Confronted with the death in uniform of yet another conscript, the military is again failing to review its practices in the handling of personnel. As always, it prefers to assume the same old stance, saying the matter will be handled fairly and promising there will be no recurrence.
Young Thai men are drafted to serve in the military for short periods and usually do so willingly and conscientiously, but too many have died under awful circumstances, far from any front line.
This weekend photos circulated online of Private Yuthinan Boonniam, who died in hospital after being admitted with injuries to his internal organs and bruises and swelling to the face. Doctors attempted cardiac resuscitation four times before pronouncing him dead early on Saturday morning.
It is alleged that he was savagely beaten at Vibhavadi Rangsit Military Base in Surat Thani as punishment for neglecting his duty. A Facebook user claimed Yuthinan had been thrown in the brig, a common enough punishment for infractions both minor and major. But jail time, even in a military camp, should never result in death.
Yuthinan’s mother, Renu Modrakee, 41, was at the hospital in time to find her son still conscious. She claims he told her he’d been “tortured” in prison. Renu says she will not have his remains cremated until those who were responsible for his death are brought to justice.
The first inkling of who that might be came from Royal Thai Army spokesperson Winthai Suvaree, who acknowledged that unnamed unit commanders unable to contain their emotions were responsible.
“The death of a conscript is very rare,” Winthai said. “Only a few such cases have occurred among hundreds of thousands of conscripts, perhaps one case a year or less. Most of those who die are in weak health or suffer from chronic diseases to begin with, so they face problems when punished intensely.”
Deaths among conscripts are not “rare” at all, and moreover the spokesman failed to justify the need for such “intense” discipline. In April last year Private Songtham Mudmad was beaten to death at a military base in Yala.
In 2011 Private Wichian Phuaksom was tortured to death at a training camp in Narathiwat, in a case that’s never been satisfactorily resolved. When Wichian’s niece posted details about his case online she was arrested for defamation and computer crime. The Army insisted it had nothing to do with the niece being charged, suggesting it was a personal matter between the young woman and a former military officer.
The Army’s reaction to the death of Yuthinan has been more forthright. Maj-General Wichai Thassanamontian, commander of Military Circle 45, has ordered two officers allegedly involved in Yuthinan’s punishment removed from their positions to facilitate a full probe.
It is encouraging that their commander has at least established an investigating committee, but it would be better if the names of the two officers were released. Letting the public know their identities would improve the chances of the case being handled with transparency.
Still, the ultimate solution in all such cases would be to review and probably revamp the military’s policy on punishing conscripts, which appears to sanction the trampling of basic rights to a degree that not even the Army should countenance.
Punishment for rookie soldiers should be meted out sparingly and in proportion to the scale of their wrongdoing. And the Army should not grant impunity to senior officers who cause undue harm to their subordinates – physically or mentally.
Draftees are fulfilling an obligation to their country, not the whims of the officer class. They should never be subjected to brutal treatment from “friendly” hands.
An excellent and incisive article by the Editor of the Nation.
(Source: The Nation, Thailand)