Court ruling not good news for Democrat leaders
An inquest by the Criminal Court found on Tuesday that soldiers were responsible for the deaths of six people at the Pathum Wanaram Temple on May 19, 2010, during the political unrest. The finding has put the Democrat Party's Abhisit Vejjajiva and Suthep
On that day, the government’s security forces carried out an operation to "reclaim public areas", with a focus on the Ratchaprasong business district, which had been seized by red-shirt protesters for over a month. A group of armed militants (often referred to as "men in black") were said to have put up a gunfight against the security forces moving into the area.
In the afternoon, the protest leaders announced an end to the anti-government rally, which had begun in mid-March that year. They surrendered to the authorities amid widespread sighs of relief. The security forces appeared to be in control of the area.
However, things did not go as expected. Many buildings in Bangkok, particularly those in the protest area, became targets of arson attacks. Fire engines could not reach the burning buildings as shots were fired at firefighters. Many protesters left the site and took refuge in the nearby Pathum Wanaram Temple.
Gunshots could be heard from that evening into the night. There were reports that people had been shot dead inside the temple. The next morning, it was found that six people were killed, including some medical volunteers.
The authorities then called a press conference about the reported discovery of several weapons inside the temple, which was described as a hiding place for armed militants. Later, some eyewitnesses said soldiers had fired gunshots from the elevated train tracks in front of the temple, but the authorities dismissed this. But, there were pictures showing soldiers on the elevated train tracks, and traces of shots having been fired from there.
The court on Tuesday ruled that five of the six victims were killed by soldiers from the Third Special Force Regiment stationed on the Skytrain tracks, and the last victim was killed by a soldier from the Second Infantry Battalion stationed on Rama I Road.
The court also found there was no evidence that armed militants were present on that day. No firearms were found at the scene, and no traces of gunpowder residue were found on the victims’ hands. It appeared that soldiers fired at unarmed persons. This finding could lead to legal action against those responsible, who could be charged with a wrongful act leading to death.
In previous cases when courts found security forces to be responsible, there were gunfights with armed militants in the area. However, in the latest case, there was no evidence that armed militants were involved.
There will be more judicial proceedings involving these deaths at Wat Pathum. But those in power at the time, namely Abhisit and Suthep, will certainly be uneasy about the latest court finding.
