Paris, 30 May 2025. On 27 May 2025, the Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases Region 2 in Rayong Province found two Thai Army instructors and 11 senior conscripts guilty in the death of a conscript in August 2024 and sentenced them to prison terms ranging between 10 and 20 years.
Worapratch Phadmasakul, 18, a Thai Army conscript at the 3rd Infantry Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, King’s Guard in Chonburi Province, died after being severely beaten during disciplinary training on 2 August 2024. Medical reports showed he suffered brain swelling, broken ribs, a punctured and collapsed lung, fractured collarbone, and spinal injuries.
The first instructor, who was last seen with Mr. Worapratch, received a 20-year jail sentence. The second instructor was sentenced to 15 years. The 11 senior conscripts, serving as assistant instructors, were sentenced to 10 years each.
According to a news report, the deceased’s parents plan to appeal the court’s judgment, believing the first instructor deserved a harsher sentence. The family also plan to file a civil lawsuit against the Thai Army to seek compensation for damages.
Mr. Worapratch’s case is one of the 17 deaths of military cadets/conscripts documented by FIDH between June 2015 and August 2024. Three of these cases, including Mr. Worapratch’s, occurred after the entry into force of the Prevention and Suppression of Torture and Enforced Disappearance Act on 22 February 2023. Two of them have led to criminal prosecutions. The second case is that of Kittithorn Wiangbanphot, who died on 16 July 2023 as a result of injuries sustained during a military training exercise.
FIDH calls on the Thai authorities to carry out effective investigations into all cases of deaths of military cadets/conscripts that occurred before the Prevention and Suppression of Torture and Enforced Disappearance Act and prosecute those responsible, in accordance with Thailand’s obligations under the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. FIDH also calls on the government to take effective preventive measures to end excessive corporal punishment of military cadets and conscripts in the country.
In November 2024, the United Nations (UN) Committee Against Torture’s (CAT) expressed concern over torture and ill-treatment, in some cases resulting in death, of military recruits. It called for prompt, impartial, thorough, efficient, and independent investigations into all allegations of torture and ill-treatment by law enforcement officials, the prosecution and punishment of all persons suspected of having committed torture or ill-treatment, and appropriate and timely redress and compensation for the victims and/or their family members. It also recommended authorities ensure the jurisdiction of civilian courts over cases of torture, ill-treatment, and wrongful death involving military recruits.