Five policemen arrested in connection with missing lawyer
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-05-01 15:13

A fifth policeman has been arrested in connection with the disappearance and suspected slaying of a Muslim lawyer who'd been defending nine suspected Islamic militants, police said.

A court on Saturday rejected bail applications of Lt. Col. Chatichai Liemsangaun of the Crime Suppression Division, who turned himself in to police late Friday after a warrant was issued for his arrest, said police Col. Kachornsak Pansakornan.

No formal charges have yet been filed against him.

Chatichai is the fifth policeman to be arrested for alleged involvement in the suspected abduction and killing of Somchai Neelahphaijit, 52. Four other policemen, including two senior officials, were arrested on April 8.

Somchai's clients include five Muslims accused of participating in a Jan. 4 raid on an armory in Thailand's southern province of Narathiwat. He also was handling cases for four suspected Thai members of the regional Jemaah Islamiyah terror network.

Human rights groups and Muslim activists say Somchai was kidnapped and killed by officers, who were apparently angered by his outspoken criticism of police and military tactics in Thailand's south, where the government is battling a surge of violence by Muslim separatists.

After the court on Saturday turned down Chatichai's request to be freed on a bail of 500,000 baht (US$12,800), his lawyer made a second application for a larger amount, which was also rejected.

Chatichai has declined to answer investigators' questions, saying he'll only testify in court, said Kachornsak.

Somchai, a well-known lawyer and human rights activist, was last seen March 12 at a Bangkok hotel. His abandoned car was found in a nearby province. There's been no sign of him, and officials fear he's dead.

The lawyer has been involved with defending suspects from attacks in the violence-hit southern provinces of Narathiwat, Yala and Pattani _ the only Muslim-majority areas in predominantly Buddhist Thailand.

On Wednesday, security forces shot and killed 107 Muslims, saying they'd attacked 10 police and army outposts and checkpoints in the south.

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