Conviction of southern militants in two interesting court cases
Video clips from surveillance cameras and forensic tests of the war weapons seized after a brazen attack of a patrol unit in Pattani in July 2012 which left four army troops dead and two injured are key evidences which convince the Pattani court to condemn to death five southern militants in November 26.
The five defendants namely Ismael Da-ong, Masahafi Meethor, Kodae Jadae, Nimuhammad Neeseng and Hizbula Buesa are part of some 20 militants involved in the brazen attack on July 28, 2012 on highway 4061 in Ban Duwa, Mayor district.
Apparently ignorant of the presence of the CCTV system installed along the highway with an intention to mock the security forces, the militant group, riding in four pickup trucks, attacked with automatic gunfires a six-man army patrol unit riding in three motorcycles, killing four of them and injuring the remaining two.
The injured soldiers managed to fight back, forcing the militants to retreat for fear of the arrival of troop reinforcements. Nevertheless, the militants managed to seize the weapons and bullet-proof vests of the dead soldiers.
Two months afterward, security forces managed to arrest the five after they found the guns in their possession which matched with those used in the July 28 attack, thanks to the help of forensic science. Five more suspects were arrested on October 17 this year in Thung Yang Daeng district of Pattani and some of the M16 assault rifles snatched from the dead soldiers were found in their possession.
In another important court case, the Nathawee provincial court in September sentenced four militants to 35 years in prison after finding them guilty of involvement in the bomb attack at Thepa thand eight months jailterm while three others were acquitted.
The first four convicts agreed to enter re-educational programme for a maximum period of six months to avoid prosecution in accordance with Article 21 of the Internal Security Act.
The four was the first group of militants to enter the programme but they eventually changed their mind claiming that they were forced to do so. So they were put on trial.
Colonel Pramote Prom-in, spokesman of the Fourth Army Region’s ISOC, said that the court’s conviction of the four militants was a proof that the court was convinced that they were not forced to enter the reeducational programme.