*Note: this article was updated to reflect that an additional four soldiers have confessed to the beatings, bringing the total number of soldiers involved to 11.
Following on from yesterday’s report of two brothers being beaten and tortured while in military custody resulting in the death of one man, 11 soldiers have now confessed to the beatings.
The two brothers were taken from their home on Friday night by a group of soldiers in the That Phanom district of Nakhon Phanom province.
The soldiers had arrested the men on drug trafficking charges and took them to a military operations center at a nearby temple.
Later the same night, the men’s parents received a phone call from hat Phanom Crown Prince Hospital where they discovered their eldest son had passed away.
The parents then found their younger son in critical condition with two broken ribs and filed a complaint with the local police.
It has now been revealed that 11 soldiers (previously seven) who were involved in the incident have all confessed to torturing both brothers in an attempt to gain a confession about drug trafficking.
Representatives from the Drug Prevention and Suppression Center gave a 10,000 baht donation to the parents of the deceased to assist with funeral arrangements and sent soldiers to help with preparations.
Police are in the process of preparing legal action against all seven soldiers who were involved in the beatings, including charges for the death of the eldest son and the assault of the younger son.
The process is expected to be completed in around one week and should be made easier by the confessions given by the soldiers involved.
Source: Bangkok Post |Photo: Bangkok Post
