The two non-commissioned officers (NCOs) who inappropriately punished several privates for breaking military rules will be kept in a military prison for 45 days.
The younger sister of one of the privates reported the mistreatment to the Sai Mai Tong Rod Facebook page. The incident took place at the 25th Cavalry Battalion of the 4th Cavalry Regiment, King's Guard, in Chiang Mai's Fang district.
The soldiers were beaten and ordered to stand naked in the rain for over five hours.
Following the report, the Royal Thai Army (RTA) ordered the formation of a commission to investigate the matter.
The commission reported back to the RTA that the incident occurred on March 5. They were punished by two NCOs for secretly leaving their camp and having romantic relationships with civilians in the area. Another incident occurred on Aug 1, when they beat up two soldiers who did not cooperate during a urine drug test. The test later showed the privates were clean.
It has been ruled that the NCOs inflicted over-the-top punishments and violated their commander's orders regarding disciplinary measures. As punishment, they will be imprisoned in a military prison for 45 days and will not receive their pensions. The RTA has issued orders to prevent similar incidents from happening again.