Anger simmers in Thai south after officers accused of Tak Bai massacre skip court date

In August, seven military and police officers were charged with murder over the October 25, 2004, crackdown during which seven protesters were shot dead and a further 78 died from suffocation after they were stacked face down and hands bound in army trucks.

However, the statute of limitations is set to run out on midnight Friday, with the suspects believed to have fled Thailand, meaning the charges will have to be dropped by the court.

Memorials marking the massacre’s 20th anniversary took place in Narathiwat, Pattani, and Yala provinces, commemorating a tragedy, often cited as an example of state impunity, that become a recruiting tool for an insurgency that has claimed 7,500 lives over the past two decades.

Among the fugitives is General Pisal Wattanwongkiri, who was in charge of the security response to the south at the time.