The CIA closed its original 'black site' years ago. But its legacy of torture lives on in Thailand

By SHASHANK BENGALI and CHRIS MEGERIAN

BANGKOK, THAILAND

 

FILE photo

   

In February 2015, security forces in southern Thailand hauled in a 26-year-old Muslim man and demanded he confess to participating in a violent separatist insurgency. Officers tied him to a chair, covered his face with a shirt and poured water into his mouth until he choked.

 

It was one of dozens of torture cases documented by human rights groups in which Thais have been subjected to mock executions, held in painful “stress positions,” deprived of sleep or waterboarded. The methods were introduced here in 2002 — by the CIA.

 

Thailand was home to the agency’s first secret prison, or “black site,” after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. There, American officers repeatedly waterboarded at least two high-profiledetainees, part of the so-called enhanced interrogation techniques that much of the world would later describe as torture.

 

Full story: http://www.latimes.com/world/asia/la-fg-thailand-cia-haspel-2018-htmlstory.html

 

-- Los Angeles Times 2018-04-23

first one was not here, it appears the author of this article knows less about interrogation centers than Winnie the poo. 

The big question is did the CIA have work permits?

2 minutes ago, missoura said:

The big question is did the CIA have work permits?

Isn't water-boarding a reserved occupation?

 

Just now, missoura said:

The big question is did the CIA have work permits?

Education visas

2 hours ago, stephen tracy said:

Education visas

Today they would be called attitude adjustment visas. 

 

My friend's cousin was visiting Thailand, but when she got to her hotel she realized she had not go through immigration.  The bus dropped her off at the domestic terminal.   Pretty sure there was spook terminal with its own Starbucks and Somtam stand.

Which Thai government allowed the cia to have black sites in Thailand from 2002 on ? And allowed it to torture on Thai soil ?

Thaksin : in office from 9 February 2001 to 19 September 2006.

11 minutes ago, BuaBS said:

Which Thai government allowed the cia to have black sites in Thailand from 2002 on ? And allowed it to torture on Thai soil ?

Thaksin : in office from 9 February 2001 to 19 September 2006.

The question is whether Taksin actually know about it before, during or only after it happened?

The article is misleading and disingenuous... It implies that CIA officers were torturing Thai citizens at these black sites. Waterboarding is horrible and there are some serious moral and ethical issues with it... But it is more Americans torturing high profile prisoners from other other countries... 

 

The Thai government handles its own problems internally. Even if they use the site... The Thai government handles their own citizens and internal issues. The US is relegated to a consultant role... at most.... 

 

The southern Thailand issues are a lot older than 9/11... And claims of abuse are as old as the conflict itself.... 

DPM Prawit denies the existence of CIA’s secret prison in Thailand

March 15, 2018.

 

 

Comey's "book", (Trump expose!) goes into great detail about what is considered "ethical" torture by the USA, it is quite disgusting, even he disagrees strongly with it & for a man with as few principles as he has that says a lot!

4 hours ago, jimmyyy said:

first one was not here, it appears the author of this article knows less about interrogation centers than Winnie the poo. 

Youare right about this author and his lack of knowledge.Also you don't have to choke a man with the water,one must only turn a person in the inverted position,cover their face with a water soaked cloth with water running over their face to simulate drowning.By the way,many of the people performing this operation have gone under this also so as to better understand how it works and what to do to resist it.

2 hours ago, BuaBS said:

Which Thai government allowed the cia to have black sites in Thailand from 2002 on ? And allowed it to torture on Thai soil ?

Thaksin : in office from 9 February 2001 to 19 September 2006.

 

1 hour ago, Dibbler said:

The question is whether Taksin actually know about it before, during or only after it happened?

Oh "Dibbler", don't spoil it for him - he managed to blame another of the world's ills on the evil nemesis...

 

Surely you realise that the current paragons of democratic virtue, and enthusiasts for civil rights, would never ever soil their hands with anything like that?

Edited April 23, 20188 yr by JAG

The US need to reopen for some VIP generals

29 minutes ago, AsiaHand said:

Youare right about this author and his lack of knowledge.Also you don't have to choke a man with the water,one must only turn a person in the inverted position,cover their face with a water soaked cloth with water running over their face to simulate drowning.By the way,many of the people performing this operation have gone under this also so as to better understand how it works and what to do to resist it.

Well that makes it all right then!

 

The medical rack was a boon to people who fancied longer legs as well...

 

Torture is torture. People who practice it are torturers.

Torture and torturers are foul, and demean humanity and whatever society or country  they seek to serve by using it.

Edited April 23, 20188 yr by JAG

2 hours ago, BuaBS said:

Which Thai government allowed the cia to have black sites in Thailand from 2002 on ? And allowed it to torture on Thai soil ?

Thaksin : in office from 9 February 2001 to 19 September 2006.

What do you know about the operations and why are you asking about Thaksin..Have you been in the military 

5 hours ago, missoura said:

The big question is did the CIA have work permits?

immune from all diseases

 

 

CIA had torture sites in many countries. 

Also in Syria before they decided to have another regime change there.

