Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has pledged justice after the weekend's Phuket riot sparked by the deaths of two young men, as probes were launched to find the facts behind the province's worst street violence in recent years.
Government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said Gen Prayut promised on Sunday there would be fair treatment to the families and the officers involved and insisted the government would not protect wrongdoers.
The prime minister expressed his condolences to the families of the victims who lost their loved ones and urged the public to refrain from damaging property. "The government will ensure fair treatment to all sides, but at this point it will not discuss the details and it will let authorities concerned do their job," he said.
- Photo coverage: Chase deaths stoke Phuket protest rage
The violence erupted on Saturday night about 11pm following a stand-off lasting several hours at Thalang police station when angry protesters hurled rocks and Molotov cocktails into the station compound. Windows were shattered and several police vehicles were burned or vandalised.
Dozens of residents gathered outside the station on Saturday afternoon to protest against the police, after hearing two men had been killed after police chased their motorcycle.
Police say the youngsters' motorcycle had breached a police checkpoint. They gave chase but crashed into the motorcycle, leading to the men's deaths. One of the victims was identified as Pathomwat Panarak, 22, and the other identified only as a 17-year-old. According to police, Mr Pathomwat had a record of drug abuse while the other was clean.
Police insist the crash was an accident and they found 50 ya ba (methamphetamine) pills and about one kilogramme of krathom, a mild stimulant, on the men.
But the residents and the victims' families and friends were unconvinced. They accused the police of overreacting and intentionally crashing the motorcycle to cause deaths.
They turned up at the station and demanded to see a group of four officers involved in the incident.
The four are Pol Lt Suchart Luecha, Pol Snr Sgt Maj Prasai Phuengphol, Pol L/Cpl Kanthaphol Khongnukate, and Pol L/Cpl Phanuwit Kaewsang. The tension grew when police refused to bring out the four and more people joined the protest.
By evening, the protesters swelled to several hundred and they blocked Thepkasattri Road in front of the station, paralysing traffic, including blocking the road to the nearby Phuket International Airport. The sound of firecracker explosions were heard and teenagers on motorbikes circled the area.
Further violence broke out when gunshots rang out, apparently from inside the station. The protesters threw rocks and homemade firebombs into the compound, according to witnesses.
Police Region 8 Bureau, which oversees Phuket police, issued an urgent order transferring the four officers out of the province to ease tension, but to no avail. The protesters demanded criminal charges be laid against them.
Troops from the Army Circle 41, led by Maj Gen Thinachat Chindangern, were deployed at 1am Sunday. Two hours later after negotiations with the army, the protesters agreed to disperse and return for talks with authorities at 9am. The stand-off lasted 15 hours. Fourteen police officers were injured in the attack on the station.
In one-hour Sunday talks brokered by Maj Gen Thinachat, he said the army would set up a joint committee to investigate the incident, and rehabilitation would be provided.
Phuket governor Chamroen Thipayapongthada said the inquiry would be completed within 30 days.
The panel, which would also comprise the prosecution, local administration, and the military would establish if the drugs were planted and if the crash was deliberate.
Meanwhile, police spokesman Pol Gen Prawut Thawornsiri said the Royal Thai Police would also set up another panel to probe into the four police as to whether they overreacted. The probe would involve the autopsy results of the victims which are expected in a week.
He said police would also check CCTV footage to find those who instigated the crowd into rioting, and take legal action against them.
Thaweesit Panarak, Pathomwat's father, admitted his son was a former drug convict, but he was skeptical about the speed pills found on his body. "I don't think think he had the drugs. And even if he had, the police overreacted," he said.
Suksri Kaentakhian, the mother of the 17-year-old victim, said she would not settle for anything less than criminal charges. "They should be fired from the service and charged. Transferring them out of the area isn't enough," she said.