Thaksin To Revitalise War On Drugs

[george]

Thaksin to revitalise war on drugs

BANGKOK: -- Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has pledged to step up the government's crackdown on drugs following complaints about the reemergence prevalence of drugs in several Bangkok districts.

Mr Thaksin, who returned to work this week after a one-month leave, spoke with a group of around 100 Bangkok residents from Don Muang District who appeared at Government House Friday morning to ask for more action against drugs.

Mr Thaksin said drug problems still exist and an urgent and continued crackdown on their abuse is needed.

Chanting "Thaksin come back, Yaba (methamphetamines) go away," the supporters voiced their concern regarding the flow of methamphetamines which they said undermines the quality of life in their communities and takes away the future of many young people.

The supporters asked Mr Thaksin to return to work on solving drug problems which, they said, are now re-emerging and plaguing not only their own communities, but also many others as well.

The government launched a harsh crackdown on drugs during the first four-year term of its administration. It won criticism from human rights groups after some 2,500 alleged drug dealers were killed or disappeared, and praise from many citizens' groups.

--TNA 2006-05-19

[cclub75]

Chanting "Thaksin come back, Yaba (methamphetamines) go away," the supporters voiced their concern regarding the flow of methamphetamines

With such a non-sense, i'm always wondering who is the most pathetic : the manipulator or the poor gullible bloke.

Anyway, back to basics : war on drugs.

It costs nothing, it allows to easily deceive the gullibles. And the people usually don't have memory (the war on yaba was supposed to be won since a long time already).

[Rinrada]

Chanting "Thaksin come back, Yaba (methamphetamines) go away," the supporters voiced their concern regarding the flow of methamphetamines

Anyway, back to basics : war on drugs.

It costs nothing, it allows to easily deceive the gullibles. And the people usually don't have memory (the war on yaba was supposed to be won since a long time already).

me thinks last time was a kids glove "dummy run"...next time he is gonna get serious......

[Minburi]

Must be an echo in the news..I have been hearing this since 2003? War on drugs..No illegal drugs by years end 2003..Nope I meant 2004..

I am sure the new Bangkok airport with be finished at the same time as the war on drugs

[sriracha john]

The best article I've read on the subject:

Murdered by the State

Thailand's War On Drug Users

Murdered By The State (written 2004)

On the 1st of February this year, the Government of Thailand launched a nationwide drugs war of such savage magnitude it has sent shockwaves throughout the world's drug using communities. The force unleashed by Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, in his crusade to rid Thailand of drugs and drug users 'from every inch of Thai soil' has drawn fierce criticism from stunned human rights groups around the world. Thousands are dead, tens of thousands have been arrested and hundreds of thousands of user/dealers have 'voluntarily surrendered themselves for treatment' in military style boot camps while many others undergo enforced rehabilitation. It has created a situation where the human rights record of Thailand, much improved over the last decade, has now been sacrificed along with freedom of the press and Thailand's reputation as a democratic country today lies in tatters.

On the 12th June this year, user activists, human rights campaigners and those concerned with civil rights launched a worldwide 'Day of Action', holding protests and vigils outside Thai embassies in cities across the globe; from Cardiff, London, New York, Washington and Nepal, from Moscow to Melbourne and Bangkok. The UK's drugs agency, Lifeline, in unison with UKRHA (the UK Harm Reduction Alliance) generously sponsored two members from the TDN (Thai Drug Users Network) to attend the demonstration in London and speak to the UK drugs community about the terror that has been instilled in drug users across Thailand and the blood being spilt in another, tragically misguided war on drugs and drug users. Black Poppy spoke to Wee and Nong from the TDN about the realities of being a drug user living in Thailand today.

Most readers will already know about Thailand's relationship with heroin and its nefarious position in the Golden triangle; however, the last decade has seen a massive increase in methamphetamine production from both inside Thailand and from its borders. Consumption along with production has surged since the mid 1990's and according to official figures, up to a billion methamphetamine pills are sold annually with 3 million people taking them and at least 300,000 people in a population of 62 million now considered to be drug dependent.

