Dear friends,
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information about another post mortem inquest into the killings of people by the security forces in southern Thailand. The inquest concerns the police killing of 19 young men in at Sabayoi in southern Thailand on 28 April 2004. It relates to the Krue Se Mosque killings inquest, about which the AHRC has reported previously (UA-398-2006). The next hearings are scheduled for May 29 and 30.
On 3 and 4 May 2007 the inquest in Songkhla Provincial Court heard about the killing of the 19 young men by heavily-armed police on 28 April 2004 near a police checkpoint in Sabayoi municipality market.
The police have justified shooting the men to death as self-defence. According to the police officers who were stationed at the checkpoint, on that morning, two men on a motorcycle stopped and one of them walked towards a police officer with what appeared to be a knife; the officer fired immediately and shot him down. He has then claimed that five or six more men came and attacked him, whereupon he fired into the sky and the young men fled to a nearby restaurant and a teachers’ residence (on a school campus). According to the police testimony, 12 more policemen were sent to the scene as reinforcements, armed with M16 guns.
According to the owner of the restaurant and villagers who witnessed the incident, three young men, all unarmed, ran towards the restaurant and teachers’ residence; at that time about ten to twenty persons were gathering around the restaurant. They have recalled that the police fired for about an hour towards these premises; as a result 19 men died in the restaurant. The details of each are as follows:
1. Sakariya Hadkache, 30, shot by Pol. Sgt. Maj. Charnnarong Nueluen nearby police checkpoint
2. Somsak Bangsaman, 23, shot by Pol. Sgt. Maj. Charnnarong Nueluen nearby police checkpoint
3. Yahya Mahingta, 34, shot by Pol. Sgt. Chokchai Ruenyotha in the Suayna restaurant
4. Samit Soeponair, 19, shot by Pol. Sgt. Chokchai Ruenyotha, Pol. Sgt. Pattana Tukprik, Pol. Sgt. Sarayuth Sitthiboon, Pol. Lt. Col. Somporn Kaewkong & Arun Lamsoh (assigned official) in the Suayna restaurant
5. Pasoree Dahayor, 25, shot by Pol. Sgt. Chokchai Ruenyotha, Pol. Sgt. Maj. Pattana Tukprik, & Arun Lamsoh in the Suayna restaurant
6. Roman Ruemaiting, 32, shot by Pol. Sgt. Somporn Kaewkong, Pol. Sgt. Chokchai Ruenyotha, Pol. Cpl. Sarayuth Sitthiboon, Pol. Sgt. Pattana Tukprik & Arun Lamsohi n the Suayna restaurant
7. Sarapoo Yongmakae, 19, shot by Pol. Sgt. Somporn Kaewkong, Pol. Sgt. Chokchai Ruenyotha, Pol. Sgt. Sarayuth Sitthiboon, Pol. Sgt. Pattana Tukprik and Arun Lamsoh in the Suayna restaurant
8. Adnan Deesatham, 19, shot by Pol. Snr. Sgt. Maj. Somwang Mingmuhamwong in the Suayna restaurant
9. Makta Hormamoh, 18, shot by Pol. Snr. Sgt. Maj. Somwang Mingmuhamwong in the Suayna restaurant
10. Saronee Kalor, 18, shot by Pol. Snr. Sgt. Maj. Somwang Mingmuhamwong and another four officers in the Suayna restaurant
11. Usman Salae, 22, shot by Prapas Boonmak (assigned official) in the Suayna restaurant
12. Nirup Raesa-ae, 26, shot by Prapas Boonmak in the Suayna restaurant
13. Hami Lohpusa, 25, shot by Pol. Snr. Sgt. Maj. Somwang Mingmuhamwong, Prapas Boonmak, Pol. Sgt. Phongphat Naekamucha & Pol. Sgt. Maj. Warapong Sakulrat in the Suayna restaurant
14. Duerae Dueramae, 30, shot by Pol. Sgt. Phongphat Naekamucha in the Suayna restaurant
15. Maroning Yongmakae, 21, shot by Pol. Snr. Sgt. Maj. Somwang Mingmuhamwong in the Suayna restaurant
16. Abdulbazis Manputae, 21, shot by Pol. Sgt. Somporn Kaewkong & Arun Lamsoh in the Suayna restaurant
17. Abdulhalem Luemusor, 26, shot by Pol. Sgt. Somporn Kaewkong and Arun Lamsoh in the Suayna restaurant
18. Malayee Arbutadsa, 26, shot by Pol. Sgt. Saktawee Sanmuang in the area of the teachers’ accommodation
19. Kamaruding Maeprommi, 23, shot by Pol. Snr. Sgt. Maj. Jint Wandee & Pol. Sgt. Saktawee Sanmuang in the area of the teachers’ accommodation
According to a medical doctor who has appeared at the inquest as an expert witness for the victims’ families, most of the victims had gunshot wounds in their heads or upper bodies.
The hearings are due to continue with testimony from families of the deceased. The AHRC urges all human rights defenders and concerned persons in Thailand to please attend if possible. The details are as follows:
Next hearings: 29-30 May 2007, 9am – 4pm
Place: Songkhla Provincial Court, Platha Road, Boyang Subdistrict, A. Muang, Songkhla
Case No.: Black No. Chor. 30/2547
Under: Criminal Procedure Code Section 150
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The killings in Sabayoi were part of a series of incidents on 28 April 2004 in which at least 107 civilians were killed by the security forces in the name of self-defence. In the Krue Se Mosque on the same day, 32 people were killed on the orders of General Pallop Pinmanee and his subordinates. The inquest in that case should have been followed by a criminal inquiry into those officers, but so far there is no evidence of any inquiry, and instead Gen. Pallop has been reappointed to a senior position (UP-069-2007; UP-028-2007).
For further information, please refer to the AHRC webpage on the Emergency Decree in southern Thailand, and links from there: http://thailand.ahrchk.net/edecree.
Thank you.
Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ahrchk@ahrchk.org)
