Probe of Japanese cameraman's death is worrying

Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung said the police report into the death of a Japanese cameraman in connection with last year’s political mayhem is being wrapped up and the prosecution review will commence next week.

Speaking to the Japanese ambassador to Thailand, Seiji Kojima, Chalerm said, “The Japanese government can rest assured that the case will be solved in a transparent manner and in accordance with the judicial process.”

The outspoken politician said the police report was virtually done, pending the taking of additional statements from former prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and former deputy prime minister Suthep Thaugsuban. The two were in charge of the Centre for the Resolution of the Emergency Situation, which authorised the anti-riot operations.

For many reasons, the assurance from Chalerm is not very assuring. It’s not because he is one of the most controversial politicians in the country, or that he represents so many things that are wrong with Thai politics and society. And it’s not because he is one of the most undiplomatic people in the country, who has been put in charge of this very diplomatically sensitive case.

In fact, if not careful, he could end up shooting himself in the foot like the Foreign Minister Surapong, who misled, or tried to mislead, the public into believing that Pheu Thai Party de facto leader Thaksin Shinawatra had been invited to Japan earlier this year to educate the Japanese about disaster management. The authorities in Tokyo made Surapong look foolish when they came out and maintained that the invitation was initiated by Surapong himself.

We can’t deny the disturbing manner in which Thai law enforcement authorities have been handling the investigation into the death of 43-year-old Japanese cameraman Hiro Muramoto. He was among 25 people, including several soldiers, who died during clashes between soldiers and red-shirt protesters.

Besides the conflicting reports and accounts, many more questions are still left unanswered. For example, has the case been carried out according to police operating procedure or has there been interference?

The manner in which this case is being wrapped up – along with the tardiness with which it was initiated – suggests that there has been a great deal of political interference.

It has been over a year now, and all of a sudden, just months after this government came into being, there is certainty that Muramoto was killed by the military.

Chalerm cited an unnamed witness as saying the bullet that killed Muramoto came from the military. How Chalerm came up with a neutral eyewitness at that location on that unfortunate day, is beyond most people.

How does Chalerm know for certain that the bullet didn’t come from the armed, hooded men in black that were allegedly associated with the red shirts? And will there be an investigation into that side of the fence, or a fair probe into the burning of scores of buildings in Bangkok and provincial halls throughout the country?

What’s Chalerm doing regarding the people who allegedly told demonstrators to bring bottles of gasoline and turn Bangkok and the rest of the country into an ocean of fire?

Moreover, let’s not forget the yellow shirts who brought the entire region’s air transport network into chaos after they took over Suvarnabhumi International Airport, causing billions in damages and missed opportunities. Let’s not forget that the Suvarnabhumi takeover followed a government crackdown on the yellow shirts, resulting in deaths and severe injuries.

Thai politics has become too complicated for the likes of Chalerm to settle cases. Muramoto’s family and the Japanese people deserve to know the truth. Thailand and Japan have been friends for a long time, and the people of both countries deserve better than to watch Thai politicians tap dance on this investigation and try to cash in on it politically.

Regardless of who did what, the country’s justice system must stay the course. No matter how far from perfection it may be, we must respect the law and use it as the one and only source of equilibrium to bring justice to those behind the violence, regardless of whether they are red, yellow or the military.