13-3-2024 (BANGKOK) The Juvenile and Family Court in Sa Kaeo imposed a fine of 5,000 baht (S$187) each on Wednesday on the parents of a group of teenagers accused of murdering a 47-year-old intellectually disabled woman.
Police had pushed for the prosecution of the parents of five boys, aged 13 to 16, in connection with the killing of Buaphan Tansu on January 12.
Under the Child Protection Act, the adults were charged with supporting or permitting their children to engage in improper behaviour.
Following the court proceedings, some of the parents informed reporters that they had been fined 10,000 baht each, but due to their admissions, the fines were reduced by half.
They had faced the possibility of imprisonment for up to three months and/or fines of up to 30,000 baht each.
This case is said to be the first instance where the parents of teenagers involved in serious crimes have been legally penalised. Court officials declined to provide further comments.
Two of the teenage assailants were reported to be the sons of local police officers, and the handling of the case by Aranyaprathet police has sparked widespread public outrage.
The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) is currently probing allegations that the woman’s 56-year-old husband, Panya Khongsaenkham, was tortured by Aranyaprathet police into falsely confessing to murdering his wife.
Security camera footage revealed that Buaphan was assaulted, abducted, and killed by the teenagers, who then disposed of her body in a nearby pond.
Pol Maj Yutthana Praedam, acting director-general of the DSI, has instructed investigators to determine whether the police unlawfully filed criminal charges against Mr Panya before the video became widely circulated.
Audio recordings that surfaced involving the lead investigator at the Aranyaprathet station and his colleagues suggest that officers knew they had “the wrong guy”.
If their culpability is established, their actions will be deemed to have violated the Act on the Prevention and Suppression of Torture and Enforced Disappearances.
The Office of the Attorney-General has also formed a panel of nine public prosecutors to oversee the DSI inquiry, according to Watcharin Phanurat, a deputy spokesman for the OAG, as the case has garnered significant public attention.
