Thailand’s military defended itself on Monday over the controversial fatal shooting of a well-known youth activist last week, saying soldiers were acting in self-defense when they fired at him.
Chaiyaphum Pasae, a prominent campaigner for stateless communities in Thailand’s border regions, was shot dead on Friday morning in northern Chiang Mai province after a vehicle he was traveling in was stopped at a checkpoint.
In a statement on Monday, junta spokesman Col. Winthai Suvaree said soldiers found 2,800 amphetamine pills in the car. After the stop, Chaiyaphum allegedly bolted from the vehicle and tried to throw a grenade at soldiers.
“Chaiyaphum pulled out a hand grenade and tried to throw it at authorities, so authorities had to use their weapons and fire to stop him in self-defense,” Winthai said.
The military described the young activist as a 21-year-old, but friends told local media he was only 17.
He was well-known for writing songs and was also featured in documentaries that advocated for the rights of Thailand’s stateless citizens — ethnic groups who mostly arrived as refugees during the Cold War-era and have been allowed to stay but are denied citizenship, as are their offspring.
Thai newspaper Khaosod described Chaiyaphum as a member of the Lahu ethnic group, a hill tribe who trace their lineage back to China’s Yunnan province. The paper quoted his friends as saying that he had no history of drug use or sale and had clashed with senior military officials over his campaigning.
Thailand’s military seized power in 2014, ushering in the kingdom’s most autocratic government in a generation.
Critics of the army have described it as a nearly untouchable organization, with soldiers and officers rarely punished for abuse that has included deaths in custody and at barracks as well as torture allegations and fatal shootings of protesters.
At the same time, the military are often part of the fight against well-armed drug trafficking groups, especially in the country’s north.
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