The younger brother of a former Phangnga land official who died while in Department of Special Investigation (DSI) custody last year, has petitioned the Justice Ministry to compensate the family for his brother's death.
Money is needed to pay for the legal fees and other expenses incurred in the family's inquiry into whether his brother committed suicide or was the victim of foul play, said Chainarong Anukul.
His brother Thawatchai Anukul was found close to death in a holding cell of the DSI after earlier being detained for malfeasance in connection with land encroachment in Phuket. He later died in hospital.
Mr Chainarong made the compensation claim at the Justice Ministry's Rights and Liberties Protection Division yesterday. Mr Chainarong said money is also needed to pay for the victim's funeral.
Initially, the DSI concluded Thawatchai committed suicide by strangling himself. In its autopsy report, the DSI said the man wrapped his socks around his neck and attached them to a door hinge.
The DSI later entered a spat with Mongkutwattana Hospital after suggesting Thawatchai might have died from the resuscitation process that caused his liver to rupture. The hospital has denied it was responsible and that this was the reason for Thawatchai's death.
Mr Chainarong doubts his brother used socks to hang himself. An inquest by the Criminal Court's inquest into the death ruled that Thawatchai was killed as a result of suffocation and a ruptured liver after being struck by a blunt object.
However, the perpetrator of his death has not been identified. The ruling compels police to re-investigate the case.
Rights and Liberties Protection Division chief Thanakon Sathananon said the compensation request must be considered carefully. "A clear answer on how Thawatchai died is needed before deciding whether to offer compensation for his death," deputy permanent secretary for justice Tawatchai Thaikyo said.
