14-11-2024 (BANGKOK) A damning report released today by human rights organisation Fortify Rights has accused Thai military personnel of the torture and killing of a Myanmar citizen near the Thai-Myanmar border earlier this year.
According to the report, 37-year-old Aung Ko Ko was detained by four soldiers in Mae Sot district on January 12 for allegedly wearing a Thai village security force uniform without authorisation. Eyewitness accounts detail how three soldiers subsequently beat the victim with a wooden implement during interrogation, leaving him fatally wounded.
Fortify Rights CEO Matthew Smith called for immediate action, stating, “This brutal incident demands accountability. Those responsible must face justice.” The organisation’s findings are supported by photographic evidence and autopsy documentation.
In a concerning development, the report reveals that another Myanmar national who witnessed the incident was later convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to three years and four months imprisonment. Fortify Rights condemned this verdict as a “miscarriage of justice” requiring immediate review.
Army spokesman Major General Thanathip Sawangsang responded that authorities are investigating the allegations, emphasising Thailand’s commitment to universal human rights principles.
The case highlights ongoing concerns about the treatment of migrants and refugees along the 2,400-kilometre Thai-Myanmar border, where approximately 90,000 refugees currently reside in nine camps, according to UN figures. Many have fled the political upheaval following Myanmar’s 2021 military coup.
Thailand, which has not signed the UN Refugee Convention, faces persistent criticism over its handling of migrants, including allegations of pushing back Rohingya boats and maintaining overcrowded detention facilities. The country’s policy does not differentiate between refugees and other migrants, leaving thousands in legal limbo.