Undoubtedly, Thailand has a significant drugs problem; however, seizures and arrests initiated from the current crackdown have tended to be from the lower end of the distribution chain leaving most of the real powers behind the drug trade free. As in the US and many other countries, the Thai drugs war is also a race war as numerous indigenous minorities in Thailand have found themselves targeted by the often brutal police actions alongside some of Thailand's poorest. Alarmingly, another new initiative intends to strip the entire families of Naturalised Thais of their citizenship if a family member is found to be involved in the drugs trade.

The strategy:

Prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, a former police official and rich businessman elected in 2001, has applied corporate management principles to the crackdown on the methamphetamine or 'yaa baa' trade. Thailand's 75 provinces are given targets for arrests and seizures with the police involved rewarded with a bounty per pill found and a percentage of the assets seized. Failure to reach these targets is not an option and officials are faced with dismissal or demotion if they do not meet their regional quotas. As a result, meeting targets has become more important than the rule of law.

Today there are still many professional gunmen in Thailand left over from the Vietnam War, when the government recruited and armed irregular forces and vigilante groups. These gangs are now hired to settle disputes and feuds and are used during elections with canvassers routinely being found dead. Disturbingly, the killings in the current anti-drugs campaign have the same appearance as these professional hits. A lot of victims have been on secret but official 'black lists' and when the government told dealers that they should 'surrender or die', the killings started right on cue. The government has asserted that drug gangs are responsible for the majority of these murders and only 74 were confirmed killed by the police. Pornthip Rojanasunan, acting director of the Forensic Science Institute said the justice system could be jeopardised by a lack of explanation into these extra judicial killings. "It should be made clear whether these killings were made in self defence or not" she said. Although the law requires the presence of at least one doctor at the scene of an unnatural death, few were willing to intervene in such cases, worried how the police would react. "All we can do is report on the location of the bullet and other wounds on the body, we can't say who did what and how the bullet hit the person, as is intended by law'. Though no doctor will say so publicly, police have discouraged them from being open, as the law requires. Forum Asia, a regional human rights group, says it interviewed forensic experts who said they found suspects had drugs planted on them after their death, that some victims were handcuffed when killed or shot in a group and that in 3 cases bullets had been removed before coroners had examined the bodies.

Press reportage Critics of this policy are accused of being in the pay of the drug lords

Despite the Thai government stating that it is not policy to encourage extra judicial killings, Amnesty International called the crackdown 'a de facto shoot-to-kill policy' that pressurizes police officers to produce results or lose their jobs. The Thai Foreign Minister has called the killings a 'side effect' of the current war on drugs while Thaksin himself said that "if they resist, there is nothing we can do, they will have to die prematurely if necessary". Although the recent crackdown was initially planned for three months, Thaksin has been so pleased with the results he has extended the operation until December '03 when he intends to deliver a drug-free Thailand to the king in time for his birthday on the 5th.

With a drug free Thailand in mind, a proposal that has the support of the majority of the Thai people, what does the government have planned for Thai users? If the Thai government expects to rid every inch of Thai soil of drugs and drug users by the end of the year - where are they all going to go? With 25 provinces declaring success in arresting all those appearing on police blacklists, and still other provinces stating their regions were now '100% free of drugs and drug users', what is actually happening to all the Thai users not yet arrested or murdered?

Although the Justice Ministry expects 80,000 of the country's estimated 300,000 dependant users to pass through rehabilitation programmes this year (returning to society under the supervision of probation officers and volunteers), the reality has proven somewhat different.

