The Supreme Court has ordered the Army to pay two million baht in compensation to the family of an ethnic Lahu human rights activist, who was shot dead by troops at a checkpoint in Chiang Dao district of Chiang Mai in 2017, according to the Cross Cultural Foundation website today.

The Supreme Court’s decision reverses that of the Appeals Court, which had found the Army not responsible for compensating the victim’s family, on the grounds that the troops were merely defending themselves when they shot at Chaiyaphum Pasae.

The army claimed that on March 17, 2017, Chaiyaphum resisted the troops and tried to assault them, prompting the troops to open fire with automatic weapons in self-defense.

The Supreme Court ordered the Thai army to pay the compensation, which includes 120,000 baht funeral costs, 50,000 baht in lawyer’s fees and 1.9 million baht in compensation, but dismissed the claim for psychological rehabilitation, claiming that only the victim is entitled to such.