Four convicts executed by injection in Thailand

BANGKOK: Three convicted drug dealers and a murderer were executed on Friday, the first in Thailand killed by lethal injection since the country retired its last machine-gun executioner, officials said.

The condemned prisoners were executed at the Bang Kwang maximum security prison just north of the Thai capital Bangkok, said Nathee Chitsawang, deputy chief of the Corrections Department. Thailand switched to lethal injection in October claiming it is more humane.

Nathee identified the drug convicts as Boonleu Nakprasit, Panphong Situsang and Viboon Panasuta, and the convicted murderer as Penom Tongshanglek.

No further details of the prisoners were immediately released. Death sentences were rarely carried out in Thailand until the mid-1990s, as legal authorities were influenced by the Buddhist precept that no living thing should be killed.

But executions resumed in 1995 after an eight-year moratorium, and the pace has picked up in recent years as convictions for trafficking methamphetamine _ considered a social plague _ have skyrocketed.

A total of 319 people were executed by machine gun from 1932 until October 19 when lethal injection was adopted, according to prison officials. The sentences previously were carried out by one man with a machine gun, with another executioner on stand-by. As of October, nearly 70 men and women on death row in Thailand had exhausted all legal appeals and were awaiting execution. About 900 others are appealing death sentences.

Capital punishment is mandatory in Thailand for premeditated murder, the killing of an official on government business, regicide, and for the production or importation of heroin.

It is discretionary for a number of offences, including possession of more than 100 grams (3.53 ounces) of heroin or amphetamines.

--AP 2003-12-12

Follow up from The Nation:

4 die in first executions by lethal injection

BANGKOK: Four convicted prisoners made history yesterday when they became the first to be executed by lethal injection since the country outlawed firing squads.

The four, who were executed at Bang Kwang Prison in Nonthaburi, comprised three drug traffickers and one convicted murderer.

Boonlue Nakprasit, Panpong Sinsang and Wibul Panasuttha were sentenced to death in 1998 for trafficking 115,800 methamphetamine tablets in Samut Prakan.

Phanom Thonchanglua was sentenced to death in 2000 for carrying out the contract killing of Saenchai Thongchua in Chumphon.

Thailand switched its execution method from firing squad to lethal injection in October, said Natthi Jitsawang, director-general of the Department of Corrections.

Natthi said the lethal injections comply with international standards, which state that executions must not be carried out in public, that subjects die instantly, and that no blood be spilled in the process.

He said the first injection puts the subject to sleep, the second relaxes muscles, and the last arrests the heartbeat. More than 980 convicts are currently on death row, he added.

--The Nation 2003-12-13

More than 980 convicts are currently on death row, he added.

And if each convict needs three injections to be put to sleep, then that's an awful lot of needles.

I wonder if there's a business opportunity here.

I wonder if there's a business opportunity here.

dream on, theres no need to use clean needles for these guys.