THAILAND: Brutal beating to death of two marine officers and the subsequent arrest of 12 villagers 

Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has been informed of the shocking beating to death of two marine officers on 21 September 2005 and the subsequent arrest of 12?villagers in Muang district, Narathiwat province, southern Thailand. The marine officers were reportedly involved in a shooting incident that killed two villagers and wounded four others. Outraged at the shooting, villagers are alleged to have beaten marine officers Sub-Lieutenant Winai Naagabutr and Petty Officer Kamthorn Thong-iad to death. Twelve villagers have been arrested, and they will reportedly be charged with illegal detention of a person, assembly with intention to kill a person, gang robbery, causing damages to property and assembly to conduct violence.

The AHRC condemns the brutal killing of the two marines by the villagers; all persons’ right to life must be respected with no exceptions. However, there are concerns as to whether these villagers are in fact responsible for the killing. We therefore call for a new investigation to be conducted into both the shooting and the killing, in order to identify the real perpetrators and prevent the prosecution of innocent villagers.?lt;br />
Your immediate intervention is required to defer all legal action against the villagers until a new investigation is completed. Criminal charges against the villagers must be dropped if there is no substantial evidence to prosecute them and they must be released from detention. There are serious allegations against the Thai military as well as Muslim separatists regarding the orchestration of the shooting, which must also be investigated thoroughly. The appropriate charges must be filed against those who are responsible for the incident.

Please send letters to the Attorney General of Thailand, the Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission and the Ministry of Justice and urge them to take appropriate action regarding this case.?lt;br />
Urgent Appeals Desk
Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)
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DETAILED INFORMATION:

At about 8pm on 20 September 2005, there was a fatal shooting incident in which two villagers were killed and four others injured, at a teashop in a village of Tanyonglimo sub-district, Muang district, Narathiwat province, Thailand. Outraged villagers subsequently took two marines hostage, believing them to be responsible for the shooting. The two marines were Sub-Lieutenant Winai Naagabutr and Petty Officer Kamthorn Thong-iad, who were then brutally beaten to death at around 2pm on September 21.?lt;br />
While there have been allegations that the Thai military was responsible for the shooting at the teashop, the Thai government has claimed that the two marines were not involved in the shooting but instead were lured into a trap set by Muslim separatists.?lt;br />
After the death of the marines, the Thai government took strong measures to identify the culprits, conducting door-to-door searches in the village and subsequently arresting the following 12 villagers:?lt;br />
1. Mr Makorseng Arwaekaji, 10/1 Moo 2, Manangtayor, Muang district, Narathiwat
2. Mr Kusa Lorseng, 45 Moo 7, Tanyonglimo, Rangae district, Narathiwat
3. Mr U-seng Saraenu, 61 Moo 7, Tanyonglimo, Rangae district, Narathiwat
4. Mr Plee Daneeru, 40 Moo 7, Tanyonglimo, Rangae district, Narathiwat
5. Mr Rurukeeplee Karing, 101/1 Moo 7, Tanyonglimo, Rangae district, Narathiwat
6. Mr Dorromae Hayeethasae, 139 Moo 7, Tanyonglimo, Rangae district, Narathiwat
7. Mr Tuanpanee Tuankuseepo, 50/1 Moo 7, Tanyonglimo, Rangae district, Narathiwat
8. Mrs B-dao Klabor, 148/1 Moo 7, Tanyonglimo, Rangae district, Narathiwat
9. Mrs Meenaao Mahama, 172 Moo 7, Tanyonglimo, Rangae district, Narathiwat
10. Mrs Nimaoo Deengee 58 Moo 7, Tanyonglimo, Rangae district, Narathiwat
11. Mrs Paeusao Saei 12 Moo 7, Tanyonglimo, Rangae district, Narathiwat
12. Mrs Yaena Kaseng 18 Moo 7, Tanyonglimo, Rangae district, Narathiwat

The prosecutor will reportedly bring criminal charges against them in court in the near future. The charges will include illegal detention of a person, assembly with intention to kill a person, gang robbery, causing damages to property and assembly to conduct violence under sections 83, 91, 215, 229, 310, 340 and 358 of the Penal Code of Thailand.?

While the Thai government has been keen to arrest those responsible for the death of the marines, it has done little to reveal the facts of the shooting and there has been almost no progress in the investigation. Furthermore, questions have arisen as to whether these 12 persons were in fact involved in the death of the marines. One eyewitness of the incident has reportedly expressed doubt about the involvement in the killing of some of the accused.?lt;br />
The specific concerns raised regarding the accused (based on information from an eyewitness and other villagers) are as follows:?lt;br />
Mr Kusa Lorseng: His house is located opposite the crime scene. He sells local agricultural products such as Sator (similar to pea pod) and Neing seeds (a type of big bean) and allegedly distributed some Sator to the villagers who were guarding the marines on the night before the killing. The police later found scraps of Sator near the crime scene and assumed that Kusa was involved in the killing.?lt;br />
Mr U-seng Saraenu: He is a motorcycle mechanic and his one leg is disabled. On September 21, because the weather was very hot at midday, he set up a tent for women and children. This appeared on video and he has apparently been arrested for this.??lt;br />
Mr Plee Daneeru: Police claim that Plee put sand in the gasoline tank of the two marines?vehicle. However, no villagers confirmed this.?lt;br />
Mr Tuanpanee Tuankuseepo: He and other villagers were asked to move the two marines’ vehicle from its original dark location to a well lit spot. No clear reason of his arrest has been given. A few months before the killing he was hired by the army to guard Tanyonglimor Primary School.?

Mrs Nimaoo Deengee: She is a tailor. On the night of September 20, someone she knows came to her house and asked for cloth scarps. It was later found that those cloth scarps were used to tie the two marines.?lt;br />
Mrs. B-dao Klabor, Mrs. Meenaao Mahama, Mrs. Paeusao Saei and Mrs. Yaena Kaseng: During the time that the marines were taken hostage, the villagers came together and these four women reportedly helped with the cooking.

Mr. Makorseng Arwaekaji: When the marines were taken hostage, villagers usually gathered near the shelter where they were held to keep guard. At around noon on September 21, Makorseng reportedly made an announcement through a community loudspeaker in the local Yavi dialect and asked the villagers, who had returned to their homes to rest, to come back. As the Thai police do not understand the Yavi dialect, they suspected him of calling on the villagers to beat up the two marines.?lt;br />
Mr. Rurukeeplee Karing and Mr. Dorromae Hayeethasae: No information is available about these two persons.?lt;br />
While the AHRC condemns the brutal killings of the two marines, we also raise concerns regarding the responsibility of the Thai government in creating circumstances that allowed for the killing. The AHRC urges the Thai government to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation into both the killing of the marines as well as the shooting that provoked the killing, before prosecuting the 12 villagers.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:?lt;br />
Violence in Thailand’s southern, mainly Malay Muslim provinces has been steadily escalating since early 2004, exacerbated by the disastrously heavy-handed policies of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The majority of areas in the southern provinces had been under martial law provisions, which changed to emergency Act in mid-July 2005. Imposing such laws allows the security forces to engage in activities without independent scrutiny, denying rights to the people that they enjoy in other areas. Under these laws, people cannot expect proper investigations, fair trial or punishment of perpetrators. These laws allow for authorities to misuse their power, leading to a severe crisis between the people and state enforcement agencies.?

SUGGESTED ACTION:

Please send letters to the Attorney General of Thailand, the Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission, the Ministry of Justice and the Law Council and urge them to conduct a thorough investigation into the killing of the two marines before prosecuting alleged perpetrators.?lt;br />

 

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