Villagers bring video clip to media, reporting being physically assaulted by police

Villagers in Chaiyaphum Province brought CCTV footage of themselves being physically assaulted by police to the media, fearing they would not receive justice. Reporters in Chaiyaphum Province received a complaint from villagers in Ban Chuan Subdistrict, Bamnet Narong District, Chaiyaphum Province, claiming that police officers had come to inspect the scene of the incident and then ganged up on them to assault them, resulting in injuries. The incident occurred at 00.35 on October 18. Initially, they were concerned that they would not receive justice, so they brought video clips as evidence to file a complaint with the media. The CCTV camera on the roadside in front of Wat Ban Chuan, opposite a house, captured the moment when officers walked towards the villagers. They talked for a while and then seemed to have an argument. One police officer punched the villager until he fell to the ground before another group of police officers drove in to join them. Then the chaos ensued as seen in the CCTV footage. The l atest news is that reporters went to the scene and met with Mr. Prinya, 61 years old, one of the victims. He said that it was the end of Buddhist Lent at Wat Chuan, opposite his house where there was an annual festival. He was selling meatballs in front of the shop. It was close to midnight and he was about to close up shop, but a friend came and told him to take him home. While he was starting the car, a policeman came out of the temple and asked, "Why are you starting the car and revving the gas?" and called his friends to come. Then a patrol car came to join them. When the officers got out of the car, there was a scuffle as seen in the picture. Another victim, Mr. Thitipat, aged 35, who was grabbed by the neck and kicked by the officers, said that after seeing the chaos, he went to ask about the incident. Then an officer came and asked him if he had a problem, before pulling his neck to make him fall down, and 3 other officers came and kicked him, as seen in the clip. They kicked him 2-3 times. When he tr ied to get up, he was pressed to the ground and kicked him again until he was satisfied. This made him confused as to whether the peacekeepers had used excessive force. After the incident, the villagers collected evidence, images from CCTV cameras in the area. Currently, some of the victims will file a complaint against the officers who attacked them as seen in the clip because they were threatened on Facebook, which made them and their families afraid. However, they will prosecute those involved to the fullest extent of the law. Source: Thai News Agency