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Killing of Chaiyaphum Pasae

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Chaiyaphum Pasae (Thai: ชัยภูมิ ป่าแส) was a teenage Lahu human rights activist from Thailand who worked on promoting minority ethnic group rights. He was killed at a military checkpoint in Chiang Dao District of Chiang Mai Province by army soldiers on 17 March 2017. The army insisted that Chaiyaphum had been found trafficking drugs, and was killed by soldiers in self-defence after brandishing a grenade and trying to escape custody, but eyewitness accounts stated that he was unarmed, and was beaten before being shot.[1][2] The killing sparked disbelief in Thailand, and Human Rights Watch issued a statement calling for the case to be transparently investigated.[3] Despite claiming that their version of events was supported by CCTV footage, the military has so far refused to release the video footage to the public.

Timeline

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When What
17 Mar 2017 At 11:00, Chaiyaphum "Cha-ou" Pasae[4] was shot dead at the Ban Rin Luang checkpoint in Mueang Na Sub-district, Chiang Dao District, Chiang Mai Province. Chaiyaphum, in a car driven by his friend, Pongsanai Sangtala, was stopped by soldiers near the Thai-Myanmar border to conduct a search.[4] The soldiers claimed they found 2,800 methamphetamine pills in the car's air cleaner. They alleged that Chaiyaphum brandished a knife, attempted to escape, and tried to throw a hand grenade at the soldiers. One of the soldiers opened fire in self-defence. Chaiyaphum died at the scene.[5] One month prior to the Chaiyaphoum killing, another Lahu man was stopped at the same checkpoint, accused of possessing drugs, allegedly assaulted officials, and tried to escape. He, like Chaiyaphoum, was shot dead. Despite the presence of seven CCTV camera in the vicinity of the checkpoint, the details of his death remain a mystery.[6]

In an interview with Thai PBS an eyewitness said that Chaiyaphum was dragged from the car, beaten, and summarily shot dead.[4] "A lot of villagers saw that he was dragged from his car. He was beaten and his face was stepped on. Two warning shots were fired. When he got free from the soldiers beating him, he ran off. When he ran off, they shot him dead. They did not let villagers get near the scene," he said.[4]

Following the shooting, the army said it had ironclad proof they had acted in self-defence: security camera footage from the scene.[7]

24 Mar 2017 The army gives a disk drive of CCTV footage to the Royal Thai Police. The police claim they cannot find the incident footage on the disk.[5]
20 Mar 2017 The soldier who shot Chaiyaphum reports to the police.[8]
23 Mar 2017 The 3rd Region Army chief, Lt Gen Vijak Siribansop, claims that the activist was involved in drug trafficking. He said that he had watched the CCTV footage and added that, if he had been there, he might have fired his M16 on full-automatic rather than just single shot mode. Vijak said that the CCTV footage would not be shown publicly as it would be evidence in court.[4] The video is reviewed by army chief General Chalermchai Sitthisad also, who noted that it "didn't answer all the questions".[9]
25 Apr 2017 The army sends the hard disk and the recording device to the police instead of sending a copy on CD.[8] The hard disk was sealed with signed duct tape and sent to the Central Police Forensic Science Division.[4]
18 May 2017 Chaiyaphum's lawyer revealed that the public prosecutor had not received the CCTV footage.
29 May 2017 Authorities arrest Chaiyaphum's relatives for drug offences after they criticised the case. Police arrest Chaiyaphum's sister-in-law, Chantana Pasae, and his adopted brother's sister-in-law, Nawa Ja-eu, claiming that they were the ones who gave Chaiyaphum the drugs he was carrying when killed.[4]
5 Jul 2017 The Chiang Mai Provincial Court begins hearing testimony despite the absence of CCTV evidence.
4 Sep 2017 The first round of witness interrogation in court.[10]
13-16 Mar 2018 The second round of witness interrogations: eight witnesses from the army give testimony to the court along with two witnesses from the Chaiyaphum family side.[10]
14 Mar 2018 Sumitchai Hattasan, one of the lawyers representing Chaiyaphum, informs the media that the Central Police Forensic Science Division report was presented during the inquest. The report noted that footage from 17 March 2017 was not found on a hard disk. Sumitchai said that the forensic officer confirmed that the video camera was working properly. Sumitchai asked for the court's approval to demand the footage from the army, but this was rejected, the court claiming that the existing witnesses and evidence were sufficient to finish the inquest. Sumitchai reports that the forensic results presented during the inquest on 14 March show no Chaiyaphum fingerprints on the knife that the soldiers accused him of wielding. The report also showed that one of the many people whose DNA was found on the body of the grenade, not the pin, was Chaiyaphum's.[4]
23 Mar 2018 Prime Minister, Prayut Chan-o-cha orders an army probe into the killing. The army sets up a committee.[5][10]
6 Jun 2018 The Chiang Mai Provincial Court rules on the extrajudicial killing case of Chaiyaphum Pasae. The court ruled that the bullet that killed Chaiyaphum was fired by the authorities. The court refused to consider arguments made by Chaiyaphum's relatives that claimed that he did not possess drugs or hand grenades, nor did he attempt to stab officials. The judge said that the court was only asked to determine the cause of death.[8] The findings of the inquest will be submitted to the public prosecutor to determine if charges should be filed.[11]
18 Jun 2018 A Chaiyaphum lawyer, Rassada Manurassada, asked the army to disclose CCTV footage of the extrajudicial killing under the 1997 Information Act.[5]
10 Aug 2018 In a letter sent to the family's lawyers, the army said that a video of the incident did not exist. Army and local police investigators checked the hard disk of the camera together and found that the footage had been taped over due to a lack of space. A provincial police commander told reporters the police never touched the hard disk. Deputy Chiang Mai Police Chief Mongkol Samphawapol said in a 13 May 2017, news conference that the disk was sealed and sent to the forensics department for inspection. The head of that department, Maj. Gen. Thawatchai Mekprasertsuk, told Khaosod English in May 2017 that they were unable to see what was on the disk drive because they did not have the right software to open the file.[7]

References

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  1. ^ "Soldier fired in 'self-defence' in Lahu death". Bangkok Post. 21 March 2017. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  2. ^ Charuvastra, Teeranai (23 March 2017). "Witness Says Soldiers Shot Lahu Activist as He Fled Beating". Khaosod English. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  3. ^ "Thailand: Investigate Army Killing of Teenage Activist". Human Rights Watch (Press release). 20 March 2017. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Sutthichaya, Yiamyut (2018-03-28). "Forget him not: 1 year without truth in the death of young Lahu activist". Pratchatai English. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
  5. ^ a b c d "Lawyer calls for activist killing video". Bangkok Post. 19 June 2018. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
  6. ^ "CCTV claim sows mistrust" (Opinion). Bangkok Post. 2018-08-11. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
  7. ^ a b Charuvastra, Teeranai (2018-08-10). "In Reversal, Army Now Says No Footage of Activist's Killing". Khaosod English. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
  8. ^ a b c "Court rules Lahu activist Chaiyaphum slain by soldier". Pratchatai English. 2018-06-06. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
  9. ^ Rithdee, Kong (11 August 2018). "Chaiyaphum owed more than lost data" (Opinion). Bangkok Post. Retrieved 11 August 2018.
  10. ^ a b c Rujivanarom, Pratch (2018-03-18). "Lahu villagers complain of military oppression". The Nation. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
  11. ^ Gerson, Katherine (7 June 2018). "Thailand: Inquest leaves unanswered questions on activist's death" (Press release). Amnesty International. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
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