It is not credible to think Thaksin would be unaware of the use of torture sites

in Thailand. He was in the past on the Board of Directors Consultant group of the Carlyle Group, a very major player in global arms sales and had at least a cordial 

relationship with Tony Blair, G. H. W. Bush and others of the War Monger set. Thaksin would only be included into this powerful group if he were known to be a dependable water carrier for the aspirations of global oligarchs.

Nothing new.

 

Human rights seem to be  brushed under the carpet.

This latest expose - significantly from a leading US newspaper renowned for its investigative reporting - simply confirms what informed commentators on the subject have been saying for years. 

 

Thailand has been named and shamed by many independent sources as one of the notorious black sites used by the CIA to crack the toughest nuts. Here's one example:

 

https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/reports/globalizing-torture-cia-secret-detention-and-extraordinary-rendition

 

Nobody who has lived here for a while should be surprised at the dismissive knee-jerk responses to these allegations from present and past Thai administrations. They seem all constantly to be in a catatonic state of denial about a huge range of inconvenient truths - not least those relating to human rights.

 

Incidentally, anybody who doubts whether waterboarding is torture should try being on the receiving end, as contrarian Christopher Hitchens did, briefly before his untimely natural death. His comments on his self-inflicted ordeal are worth looking up.

Edited April 23, 20188 yr by Krataiboy

Why do you need to torture if you surveil everything people do,  their writings, their voices and even monitor their cams. 

3 hours ago, nodomino said:

It is not credible to think Thaksin would be unaware of the use of torture sites

in Thailand. He was in the past on the Board of Directors Consultant group of the Carlyle Group, a very major player in global arms sales and had at least a cordial 

relationship with Tony Blair, G. H. W. Bush and others of the War Monger set. Thaksin would only be included into this powerful group if he were known to be a dependable water carrier for the aspirations of global oligarchs.

Absoutely. Thaksin handed Hambali (a wanted Bali bombing fugitive) over to the US followinga joint CIA-Thai police operation to capture him. He should have been extradited to Indonesia where he was wanted & where he would have been put on trial instead of being another inmate of legal limbo Guantanamo.

4 hours ago, JAG said:

Well that makes it all right then!

 

The medical rack was a boon to people who fancied longer legs as well...

 

Torture is torture. People who practice it are torturers.

Torture and torturers are foul, and demean humanity and whatever society or country  they seek to serve by using it.

If I belived that you were holding back information that could mean the lives of a lot of people in my country then I would start with the most effective of non body scaring TORTURE to gain the information .If it shows no results then move on to the electrodes and the the removal of digets.

I really do not understand what is the problem with torture ?

Mexican gangs do it all the time before dismembering someone alive !

 

 

12 hours ago, bluesofa said:

Isn't water-boarding a reserved occupation?

 

And who paid the water bill?

3 hours ago, AsiaHand said:

If I belived that you were holding back information that could mean the lives of a lot of people in my country then I would start with the most effective of non body scaring TORTURE to gain the information .If it shows no results then move on to the electrodes and the the removal of digets.

Which would make you a torturer - see post#15.

 

Interesting that you would start with " non body scaring TORTURE" (sic). Does that indicate some concern about leaving evidence of your umh, activities - just in case someone should hold you to account?

6 hours ago, Krataiboy said:

This latest expose - significantly from a leading US newspaper renowned for its investigative reporting - simply confirms what informed commentators on the subject have been saying for years. 

 

Thailand has been named and shamed by many independent sources as one of the notorious black sites used by the CIA to crack the toughest nuts. Here's one example:

 

https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/reports/globalizing-torture-cia-secret-detention-and-extraordinary-rendition

 

Nobody who has lived here for a while should be surprised at the dismissive knee-jerk responses to these allegations from present and past Thai administrations. They seem all constantly to be in a catatonic state of denial about a huge range of inconvenient truths - not least those relating to human rights.

 

Incidentally, anybody who doubts whether waterboarding is torture should try being on the receiving end, as contrarian Christopher Hitchens did, briefly before his untimely natural death. His comments on his self-inflicted ordeal are worth looking up.

"A leading US newspaper renowned for its investigative reporting"? Are you serious or joking?. Open Society Foundation is not a newspaper. It is an organization dedicated to open borders and a global socialist society. It was founded and financed by George Soros who is guilty of more election collusion than the Russians ever thought of.

 

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2016/08/22/leaked-doc-soros-open-society-seeks-reshape-census-electoral-districts/

 

http://dailycaller.com/2016/10/18/soros-connected-company-provides-voting-machines-in-16-states/

 

 

Regarding torture.... which is worse? Tricking someone into believing they are drowning or actually drowning someone? Or burning them alive? Or chopping their head off? Or blowing up women and children?

22 minutes ago, Kitmakmak said:

Regarding torture.... which is worse? Tricking someone into believing they are drowning or actually drowning someone? Or burning them alive? Or chopping their head off? Or blowing up women and children?

If you are comparing, i would say that worse than that is waging wars based on false information. Or killing hundreds of thousands in the name of regime change in some countries but supporting vile dictators in other countries. Or electing idiots to the office of President.

The other thing the article didn't mention, probably because it doesn't relate to international terrorism, is that the country to this day still has its own version of a "black site" prison for domestic use.

 

Edited April 23, 20188 yr by TallGuyJohninBKK