Royal Thai Army admits 8 drunk soldiers beat conscript to death
The Royal Thai Army admitted that eight soldiers physically assaulted three conscripts at Sura Dham Pithak Military Camp in Nakhon Ratchasima, resulting in the death of one of the victims.
The case came to public attention after the family of a 21 year old private, Krittanon Phonchantuek, spoke out on social media to condemn the abuse inside the military camp. A woman believed to be Krittanon’s aunt shared his photo online with a caption that read…
“He (Krittanon) became a soldier to serve the nation. No one expected him to encounter danger in the military premises. How do you dare to do this? This is cruel. This happened too suddenly. The family still can’t accept the loss.”
The post quickly gained attention and sparked widespread public outrage. In response, the official Facebook page of the Royal Thai Army’s spokesperson team, Army Spoke Team, issued a statement yesterday, January 14, acknowledging wrongdoing by army personnel.
According to the statement, the assault occurred between January 9 and 10. Eight soldiers attacked three conscripts, including Krittanon, after accusing them of violating military rules.
Krittanon sustained severe injuries during the beating and later died at hospital. The other two injured conscripts remain under close medical supervision.
The Royal Thai Army (RTA) further admitted that the soldiers involved had consumed alcohol before carrying out the assault. The army stated that such actions constituted a serious breach of military discipline as well as Thai criminal law. It confirmed that legal action would be taken against all those involved.
The statement added that a special investigation committee would be established to thoroughly examine the incident. All soldiers implicated in the assault are expected to be removed from government service pending the outcome of the investigation.
This admission came just one day after the RTA was forced to address another case of physical violence within its ranks. In that incident, which occurred on October 7 at a military facility in Prachuap Kiri Khan, a video circulated widely on Thai social media showing a confrontation between conscripts and a senior officer.
According to the Army Spoke Team, Sergeant Major Phitpibun Wiang-in attempted to intervene in a dispute between two groups of conscripts but ended up physically assaulting one private. The army stated that Phitpibun would face 45 days of imprisonment under military regulations and would lose his pension.
However, the Royal Thai Army did not clarify whether the sergeant major would also face prosecution under Thai criminal law for that incident, raising further questions about accountability and transparency within the military.
