Thai PM apologises for Tak Bai massacre

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra on Thursday apologised for the deaths two decades ago of 78 protesters who were piled up in army trucks, hours from the expiry of the statute of limitations on a case in which no state official has ever been convicted.
The security crackdown in Tak Bai in the southern province of Narathiwat in 2004 caused the deaths of 85 people in all and was one of the most high-profile events of a separatist insurgency that had reignited that same year and has since killed more than 7,600 people.
“I am deeply saddened for what happened and apologise on behalf of the government,” Ms Paetongtarn said, vowing to ensure no repeat of such events.
The Tak Bai massacre occurred while Ms Paetongtarn’s father Thaksin was prime minister. He apologised two years ago for the incident but did not accept any responsibility for what happened.
The incident captured international attention and drew widespread condemnation, after 78 people were crushed to death or suffocated while bound and piled on top of each other in army trucks on a five-hour drive from Narathiwat to an army camp in Pattani.
Those who died were among hundreds of Muslim suspects who had been arrested earlier after a demonstration outside the Tak Bai police station. About 1,200 people had gathered there to demand the release from detention of six colleagues. A melee ensued and police fired into the crowd, killing seven.
All attempts to prosecute security personnel involved in the incidents have failed, including two in the past two months. The statute of limitations expires at midnight on Friday.
In August, a court in Narathiwat accepted a criminal lawsuit by victims’ families against seven senior officials, among them a retired general and Pheu Thai MP, but they all failed to show up at a hearing. A separate case against eight other personnel filed by the attorney-general last month has made no progress.
Ms Paetongtarn said the incident should not be politicised, adding that the 20-year statue of limitations could not be extended because it would be a breach of the constitution, according to the Council of State, the government’s legal advisory body.
Thai police have said they were actively tracking all 14 suspects and had issued Interpol red notices.
“Although the case is expiring, history and memories do not,” Ratsada Manooratsada a lawyer for the victims’ families told Reuters.
“(The families) will never forget because the perpetrators were not brought to justice.” 
The most high-profile figure in the first case is Gen Pisal Wattanawongkiri, who was the commander of the 4th Army Region overseeing the southern provinces in 2004. A longtime friend of Thaksin, he was until recently a Pheu Thai list MP and had been claiming parliamentary immunity from having to stand trial.
Gen Pisal, 78, reportedly went abroad for medical treatment and has said he would return to Thailand on Oct 30. He sent a letter resigning from the Pheu Thai Party and is no longer an MP.
The first Tak Bai case involves the seven authorities involved in issuing and executing the orders that led to the deaths of the protesters. The second case involves army truck drivers who transported the prisoners from Narathiwat to Pattani, along with Maj Gen Chaloemchai Wirunpetch, then commander of the 5th Infantry Division. He is also named in the first case.