Thailand: 88 Defendants in Human Trafficking Case Appear in Court

Eighty-eight suspected members of a human trafficking ring, including a three-star Thai general, pleaded not guilty to related charges during a court hearing in Bangkok on Tuesday.

Army Lt. Gen. Manas Kongpaen and 87 co-defendants were bused in for the first day of a four-day pre-trial hearing into a criminal case that has rocked Thailand and implicated scores of others, including more military officers, local government officials and police.

A seven-judge panel Tuesday read out the charges against the 88 defendants, who were indicted under Thailand’s human trafficking and transnational crime laws. Each of them could face four to 10 years in prison for human trafficking and four to 15 years if convicted of crimes that took place across national borders, according to the country’s penal code.

The attorney-general’s office produced 15 boxes of evidence, which contained documentation of alleged money wire transfers and telephone logs. Reporters were barred from the courtroom, but were allowed to monitor Tuesday’s deliberations via closed-circuit television.

The trial could take at least two years and involve testimony from hundreds of witnesses, according to a report by Reuters.

"There are 500 witnesses in this case. Altogether it will take around 200 meetings to review witnesses which means examination will take two years," the British news agency quoted a court official as telling reporters in Bangkok.

The trial will start next week, BBC News reported.

62 on the run

The case stems from the discovery in May of 30 graves in southern Songkhla province, thought to contain the remains of illegal migrants smuggled into Thailand, authorities said.

The scandal triggered a Thai crackdown on human trafficking, which led to a maritime blockade that forced boatloads of Rohingya Muslims and Bangladeshi migrants to sail farther south, resulting in a regional humanitarian crisis.

Since the investigation began, 91 suspects have been arrested and 62 remain at-large. Three of the 91 suspects in custody were arrested later and would be produced before the court at a future date, Police Maj. Gen. Paween Pongsirin, who led the investigation, told reporters at the courthouse.

Paween just announced his resignation, saying he refused to accept a transfer to Thailand’s restive Deep South out of fear that connections to the human trafficking ring he had been investigating would target him and other members of his team.

“I cannot say if my job is done, but I will try to do my best. It is the job of the new investigation team to try to catch 62 suspects who managed to escape,” Paween said.