Charges droppe
The Justice Ministry yesterday agreed to drop charges against 58 suspects in the infamous Tak Bai protest as prosecutors have insufficient evident to prove their guilt, Justice Minister Charnchai Likhitjittha said yesterday.
The decision was made after a meeting of officials from the Office of the Attorney-General and the National Human Rights Commission, which responded to calls from the suspects and human rights defenders."The decision is a part of efforts to bring justice and reconciliation to people in the three southern border provinces," Charnchai said. The 58 suspects were charged with illegal gathering and public disturbance after a bloody protest in front of Tak Bai district police station on October 25, 2004. The effort to quell the protest killed 85 people, including 78 who died of suffocation during transportation from the protest site to Pattani. The Tak Bai incident raised international outrage over the brutal crackdown. But not all 58 suspects will escape the law completely as officials have solid evidence to pin down some of them in connection with masterminding the protest to create trouble in the region, Charnchai said. The Nation
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