The 20-year statute of limitations expired Friday in a case of the massacre of 78 Thai Muslims, thus effectively denying justice to the victims' families.
The Southeast Asian nation commemorated the 20th anniversary of the tragic Tak Bai massacre, with calls from citizens for the government to hold the perpetrators accountable.
Survivors and relatives of the 78 Muslims who died participated in rallies in Tak Bai and various other locations, reported the Bangkok Post. The demonstrators displayed banners and chanted slogans demanding justice for the victims.
Some reports put the number of deceased victims at 85.
Approximately 30 cyclists also made their way to Ingkayutthaboriharn Army Camp in Pattani, having pedaled from the rally site in Tak Bai, located about 85 kilometers (52.8 miles) away, to demand justice.
"We have ridden our bikes from Tak Bai in remembrance of those who died during transport to the camp," said Anus Pongprasert, a representative of the cyclists.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra issued an apology on behalf of the government.
The 20-year statute of limitations expired on Friday, resulting in the dismissal of murder charges against seven suspects, including the recently resigned former ruling Pheu Thai Party MP Gen. Pisal Wattanawongkuri, who was the commander of the Fourth Army Region at the time.
A statute of limitations, also known as a prescriptive period in civil law systems, is a legislative act that establishes the maximum time after an event for legal proceedings to be initiated.
The Tak Bai massacre occurred on Oct. 25, 2004, following the arrest of six village defense volunteers in the southern Narathiwat province on Oct. 19, suspected of providing their government-issued firearms to insurgents.
The arrests sparked mass protests, drawing hundreds to the Tak Bai police station, which led to a violent crackdown on demonstrators. Security forces detained dozens and transported them to a military base in nearby Pattani province, where 78 Muslims suffocated while being transported in army trucks to the base.
The UN Human Rights experts said they were "deeply troubled" by the expiration of the statute of limitation, fearing it "would end efforts to hold those responsible to account."
"We recall that the duty to investigate, prosecute and provide reparations to victims in such cases does not cease even with the passing of significant time and that a failure to investigate and bring perpetrators to justice is itself a violation of Thailand's human rights obligations," the experts said on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the massacre.
