A Thai court began Monday hearing testimony as part of an inquest sought by public prosecutors into the slaying of a Japanese cameraman during an antigovernment demonstration in Bangkok in 2010.
Yusuke Muramoto, 43, testified at the Bangkok South Criminal Court that his elder brother Hiroyuki Muramoto was shot dead on April 10, 2010, while covering clashes between the protesters and troops for Reuters news agency.
Tulathee Urairat, a public prosecutor, told the court that 56 witnesses and more than 50 pieces of documents and materials will be presented to the court during the inquest.
The next day of testimony is scheduled for July 2.
The younger Muramoto has appointed Jessada Chundee, a lawyer for the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship, which led two months of protests against then Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, to represent his family during the inquest.
Police have preliminarily concluded that the cameraman might have been shot dead by state personnel while covering the demonstration in the Democracy Monument area of central Bangkok. But authorities need the judiciary's endorsement before more investigative efforts can be undertaken to identify the gunman.