Judiciary to probe judge’s ‘suicide bid’

The Judicial Commission yesterday set up a judicial subcommittee to investigate the apparent courtroom suicide bid by Judge Khanakorn Pianchana and submit its findings within 15 days, according to Sarawut Benjakul, secretary-general of the Office of the Court of Justice.

Mr Sarawut said the judicial subcommittee comprises three members: Wasana Hongcharoen, president of the juvenile and family division of the Supreme Court; Anurak Sa-ngaareekul, presiding judge of the Appeal Court; and Suvicha Sukkasemhathai, presiding judge of the Criminal Court.

Jirayu Huangsap, a Pheu Thai Party MP who chairs a House committee on judiciary affairs, said the committee will on Oct 17 question the chief judge of Region 9, the Council of State’s government legal advisers, the Office of the Judiciary, and the Justice Ministry, in a bid to discover why Judge Khanakorn shot himself in a Yala court last Friday.

Yala Hospital director Banyong Laocharoensuk said the judge was making a steady recovery.

Mr Khanakorn shot himself on Friday afternoon after giving a ruling and addressing the court in a speech he reportedly broadcast live on Facebook. Before the hearing, the judge posted a 25-page statement on his Facebook page, which later disappeared.

The shooting is believed to be related to alleged judicial interference in the case, which saw the judge acquit five defendants charged with the shooting of five people in Yala’s Bannang Sata district in June last year.

A government spokeswoman said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha had called for calm amid an outpouring of public criticism over suspected judicial interference, saying people should wait for the Judicial Commission’s findings.

A relative of one of five people shot dead at a house in Ban Tueloduelong in Yala’s Bannang Sata district said she was deeply saddened to learn that Judge Khanakorn Pianchana, who acquitted the five alleged gunmen, had shot himself.

Numee Late said yesterday she did not understand why Judge Khanakorn shot himself.

Ms Numee said she was upset by the loss of her relative but she wanted to see justice being done for the victims.

If the five defendants were not guilty of the murder then the real killers should be brought to justice, she said.

It is believed interference in the case led the judge who acquitted the five defendants to shoot himself.

On June 11, last year, five people were shot dead at a house in Ban Tueloduelong. They were Ibroheng Musae, 32, Ama Musae, 33, Uzman Yuso, 39, Furgon Raso, 25 and Aranchai Dohae, 27.

According to police, four suspects wearing balaclavas parked their motorcycles behind the house the five victims were in and opened fire with M16 rifles before fleeing the scene.

Police identified a personal conflict as a possible motive, though they did not rule out the possibility that the killings were related to the insurgency.

A local police source said the failure to resolve a dispute between the suspects and one of the victims may have led to the killings. Police later arrested five suspects — Sukree Musae, 33, Sapae-ing Sato, 39, Wae-asae Waeyuso, 34, Mussan Jaedurae, 29 and Abdulloh Masamo, 30.

The five subsequently went on trial. The ruling was scheduled for Aug 19 but then postponed to Oct 4. Mr Khanakorn explained that the case was important, so had inform the regional chief judge before delivering his verdict.

Immediately after doing so, Judge Khanakorn shot himself.