Thailand to prosecute eight former security personnel over 2004 Tak Bai deaths

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Thailand's attorney general's office has confirmed that eight former security personnel will face prosecution for their involvement in the 2004 Tak Bai incident, where 78 protesters died from suffocation after being detained and transported in military trucks. This decision comes shortly before the statute of limitations for the case expires on October 25 and follows a complaint filed by the families of the victims last month.

The protesters, arrested during a rally outside a police station in Thailand's predominantly Muslim southern provinces, were stacked on top of each other in the back of military trucks, which led to the fatal suffocation. The attorney general's office stated that the suspects should have foreseen the fatal consequences of their actions.

The Tak Bai incident is one of the deadliest events in the ongoing conflict in southern Thailand, where over 7,600 people have lost their lives in the last 20 years. Last week, a court in Narathiwat issued arrest warrants for six retired security officers who failed to appear for a criminal hearing related to the case.