[:th]Call for Trial Observation at Bangkok Ratchada Court starting on 17 July 2018: 14 young workers from the Deep South accused of being members of a “secret society” and illegal possession of explosive devices.[:]

[:th]Update:

The prosecutor presented a final witness who is the main police investigator to testify in the court today. Due to circumstance, the lawyer of defendants no. 1, 2 and 7 was absent. the court allowed the hearing to be postponed to 31 July and continued on 1,2,3 Aug 2018.

Therefore the hearing on 18,19 and 20 July its cancel.

Criminal Black case no. 561/2560
Subject: Call for Trial Observation of Allegation of Torture Related to Conflict in the Deep
South
Defendants: 14 young workers from the Deep South accused of being members of a
“secret society” and illegal possession of explosive devices.
Hearing date:
Plaintiff’s testimonies: 17 July, the last witness of state prosecutor will be the police
investigator
Defendant’s testimonies : 31 July -3 Aug 2018
Court: Ratchada Criminal Court room 808
At Ratchada Criminal Court room 808 on 18-20 July 2018 from 9.00-16.00, there will
testimony session of the 1st Defendant and followed with the other 13 Defendants.

Fourteen young men, native to the southern province of Narathiwat, are currently facing
trial on the charges of being members of a “secret society” and illegal possession of
explosive devices. The 14 defendants are scheduled to testify on their detention conditions
and the alleged torture they experienced in 11th Military Circle in Bangkok.
Background of the case:
On 10 October 2016, a joint police-military task force raided multiple locations in Bangkok
and outskirt areas following reports of a suspected car bombing plot. They arrested at least
50 Malay Muslim people, including 42 men and 8 women. Most of them are Ramkamhaeng
University students. The operations were authorized by the NCPO head order issued under
Article 44 of the Interim Constitution.
2
Who are they?
Aged between the early 30s to early 20s, most of the arrested students and young workers
were released shortly after the raids, but at least 13 faced further detention, including 8
persons at the 11th Military Circle and 6 persons at Hua Mak Police Station at the time of
arrest.
The detainees are between 20 and 30 years old and from Si Sakhon district of Narathiwat
Province in the Deep South; many of them come from the same villages. Economic
hardship in the Deep South, partly caused by low rubber price, forced them to travel to
Bangkok to find jobs. Most of them ended up working as shopkeepers in Bangkok and
peripheral provinces.
After the arrest, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has assisted them and
called for the release of the detainees. The Southern Border Provinces Administrative
Centre (SBPAC) supported the families of the arrested students to travel to Bangkok.
However, the family members were not given granted any contact with the detainees.
The detainees were later transported and detained at Ingkhayutthaborihan military camp
in Pattani’s Nong Chik district and Narathiwat Task Force 46 in Narathiwat province. All of
them were released after being detained for 7 days under the Martial Law.
About a month later, in  November  and Dect  2016, military officers in the Deep South 14 young men re-arrested or presented themselves to the police  after the Criminal Court approved the issuance of arrest warrants against them on charges relating to national security and related charges in Bangkok Criminal
Court. [Criminal case no. 561/2560 (2017)]
They have been detained at Bangkok Remand Prison since Nov. or Dec 2016, now around
one year 8 months. The families could not afford to bail them out because the bail amount
set by the court is very high. The lawyers have also suggested that the court might not
allow those held on national security charges to be bailed out. The Muslim Attorney Center
in Bangkok has provided legal assistance to the defendants free of charge.
http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/10-suspects-apprehended-predawn-raids-hua-markramkhamhaeng/
https://www.chiangraitimes.com/thai-authorities-conduct-massive-raids-followingbomb-alert.html
https://crcfthailand.org/2016/10/19/call-for-release-five-individualsfrom-arbitrary-detention-immediately-regarding-the-car-bomb-raid-of-people-from-thesouthern-border-provinces-who-live-in-bangkok-and-their-further-detention-in-pat/%5B:%5D