A Thai court has dismissed a case over the deaths of Muslim protesters in 2004

BANGKOK – A court in southern Thailand on Monday dismissed a case against former state security personnel and officials over the deaths of 85 Muslim protesters in 2004, saying none of the suspects had been arrested.

Families of the victims of what is known as the Tak Bai massacre in April accused seven soldiers and government officials of murder, attempted murder and unlawful detention. The Narathiwat Provincial Court formally accepted the case in August.

Although there was sufficient evidence for an indictment, the court said the case could not proceed as no suspects were arrested and brought to trial. As a result, the twenty-year statute of limitations expired on Friday.

The court statement noted that the order does not constitute a dismissal of the charges against the suspects as they “never initiated the legal proceedings, but fled until the statute of limitations expired.”

One of the people mentioned is Pisal Wattanawongkiri, commander of the 4th Army Region at the time of the incident. At the time of the indictment in August, he was a member of parliament of the ruling Pheu Thai party. The party said he had applied for medical leave to seek treatment abroad and resigned from the party earlier this month. Other suspects are also said to have left the country after the indictment.

The case gained notoriety because of the way the victims died. On October 25, 2004, thousands of protesters gathered at the police station in Narathiwat’s Tak Bai district to demand the release of six Muslim men who had been detained several days earlier. The prisoners, members of an official village defense force, were accused by police of handing over weapons to Muslim insurgents but reporting them as stolen.

Seven of the protesters were shot dead after the demonstration turned violent. About 1,300 of them were later rounded up, their hands tied and loaded into trucks, stacked like firewood. By the time the vehicles reached an army base where they were being held, 78 people had died from crushing or suffocation. Several others were seriously injured or disabled as a result of being crushed.

The deaths occurred shortly after an Islamist separatist uprising broke out in Thailand’s southernmost provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala, the only Muslim-majority provinces in the Buddhist-dominated country.

Muslim residents have long complained about being treated as second-class citizens in Thailand, and separatist movements have been active periodically for decades. A crackdown has fueled discontent. The fighting continues to this day, but at a lower level.

Ratsada Manooratsada, who represents the victims’ families, told reporters outside the court that while the outcome was expected, the legal team will continue to pursue other alternatives, including investigations into whether police officers had purposefully delayed proceedings until the case was close completed. expired.

“The statute of limitations in memory of the people will never have an expiration date,” he said.

The UN Human Rights Council Special Rapporteurs issued a statement last week calling for continued investigations and pursuit of justice even after the statute of limitations has expired, as “failure to investigate and bring perpetrators to justice is in itself a violation of Thai laws.” human rights obligations.”

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said last week that it was not possible to extend the validity of the case. She issued an official apology to those affected and stressed that all relevant agencies had done what they could to provide justice.

“We will do our best to prevent such an incident from happening again,” she said.