Another young conscript has died in mysterious circumstances. This time the incident took place at a military base in Surat Thani.
Media reports said the deceased, 21-year-old Pvt Noppadol Worakitpan, who was stationed at Vibhavadi Rangsit Military Camp, had complained he was feeling tired when he returned home on Aug 20. The next morning he was found unconscious in his bedroom, and was rushed to hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The initial autopsy found the private had suffered cardiovascular system failure, but the cause of his heart attack is yet to be identified. His body has been sent to the Institute of Forensic Medicine at the Police General Hospital in Bangkok and forensic results are due in about two weeks.
Senior officers at the camp have denied there was any foul play involved in the death. A duty officer at the army camp said all the conscripts were present during morning roll call and no severe punishment had been ordered against any soldier at the time. The privates were ordered to do press-ups for about 10 minutes, part of routine training. CCTV footage was shown to the grief-stricken family in a bid to prove the private was not assaulted. The army has also set up a fact-finding panel to look into the case.
However, the case is still clouded in questions. Pvt Noppadol's mother said two other privates, who accompanied the young soldier home, told the family he had been disciplined physically on the evening of his death. It has been reported that the private was punished after he sneaked out of the camp to meet other soldiers and smoke a cigarette.
Police have announced they will question 60 army officers and privates, among them those who also faced disciplinary punishment with Pvt Noppadol.
This is not the first time a young conscript at a military camp has died in the South. Since 2011, there have been at least three other fatal cases reported involving disciplinary punishments of some kind. Earlier this year, also at the Surat Thani-based camp, Yutthakinun Boonniam, 22, passed away after enduring violent physical punishment. The other two were Pvt Wichian Puaksom, 26, who died after being beaten at Narathiwat Ratchanakarin in 2011 and Pvt Songtham Mudmad, who suffered a brain haemorrhage at a camp in Yala's Bannang Sata in 2016.
In fact, punishments so harsh they could almost be classified as torture have become the norm for men in uniform. Unfortunately, this kind of extreme discipline only gains public attention when it results in death. Needless to say, the victims of this practice are the bread winners of their families and their deaths deal a heavy blow to their next of kin.
In some cases, there have been attempts to cover up the brutality, with intimidation used against those who dared to speak up. Sometimes the army has filed lawsuits in a bid to keep the specifics of its disciplinary practices under wraps.
No one knows this better than Naritsarawan Kaewnopporat, whose uncle died from inhumane punishment during military training in Narathiwat in 2011. Her fight for justice resulted in a few very uncomfortable years for her after the military filed a defamation case against her.
The army must be aware that any punishment that results in death casts the whole institution in a bad light. In the case of Pvt Noppadol, while the investigation is ongoing, the best way to lessen the damage would be to come clean and ensure transparency in the probe. There must be no compromises. If torture really happened, those involved must be held responsible.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, a former army commander in chief, his deputy and defence minister Prawit Wongsuwon and army chief Chalermchai Sitthisad need to look into the case and guarantee no foul play. On top of that, a policy of zero tolerance toward brutality must be adopted within the military.