'Surrendering' for treatment:

Wee, from the TDN told Black Poppy that the police blacklist carries the names of suspected users and dealers, tens of thousands of names from every province in Thailand. The fear instilled in Thai users has meant that over 400,000 users and dealers have 'surrendered' themselves for treatment, even, Wee says, those who have never touched a drug in their lives have ended up on the police blacklist, either through a family member being involved, or simply through error. Getting one's name off the list is paramount for many as the alternative would be facing the wrath of the police. The 'Rehabilitation' programmes provide a means to do this but they are mostly military style boot camps where physical exercise, hard labour and brutal guards constitute the regime. However, completing the boot camp rehab doesn't mean that your name can't be re-listed. Nong, who works in one of the few, more humane rehabs, lives in constant fear of the regime as no-one trusts the government not to place the staff themselves on the list. Working with, or being related to someone who uses drugs, can be enough to ensure your name appears on the police blacklist leaving many professionals reluctant to work with drug users.

Wee told BP that Thailand has never implemented any kind of harm reduction programmes such as needle exchanges and today, with over 50% of Thai drug users now HIV positive, the current policy has meant even more are being pushed underground, afraid to seek treatment and testing and hindering efforts to prevent further HIV infections. Although the price of methamphetamines has increased by more than 60% in some areas of Thailand, the demand for drugs has remained the same. Tragically, this has meant that in some of Thailand's poorest areas, users are switching to cheap solvents and glues, potentially causing more damage to the brain than methamphetamines. Heroin use, which has remained stable for some years, has started to increase.

For Wee and Nong, the stigma associated with drug use is intense. Massive distortion surrounds the drugs issue in Thailand to such an extent that such extra judicial killings are accepted by most Thais as a necessary part of cleansing the country of drugs. Increases in poverty and crime has meant drug users have become the scapegoats, blamed for the decline in society and the deterioration of communities and as people look to their government for answers, ignorance about the drugs issue has allowed the slash and burn approach to flourish. In fact, Thaskin has become so popular, Wee and Nong envisage his government will be in power for at least another decade. ..the only inaccuracy in this article..

When Black Poppy spoke to Wee and Nong, it became clear that if Thailand is capable of unleashing such an assault on the lives of drug users, in a country that is considered by the world as democratic, and if such a policy is believed successful, a vote winner, then how far away is it from being picked up and used by other countries? Sadly, the Philippines, who face a methamphetamine problem nearly as severe as Thailands, have introduced a similar crackdown and authorities from Afghanistan have already visited Thailand to study its legal system - especially, its drug control laws.

Wee and Nong don't consider the Thai government to be stupid, they believe they need to be shown alternative approaches that work. That the people come to understand the drugs issue is not black and white, that harm reduction policies can and do work and that drug users are people not vermin that need to be cleansed from a country.

www.blackpoppy.org

--------------------------------------------------

The WORST horrendous blight in Thailand history's very recent past. Not to be forgotten..... and then...

Today, Thaksin is trying to push his "go-to guy" to be the next Secretary-General of the The United Nations???

Thailand doesn't need anymore of this:

"graphic photo...viewer discretion advised"

An Akha murdered in the Drug War in Thailand.

Edited May 19, 2006 by sriracha john

[mittheimp]

a total and utter scandal. but it seemed to hardly get a mention when people were discussing the pros and cons of Thaksin at the recent election!

[ratcatcher]

"""Yesterday he came to Government House again, but this time it was a longer stay, from 9am to late afternoon, before he left for an audience with the King.

Shortly after he arrived at Government House yesterday, a group of villagers suddenly turned up to give him moral support. One of them hugged him as an old friend and wept. "My son has gone back to amphetamines," she sobbed.

A tense-looking Thaksin vowed to take urgent action to solve the drug problem. "I'm calling for all information on the spread of drugs," he later told reporters."""

Excerpt from THE Nation 20/05/06

I have posted this photo before but it illustrates why we have a drug problem. The P.M. of Thailand is seen talking to the Head Drug dealers (Than Shwe and Aung Mye of the Burmese junta. Until Thailand gets reallyserious about the supply of amphetamines coming from Burma, there will never be a solution to this problem. There will be more small time drug dealers shot as before but these guys in green uniforms in the photo will continue to enjoy immunity and the income from the sale of narcotics.

