BANGKOK — A Thai court dismissed on Thursday murder charges against four forestry officials over the 2014 disappearance of a prominent land rights activist, citing lack of evidence in a case that had prompted uproar among civil society groups.
In April 2014, rangers detained Pholachi "Billy" Rakchongcharoen in Kaeng Krachan National Park, southwest of the capital of Bangkok, but he never appeared at a police station for processing and has not been seen since. He had been working to protect the rights of members of his ethnic Karen community who had been evicted from the park.
On Thursday, a Bangkok court sentenced National Parks chief Chaiwat Limlikit-aksorn to three years in jail for failing to properly charge Pholachi in 2014. But murder charges against Chaiwat and three other officials were dismissed. In a statement, the court added that DNA tests of bone fragments discovered by investigators in a scorched oil drum dumped in the national park were not enough to prove the bones belonged to Pholachi, even though they matched a sample taken from Pholachi's mother.Chaiwat was granted bail and plans to appeal the sentence, domestic media said.Pholachi's disappearance is one of more than 80 such instances of enforced disappearances in Thailand since 1980, rights groups says.
We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:
Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Thai court drops murder charges against officials over vanished activistBANGKOK: A Thai court on Thursday (Sep 28) dropped murder charges against four national park officials over the disappearance of an environmental activist almost a decade ago, but jailed one on a lesser offence. It was the latest twist in a long-running legal saga after ethnic Karen leader Porlajee Rakchon
Source: ChannelNewsAsia - 🏆 6. / 66 Read more »
Flood misery for much of Thailand’s Bangkok metropolitan areaThe flood caused traffic on Sukhumvit road to come to a standstill. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Source: The Straits Times - 🏆 8. / 63 Read more »
Thai central bank raises key rate, cuts growth outlookBANGKOK: Thailand's central bank unexpectedly raised its key interest rate for an eighth straight meeting on Wednesday (Sep 27), despite slowing economic growth, below-target inflation and rising global uncertainties. The Bank of Thailand's (BOT) monetary policy committee voted to hike the one-day repurcha
Source: ChannelNewsAsia - 🏆 6. / 66 Read more »
Commentary: Shooting of police inspector at dinner party exposes corruption underbelly in Thai policeA brazen killing of a police inspector in front of dozens of other policemen raises questions about who Thai police really serve and protect, says long-time Thailand watcher Craig Keating.
Source: ChannelNewsAsia - 🏆 6. / 66 Read more »
Thai Aug factory output falls 7.5% y/y, more than forecastBANGKOK : Thailand's manufacturing production index (MPI) in August dropped 7.53 per cent from a year earlier, the industry ministry said on Thursday, as exports slowed amid soft global demand.The figure compared with a forecast for a 6.5 per cent year-on-year drop for August in a Reuters poll, and follow
Source: ChannelNewsAsia - 🏆 6. / 66 Read more »
Shakira owes $9.6m in second Spanish tax fraud case, prosecutor saysIn her first case, Shakira is accused of failing to pay $21m in tax for the period 2012-2014. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Source: The Straits Times - 🏆 8. / 63 Read more »