An accused southern militant became the third person to die in military custody since October when he mysteriously perished during questioning at an army camp in Pattani province Friday.
Abdullayi Dorloh, 42, died while being interrogated at the Ingkhayutthaborihan camp in Nong Chik district where he has been held since his arrest in early November, the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) said.
Doctors of Nong Chik Hospital could not identify the cause of the death because there was not a bruise on his body.
Relatives and a representative for a local lawyers' foundation brought Abdullayi's remains to Songkhlanagarind Hospital in Hat Yai district of Songkhla province for an autopsy.
The Isoc's southern forward command subsequently stated that Abdullayi died at about 8am today. He had been arrested in Kholor Tanyong in Nong Chik on Nov 11 on suspicion of being a key insurgency figure involved in violent incidents.
Abdullayi reportedly had already confessed to being behind attacks in the region and had been brought to record his testimony with police at Nong Chik station. He died during interrogation by intelligence soldiers, the Isoc's command said.
Relatives of the dead man wait in front of the military camp. (Photo by Abdulloh Benjakat)
Abdullayi is the third detainee to die in military custody in the past two months. Pol Maj Prakrom Warunprapa and fortune teller Suriyan "Mor Yong" Sucharitpolwong, two suspects in a wide-ranging lese majeste investigation, died while custody at the 11th Military Circle in Bangkok.
Human rights groups and the United Nations have called for an end to the practice of holding civilians in military prisons and demanded access to detainees held in them. The Corrections Department finally granted the media's request on Thursday for an inspection of the Bangkok army camp where the two earlier suspects died.
Abdullayi's wife agreed to the autopsy, with relatives agreeing it would help bring out the truth behind his death.
The Isoc advised the public to wait for results and not believe rumours by anyone hoping to discredit the government or create disunity.