Relatives seek legal help after shooting ‘mistake’

NARATHIWAT: The families of three men shot dead “by mistake” by security forces in Rangae district on Monday are seeking help to file charges against the soldiers who killed their loved ones.

Residents yesterday gathered at a mosque in tambon Bo-ngo to show their support for the relatives of the three slain men, whose bodies were taken there for religious rites prior to burial.

Haphisee Mada-o, 24; Budeeman

Malee, 26 and Manasee Sama-ae, 27, all from Rangae district, were shot by security forces on Tawae mountain on Monday.

Fourth Army Region commander, Pornsak Poonsawat, also director of Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) Region 4, expressed his regret over the incident.

Lt Gen Pornsak said an initial investigation found that they were killed “by mistake”, as the unit involved in the incident had just been involved in an armed clash with insurgents.

He said a fact-finding inquiry has been ordered and he promised to ensure justice for all involved, media reported.

Meanwhile, the victims’ families called on authorities to reveal the identities of the soldiers who gunned down their loved ones, saying they wanted to know who and where they are, and whether they could make the same mistake in the future.

“An apology from the [Fourth Army Region] commander isn’t enough. Those soldiers must come out and apologise,” a relative said.

They also complained that authorities took a long time — up to 37 hours — to release the bodies. A relative said the bodies only arrived home at about 6pm on Tuesday, which meant that the family had very little time to arrange the funerals.

All three men were buried in a Muslim cemetery and more than 2,000 villagers attended their burial.

One relative told the Bangkok Post, “No official from any agency came to our village to ask about our suffering over what happened. We felt they acted as if we were not Thais.

“We are calling on lawyers or volunteer groups to help us file a complaint against the soldiers involved in the shooting. We have no legal knowledge.’’

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon said it is too soon to conclude the soldiers “overreacted” during their mission on Tawae mountain.

“We need to look at findings of the probe into factors behind the shootings before we consider what action will be taken against the soldiers,” he said.