Thailand's 'last Executioner'

[LaoPo]

Thailand's 'last executioner'

Execution has become 'more humane'

By Richard S. Ehrlich

The Washington Times

BANGKOK -- He shot 55 men and women in the back, killing them with a burst of bullets aimed at the heart, while each was tied to a wooden cross.

"I think the system of execution has become more humane, compared with when they hammered nails under people's fingernails, and did other torture, or whiplashed them before they cut their heads off," Chavoret Jaruboon said. "Those things are in the past."

Mr. Chavoret, 58, is a Buddhist who describes himself as Thailand's "last executioner."

"Every Buddhist monk would say that killing someone is a sin," Mr. Chavoret said, "but the question is whether you take pleasure in killing that person.

"What I have seen is that these prisoners have done bad to others, and they are incarcerated because of their own karma."

After two decades as an executioner, Mr. Chavoret switched jobs three years ago to become head of the foreign prisoners section at Bangkok's dreaded Bang Kwang Central Prison, where he coordinates the detention of prisoners of many nationalities, including Americans.

Years ago, foreigners dubbed the sprawling compound "The Bangkok Hilton," and it now has about 500 inmates from 44 foreign countries in cages.

Death sentences are still imposed at Bang Kwang Prison. Several Thais plus foreigners from Burma, Laos, China, Malaysia and Nigeria await lethal injection.

Lethal injections began in December 2003, when four persons were executed in one day, including three arrested on charges of having 115,000 methamphetamine pills.

Death row inmates in Thailand suffer a nebulous nightmare, because they never know when they will be yanked from their group's grim cell.

They spend years struggling to survive in the tropical prison, forming intense emotional bonds with other death row convicts, but can be chatting with a cellmate when suddenly a guard enters the group's cell and seizes the condemned.

"Before I became an executioner, I was an escort for death row prisoners in Bang Kwang. It was gloomy: The door opens, and the guard points, and says: 'You.' Some inmates immediately start grabbing things around them, wildly reaching out, trying to touch things, and get themselves together. I could see them, the blood draining from their faces."

from:

http://wpherald.com/articles/4992/1/Thaila...ore-humane.html

LaoPo

[aussiestyle1983]

Cool. I've always wanted to visit Bangkwang. Deffiently not the place you would want to be locked up in, especially if your waiting to be executed!

[JimmyTheMook]

Thailand's 'last executioner'

Read this last week , not a bad book written from an actual executinoers point of view.

[LaoPo]

Giving "Thailand's last executioner" a face:

He's now head of foreign prisoners' section at Bangkok's dreaded Bang Kwang Central Prison, where he coordinates the detention of Americans, Europeans, Africans and Asians.

"Years ago, sarcastic foreigners dubbed the sprawling compound "The Bangkok Hilton," and it now cages about 500 foreign inmates from 44 countries, serving various sentences."

A mannequin, displayed by Thailand's Department of Corrections, shows how a condemned person is tied to a wooden cross, to be shot in the back by an executioner who stands off to the left of the photo, aiming at a heart-high target placed on a cotton panel.

Full story here:

Photo Feature: Thailand's Last Executioner

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0706/S00018.htm

LaoPo

[corkscrew]

I took a lot of photographs at the prison museum:

http://www.corkscrew-balloon.com/misc/prison/1a.html

[LaoPo]

I took a lot of photographs at the prison museum:

http://www.corkscrew-balloon.com/misc/prison/1a.html

Thanks for the link.

I also found your other link to the Medieval Museum in San Gimignano/Italy; interesting....As a matter of fact I built a Medieval waxmuseum like that in Edmonton/Canada and later in San Francisco/Ca/USA in the late '80's/early '90's, called Medieval Dungeon.

The artifacts (same as in your link) on display were built by 'Artisans' in Tuscany/Italy.

What a coincidence...

LaoPo

[AlexLah]

This just make me sick.

Someone telling he is just doing his job killing people.

Does he think that having the possibillity to give a dead sentence helps to prevent crimes?

It does not, look at USA for example.

The death sentence for someone that tried to smuglle some XTC pills.

Those people that perform the sentence are sick.

Yes even worse then the ones that commited the crime.

Sorry just my opinion, and please do not discuss with that those people are providing the drugs etcetera.

Killing people is wrong!

[Maizefarmer]

Cool. I've always wanted to visit Bangkwang. Deffiently not the place you would want to be locked up in, especially if your waiting to be executed!

I go there every 6 - 8 weeks - though not to see anyone on death row. It's not a pleasent place at all. The whole prison is over crowded - even the death row section - and is very stressful. Abuse of gaurds, while true in the old days, has been all but stamped out.

Those coming up for the chop get about half a day's notice: every prisoner has the right to appeal to His Majesty for clemency. Those clemency appeals are signed on Thursday afternoons - then delivered to Bang Kwang. If you are not handed a "brown envelope" by 10am on Friday morning - you know you're safe - at least for another week* (yer .... I know it ain't much consolence).

*executions take place on Friday afternoons and sometime Saturdays (unless it's a Bhuddist religous holiday).

MF

[corkscrew]

I took a lot of photographs at the prison museum:

http://www.corkscrew-balloon.com/misc/prison/1a.html

Thanks for the link.

I also found your other link to the Medieval Museum in San Gimignano/Italy; interesting....As a matter of fact I built a Medieval waxmuseum like that in Edmonton/Canada and later in San Francisco/Ca/USA in the late '80's/early '90's, called Medieval Dungeon.

The artifacts (same as in your link) on display were built by 'Artisans' in Tuscany/Italy.

What a coincidence...

LaoPo

It is a small world...even here in Bangkok.

[bendix]

The fact that there (thankfully) have been no executions for nearly four years suggests that the Thai justice system, while putting people on death row, is finally recoiling from executing those sentences.

And long may it continue.

Barbaric. Bloody barbaric.