The juvenile court in Thailand’s restive Deep South dismissed charges against the first Buddhist youth in the region accused of rebelling against the state.

According to the Cross Cultural Foundation (CrCF), a human rights advocacy group, and Muslim Attorney Center (MAC), the Juvenile and Family Court of the Deep South province of Narathiwat acquitted a former novice from Yala province referred to as Mr. A [name not disclosed to protect his identity] accused of charges related to national security.

The public prosecutor on 15 October 2015 indicted the youth for involving in a rebellion case related to the Deep South insurgency.

The acquitted was charged after the police found that his DNA sample matched those found on a pair of trousers and a loincloth seized at a militant base in Ra-ngae District, Narathiwat Province.

After a clash between militants and the Thai authorities on 9 February 2014, about 90 items, including the trousers and loincloth, were confiscated from the base.

He had always pleaded innocence and brought a medical document of his DNA test result to the court as evidence. It was later found that the DNA of the acquitted does not match with those found on the evidence.    

Mr. A, a former Buddhist novice at a temple in Bannang Sata District, Yala Province, denied all allegations. 11 Muslim Malays face similar charges from the same incident, but they are being tried in the Criminal Court of Narathiwat.

Bannang Sata District is recognized as the heartland of the separatist movement and is regarded as the most dangerous district in the Deep South provinces, while Ra-ngae is ranked number two by Deep South Watch.