Royal Thai Army to pay over 2 million baht compensation for Lahu tribe defender’s death

The Royal Thai Army (RTA) has been ordered to pay over 2 million baht in compensation to the family of Chaiyaphum Pa-sae, a human rights defender from the Lahu tribe, as ruled by the Supreme Court today. This case stems from an incident in 2017 where Chaiyaphum was shot dead by military officials at a checkpoint in Chiang Mai. Despite previous rulings dismissing the case, the Supreme Court made this landmark decision after review.

In the incident on March 17, 2017, military officials stationed at the Rin Luang checkpoint in Chiang Dao district of Chiang Mai inspected Chaiyaphum’s car as he was travelling with a friend. RTA officials claimed that Chaiyaphum resisted and assaulted them, leading to the use of firearms in self-defence, resulting in Chaiyaphum’s death.

Following this, Napoi Pa-sae, Chaiyaphum’s mother, filed a lawsuit in 2019 against…