Tak Bai incident explained

Partof:the South Thailand insurgency
Date:25 October 2004
Type:purge, riots
Place:Tak Bai, Thailand
Reported Death(S):85

The Tak Bai Massacre[1] or Tak Bai Incident was an event during the south Thailand insurgency that occurred on 25 October 2004 in Tak Bai, Narathiwat Province, Thailand, which resulted in the death of 85 Thai citizens.[2] [3] [4]

Clash

On 25 October 2004, a demonstration of around 1,500 people gathered in front of a police station in Tak Bai to protest the detention of six men. Several hours into the protest, the crowd attempted to cross the police barrier into the station. Police responded with tear gas and water cannons, and the crowd responded by throwing rocks. Police fired into the air and then into the crowd at head height, killing seven.[5] [6]

Almost 1,300 protesters were detained at the scene. They were ordered to strip to the waist, lie on their stomachs, and crawl to nearby trucks that would transport them to another site.[7] Footage taken by journalists confirmed allegations that many protesters were kicked and beaten with sticks even after they complied with orders to lie on the ground.[8]

The detainees were then stacked atop one another in trucks and transported to Inkayut Army Camp in Pattani Province. The drive took five hours, and by the time the trucks arrived at the destination, 78 detainees had died from suffocation or organ collapse.

Retaliation

On 2 November 2004, Jaran Torae, a Buddhist deputy police chief, was found beheaded in Narathiwat Province. A handwritten note described the murder as retaliation for the deaths at Tak Bai.[9] Several other killings of Buddhist village leaders and police officials were attributed to revenge for the incident.[10]

Responses

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra expressed regret for the deaths, but he insisted there had been no wrongdoing by military personnel.[11]

On 2 November 2006, Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont gave a formal apology for Thaksin's policies in the south,[12] and two days later the charges against the surviving protesters were dropped.[13] The Asian Human Rights Commission called for prosecutions, stating, "After two years, the apology is welcome, but investigation and prosecution is imperative."[14]

A 2009 inquest found that security officials had performed their duty without wrongdoing. Family members attempted to appeal the decision, but their appeal was denied in June 2012. As of October 2012, no charges had been filed against the security officials involved in the deaths.[15] In 2012, the Thai government offered reparations to family members of the victims.

The Bangkok Post called the incident a "tragedy" and "one of the worst blunders ever committed by the military in the restive deep South".[16] Amnesty International protested what it called the "virtual impunity" for human rights violations in southern Thailand, calling for members of the security forces involved to be "brought to justice".

In April 2024, criminal charges were filed against 9[17] "former security officials".[1]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2780714/tak-bai-massacre-criminal-cases-to-be-filed. Bangkok Post. Retrieved 2024-04-23
  2. News: Tak Bai and Krue Se Report. The Nation. 29 August 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304132414/http://www.nationmultimedia.com/specials/takbai/p1.htm. 4 March 2016. dead.
  3. News: In southern Thailand, a crossroads of terror . Nick Cumming-Bruce . 11 November 2004 . The New York Times . 1 November 2012 . 26 July 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140726135437/http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/11/news/11iht-thai_ed3__2.html . live.
  4. News: Thailand: The riddle of the South . Roger Hardy . 15 February 2005 . BBC News . 1 November 2012 . 25 July 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120725122444/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4264195.stm . live .
  5. Web site: If You Want Peace, Work for Justice . 2006 . Amnesty International . 1 November 2012 . 22 November 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181122055954/https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/asa39/001/2006/en/ . live .
  6. News: Deadly demo puts Thais on tightrope . 30 October 2004 . The Age . 1 November 2012 . 19 October 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121019133503/http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/10/29/1099028209065.html?from=storylhs . live.
  7. News: Thailand's smile fades . Farish A. Noor . 18 November 2004 . BBC News . 1 November 2012 . 10 September 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120910220555/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4017551.stm . live .
  8. Web site: Tak Bai Massacre (Part 1). www.youtube.com. 11 September 2021. 20 November 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201120162305/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fk_ZEuE-70M. live.
  9. News: Note calls beheading revenge for deaths of Muslim Thais . Nick Cumming-Bruce . 3 November 2004 . The New York Times . 1 November 2012 . 8 February 2013 . https://archive.today/20130208155310/http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/03/news/03iht-thai_ed3_.html?_r=0 . live.
  10. News: Thailand: Behind the Muslim 'insurgency' . David Fullbrook . 17 December 2004 . The New York Times . 1 November 2012 . 10 June 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220610035704/http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/17/opinion/17iht-a6_13.html?_r=0 . live.
  11. News: Some neighbors fault hard-line approach in Thailand's south: Thaksin and unrest stir doubt in region . Nick Cumming-Bruce . 1 November 2012 . The New York Times . 1 November 2012 . 30 January 2013 . https://archive.today/20130130154438/http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/18/news/18iht-1firstR_37.html . live.
  12. Web site: Karaoke bar bombs wound five in Thai Muslim south . 5 November 2006 . Manila Bulletin .
  13. News: Reuters . Cases Against 2004 Muslim Protesters Dropped . 4 November 2006 . The New York Times . 1 November 2012 . 19 June 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220619223104/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/04/world/asia/04briefs-THAILANDCASE_BRF.html?fta=y&_r=0 . live.
  14. Web site: Apology for Tak Bai must be followed by prosecutions . Basil Fernando . 3 November 2006 . Asian Human Rights Commission . 1 November 2012 . 6 December 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121206181911/http://www.humanrights.asia/news/ahrc-news/AHRC-OL-060-2006 . live .
  15. Web site: Thailand: Death of 85 protesters must not go unpunished. 25 October 2012 . Amnesty International . 1 November 2012 . 23 February 2013 . https://archive.today/20130223112009/http://www.amnesty.org/en/for-media/press-releases/thailand-death-85-protesters-must-not-go-unpunished-2012-10-25 . live.
  16. News: Eight years after Tak Bai, and no closer to peace . 25 October 2012 . The Bangkok Post . 1 November 2012 . 25 October 2012 . https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20121025152432/http://www.bangkokpost.com/lite/topstories/318214/tak-bai-anniversary . live .
  17. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2782655/police-explain-inaction-after-tak-bai-massacre. Bangkok Post. Retrieved 2024-04-26

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