Article 130

Fresh charges laid against Panlop over attack on mosque

WASSANA NANUAM

Relatives of the 32 militants killed by the army and police at Krue Se Mosque in Pattani on April 28 have filed additional charges against senior security officials involved in the siege.

Additional charges have been laid against Gen Panlop Pinmanee, who is Internal Security Operations Command deputy director, a colonel and a deputy colonel.

The move follows the findings of an inquiry that the security forces had over-reacted.

Gen Panlop, Col Manas Khongpaen who is commander of Pattani military forces and Lt-Col Thanapat Nakchaiya, who led the commando operation, were already facing criminal lawsuits for ordering the bloody assault.

Now that the government-appointed inquiry headed by Suchinda Yongsunthorn has concluded they used excessive force and over-reacted to the situation, the militants' families have decided to file fresh accusations.

The mosque crackdown also claimed the life of a sergeant and injured 10 soldiers. !

The court was to examine the case yesterday, but the laying of fresh charges delayed this until the middle of next month.

Gen Panlop said he was told about the delay in the trial yesterday.

He again defended his actions and decisions as being both justified and necessary.

He insisted villagers living near the mosque and other innocent people would have been placed in great danger by a protracted standoff.

Gen Panlop was instructed at the time by Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, the deputy prime minister in charge of national security, to negotiate with the militants and not to agitate them.

Gen Panlop instead ordered troops to storm the mosque and was subsequently transferred out of the area.

He said again yesterday that his action at Krue Se Mosque had been carefully calculated and intended to ensure maximum security with the least damage and loss of life.