Army culture of impunity

The Military Court delivered a ruling yesterday over a fatal assault at a cadet school in 2017. Despite the verdict finding the defendants guilty of assaulting the young cadet, it is unlikely to deter a culture of hazing and impunity within the Thai military.

- 

The judges found the defendants — two senior cadet students — guilty of causing the death of freshman cadet Pakapong “Moei” Tanyakan on Aug 27, 2017, at a cadet school in Nakhon Nayok province. Both were given four months and 16 days imprisonment. Each must also pay a fine of 15,000 baht. As the court found that the defendants did not have criminal records, they were also each given a two-year suspended jail term and allowed to continue serving in the army.

The lenient ruling has alarmed Thai society, which has witnessed a series of brutal physical assaults and Spartan treatment in army units. The case of Pakapong has once again shed light on the culture of impunity and systematic cover-ups within the armed forces.