“Angkana” points out that issuing the Emergency Decree to suspend the statute of limitations is the last hope in the Tak Bai case.

Senate Political Development Committee discusses remaining 3 days, Tak Bai case expires, Angkhana points out that issuing an emergency decree to suspend the statute of limitations is the last hope for the victims, points out the opportunity to sue in an international court because there is grounds for "genocide", asks the government not to throw rhetoric at the victims, worried that the trust that has been built is being lost The Senate Committee on Political Development, Public Participation, Human Rights, Liberties and Consumer Protection held a meeting on the Tak Bai case, which will expire in 3 days. Relevant agencies were invited, including the Provincial Police Region 9, ISOC Region 4 Forward Command, the National Security Council (NSC), and the Office of the Attorney General Region 9, as well as human rights organizations, to observe. The only people who came to explain in the committee were the Provincial Police Region 9 and a representative of the Office of the Attorney General. Ms. Angkana Neelapa ijit, Chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Political Development, Public Participation, Human Rights, Rights, Liberties, and Consumer Protection, testified before the meeting about the case with only 3 days left before the statute of limitations in the Tak Bai case expired that the government should issue a royal decree to extend the statute of limitations or suspend the statute of limitations. From following the news, Mr. Phumtham Vejjayachai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, said that it was not possible to do it in time, which she did not understand why it was not possible. However, she personally believed that if it was really urgent, it could be done in time because the cabinet could pass a resolution issuing a royal decree to suspend the statute of limitations here until the suspect or defendant can appear in court. This is the last hope for the victims who still hope for justice. If this door is closed, there is still no way out. If the suspect or defendant does not appear in court in th e remaining time, the case will expire according to the law, which will allow everyone who is accused to escape punishment, like in the case of the Krue Se Mosque shooting incident. As for the part where all suspects are still not arrested on October 25, how do you assess the situation? Ms. Angkana said that she is personally very worried because she has been living with this situation for the past 20 years. We have said that the trust that is starting to build up and has been there for a while may disappear. When people feel that they have not been treated fairly, a group of people may use violence to fight back, which is a very scary thing. All parties are aware of this, but we have let the opportunity to prove the truth in court disappear. If the defendants cannot appear in court, it will be difficult to avoid violence. Personally, I can only say that it is a pity that the trust that we used to have may disappear. When asked what message she would like to give to Pol. Col. Thawee Sodsong, Minister of Jus tice, as the Prachachat Party is working in the South and is the head of this matter directly, Ms. Angkana said, 'Minister of Justice, we have seen your efforts all along. However, agencies under the supervision of other ministries, or even the Prime Minister, have not supported or promoted the verification of the truth. For example, in the case where the court issued an arrest warrant, it allowed 7-8 people to disappear without knowing that there was news that one was in England and another was in Japan. Where did the rest go? This is a very challenging question and how can we restore justice to the people?' Ms. Angkana concluded by saying that from the study reports, every report mentioned that the problems in the South were caused by a sense of injustice. Today, Thailand is creating another sense of injustice. Another important thing that I would like to leave with the government is that the government must stop creating a rhetoric that shifts the blame to the victims. We will see some government agencies trying to say that the Tak Bai incident was an arrangement, a process, an action by a group of people to cause a rally. But what the committee itself or all parties are saying today is who will be responsible for the deaths of 78 people, no matter where they come from, no matter what their beliefs are. Those people must not die, they must not die in the custody of the authorities. This is the important point. Ms. Angkana said that the last resort for the people to fight this case, if the mechanism in Thailand does not work, the people can file a lawsuit in an international court. In the European Union or many countries, people whose human rights have been violated are allowed to file a lawsuit. And when the court accepts the lawsuit or has a verdict, those people cannot travel to those countries. If they do, they will be arrested and can be punished according to the laws of that country. And this case may be considered a serious crime against humanity or genocide. It can be brought to the International Crimi nal Court if one day Thailand ratifies. However, when there is no agreement with a foreign country, nothing can be done and it must be admitted that the slow process, in which everyone has blamed the victims in the past, is actually not the responsibility of the victims to file a criminal case themselves, but rather the responsibility of the prosecutor. Regarding the observation that this case has been going on for 20 years and has not received the justice it deserves, Ms. Angkana said that past cases have led to comparisons that when citizens commit crimes, they are punished, but when state officials commit crimes, they are almost impossible to arrest the perpetrators, especially in the case of the southern border provinces, which are considered fragile, sensitive, and areas where violence still occurs. Although Thailand does not recognize that the events in the southern border provinces are armed conflicts, internationally, prolonged violence is considered an armed conflict because there are conflicts ove r ethnicity, beliefs, religion, traditions, and culture. Ms. Angkana said that it was time to review the law in this regard. There should be a reform of the law, especially in cases of serious human rights violations, where there should be no statute of limitations. The definition of the word victim should be expanded because today, victims only mean husbands and wives who are registered under Thai law. However, in the southern border provinces or other regions where marriage is not registered, they do not have the right to sue instead. Therefore, the law should be amended to be in line with the convention on torture and enforced disappearance.-312.-Thai News Agency Source: Thai News Agencyl