Rights body demands govt action on teen's death
The Thai government should immediately investigate and prosecute security personnel responsible for the killing of a 14-year-old ethnic Malay Muslim boy in southern Thailand, Human Rights Watch said Wednesday.
On August 21, 2014, Unit 4916 of the Taharn Pran, an Army-trained and equipped paramilitary unit, shot dead the boy Muhammad-Azuwan Sohoh while he was riding his motorcycle past their camp in Narathiwat’s Sri Sakorn district.
A police investigation found that a Unit 4916 member, Aekapot Samansuan, had planted an 11mm pistol in the boy’s hand after the shooting to fabricate evidence that the boy was an insurgent.
“The Thai government faces a clear-cut test on whether it will arrest and prosecute those responsible for the killing of a Malay Muslim teenager,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “A failure to act decisively will further fuel perceptions in the Muslim community that Thai security forces are untouchable and can commit abuses with impunity.”
The Nation