[tomchaam]

I've got a friend, Matt McD, that got deported back to the US of A because he told the truth about the murder of many of his Akha friends as victims of the drug war. He also published a book with many graphic photographs that I saw recently at Asia Books Discovery Ctr. A new friend, Mr. Peter, told me Matt is back in the area...in Laos...doing what he can to promote Akha culture. Matt was a dear friend of the Christian Missionary group ...he had big sign on his 4 wheeler that said "Missionaries Suck!" I'm quite sure they are the ones who promoted his deportation out of Thailand. Anyway...if you see this Matt my advice to you is "get a new hat"! The one you were wearing in Mae Sai looked like it had been through an elephant!

[ovenman]

Nothing like a war on something illegal to divert attention from the ongoing controversies in the political arena.

[elkangorito]

Since 'year dot', humans have been doing what they want, to their bodies. No law has ever succeeded in changing this perfectly natural occurence. And since this seems to be a natural desire & since the individual is only affecting his/her body, then what right does anybody else have to tell an individual, what they can or can't do to their own body?

It seems perfectly 'legal' for anybody (with the exception of age restrictions) to ingest any desired quantity of the worlds most dangerous drug...cigarettes. The same applies for the worlds second most dangerous drug...alcohol. There seems to be no laws restricting the smoking of dried banana peel, the use of Aspirin aka Acetylsalisilic acid, the chewing of Betel Nut, the overuse of Nutmeg or Mace, the sniffing of Ethyl Methyls & the like...the list is huge.

Maybe now that murdering total strangers is considered nowhere near as bad as using drugs, maybe all drug users can exchange their drug habit for a 'murdering total strangers' habit?

Or maybe if the Toxic Avenger got rid of everthing that he didn't like or understand, he'd be happy? Then again, he would only have himself to talk to.

It looks like the dictating hegemonist 'Toxic Avenger' will not give up that easily. His attitudes are 180 degrees out of phase with Buddhism.

Edited May 20, 2006 by elkangorito

[jdinasia]

wow .... wonder who the drug dealers are gonna hide out with this time

[elkangorito]

wow .... wonder who the drug dealers are gonna hide out with this time

Probably the ones I suspect they currently 'hide out' with...the officials of Police & government.

[ilyushin]

Nothing like a war on something illegal to divert attention from the ongoing controversies in the political arena.

Agreed.

Politics

[ilyushin]

"2,500 alleged drug dealers were killed or disappeared" Guess you could add the opposition and protester party members to the list.

[ColPyat]

a total and utter scandal. but it seemed to hardly get a mention when people were discussing the pros and cons of Thaksin at the recent election!

Naturally.

Most vocal Thaksin opponents were staunch Thaksin supporters during the drugwar, and do not exactly disagree with the drugwar killings (which does somehow relativise their ideas about "democracy").

During the drugwar monks were on TV explaining folks that the drugwar is good.

The famous Luang Por Khun has publically stated that killing drugdealers would not draw bad karma.

[Thaising]

Since Thailand was not selected to gets a sit on the UN human rights panel. Toxins were very annoyed and now start to orders war against drugs as well as killing. As he did say, UN is not my father; therefore, nothing to worry.

[jdinasia]

This will be a much different scenario .... Thaksin is no longer immune and these actions won't be tolerated this time ... so ...

this time it'll be the needle for the bad guys and less bullets

[ColPyat]

Since Thailand was not selected to gets a sit on the UN human rights panel. Toxins were very annoyed and now start to orders war against drugs as well as killing. As he did say, UN is not my father; therefore, nothing to worry.

As much as it pains me to agree with jdinasia, but there he is right. There is no way that at the present moment Thaksin would get away with another round of blacklist killings.

This drugwar will be exactly like the last ones after the killing finished: lotsa PR, momentarily higher policing, and soon back to normal.

[Plus]

Well, Colpyat, you know that 95% of Thai population supported drug war, nearly everyone is guilty to some degree - PAD, Democrats, everyone.

