A senator has called on the Thai Cabinet to issue an emergency decree extending the statute of limitations on the Tak Bai massacre case, which is set to expire this Friday. Angkhana Neelapaijit, a former national human rights commissioner, stressed that this extension is the only path for the victims’ families to seek justice for the 2004 crackdown in Narathiwat province, which led to the deaths of 78 Thai Muslims.
Angkhana voiced her disagreement with Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, who stated that it may not be possible to issue the decree in time. “I personally believe that the Cabinet could issue the royal decree in time,” she said. Angkhana is currently the chairperson of the Senate committee on political development, public participation, and human rights.
With the case approaching its 20-year statute of limitations, no defendants have surrendered or been arrested, making it likely the case will be dropped. The deadly crackdown, which occurred during the administration of then-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, involved 1,500 demonstrators and resulted in 78 deaths due to suffocation during their transport in overcrowded military trucks.
One of the key defendants is retired General Pisan Wattanawongkiri, former commander of the Fourth Army Region, who recently resigned as an MP of the ruling Pheu Thai party. Despite his resignation, his current whereabouts are unknown.
Meanwhile, a symbolic protest took place this week, with a group of 60 cyclists, including Malaysians, retracing the route where the victims died. They pedaled “for oxygen” to honor the demonstrators, as frustrations continue to simmer among locals over the lack of accountability.
