Law enforcement needs to be monitored

[Lite Beer]

EDITORIAL
Law enforcement needs to be monitored
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Govt must be responsive to constructive criticism instead of taking offence

After months of trying to put on a straight face and telling the world how necessary martial law was, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha told reporters this week that he is about to do away with this controversial decree and replace it with something else.

Prayut said he has not discussed this matter with the Cabinet but was quick to claim credit for it, a sign of his desperation to boost his image in the eyes of the local and international audiences.

But regardless of what laws are being used, Thai leaders need to make serious adjustment in the conduct of their law enforcement officers.

Too often, as has been seen in Thailand's southernmost provinces, Thai security officials are quick to embrace repressive laws thinking it will makes their work easier to chase down suspected insurgents on the ground.

It was Thaksin Shinawatra who empowered security agencies working in the southernmost provinces with the controversial emergency decree a decade ago. Critics, like former premier Anand Panyarachun, called the decree a licence to kill.

Judging from the fact that not one Thai security officer in the deep South has been prosecuted for any offence, "licence to kill" is a very appropriate description.

And with all that freedom to do whatever they want, peace and stability are still nowhere to be found in the Muslim-majority South.

But catching the bad guys should not be the sole benchmark for success. How the chase is being conducted also matters. On this note, one should not forget that our governments have over the years been signatories to all sorts of international treaties and conventions on a wide range of humanitarian principles and legal issues.

In this respect, no one has to tell the government that they have a responsibility to live up to these commitments. And instead of jumping up and down like the military leaders have been doing over these past weeks following criticism from international human rights organisations about allegations of torture committed by the Army and police against suspects behind the recent grenade attack in Bangkok, our leaders need to be more level-headed in responding to these charges.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, as well as others, have called on the government to allow grenade-attack suspects to have access to their family, lawyers, and independent physicians. They also stated that the case should be tried in civilian courts.

The suggestions were not unrealistic and Bangkok should avoid knee-jerk reactions. Given the fact that the military is not exactly neutral in this decade-old political crisis, trying these politically charged cases in military court could prove to be unwise.

Unwise statements, like the one we heard from Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan when he said: "Whom have I tortured?" should be discouraged.

Prawit said martial law did not allow torture and that it is only used for search and arrest without having to wait for a court warrant.

But the deputy PM should wake up to the reality if he thinks his men in uniform are the finest out there. Torture and extra-judicial killings, especially in the deep South, are well documented by local and international organisations and foreign governments.

Defending the wrongdoings of officials does not help Thailand at all. It takes more courage to admit mistakes. It takes even more courage to punish your own kind for crimes they have committed.

PM's Office deputy spokesperson Maj-General Sansern Kaewkamnerd called on the community and organisations to treat the government with respect, particularly when it comes to information provided by the government in defence of itself.

He said martial law is applied only when necessary and that they did not make Thais feel uncomfortable. He went on to say that those who are uncomfortable with martial law were people who harboured "violent ideas".

There is no need for that kind of "you're with us or with them" mentality because it is not helpful to society. If anything, such a narrow-minded attitude really sheds a bad light on the current administration.

One hopes that Sansern was not suggesting that critics of these controversial laws and the use of military courts to try civilians are unpatriotic.

Scrutinising the governance of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) does not make one unpatriotic. The NCPO needs to understand that this junta is here today but will be gone tomorrow. Thailand, in whatever shape or form, and its various institutions will continue.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/Law-enforcement-needs-to-be-monitored-30256974.html

-- The Nation 2015-03-29

[Strangebrew]

On the issues in the south I would suggest A forum where the issues can be addressed. But with the understanding that the attacks must stop. You can't kill teachers and attack schools then complain your children aren't getting an education. You can't blow up companies and say there is no work. That is like cutting your nose off to spite your face. That a sit down with the leaders and civilized talks take place. And a compromise be forged. Thailand can't be expected to cut out a section of the country just for Muslims nor can Muslims expect Thailand to do so. If Muslims wish to have there own laws so be it but those laws should only be used on Muslims, Non Muslims are under Thai laws. This way invest would be more ready to flow south. After all is about doing what is right and fair.

[Somtamnication]

The problem with who polices the police is an age old question. The age old answer is that it is always the foxes who investigate the foxes.

[wabothai]

Integrety is the big word, monitoring (bywhom) means little.

[ToddinChonburi]

OH YES THE OLD, IF WE BLOW SH......T UP AND KILL PEOPLE WE WILL GET OUR OWN WAY !!!!!!

Bring in the exterminator and get rid of these rats.

This is Thailand live by Thai Laws or get the F ******** k OUT !!!!!!!

[taony]

About the first paragraph, its like my home country, the US . You don't like something, just call what you do something different. Example, its not torture, just enhanced interrigations etc etc.

At least here they are actually changing the law. But it will be a hell of a whole lot worse. Let's see how the anubahn spin it.

[Srikcir]

"Thai leaders need to make serious adjustment in the conduct of their law enforcement officers."

Ordinarily I'd agree.

But when you have an illegitimate government that exists through criminal acts under the 2007 Constitution, operating without consent of the Thai people, and relying on absolute powers granted to itself as the rule of law, how can the government make any credible change in the conduct of law enforcement officers? This will be a case of "Do as I say and not as I do."

[MaxLee]

"I have money, so I'm the law!!!!"

[weegee]

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, as well as others, have called on the government to allow grenade-attack suspects to have access to their family, lawyers, and independent physicians. They also stated that the case should be tried in civilian courts.

What a load of crap!!!!!!!!!!!!! are these people for real?

You throw a hand grenade and do someone in.....you pay the consequences !!!!

I see halal food is on the agenda too....what crap....eat what you like, not what you're forced too.....

[nithisa78]

the blind have spoken to the blind.

[bangon04]

"But the deputy PM should wake up to the reality if he thinks his men in uniform are the finest out there."

half of Thailand wears a uniform of some sort..... so it all comes down to how many medals you get to pin on your chest....that is the true measure of quality.