Activists call on govt to abolish capital punishment

[webfact]

Activists call on govt to abolish capital punishment
Pravit Rojanaphruk
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Merely abstaining from executions does not translate to abolishing the death penalty because the execution order can be revived at any time, Danthong Breen of the Union of Civil Liberty warned at a major conference in Bangkok last week.

"Abolition in practice is not a certainty. Abolition in practice should not become an aim in itself," the rights activist explained. He attended a two-day international conference organised by the Justice Ministry's Department of Rights and Liberties Protection, which ended on Friday.

Breen said that on average, at least one person a week is sentenced to death in Thailand, and more and more of them are people caught for insurgency-related crimes in the deep South.

Even though the last time a prisoner was executed in Thailand was in 2009, capital punishment has not been removed from law. However, the aim to do that was included in the country's first human-rights master plan.

too many on death row

Natee Jitsawang, deputy director of the Thailand Institute of Justice, said there were some 67 prisoners on death row - most for drug-related crimes. In Thailand, capital punishment can be applied to 55 offences - a number that is far too large, the forum was told.

Roseann Rife, deputy director of Amnesty International's Asia Pacific Programme, said that given this, Thailand needs to "move swiftly and decisively" to end the death penalty. She said public opinion was rarely in favour of abolishing the death penalty until abolition is passed into law. So, it was necessary for activists and the government to take the lead.

Rife noted that for the first time in history, no convicts in the ASEAN region were executed last year -even though Malaysia regularly sentences even small-time drug offenders to death.

Koren S Gomez Dumpit, director of the Philippines' Government Linkages Office Commission on Human Rights, said research has shown that it is usually the poor who end up getting sentenced to death because most of them cannot afford proper legal representation.


-- The Nation 2013-07-04

[kimamey]

It's always seemed odd to me for a Buddhist country to have the death penalty. Doesn't that go against Buddhist beliefs?

[blabla1]

It's always seemed odd to me for a Buddhist country to have the death penalty. Doesn't that go against Buddhist beliefs?

Dude..5555555

[Thai at Heart]

It's always seemed odd to me for a Buddhist country to have the death penalty. Doesn't that go against Buddhist beliefs?

It's the bullet or the chemical in the drip that does the killing, not a person.

[bigbamboo]

It's always seemed odd to me for a Buddhist country to have the death penalty. Doesn't that go against Buddhist beliefs?

Yep, but so does lying, stealing, drinking and screwing around.

Hey ho.

[trainman34014]

They're never any good at sums are they. Quote...'On average at least one person a week is sentenced to death in Thailand'.

Now hang on a minute....there are 67 people on Death Row and nobody has been executed since 2009......so where did all the other weekly victims vanish to?

[OzMick]

On the contrary, IMHO the death penalty should be extended to corruption by elected government officers whose theft exceeds an arbitrary sum, say one million baht, bail refused and sentence carried out promptly.

It can be argued that the death penalty doesn't deter criminals. But it certainly stops recidivism (repeat offenders).

Would there be benefit for the people of Thailand? Consider the cases of Chalerm and Thaksin and make up your own mind.

[Halion]

Abolition or the removal of the death penalty will, specificaly in this country, give rise to a serious and sustained increase in violent crime. The current penal system is allready significantly over crowded with most prisons having living conditions far below international standards. So many people in Thailand have little or no regard to the law owing to the rampant corruption and injustice that can be seen daily from both the police and judiciary.

Abolition of the death penality may have merit in developed and civilized society, however, Thailand is at least 100 years away from such a goal and letting violent and horrific killers spend their time incarcerated at tax payers expense is banal.

[Mosha]

It's always seemed odd to me for a Buddhist country to have the death penalty. Doesn't that go against Buddhist beliefs?

Tell that to the "Bhuddists" who are guns for hire.

[jpeg]

It's always seemed odd to me for a Buddhist country to have the death penalty. Doesn't that go against Buddhist beliefs?

It's the bullet or the chemical in the drip that does the killing, not a person.

So you're using the innately stupid NRA's slogan 'It's not gun's that kill people, it's people that kill people, then'?

