Thai army accused of murder at protests

An international human rights group has urged Thailand to properly investigate dozens of deaths during a military crackdown on anti-government protests last year, and said the lack of criminal trials showed the army continues to have impunity.

Human Rights Watch, based in New York, issued a report yesterday saying the army had used snipers to shoot protesters, killing unarmed participants and volunteer paramedics. In one incident, the army's actions amounted to "cold-blooded acts of murder", the group said.

A total of 91 people died in street confrontations that culminated in the military crackdown last May. The group found that soldiers "fired repeatedly and indiscriminately" into a temple, killing six people, including a nurse who had volunteered for medical duties with the protesters.