The Nation was against it, of course, are they the only ones clean here?

On some points this country has completely skewed ideas but it shouldn't stop people from doing something right once in a while.

[elkangorito]

Well, Colpyat, you know that 95% of Thai population supported drug war, nearly everyone is guilty to some degree - PAD, Democrats, everyone.

The Nation was against it, of course, are they the only ones clean here?

On some points this country has completely skewed ideas but it shouldn't stop people from doing something right once in a while.

[Plus]

I mean PAD shouldn't pack their bags and go home just because most of them supported the drug war by being silent. An old issue I argued with Colpyat.

[jdinasia]

No one really spoke up about it ... why? could be loyalty ... could be fragile positioning ... could be lack of info ... who knows ....

Doesn't really matter as I doubt there's any proof of collusion it is a moot point ... tossed around by Thaksin supporters and The Colonel. <note ... rather than lump them together I seperated them ....>

Ectra-judicial killings are bad ... the onus should fall on 2 people ... the guy that set the policy ... and the guy that carried it out <in this case LOTS of guys>

[tettyan]

No one really spoke up about it ... why? could be loyalty ... could be fragile positioning ... could be lack of info ... who knows ....

Doesn't really matter as I doubt there's any proof of collusion it is a moot point ... tossed around by Thaksin supporters and The Colonel. <note ... rather than lump them together I seperated them ....>

Ectra-judicial killings are bad ... the onus should fall on 2 people ... the guy that set the policy ... and the guy that carried it out <in this case LOTS of guys>

Well, love it or hate it, poll after poll shows that the war on drugs has been the single most popular policy of the Thaksin government, with over 80 percent in support. And most Thais in public life, having rather weak attitudes to the rule of law, see nothing wrong with it. God forbid that drug dealers be considered humans, entitled to a fair trial. And if the police says someone's a drug dealer, I guess we gotta believe 'em! This was one policy that definitely united the middle classes and the rural poor. Thai people's attitudes to the rule of law and vigilante justice arn't going to change overnight - the issue is about more than just Thaksin.

Didn't you see ColPyat's comment about influential monk Luangta Maha Bua's comments? I find that to be highly inappropriate behavior for a religious leader. The guy's also a prominent supporter of Sondhi. I don't wish to rehash old arguments here, but viewing Thai politics as a struggle between "angels" and "devils" obscures the bigger issues.

BTW - When Chamlong was asked about his about-face on supporting Thaksin, his answer was basically "the first three years were good. It was only beginning in the fourth year there were mistakes... etc." Well, the war on drugs (the most violent part) took place during Thaksin's third year, and was the most prominent policy during that year. I'm sure that didn't escape Chamlong's mind... Chamlong was also one of those leading the protests against the Constitutional Court in 2001 to pressure the judges to acquit Thaksin in the assets concealments case. Perhaps I'm just a cynic... but the guy's crenditials as a liberal democrat (small "d") are, shall I say, mixed at best?

Edited May 20, 2006 by tettyan

[ColPyat]

Ectra-judicial killings are bad ... the onus should fall on 2 people ... the guy that set the policy ... and the guy that carried it out <in this case LOTS of guys>

And the guys in majorly influental positions that have supported the killings.

Such as the monks declaring the killings of alleged drugdealers as not drawing negative Karmic reactions, such as Sondhi who in his publications has strongly supported the drugwar, such as Chamlong who prides himself as a Bhuddhist, though has as a formerly influental member of TRT, advisor of Thaksin (remember the Liverpool saga, in which Thaksin has declared that the only person he listens to is Chamlong after Chamlong criticised Thaksin's intention to buy Liverpool), well, who has not said one word against the drugwar killings while they happened.

We are not talking here about some misinformed little people - we talk about people of major influence who were supporters. Who until today have not distanced themselves from the killings, not apologised for their complicity.

The upholding of human rights is most essential to democracy. This idea though is appearantly not very evident in Thailand, even in the ones who put a "D" for democracy on their flag.

