Thread: NDM demands whole truth about the fatal shooting of hilltribe activist

The New Democracy Movement has demanded the whole truth about the “extra-judicial killing” of a wellknown hilltribe activist accused by police of resisting arrest and attempting to hurl a hand grenade at policemen.

In a statement issued on Monday regarding the death of Chaiyaphum Pasae, a 17-year old Lahu activist on March 17, the NDM said that it had doubt about the clarification of the police regarding the shooting incident.

Police claimed that Chaiyaphum was sitting next to Pongnai Saengtala, the driver of a car suspected of carrying methamphetamine. When the police stopped the car in Chiang Dao district of Chiang Mai in order to carry out a search, Chaiyaphum alighted from the car and tried to escape by running into the woods and police gave chase.

Police claimed that Chaiyaphum tried to hurl a hand grenade at the police who shot him dead in an act of self-defence. About 2,000 methamphitamine pills were seized from the car.

The movement demanded public prosecutors and local officials to join police inquiry officers and a doctor in carrying out an autopsy of the victim’s body. It also demanded safety for the arrested car driver.

Pol Maj-Gen Panudet Boonruang, deputy commissioner of Region Five Provincial Police Bureau, urged netizens to use sound judgement in their access to report in the social media about the incident which tend to blame the authorities for overacting in their fatal shooting of the activist.

He said that the police had to shoot Chaiyaphum in self defence because the latter tried to hurl a hand grenade at them.

Chaiyaphum used to represent the Ton Kla youth network in Chiang Rai and was actively involved in civic activities. He won the Special White Elephant award for a short movie at the 16th Short Film and Video Festival and was involved in the production of several documentaries aired by Thai PBS.

NDM demands whole truth about the fatal shooting of hilltribe activist - Thai PBS English News

Witness Says Soldiers Shot Lahu Activist as He Fled Beating

Teeranai Charuvastra
Khao Sod English

BANGKOK — The army’s account about the chain of events which led to shooting a Lahu ethnic activist to death last week at a checkpoint was disputed by an eyewitness who said he saw the whole thing.

The witness said in a television interview that soldiers physically assaulted Chaiyaphum Pasae and then shot him to death when he tried to run away. That directly contradicted the military’s version in which Chaiyaphum, a campaigner for stateless people’s rights, brandished a hand grenade at an army checkpoint, forcing the soldiers at a checkpoint and was shot to death in self-defense.

more Witness Says Soldiers Shot Lahu Activist as He Fled Beating

Normal MO. Smear the guy as a 'drug dealer' after a summary execution.

At first authorities said there wasn't CCTV at the scene, then said the CCTV video substantiated the official version of the event... so far this video hasn't been released.

They need to prove their version : show the weird financial moves that led you to this guy, release the video. Evidence that couldn't be staged like drugs found afterward at home or in the car, to easy to plant it to "prove" they were right...

^ The top brass are also saying if you vilify the soldier who did the shooting you will make other soldiers scared to shoot in future and thus endanger their lives.
Eh what? Let him off from murder so as to encourage other murders?

Originally Posted by Farang Ky Ay

At first authorities said there wasn't CCTV at the scene, then said the CCTV video substantiated the official version of the event... so far this video hasn't been released.

They need to prove their version : show the weird financial moves that led you to this guy, release the video. Evidence that couldn't be staged like drugs found afterward at home or in the car, to easy to plant it to "prove" they were right...

Bottom line.
Dictatorial oligarchies aren't required to justify nor answer to anyone within the public sphere.

NHRC calls on government to release video footage caught at site of fatal shooting of Lahu activist



The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) today called on the Government to release a video footage caught by a security camera at the road checkpoint where a Lahu hill tribe activist youth was shot dead by soldiers in Chiang Dao district of Chiang Mai province recently.

The call was made after the NHRC team last weekend inspected the shooting scene and visited the activist Chaiyaphum Pasae’s home in a fact-finding mission to see if the fatal shooting was over acted.

Authorities claimed the shooting happened after the activist resisted the search and tried to throw a hand grenade at authorities trying to arrest him after drugs were found in his car.

After the site inspection, NHRC representative Mrs Tuenjai Deethes said what the public wanted to know and explanations are evidence to support claims by authorities that the killed activist youth had 2,800 methamphetamines in his car, and the hand grenade that he threatened to throw at pursuing authorities.

She said she would demand the release of the video footage from the Third Army Region commander and evidence of money transactions in his bank accounts to support claim that they were from drug trade.

NHRC calls on government to release video footage caught at site of fatal shooting of Lahu activist - Thai PBS English News

Coverup in Thai Army Killing of Teenage Activist

An inquest in Thailand into the death of a teenage ethnic Lahu activist ended today without an answer to a critical question: What happened to the missing security camera footage the army claims justified the shooting?

Chaiyaphum Pa-sae, 17, was shot dead on March 17, 2017, by soldiers from the army’s 5th Cavalry Regiment Task Force and the Pha Muang Task Force after they arrested him for alleged drug possession in Chiang Dao district of Thailand’s northern Chiang Mai province.


The investigation into Chaiyaphum’s death has been hampered by shoddy police work.

In April 2017, the army gave police a computer hard drive containing footage from security cameras at the checkpoint where soldiers arrested and shot Chaiyaphum. But Chaiyaphum’s family found during the inquest at Chiang Mai Provincial Court that the March 17 footage was missing. No one explained how the footage – which the army had claimed proved the shooting was justified – went missing. Police, prosecutors, and judges responsible for this case did not demand that the army hand over this critical evidence even after they knew it was missing.


Lt. Gen. Wichak Siribansop, the army commander for Thailand’s northern provinces, told the media on March 23, 2017, that he saw the footage and concluded that the soldiers were acting reasonably because Chaiyaphum escaped and was about to throw a hand grenade at them.


“That was a right decision … self-defense,” Wichak said. “He [the soldier] fired one shot at the arm … but the bullet hit the boy’s vital organ ... If that was me, I would have opened fire in full automatic mode.”


The missing footage raises doubts about the military’s claims. Thailand’s judicial authorities should not accept at face value the army’s one-sided account of Chaiyaphum’s death. They need to undertake a thorough and impartial investigation of his killing and make their findings public. They also need to investigate and prosecute possible obstruction of justice by the army.


In the 15 years since Thailand’s abusive “war on drugs” was officially declared, there have been thousands of unexplained and unaccountable deaths. Uncovering what really happened to Chaiyaphum might help to end this brutal and lawless campaign.


https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/03/16/...enage-activist