Prayuth, Democrats oppose taking reds' case to ICC
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The Army chief and the opposition Democrat Party disagreed with the ruling Pheu Thai Party's plan to take the case of the 91 who died in a military crackdown on red shirts last year to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Thailand’s internal justice system is working properly on the case, Army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha said.
Thailand’s judicial system would lose credibility if government MPs took the case to the international court, said Prayuth.
Pheu Thai MP Sunai Jullapongsathorn said earlier that he would lodge the case with the ICC next month to seek justice for those who died in the incident.
Prayuth said that as an MP, Sunai had a right to do so but his act would not be proper.
“All concerned officers and I are ready to cooperate with any kind of justice, but the government should also be fair to all officials who worked on the ground as they were only doing their duty,” Prayuth told reporters.
“They performed their duty in accordance with lawful orders,” he said. “We [the military] rely on the nation, religion and the monarchy.”
Ninety-one people died in the bloody crackdown after red shirts rallied against the then Democrat government of Abhisit Vejjajiva. Among the dead were unarmed protesters, military officers and even journalists.
Many protesters and their leaders have been prosecuted for disturbing social order while the opponents are still walking free.
There have been several attempts to bring the case before the ICC but all have been unsuccessful as Thailand has not yet ratified a court treaty.
Democrat spokesman Chava-nond Intarakomalyasut maintained it was impossible to take the case to the ICC.
The ICC has very limited jurisdiction, he said, adding that it has authority to consider only crimes against humanity, international wars, genocide, and violence against “vulnerable” persons.
As long as our domestic justice system is still working, the international court cannot take up the case, he said.
“Khun Sunai should not spend the national budget for this useless, impossible mission. May I suggest that he ask former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra for the budget to fight this case,” Chavanond said.
Asked if the police was speeding up investigation into some of the cases, Chavanond said it was an attempt by the police to divert attention from the case of the red-shirt protesters who were involved in the chaos.
The Democrat Party was ready to face justice, but the authorities should handle all cases fairly, he said. The government should also tell the truth about the arson and the deaths of military officers, he added.
