The post-mortem examination in the death of a young soldier has concluded that he was beaten to death by other soldiers in a military camp in Isaan, northeastern Thailand.  

Surin Provincial Court on Tuesday, 26 July 2016, read out the autopsy report on the death of Corporal Krittikon Suthiraphan, 25, a soldier at Weerawat Yothin Army Camp in Surin.

Krittikon died in a military prison in Weerawat Yothin Army Camp on 21 February 2016. He was imprisoned after he was accused of assisting other detainees in the military prison to flee.

According to the report, the soldier died from a brutal beating by three privates, Nontawat Jaimon, Yutthaphichai Senphat and Jirasak Sitthison, and a member of the Royal Thai Volunteer Force, Chukiat Nanthaphan.

Krittikon was brutally beaten to the point that he sustained severe head injuries and a ruptured stomach, according to the post-mortem examination report.

The prosecutor in the case listed five prosecution witnesses for the trial, including Boonrueang Suthiraphan, Krittikon’s mother, the doctor from Surin Provincial Hospital who performed the forensic examination of the body, staff of the military prison in Weerawat Yothin Army Camp, and soldiers in the investigative committee formed for the case.

During the trial, the plaintiff’s lawyer also showed video footage of the beating as evidence.

According to Krittikon’s mother and the doctor, Krittikon was found dead in the military prison with his feet chained.

Earlier, she testified that she tried to visit Krittikon many times, but the authorities denied her requests and prevented her from making any contact with the soldier, citing military prison rules.

“They never told me anything, never told me if he was hurt or sick. [They] just told me that I couldn’t visit him because he was under investigation. I went there one day before they contacted me, but they didn’t tell me anything,” said Boonrueang.