The Office of the Attorney-General (OAG) will indict former Kaeng Krachan National Park chief Chaiwat Limlikit-aksorn and three other suspects in court on Monday over the disappearance and the murder of Karen activist Porlajee “Billy” Rakchongcharoen. The alleged killers have been officially informed of additional charges in the case.
OAG deputy spokesman Prayuth Petchkhun said on Wednesday public prosecutors will file four more charges against the four at the Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases on Monday.
The court date was announced shortly after the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) officially pressed the four charges of premeditated murder, intimidation using weapons, unlawful detention and concealing a corpse against the four men.
Besides Mr Chaiwat, the other suspects are Bunthaen Butsarakham, Thanaset Chaemthet and Kritsanaphong Chitthet. They worked under Mr Chaiwat when he was the Kaeng Krachan National Park chief in 2014, and all were at the DSI on Wednesday to hear the new allegations.
They had been charged only with misconduct prior to the charges pressed on Wednesday.
"Billy" disappeared on April 17, 2014, after he left Ban Bang Kloi in the national park en route to Kaeng Krachan district of Phetchaburi. He was seen in custody at Ma Rew checkpoint at the main entrance to the village.
The village chief registered a complaint with Kaeng Krachan police station the next day when his family reported he had not returned home.
Mr Chaiwat said later he detained the activist because he found six bottles of honey in his possession, but then released him later that day after giving him a warning against collecting the honey in the park.
His disappearance turned into a murder case after the DSI found skull fragments and bones near an oil tank inside the park in September 2019. DNA tests on the items matched that of his mother. The DSI later announced that the cause of his death remained inconclusive.
"Billy" is survived by his wife, Pinnapha Pruksapan, and five children.
At the time of his murder, the Karen activist was a leading campaigner against the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation plan to evict residents from Bang Kloi and other villages. They argued that they had lived in the forest for generations. The conflict has still not been resolved.
Mr Chaiwat said after meeting top DSI officials on Wednesday that he was not worried about the extra charges as they were a formal part of the process. He maintained his innocence.
"This case must be proven by scientific evidence. We remain confident all along that we did not do it," he said. "We stand ready for court proceedings so we will not be asked 'Where is Billy?' any more."
Mr Chaiwat won an initial skirmish when the Phetchaburi Administrative Court in July this year ordered the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry to reinstate him as a civil servant after he was dismissed in March 2019 due to his alleged link with the Billy case.
The court said he should not be punished as charges were yet to be filed in the case.
The official said he returned to the department on Tuesday waiting for a vacant position to fill. He promised not to interfere with the evidence or witnesses in the case.
DSI director-general Trairit Temahiwong said Mr Chaiwat's return to the office would not change the course of the case as the investigation and evidence compilation process were complete. The only thing remaining was for the OAG to submit the case to the court.
