Rangers' operations lawful: probe

The investigation into the shooting of a pickup in Pattani in January by Army paramilitary rangers, which left four villagers dead, has found the operation was lawful under the rules of combat engagement and called for compensation to all 10 victims.
Violence continued yesterday with one ranger killed and two others and a civilian injured by a home-made bomb in Narathiwat.
The shooting probe blamed confusion during the pursuit of a band of insurgents, darkness, combat fatigue and stress experienced by the rangers for the attack on the villagers’ pickup, which killed four of them and injured five, said Udomchai Thammasaroj, chief of the Fourth Army Area.
Relatives of the four dead villagers received Bt400,000 for each case, while the five wounded received less. A minor who escaped the shooting unscathed received some money for mental trauma. Bt100,000 had earlier been paid in each of the 10 cases.
The victims may also be qualified to receive Bt7.5 million per case under a policy to compensate red-shirt victims and those suffering from previous or future political turmoil, said Pramuk Lamun, a deputy director of the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre.
“As the investigation rules that the rangers were at fault for causing the deaths and injuries, the [compensation] panel will study the cases to determine if the 10 victims will also be entitled to receive the Bt7.5 million,” he said.
Waedueramae Mamingjee, head of the investigation, said his job and that of the other 13 panel members, was over.
He praised Udomchai for being honest and admitting that the rangers were culpable, despite their acts coming under the rules of engagement, and for his transparent role in the incident and the probe.
“He is recognised as a gentleman and was instrumental in building up trust and ease among the relatives of the victims and the local community,” he said.
Senator Anusas Suwannamong-khol, representing Pattani and the head of a Senate special committee on solutions to the violence in the deep South, called for the “equality of rights of victims of government acts” in the region.
Authorities should follow the same criteria in compensating those in the South as those living elsewhere, he said.
Other assistance should also be provided to the victims or their relatives, such as career training, educational support and rehabilitation for injuries and mental trauma, he said.
In yesterday’s bomb attack, Somchai Khamjun, a member of the 48th Ranger Regiment, was killed and two rangers identified as Matohe Sae and Itthipol Thongsakul were wounded.
A Muslim man identified as Ahama Jehmae, who was drinking tea in a nearby cafe, was also injured.
The explosive, which was planted next to a trestle of a railway bridge in Burangae village in Tambon Bukit in Joh I Rong district, was detonated by the insurgents using a two-way radio at 7.30am, police said.
The blast did not damage the trestle but dug a hole 20cm deep and 30cm wide.
A Muslim man told police that he spotted an suspicious object left at the bridge when he was crossing the railway to the teashop so he alerted a patrol unit of 20 rangers, which was passing by. The bomb went off as the rangers were checking it. Police believe the insurgents intended to kill the rangers.