[ColPyat]

Perhaps I'm just a cynic... but the guy's crenditials as a liberal democrat (small "d") is, shall we say, mixed at best?

As i remember - public frictions between Chamlong and Thaksin were basically only about nationalistic issues, the Liverpool saga, and then finally the ShinCorp sale. What did he say before they broke? If Thaksin would be giving a third of his money to the people, than everything would be in order.

Human rights?

Democracy?

Freedom of the press?

I belive those came only after Chamlong broke with Thaksin. Funny, how quickly some people can reinvent himself in order to appeal to the public eye...

Edited May 20, 2006 by ColPyat

[sriracha john]

Wan Muhamad Nor Matha, director of the Centre to Fight Narcotics, is gearing up for a renewed war on drugs.

The drugs war, the fifth of its kind (the previous four were declared by Thaksin to have eliminated drugs from Thailand... who the heck keeps wrecking things with introducing new drugs after they've already been totally eliminated nation-wide?) , follows Mr Thaksin's meeting yesterday with Pol Lt-Gen Krissana Pol-anant, secretary-general of the Narcotics Control Board and Mr Wan Nor to discuss emerging drug problems.

Mr Wan Nor said drugs abuse and trafficking had increased in 20 provinces including Bangkok and major tourist provinces.

''I'll call a meeting in those provinces next week. Mr Thaksin will visit if he has time,'' he said.

- TN

[sriracha john]

Sorry, I keep forgetting that Thaksin is a keen disciple of the "Make Any Harebrain Promise You Want To, No One Will Hold You To It" school of leadership.

No drugs in Thailand.

No poverty after 2008.

Blah blah blah…

The list of mind-boggling and ridiculous promises is seemingly endless…

[penzman]

No one really spoke up about it ... why? could be loyalty ... could be fragile positioning ... could be lack of info ... who knows ....

Doesn't really matter as I doubt there's any proof of collusion it is a moot point ... tossed around by Thaksin supporters and The Colonel. <note ... rather than lump them together I seperated them ....>

Ectra-judicial killings are bad ... the onus should fall on 2 people ... the guy that set the policy ... and the guy that carried it out <in this case LOTS of guys>

Could be fear of men with guns, hit squads, the "cleanup crews" that come to visit and shut people up. Not exactly the friendly British Columbia's Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Only a year ago, Thais I know were speaking veeeeery softly when criticizing Thaksin. I doubt very much that many would have stood up and pointed a finger at the drug war's killing machine back then.

[jdinasia]

I agree Penz ...

[ColPyat]

I doubt very much that many would have stood up and pointed a finger at the drug war's killing machine back then.

Khunying Pornthip did speak out during the drugwar.

The national Human Rights commission did speak out during the drugwar.

Fact is, as has been pointed out, that most Thais, including many now opposing Thaksin for mainly national reason, did not only not speak out - but have supported the drugwar including the killings.

Why, even now, do they not speak out about the biggest massaker in Thailand since the end of the communist insurgency, a far bigger massaker than even '92?

Fact is, that Chamlong, as already pointed out, has in public speaches and in interviews repeatedly praised Thaksin as a good PM during the first four years of his rule. This is a complete disregard for human rights, symptomatic for most politicians and so-called political activists on all sides here presently in Thailand. And therefore, any "democracy" movement that does not adress the drugwar is not worth labelling "democratic".

The drugwar killings are maybe the most climatic incident of Thaksin rule, the most descriptive of how shallow democratic thought here in Thailand actually is, even more so than Tak Bai, as most of its victims were the weakest sector of society, without any lobby, and were therefore under the applause of the vast majority of Thais simply slaughtered (and there were far more dead than the official 2500).

Unless this massaker is faced also and especially by the groups pretending to be "democratic", there will be no democratic development here in Thailand.

The issue in Thailand is not just Thaksin, but the inability of Thai society as a whole to introduce fundamental changes.

Because it could happen again, independent of Thaksin being PM, or somebody else.