Nine government officials will face criminal charges in Narathiwat by the end of April for their alleged role in the violent crackdown on Muslim protesters during the 2004 “Tak Bai Incident.
A group of lawyers, representing the Muslim Attorney Centre Foundation, the Cross Cultural Foundation, the Justice and Reconciliation Centre of Southern Provinces and the Lawyer Council of Thailand, had planned to file charges on Monday for illegal detention, murder and negligence. However, they decided to postpone until the end of April due to unprepared witnesses and some being in Malaysia.
The incident took place on October 25, 2004 during a protest by about 1,500 Malay Muslims in front of the Tak Bai district police station in Narathiwat. They were protesting the detention of six men. The situation escalated when the crowd tried to enter the station and faced tear gas, water cannons, and then gunfire, resulting in seven deaths.thNearly 1,300 protesters were detained at the scene, with 78 dying from suffocation or organ failure during a five-hour journey to the Inkayut army camp in Pattani province.
The legal action against the nine officials is aimed at seeking justice for the families of the deceased, as the police have been hesitant to press charges, citing difficulties in identifying the perpetrators.
The statute of limitations for the case will expire soon, making it urgent to file the charges.
Criminal charges will be filed by the end of April in Narathiwat against nine government officials, allegedly responsible for the bloody crackdown on Muslim protesters in the “Tak Bai Incident”…
