Thailand to Indict 8 Ex-Security Personnel for 2004 Protester Deaths

The indictment comes just weeks before the statute of limitations expires, involving the deaths of 78 Muslim protesters in the Tak Bai massacre.

The 2004 incident in Tak Bai, Narathiwat province, resulted in 78 deaths due to suffocation and crushing in overcrowded army trucks.
The indictment targets eight former state security personnel, including truck drivers and a division commander, but excludes those responsible for seven shooting deaths during the protest.
The legal action follows a related lawsuit by victims' families against seven soldiers and officials, accepted by the Narathiwat Criminal Court last month.
The case was expedited by the Attorney General's Office, which received it from police investigators in April 2024, just before the statute of limitations deadline on October 25.
The Tak Bai massacre occurred during a Muslim separatist insurgency in Thailand's southern provinces, which has seen ongoing violence and claims of second-class treatment by the Muslim population.