The army has set up a panel to look into a complaint made by the father of a private who claims his son's hip was broken during a physical assault by a military instructor.
Army spokesman Col Winthai Suvaree said a preliminary probe found Pvt Sanphet Khongnonkok had a health condition which left him with fragile bones. He said his hip bone broke during a fall, not as a result of a physical assault.
According to the 3rd Artillery Regiment, Pvt Sanphet's unit, a recent health check-up found Pvt Sanphet had unusually low potassium and sodium in his system, which might be the reason for his fragile bones.
The private has also been diagnosed with depression, and has since been placed on the sick list and is exempt from duty, the military said.
Col Winthai said Pvt Sanphet on Saturday complained about a sudden pain in his hip while cleaning the toilets.
He told the doctor he had stumbled and fell over about a week ago, he said.
As for the accusation by the private's father that his son had been assaulted by a military instructor, Col Winthai said the instructor had only "nudged" the soldier to make the private stand to attention.
The army spokesman did not say when the panel was expected to complete its investigation.
