The government will weigh the pros and cons of toughening legal punishments against young offenders who commit serious crimes, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said.
He made the remarks in response to calls for tougher penalties against juvenile delinquents in the wake of the brutal slaying of a middle-aged woman, allegedly at the hands of five teenagers aged 13 to 16, in Sa Kaeo's Aranyaprathet district.
The suspects, caught on a security camera attacking the victim in Aranyaprathet, later admitted to killing Buaphan Tansu, 47, and disposing of her body in a pond on Jan 11. They are now being detained in connection with her murder.
Mr Srettha was speaking to reporters at Suvarnabhumi airport on Friday following a trip to Davos, Switzerland, to attend the World Economic Forum.
The premier said he instructed national police chief Pol Gen Torsak Sukvimol to conduct a probe into the alleged misconduct of several police officers at the Aranyaprathet district police station accused of torturing Buaphan's husband, Panya Khongsaenkham, 54, into falsely confessing to killing his wife.
"The police must produce the probe results and tell the public what really happened. The Royal Thai Police is duty-bound to win back public trust and take tough legal action against officers who committed wrongdoings," the prime minister said.
Responding to calls for tougher punishments for young offenders wilfully committing serious crimes, Mr Srettha said he would discuss the pros and cons with the national police chief first.
Chaichana Detdacho, a Democrat Party MP for Nakhon Si Thammarat, has called for tougher penalties for juvenile delinquents who commit such crimes, especially after the Siam Paragon shooting rampage by a 14-year-old boy in Bangkok on Oct 3 last year that resulted in three deaths and four people injured.
For the murder case in Aranyaprathet, a copy of the Line chat history obtained from the youths who confessed to killing the woman showed they had a penchant for violence and acted more like a juvenile crime syndicate than regular teenagers, Mr Chaichana said.
Pol Gen Torsak on Friday apologised for the alleged misconduct committed by the Aranyaprathet police officers.
He was speaking as he flew to Sa Kaeo yesterday to oversee the investigation into the murder case.
He said that he would examine details of the alleged misconduct before offering a public explanation and gave assurances that if the officers were found guilty, they would face disciplinary and criminal action.
Deputy national police chief Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn said that he had listened to six voice clips released online, revealing the Aranyaprathet district police knew they had arrested the wrong suspect for the murder of Buaphan.
He said he believed the clips were authentic, adding that he is duty-bound to get to the bottom of the alleged misconduct by the police officers.
Arrested shortly after his wife's body was found on Jan 12, Mr Panya allegedly confessed to the crime before footage from a security camera showed it was the five youths who were responsible.
Mr Panya said he was ordered to strip inside an air-conditioned room and told he could not leave the station until he had signed a written confession, according to Pol Gen Surachate.
Writing on Facebook, Senator Wallop Tungkananurak suggested that a multidisciplinary panel be set up to assess the behaviour of young offenders. If they have committed serious crimes on purpose, the panel should recommend tougher punishment, he posted.