Army chief threatens to sue accusers
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Udomdej says he has to take legal action to defend the army against torture claims
ARMY Chief General Udomdej Sitabutr has warned that anyone who alleges the military tortured grenade-attack suspects while in detention will be sued for libel.
Udomdej said yesterday that officers were using martial law according to the letter of the law and that did not include torture or other violations of human rights.
The move came as Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha warned against dragging the United Nations into the fray over torture and assault allegations.
However Prayut said: “Let them make a complaint [to the United Nations]. Officers do have evidence. I have assigned related agencies to take care of the matter and pictures have been taken as evidence.”
Prayut criticised the National Human Rights Commission over its decision to meet with the suspects next week, saying he wondered if the NHRC had ever defended the rights of government officials. The premier also said he had ordered officials to look into an online campaign to have martial law lifted on change.org that had gathered nearly 6,000 signatures as of yesterday.
In response to allegations of the military committing human rights abuses, Udomdej said the Army was ready to allow outsiders to scrutinise its work.
“I reiterate that officers understand their powers and their operational boundary and they would not take away someone’s human rights, particularly assaults on suspects,” he said. “We will definitely not do it [commit human rights violations]. We must clarify and ensure that the truth can be checked and that officers are ready for scrutiny.
“As for those who distorted [the truth] and claimed that assaults have taken place, the Army is compelled to take legal action despite its unwillingness to do so because it doesn’t regard anyone as its enemy.
“[But] anyone who committed a wrong must be investigated because the Army has been violated by falsehoods. I will take legal action.”
When asked by reporters if there was any chance of relaxing the use of martial law, Udomdej said Prime Minister Prayut had ordered that martial law be used in cases where violence has occurred but there was a preference for using normal laws in all other cases.
The Army chief said that people who disagree with the government should not air their opinions publicly as doing so could create chaos. If people followed that advice, special laws would not be needed, he said.
In relation to the alleged fugitive “mastermind” behind the grenade attack at the Criminal Court, Manoon “Anek” Chaichana, Udomdej said the government and the National Council for Peace and Order were working with the Justice and Foreign ministries to have him located and extradited back to Thailand as soon as possible.
The military yesterday turned over three grenade-attack suspects – Somchai Apinanthavorn, Vasu Iamlaor and Suraphol Iamsuwan – to police investigators. Somchai told police that his son, Thanawut Apinanthavorn, received money from Manoon and handed it to him.
Meanwhile, Red Sunday group leader Sombat Boonngam-anong has defended another suspect, Sansern Sriounrern, saying he knew him and described him as a non-violent man committed to democracy.
Sansern, a taxi driver, claimed |he was tortured while in military custody.
