes in administration. Reparations were made to some families of the dead, and the government dropped the laughable charges of instigating the riot against 92 people who survived the violence.

Since then, including under the present government, no further steps on the Tak Bai incident have been taken or, apparently, even contemplated. No political party or faction has seriously called for accountability. The military has steadfastly rejected responsibility. No high-powered body such as the Department of Special Investigation has investigated Tak Bai further.

The incident continues to be cited as the worst example of human rights violations in the long and deadly conflict in the deep South. Insurgents still use it as a recruiting tool. Anti-Thailand propagandists outside the country cite it. But most importantly, the deaths of some 90 Thais six years ago is an important barrier to an understanding between the government and the people of the southernmost provinces. For that reason alone, the government should take the correct steps, address both the resentment and the lack of justice, and urgently heal the festering wound of the Tak Bai incident.

From: http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/203065/the-outrage-of-tak-bai

There are still divisive opinions about what happened on Oct 25, 2004, and who if anyone should be held responsible. The facts of the case are not in real dispute. An unruly mob of local people began the incident with a protest at the Tak Bai district police station. The demonstrators, including women and children, were demanding the release of six youths arrested as suspected insurgents. Police would not or could not control the protest, and called for the army to intervene.

Witnesses and other reports occasionally diverge on what happened next. An official report on the Tak Bai incident, however, determined the facts – although with wide disputes on who was responsible. The confrontation between the army and the demonstrators quickly escalated into violence. Videotapes, widely seen but banned by every government since Thaksin Shinawatra’s regime, show battles between groups of youths and soldiers. Several demonstrators died from injuries in that fighting.

Finally in control of the mob, soldiers stripped the shirts off the young male participants and rather brutally put hundreds on the ground, hands tied behind their backs. After a time, all the detained youths were loaded onto army trucks for the long trip to the main army detention facility in the far South, Camp Ingkayuthaborihaan in Pattani province. When they finally arrived at the camp, hours later, about 78 of the men were dead – a few from wounds during the riot, but most from suffocation in what seems to be mishandling by the army.

The members of the Thaksin government and the army have strongly defended the actions against the demonstrators, and have rejected all claims of malfeasance or even errors during the violence or in transporting the prisoners. Under the military junta which ousted Thaksin, then-prime minister Surayud Chulanont travelled to Pattani and issued an apology. “What happened in the past was mostly the fault of the state,” he said. He announced several procedural changes in administration. Reparations were made to some families of the dead, and the government dropped the laughable charges of instigating the riot against 92 people who survived the violence.

Since then, including under the present government, no further steps on the Tak Bai incident have been taken or, apparently, even contemplated. No political party or faction has seriously called for accountability. The military has steadfastly rejected responsibility. No high-powered body such as the Department of Special Investigation has investigated Tak Bai further.

The incident continues to be cited as the worst example of human rights violations in the long and deadly conflict in the deep South. Insurgents still use it as a recruiting tool. Anti-Thailand propagandists outside the country cite it. But most importantly, the deaths of some 90 Thais six years ago is an important barrier to an understanding between the government and the people of the southernmost provinces. For that reason alone, the government should take the correct steps, address both the resentment and the lack of justice, and urgently heal the festering wound of the Tak Bai incident.

From: http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/203065/the-outrage-of-tak-bai