Edited July 4, 2013 by jpeg

[jpeg]

Abolition or the removal of the death penalty will, specificaly in this country, give rise to a serious and sustained increase in violent crime. The current penal system is allready significantly over crowded with most prisons having living conditions far below international standards. So many people in Thailand have little or no regard to the law owing to the rampant corruption and injustice that can be seen daily from both the police and judiciary.

Abolition of the death penality may have merit in developed and civilized society, however, Thailand is at least 100 years away from such a goal and letting violent and horrific killers spend their time incarcerated at tax payers expense is banal.

I suggest you do a little more research before making such a sweeping and stupid statement. The barbaric (read: uncivilized) 'Death Penalty' has NOT lessened the incidence of murder in those states/countries where it is applied.

I believe your concern regards overcrowded prisons would also show you, if you took the time, to see that most of those incarcerated in this country are the poor (unable to pay their way out) for petty drugs crimes.

[monkey4u]

On average 1 a week is sentanced to be executed. We have 55 on death row.

Where are the others, out on bail like the cops who were given death penalties.

No doubt all these fine convicts are enjoying a good life in another country now

[NoshowJones]

It's always seemed odd to me for a Buddhist country to have the death penalty. Doesn't that go against Buddhist beliefs?

It's the bullet or the chemical in the drip that does the killing, not a person.

But who fires the bullet or puts the chemical in the drip?

[hawker9000]

It's always seemed odd to me for a Buddhist country to have the death penalty. Doesn't that go against Buddhist beliefs?

It's the bullet or the chemical in the drip that does the killing, not a person.

So you're using the innately stupid NRA's slogan 'It's not gun's that kill people, it's people that kill people, then'?

Ah, the gun control nazis just can't resist... This thread is ACTUALLY about the death penalty in Thailand. Do we really have to drag gun control into it?

[Bluespunk]

You can be murdered by the state for 55 different crimes in Thailand? 55.----really? That's a lot of blood revenge categories.

[Fantastic5]

I for one am pro death penalty for drugs and merder, I just find that the wrong people end up on death row.

Many people are tricked in to or are seriously desperate befor traficking drugs, stupid, but when you face some odds sometimes there is just not many routes for survival. Such people should be shown leniency with grate efforts put forth to find the organisers of such offences.

I have read many accounts where cerial killers are shown leaniancy for showing where bodies are hidden, shouldn't be, it should just mean that the torture stops and the exercution comence, while on the other hand a babysitter had dropped a infant on the head, the child dies, babysitter panics and berries the baby, forensic shows no inconsistencies in her story but she is sentanced to die, because it was a child under 3 and she berried the body. These two stories should have the opposite of endings.

I say more exercutions quickly for the real nasty vicious crimes and more leniency for the desperate who help bring in ring leaders.

Edited July 4, 2013 by Fantastic5

[Fantastic5]

I say shoot first and ask questions later !

I see your forum name is very accurate and appropriate for you.

[Cats4ever]

On the contrary, IMHO the death penalty should be extended to corruption by elected government officers whose theft exceeds an arbitrary sum, say one million baht, bail refused and sentence carried out promptly.

It can be argued that the death penalty doesn't deter criminals. But it certainly stops recidivism (repeat offenders).

Would there be benefit for the people of Thailand? Consider the cases of Chalerm and Thaksin and make up your own mind.

It is very hard to rectify mistakes. Now most people on this site don't have a high opinion of the Thai justice system, so they must sentence some innocent people. I understand the atavistic urges of the hang em high crowd, but we have to be better than that. Otherwise we could bring back drawing and quartering in public and that would fix crime????? Oh no, it didn't last time it was in use.

[OzMick]

On the contrary, IMHO the death penalty should be extended to corruption by elected government officers whose theft exceeds an arbitrary sum, say one million baht, bail refused and sentence carried out promptly.

It can be argued that the death penalty doesn't deter criminals. But it certainly stops recidivism (repeat offenders).

Would there be benefit for the people of Thailand? Consider the cases of Chalerm and Thaksin and make up your own mind.

It is very hard to rectify mistakes. Now most people on this site don't have a high opinion of the Thai justice system, so they must sentence some innocent people. I understand the atavistic urges of the hang em high crowd, but we have to be better than that. Otherwise we could bring back drawing and quartering in public and that would fix crime????? Oh no, it didn't last time it was in use.

