Doctors fail to ascertain why detainee died

A FORENSIC team from Songklanagarind Hospital found no signs of physical injuries on the body of Abdullayi Doloh, the suspect in a security case who died earlier this month while detained inside a military camp.
However, the team cannot identify the cause of his death because his family refused to allow any surgery on the body.
“Without surgery, we can only examine his body from the outside, test his blood, and check his tissue. The tests show no sign of injuries nor traces of hazardous chemicals,” Dr Kittisak Sripong, a coroner at the Prince of Songkla University’s Faculty of Medicine, Hat Yai campus, said yesterday.
Abdullayi, a 42-year-old resident in Pattani province, had been in military custody since November 11 after another suspect implicated him, his wife Kurosmoh Tuwaebeusa said.
Kurosmoh then heard from soldiers on December 4 that her husband passed away. “I think he didn’t die of a natural cause,” the widow lamented.
She said when she checked his body on December 4, she found that his right hand was apparently darker than other parts of his body.
“We had lived together for 16 years and I could say that he was healthy,” she said.
She also said she was confident that Abdullayi had not been engaged in any violent action in the deep South.
Abdullayi was an odd-job worker and a religious man, she said. The couple had four children together plus an adopted child.
In response to the growing doubt about his death, the Army Area 4 set up a fact-finding committee to look into this case on December 8.
The fact-finding committee was given seven days to conclude its probe.
Yesterday, the committee held a press conference to announce the results. At the event were Kittisak, Songklanagarind Hospital director Dr Tanarat Boonriong; Deputy Pattani Governor Talerngsak Yoksiri; Pattani Islamic Committee chairman Waedeuramae Mamingji; Civil Society Council for Southern Border Provinces chairman Prasit Meksuwan; and several officials from the Internal Security Operations Command.
Talerngsak said the committee was made up of representatives from various agencies, and he believed results from the committee’s probe should ease public doubts to an extent.
Waedeuramae added that the results of DNA tests would come out within two months.
Abdulramae Malamae, a village head who sits on the committee, said he had listened to the doctors and found no debatable points.
“I will communicate the results to Abdullayi’s family and local people so as to create mutual understanding,” he said.