As surging violence threatens Thailand’s southern peace talks, opposition MP Romadon Panjor has intervened to demand an independent probe into allegations that an Army helicopter fired on four innocent bystanders in Narathiwat province.
The alleged incident occurred on the night of August 22 amid a wave of insurgent attacks on government property and local businesses. The coordinated arson and bombing at more than 50 sites across the Malay Muslim-majority region came a month after a checkpoint ambush killed five soldiers.
Locals allege that a 21-year-old motorcyclist was shot and wounded by a military helicopter while riding with three friends.
Conflicting stories
The Army has denied that shots were fired from the helicopter. While Fourth Army Region commander Lt-General Norathip Poynok confirmed that choppers were patrolling the area at the time, he insisted none used their weapons during the operation, but added the incident would still be investigated.
Analysts have urged caution in assigning blame, suggesting the injured man could have been caught in insurgent crossfire.
Romadon, who hails from the deep South, called on the government to launch an independent investigation to find the truth.
“The prime minister cannot simply assign the Army commander to set up an investigation,” the People’s Party MP wrote in an August 26 Facebook post.
“The PM must use his power to establish an inquiry that the public can see is transparent and credible.” He called for the inclusion of civilian experts on the investigation panel to ensure it is not dominated by military and security officials.
“The chairperson must be credible and trusted by both government officials and southern residents,” added the 45-year-old list MP.
“At the end of the day, we all want the truth, but for this, the investigation must be independent,” he said.
Anutin rejected the call, saying he had no authority to order an independent probe since the incident falls under the Fourth Army’s jurisdiction, as the area is under martial law.
Romadon said he believed the shot that wounded the victim was fired from a high angle, but conceded he had no proof it came from a military aircraft.
“I am not 100% sure that the shots were fired from a helicopter as I didn’t witness the incident myself,” he said, adding that his information came from “reliable sources” in the area.
Two-time MP
Romadon lived in three separate southern provinces as a child, completing primary school in Satun, lower secondary school in Yala, and high school in Pattani.
He went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in environmental science from Kasetsart University and a master’s in political science from Thammasat University in Bangkok.
He worked as a reporter for multiple media outlets before entering politics. He also served as a researcher for the Thailand Research Fund’s Strategic Nonviolence Working Group and is a former editor of Deep South Watch, a think-tank monitoring the separatist conflict in Thailand’s southern tip.
He won his debut election as a Move Forward Party list MP in 2023 before being re-elected with its successor party last February.
Thousands of casualties
The decades-long insurgency in Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat and parts of Songkhla flared in 2004 after militants raided an army arsenal in Narathiwat, stealing hundreds of assault rifles. Independent monitor Deep South Watch reports that since then, the region has suffered over 23,000 separatist attacks, leaving 7,837 dead and 14,929 injured.
The insurgency covers an area once governed by the Patani Kingdom, a Malay-Muslim sultanate first conquered by Siam in 1785 and then annexed under an agreement with colonialist Britain in 1909.
A heavy security presence coupled with sporadic peace talks over the past two decades have failed to quell violence in the deep South, with rights groups pointing to abuses on both sides.
The Thai government is currently negotiating with the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN), an umbrella group of insurgent actors.
By Thai PBS World’s Political Desk
