Tak Bai massacre: Tawee prays for miracle to bring suspects to court

Only a miracle can bring the 14 suspects in the 20-year-old Tak Bai massacre case to court before the statute of limitations is up on Friday, the justice minister said.

Justice Minister Tawee Sodsong said on Tuesday that though the Department of Special Investigations (DSI) does not have jurisdiction over this case, it has appointed several investigators to help the police locate the suspects.

“Police and security agencies have been doing their best. I hope a miracle will occur,” Tawee said.

He said the Tak Bai case was also brought up by coalition leaders during their dinner talk on Monday night, adding that he has learned that some of the suspects have fled abroad.

“I really feel sorry for the victims’ relatives. I understand well that delayed justice is injustice,” Tawee added.

The public prosecutors and relatives of 48 out of 85 Muslims killed during the Tak Bai protest crackdown on October 25, 2004, have filed two lawsuits against 14 defendants, but neither case has been brought to the Narathiwat Provincial Court.

The prosecutors decided to arraign General Chalermchai Wiroonphet, former commander of the 5th Infantry Division and seven military truck drivers for causing the death of 78 protesters from suffocation while they were being transported to an army camp in Pattani.

However, relatives of 48 victims decided to sue General Pisan Wattanawongkiri, former chief of the 4th Army Region, Chalermchai and five other defendants, who were senior officials of Narathiwat and southern border provinces at that time.

Chalermchai was named the defendant in both cases.

Pisan, meanwhile, is reportedly “recovering” from a health issue abroad. He quit the ruling Pheu Thai Party, gave up his MP post on October 15, and indicated that he would not return to Thailand before this month's end.

Tawee said he learned that the public prosecutors had actually halted the case in 2019, but then Prachachart Party leader Kamolsak Lweewamoh called on a House committee on justice to revive it.

Tawee is now leader of the Prachachart Party, whose stronghold is in the Muslim-dominated deep South.

Tawee noted that Kamolsak’s complaint prompted the House panel to press the Office of the Attorney-General to resume the investigation before it resolved to charge the suspects in September.

“At least, arrest warrants have been issued and relatives have learned the truth about the deaths and who were responsible,” Tawee said.

He added that the authorities have learned that at least two suspects have left the country through legal routes, while the others may have sneaked out.

“Since they’ve fled abroad, it’s difficult for us to locate them. We have done our best and only a few days are left,” he said.

The justice minister said that the Tak Bai case was not the only one related to violence in the South that will expire with nobody being brought to justice.

He said there are currently 1,067 suspects wanted under 1,789 arrest warrants. Some suspects face more than one warrant. Of these cases, 140 have expired.

On academics’ call for the government to enact an executive decree to amend the law so the Tak Bai case’s statute of limitations can be extended, Tawee said the charter prohibits amendments that will cause retroactive damage to specific individuals.