In Narathiwat, by the end of April, criminal charges are set to be filed against nine officials implicated in the notorious “Tak Bai Incident,” a 2004 event where a crackdown on Muslim protesters led to numerous deaths. This legal move comes nearly 20 years after the tragic events that unfolded during a demonstration outside the Tak Bai district police station.
On October 25, 2004, approximately 1,500 Malay Muslims gathered to protest the detention of six individuals, which escalated into a violent confrontation. Attempts by the protesters to breach the police cordon resulted in the use of tear gas and water cannons by law enforcement. The situation deteriorated when police fired shots, initially into the air and subsequently at the crowd, resulting in seven fatalities.
The aftermath saw close to 1,300 demonstrators arrested, with 78 later dying from suffocation or organ failure after being packed tightly in trucks for transport to the Inkayut army camp in Pattani province, a journey that lasted five hours.
The decision to press charges, initially planned for earlier but postponed to the end of April due to witness readiness issues, involves allegations of illegal detention, murder, and negligence. This legal action is spearheaded by a coalition including the Muslim Attorney Centre Foundation, the Cross Cultural Foundation, the Justice and Reconciliation Centre of Southern Provinces, and the Lawyer Council of Thailand.
This initiative aims to secure justice for the victims’ families, challenging the reluctance of police to pursue the officials involved, with claims of inability to pinpoint the responsible parties. The urgency of the legal proceedings is heightened by the impending expiration of the statute of limitations on the case.
In attendance at the initial announcement were various officials and representatives from the legal and human rights communities, underlining the case’s significance and the broad support for seeking accountability and reconciliation in this long-standing issue.
