TAKBAI (Southern Thailand): Two former convicts who were imprisoned over their involvement in the Tak Bai tragedy are seeking forgiveness from the families of the 78 people killed in the 2004 incident.
The close friends, who only wanted to be known as Omar and Abu Bakar, said the punishment imposed on them was enough for their "sins"' and that they had since repented. They claimed they were used by "certain parties" to deceive the villagers of Tak Bai.
Omar, in recalling the incident, said he worked as a village security member at the time.
"The two of us and other members of the village's security team were asked to invite villagers to the Tak Bai district office for a programme that was said to be organised by the Thai government.
"We then sent the invitation for the handing over of donations later, followed by breaking of fast with the village's chiefs and district heads in Tak Bai sub-province.
"On the day (Oct 25, 2004), nearly 1,500 villagers gathered in front of the district office located close to the Tak Bai police station. The incident occurred around 11am (Thai time)," said Omar.
Abu Bakar, 55, a father of two said he was arrested in 2008 and received a 12-year jail sentence for allegedly being involved in the tragedy.
"We did not know who gave the order for us to convey the message to the villagers and we did not expect any violence."
Omar said they realise that the family of those killed may hold a grudge against them but would not blame them.
"We only hope they will forgive us one day. The jail sentences were punishment for what we have done," said the 54-year-old who was sentenced to one month in jail after being arrested in 2010.
On Oct 25, 2004, around 1,500 protesters gathered in front of the police station in Tak Bai to protest the detention of six men. Police responded with tear gas and water cannons when the crowd attempted to cross the police barrier into the station.
As tensions escalated, police fired into the air and then into the crowd, killing seven people. The detainees were stacked one on top of the other in trucks and transported to the Inkayut Army Camp in Pattani province.
At the end of the five-hour drive, 78 detainees had died from suffocation. Several suspects linked to the deaths were arrested.
Following the tragedy, families of the victims sued seven people, including General Pisal Wattanawongkiri, the then-Thai Army Region 4 commander. The state prosecutors decided to prosecute the accused at the Pattani Provincial Court.
However, the Bangkok Post reported last month that the court had announced that the case had automatically ended due to the expiry of the statute of limitations after all seven defendants failed to report to the judges by the given deadline.
The court said the case had gone beyond the 20-year statute of limitations and the arrest warrants issued for the accused were no longer valid.
The last court session on the case was attended by 48 plaintiffs, their lawyers and human rights advocates with security measures tightened at the court premises.