BANGKOK (Reuters) – A human rights group has called on Thailand for a full investigation into the “horrific” death of a Myanmar migrant at the border earlier this year, saying three soldiers tortured and beat the man.

Aung Ko Ko, 37, died after three soldiers and a Myanmar citizen brought him to an abandoned military bunker, where they kicked and beat him with a bamboo stick because he was wearing the uniform of a neighborhood watch group decorated with a Thai flag, according to Fortify Rights. citing eyewitnesses and legal documents.

A Thai court in September sentenced Myanmar’s Sirachuch to five years in prison for being an accessory to the death of Aung Ko Ko, Fortify Rights and the defendant’s lawyer said, declining to comment further, citing the sensitivity of the case.

But the police chief of Mae Sot, where Aung Ko Ko’s body was found, told Reuters he had not identified Sirachuch’s accomplices.

Police Colonel Pittyakon Petcharat said: “We followed full legal process but did not name the others.” he said.

The case comes at a time of rising anti-immigrant sentiment in Thailand since a 2021 coup in Myanmar plunged the country into chaos and sent many people fleeing across the border.

The military and defense ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

Reuters was unable to independently verify the allegations or reach Sirachuch for comment. Reuters sent him questions through his lawyer.

Thailand, which became a new member of the United Nations Human Rights Council after being elected in October, has “an increased responsibility to protect human rights,” Fortify Rights Chief Executive Matthew Smith said in a statement.

“The horrific torture and murder of Aung Ko Ko cannot be allowed to go unanswered,” he said.

Smith said he met with the country’s Department of Special Investigations (DSI) about the incident in early November. DSI did not respond to a request for comment.

There is a rise in anti-Myanmar immigrant sentiment in Thailand, fueled by ultra-conservative political groups who say government regulations are lax, leading to a rising number of illegal Myanmar immigrants who they say are obtaining benefits for Thais.

Aung Ko Ko’s close relative said he was a construction worker and left Myanmar to seek better healthcare.

“They didn’t need to kill him,” the relative said through tears. “I feel very hurt. I want the criminals who killed (him) to receive the necessary punishment.”

(Reporting by Reuters Staff; Editing by Neil Fullick)