Cadet Deaths, Cover-Ups, and the Global Culture of Military Impunity

 

 The Thai military court’s lenient sentencing in the 2017 death of cadet Pakapong “Moei” Tanyakan—just four months suspended for fatal assault—has reignited public anger over hazing and institutional cover-ups. Despite forensic evidence of broken ribs and missing organs, the army initially claimed he died of cardiac failure. 

His family’s courageous decision to retrieve the body and commission a second autopsy only then exposed a disturbing truth: systematic abuse and concealment.

Civilian Courts vs Military Justice

The case has prompted calls to transfer serious military crimes to civilian courts, echoing UK debates over jurisdiction. In Britain, the Centre for Military Justice and parliamentary inquiries have urged that murder, rape, and assault cases involving service personnel be handled outside the military system. 

Thailand’s own Torture and Enforced Disappearance Act was used for the first time in 2025 to convict army trainers for killing another conscript Vorapraj Padmaskul, offering a glimmer of accountability.

Deepcut Barracks and the UK’s Cadet Scandals

And in UK between 1995 and 2002, five young recruits died under suspicious circumstances at Deepcut Barracks, Surrey. Investigations revealed a toxic culture of bullying, sexual harassment, and institutional neglect. 

Despite decades of campaigning, no senior officers were held accountable, and calls for civilian oversight remain unanswered.

Agnes Wanjiru and the Lancaster Regiment Cover-Up

In 2012, Agnes Wanjiru, a 21-year-old Kenyan mother, was found dead in a septic tank at the Lion’s Court Hotel in Nanyuki, near a British Army base. Witnesses saw her leave the bar with soldiers from the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment, and one soldier later confessed to strangling her—but was told to “shut up” by superiors.

A 2019 Kenyan inquest ruled she was unlawfully killed by British soldiers, yet no one has been charged. Leaked WhatsApp chats published by The Sunday Times showed soldiers mocking her death, posting memes and jokes about septic tanks. 

The whistleblower, “Soldier Y,” was ostracised, discharged, and now reportedly imprisoned for unrelated offences. Soldier X the possible killer living in the North of England as a free man despite being known to UK/Kenya police, MOD and Sunday Times.

Despite renewed investigations and meetings between UK Defence Secretary John Healey and Wanjiru’s family in 2025, critics say the British military’s cooperation has been lacklustre, and the case remains unresolved. Healey facing pressure after a year in office for action on murder rather than warm words. Should the Crown Prosecution Service step in over the heads of MOD?

Why have the Duke of Lancaster regiment officers and Royal Military Police and Army Lawyers remained silent over murder? Even a judicial review?

My Lai and the Myth of Justice

The Agnes case is reflected in the 1968 My Lai Massacre, where U.S. troops killed over 500 unarmed Vietnamese civilians, which after significant cover up, led to just one conviction: Lt. William Calley, who served three days in prison before being placed under house arrest for a few months. The rest were acquitted or never charged, despite overwhelming evidence. 

A USA helicopter pilot even threatening to machine gun his own troops to halt the wanton slaughter.

Reform or Reputation Management?

From Pakapong’s missing heart to Agnes’s septic grave, and Deepcut’s unanswered deaths, the pattern is clear: military systems often protect their own, even in the face of overwhelming evidence. The UK now mired in SAS War Crimes and the Afghan Data Breach hidden for 18 months and then an unheard-of Superinjunction sought by the MOD to hush things up. 

Whether in Thailand, the UK, or the US, true reform requires civilian oversight, transparent trials, and a commitment to truth over tradition.