BANGKOK (AP) — Eight former state security personnel accused of responsibility for the deaths of 78 Muslim protesters who were arrested in southern Thailand in 2004 will be indicted on murder charges, the prosecutor’s office announced Wednesday.
The case earned special notoriety because of the manner in which the victims died. They were arrested, had their hands tied, and were loaded onto trucks, stacked like firewood. By the time the vehicles reached an army base where they were taken to be detained, 78 had died of crushing or suffocation.
The long-delayed legal action in connection with what is known as the Tak Bai massacre came just over a month before the statute of limitations expires on the case. Even though the suspects have been indicted, the charges can still expire if none of those named appears in court before an Oct. 25 deadline.
The deaths occurred shortly after a Muslim separatist insurgency erupted in Thailand’s southernmost provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala, the only ones with Muslim majorities in the Buddhist-dominated nation.
Muslim residents have long complained they are treated like second-class citizens in Thailand, and separatist movements have been periodically active for decades. Heavy-handed crackdowns have fueled the discontent. Fighting continues to this day, but at a lower level.
On Oct. 25, 2004, thousands of protesters gathered at the police station in Narathiwat’s Tak Bai district to demand the immediate release of six Muslim men who had been detained several days earlier. The detainees, members of an official village defense force, were accused by police of handing over weapons to insurgents, but reporting them stolen.
After the protest turned violent, around 1,300 protesters were rounded up by soldiers and forced to lie on top of each other in 25 trucks before they were transported to a military camp in neighboring Pattani province, two hours’ drive away. When they reached the destination, officials reported 78 people had died. Autopsy results revealed suffocation was the cause of death. Seven others had been shot dead during the protest.
The officials facing murder charges are mostly the drivers of the trucks, but also the commander of the 5th Infantry Division, Chalermchai Wirunphet, said Prayuth Bejraguna, a spokesperson for the Office of the Attorney General.
“Although the eight suspects … did not wish the victims to have died, getting only 25 trucks to transport more than 1,000 protesters is too crowded to be an appropriate way to transport people,” Prayuth told a news conference. “The defendants’ action could be expected to result in the victims being suffocated to death.”
The case does not involve the seven shot dead during the protest.
In a related legal proceeding in April, the victims’ families filed a lawsuit accusing seven soldiers and officials of murder, attempted murder and unlawful detention. One of those indicted was Pisal Wattanawongkiri, commander of the 4th Army Region at the time of the incident and now a lawmaker for the ruling Pheu Thai Party, who enjoys parliamentary immunity from arrest.
The Narathiwat Criminal Court has already accepted that case but none of the accused have yet shown up to hear the charges, which would likewise expire on Oct. 25 under the statute of limitations.
Prayuth said the Attorney General's Office received the case from police investigators in April this year, and had done their best to expedite the process, resulting in the indictment decision last week. When asked why there was such a delay before the case was handed to them, Prayuth declined to comment, saying it was a police affair.
FILE - Thai-Muslim rioters lie on the ground after they were arrested and forced to take off their shirts by Thai security forces after rioting at Takbai district of Narathiwat province, southern Thailand, Oct. 25, 2004. (AP Photo, File)
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Adolis García hit a two-run home run in the sixth inning, Cody Bradford pitched seven strong innings after the worst start of his career, and the Texas Rangers beat the Toronto Blue Jays 2-0 on Wednesday night.
The win kept the defending World Series-champion Rangers alive in the AL West race, trailing first-place Houston by 10 games with 10 to play.
García launched an inside sinker over the left-field wall off Toronto starter Bowden Francis (8-5) after Wyatt Langford singled.
“He swings hard, he swings a lot,” Francis said of García. “I guess the velo was dropping during that time.”
Bradford (6-3) allowed five hits and no walks while striking out six.
The seven shutout innings are the most in a game during his two-year career. He was knocked out of his previous start after allowing career highs in hits (nine), runs (eight) and homers (three) in 3 2/3 innings in a 14-4 loss at Arizona.
“Throughout the week, you’ve got to try and digest what happened, see where I can make adjustments, whether it was just game plan went wrong or just poor execution, or a little bit of both,” Bradford said. “Then you flush it.”
Bradford was perfect through four innings before Alejandro Kirk opened the fifth with a smash back to the mound that caromed off Bradford’s left foot and rolled into right field for a single. It extended Kirk’s hitting streak to a career-high 12 games.
Spencer Horwitz’s double to left-center put runners on second and third with no outs before Bradford retired the next three batters.
Blue Jays manager John Schneider credited Bradford’s “deceptive fastball.”
“When you’re throwing 89, 92, you’ve got to have pretty good deception with that at this level,” Schneider said. “Kept us off balance.”
Kirby Yates pitched a perfect ninth inning for his 31st save in 32 opportunities.
Francis, who took no-hitters into the ninth inning in two of his previous four starts, allowed a double to Marcus Semien, the Rangers’ first hitter of the game. He gave up five hits and one walk in six innings.
Francis has a 1.96 ERA in nine starts with 54 strikeouts and seven walks since being moved back into the starting rotation in late July.
“I don’t even want to get complacent, on cruise control,” Francis said. “Just keep attacking.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Blue Jays: SS Bo Bichette was a late scratch with a right middle finger contusion suffered during infield practice. Schneider said the team will get back x-rays on Thursday. Bichette was activated Tuesday following a calf injury and played for the first time in two months, going 2 for 5 with one RBI at the plate. ... INF Will Wagner (left knee inflammation) will have the knee scoped on Thursday. Schneider said Wagner should be ready to start spring training. Wagner, son of former major leaguer Billy Wagner, was acquired from Houston at the trade deadline.
UP NEXT
Rangers rookie RHP Kumar Rocker (0-0, 2.25 ERA) will make his home debut against Blue Jays RHP Kevin Gausman (12-11, 4.02) in the series finale. Rocker allowed one run in four innings at Seattle last Thursday in his major league debut.
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Toronto Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk advances to third on a double by Spencer Horwitz in the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Texas Rangers' Marcus Semien, left, celebrates his double as Toronto Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr., right, looks on in the first inning of a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Toronto Blue Jays' Ernie Clement fields a ground out by Texas Rangers' Marcus Semien in the fifth inning of a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)w
Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Leo Jimenez makes a leaping catch on a line out by Texas Rangers' Jonah Heim in the second inning of a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Bowden Francis throws to the Texas Rangers in the first inning of a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Texas Rangers starting pitcher Cody Bradford throws to the Toronto Blue Jays in the fourth inning of a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Texas Rangers first baseman Nathaniel Lowe (30) reaches out for the throw to the bag to complete the ground out by Toronto Blue Jays' Spencer Horwitz (48) in the second inning of a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Texas Rangers right fielder Adolis Garcia settles beneath a Toronto Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr. fly out in the first inning of a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Texas Rangers starting pitcher Cody Bradford throws to the Toronto Blue Jays in the first inning of a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Texas Rangers' Marcus Semien, left, and Adolis Garcia walk off the field after their team's win against the Toronto Blue Jays in a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