.

Soldiers and police die every day, but no-one asks them to abandon their duties.

The Thai justice system may be imperfect, but I'm sure they can detect bent politicians with millions of baht in the wrong pocket and no truthful explanation where it came from. That is who I advocated removal from the trough permanently, and if an innocent gets caught in the sweep, why should it of more import than the copper killed in a drug raid?

Edited July 4, 2013 by OzMick

[bangon04]

They're never any good at sums are they. Quote...'On average at least one person a week is sentenced to death in Thailand'.

Now hang on a minute....there are 67 people on Death Row and nobody has been executed since 2009......so where did all the other weekly victims vanish to?

They died in prison?? Life in Thai prisons seem to me to be a much bigger deterrent than the death penalty. Cannot honestly say the "western" model is superior, just more expensive for the taxpayer.

[Thai at Heart]

It's always seemed odd to me for a Buddhist country to have the death penalty. Doesn't that go against Buddhist beliefs?

It's the bullet or the chemical in the drip that does the killing, not a person.

So you're using the innately stupid NRA's slogan 'It's not gun's that kill people, it's people that kill people, then'?

That is how a Buddhist justifies pulling the trigger in an execution.

[ginjag]

Murder and drug related are about equal, I wonder if gambling and prostitution are also included in the 50 odd offences list. I see a vast difference between Murder and drug related.

[kimamey]

It's always seemed odd to me for a Buddhist country to have the death penalty. Doesn't that go against Buddhist beliefs?

It's the bullet or the chemical in the drip that does the killing, not a person.

So you're using the innately stupid NRA's slogan 'It's not gun's that kill people, it's people that kill people, then'?

I don't think Thai at Heart was being entirely serious and was merely suggesting the excuse they would probably use.

I have heard this said about eating meat. 'I didn't kill it someone else did. I'm just eating it'.

[hellodolly]

Abolition or the removal of the death penalty will, specificaly in this country, give rise to a serious and sustained increase in violent crime. The current penal system is allready significantly over crowded with most prisons having living conditions far below international standards. So many people in Thailand have little or no regard to the law owing to the rampant corruption and injustice that can be seen daily from both the police and judiciary.

Abolition of the death penality may have merit in developed and civilized society, however, Thailand is at least 100 years away from such a goal and letting violent and horrific killers spend their time incarcerated at tax payers expense is banal.

I suggest you do a little more research before making such a sweeping and stupid statement. The barbaric (read: uncivilized) 'Death Penalty' has NOT lessened the incidence of murder in those states/countries where it is applied.

I believe your concern regards overcrowded prisons would also show you, if you took the time, to see that most of those incarcerated in this country are the poor (unable to pay their way out) for petty drugs crimes.

I was told in my criminology course that the death sentence was preferable to a life in prison. that is not always the case but studies show the majority would prefer the death sentence over a lifetime behind bars.

[hawker9000]

The only halfway persuasive argument against the death penalty I've ever heard is the idea that the jury can theoretically get it wrong, resulting in the execution of an innocent person. And that can't be ever be allowed to happen under any circumstances whatsoever. But then a guy likes Zimmerman is acquitted because the "beyond any doubt" criteria could not be satisfied, and suddenly we have a defendent the same crowd would've loved to see hung, no matter the weakness of the evidence against him! It really boils down to two things: politically-based sympathy or hatred of the defendent and politically-driven indictments, plus the idea that no killing, even the execution of monsters, is ever under any circumstances justified. The rest is just seasoned salt and a little A-1.

Well, I'm not willing to trade trial by jury for trial by mob. Nor can I agree that predators should be housed & fed at taxpayer expense for the rest of their lives. But I AM willing to see prosecutors themselves put on trial for chasing convictions and bending the rules of judicial procedure to score points and satisfy ambition.

[kimamey]

It's always seemed odd to me for a Buddhist country to have the death penalty. Doesn't that go against Buddhist beliefs?

It's the bullet or the chemical in the drip that does the killing, not a person.

So you're using the innately stupid NRA's slogan 'It's not gun's that kill people, it's people that kill people, then'?

I don't think that was a serious statement. I've heard it myself from a Buddhist to explain eating meat.

'I didn't kill it someone else did. I'm just eating it'.