Thailand judge shoots himself in court after criticising system

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dtaai-maai
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Thailand judge shoots himself in court after criticising system

Post by dtaai-maai »

It will be interesting to see how this is reported in the Thai news media.


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-49945636
A Thai judge shot himself in a courtroom after delivering a rare speech railing against the country's justice system.

Kanakorn Pianchana acquitted five Muslim men of murder on Friday before calling for a fairer judiciary.

He then recited a legal oath, pulled out a pistol and shot himself in the chest.

But the judge survived and was rushed to hospital where he is recovering from his injuries.

A statement believed to have been written by the judge before giving his ruling suggests that his suicide attempt could have been related to alleged interference in the case.
What happened in court?

The judge worked at the Yala court in the insurgency-hit south of Thailand.

After acquitting the five men of murder and firearms offences, he addressed the court with an impassioned speech that he broadcast live on Facebook.

"You need clear and credible evidence to punish someone. So if you're not sure, don't punish them," he said.

"I'm not saying that the five defendants didn't commit the crimes, they might have done so," he added.

"But the judicial process needs to be transparent and credible... punishing the wrong people makes them scapegoats."

The Facebook feed then cut but people in court said the judge read out a legal oath in front of the former Thai king's portrait before whipping out a pistol and shooting himself.

He was rushed to hospital where he is reported to be in a stable condition.
Why did he do it?

It is not fully clear why Judge Pianchana attempted to take his own life.

Suriyan Hongvilai, the spokesman of the Office of the Judiciary, told the AFP news agency he shot himself due to "personal stress".

But local media reported that the judge could have been referring to the case he had just ruled on.

A statement believed to have been written by the judge and posted to Facebook before he shot himself stated that he had been pressured to find the men guilty despite lack of evidence.

"At this moment, other fellow judges in Courts of First Instance across the country are being treated the same way as I was," he wrote.

"[If] I cannot keep my oath of office, I'd rather die than live without honour."

Criticism of the judicial system by judges is extremely rare in Thailand.

Rights groups have alleged that security forces trump up charges against Muslim suspects in the Malay-Muslim majority region.
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Re: Thailand judge shoots himself in court after criticising system

Post by dtaai-maai »

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... f-in-court

Well, the report is interesting enough, and objective, though this 'explanation' is less than convincing.
About 3.30pm, Suriyan Hongvilai, spokesman of the Office of the Judiciary, said Mr Khanakorn had apparently acted out of stress from personal issues.

He said the Office of the Judiciary would launch a fact-finding probe into the incident.
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Re: Thailand judge shoots himself in court after criticising system

Post by Nereus »

Nut case survives!
......................................................................................
Judge who shot himself out of ICU

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... out-of-icu

YALA: A senior judge at the Yala provincial court who shot himself with a pistol has been taken out of an intensive care unit and is now being treated at an in-patient ward at Yala Hospital, Office of the Judiciary spokesman Suriyan Hongwilai said on Sunday.

Judge Khanakorn Pianchana produced a pistol and shot himself after handing down a ruling in a case at a courtroom on Friday afternoon. He was rushed to Yala Hospital where he underwent surgery for injuries.

Mr Suriyan said Mr Khanakorn had been moved out of the ICU to an in-patient ward for further treatment.


On Sunday morning, Sarawut Benjakul, secretary-general of the Office of the Judiciary, as assigned by Supreme Court president Salaiket Watanaphan, visited Mr Khanakorn at the hospital.

After the visit, Mr Sarawut went to the Yala provincial court for a meeting with Aniruj Jaithiang, the Yala court chief judge, and Pusita Lalee, chief of the Yala youth and family court, and conveyed a message from the Supreme Court president to all judicial officials operating in the southern border provinces to give them moral support.

Before shooting himself, Mr Khanakkorn posted a 25-page statement on Facebook on Friday. The statement included messages reading "Return the ruling to the judges" and "Return justice to the people", sparking a controversy over the country's judicial system.

The Court of Justice has insisted there are mechanisms to ensure the independence of a ruling judge. :roll:
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Re: Thailand judge shoots himself in court after criticising system

Post by europtimiste »

Judges in Thailand are not independent, a judge told me that about 18 years ago, while showing me the portrait of the king.
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