Bringing Thaksin To Account

[blaze]

What I am trying to understand is WHY we want to take Thaksin to account.

Was the crime that he circumvented the law for what he claimed to be the greater good?

Is the crime that he deprived others of due process? Well if that's a crime so was Tak Bai, Kreu Se and very possibly, Ratchaburi Hospital- and again- demanding that someone be 'brought to account'.

The crime is that he instigated a bout of violence that claimed lives of thousands of people. Should actual killers be brought to justice? It's practically impossible and I'm afraid there are no precedents on this.

Just like any genocide case - only top leaders are held responsible, foot soldiers get off scott free. Is it fair? No, but it's the best we can do.

If the crime is that he instigated the execution of thousands of people- then every Thai PM who has been in power when the death penalty has been applied, is guilty.

It's not that he instigated the execution of thousands of people- it is that he broke the law by denying suspects due process before instigating their execution.

In other words- his crime is that he circumvented the law- this led to the illegal execution of thousands. Had each of these people been tried in a criminal court, found guilty, and the ultimate legal punishment handed down- there would be no crime- in the legal sense.

Which raises the question: when is it permissable to circumvent the law?

[Plus]

If the crime is that he instigated the execution of thousands of people- then every Thai PM who has been in power when the death penalty has been applied, is guilty.

Death penalty is administered by the courts, not governments.

It's not that he instigated the execution of thousands of people- it is that he broke the law by denying suspects due process before instigating their execution.

That's how you describe murdering thousands of people in cold blood? "Denying due process"???

They were not even suspects, they didn't need to defend themselves as they were not charged with anything. Police or whoever else had no right whatsoever to "instigate execution" or administer any other kind of punishment.

Actual killers should be charged with murder, Thaksin charged as instigator or mastermind, not "denying due process".

[blaze]

If the crime is that he instigated the execution of thousands of people- then every Thai PM who has been in power when the death penalty has been applied, is guilty.

Death penalty is administered by the courts, not governments.

It's not that he instigated the execution of thousands of people- it is that he broke the law by denying suspects due process before instigating their execution.

That's how you describe murdering thousands of people in cold blood? "Denying due process"???

They were not even suspects, they didn't need to defend themselves as they were not charged with anything. Police or whoever else had no right whatsoever to "instigate execution" or administer any other kind of punishment.

Actual killers should be charged with murder, Thaksin charged as instigator or mastermind, not "denying due process".

Would it have been a crime had Thaksin instigated a round up of suspects wherein some were found guilty by courts and given the death penalty?

No. Not by Thai law.

The criminal component of this lies in the suspects being deprived of due process leading to their illegal execution. And part of due process includes, I think, a legal determination of who has authority to try and punish. When conducted by state officials that denial of due process constitutes state sanctioned murder. But had there BEEN due process- then under Thai law, even if 2000 people were executed- there would be no crime.

Certainly Plus, I agree- though maybe not every body would- these were murders. To put it very simply- it was a case of people in positions of authority circumventing the law- beause they had the power to do so- and they believed they had a popular mandate to do so.

Edited September 13, 2007 by blaze

[Plus]

But had there BEEN due process- then under Thai law, even if 2000 people were executed- there would be no crime.

That logic could be applied to any murder case. You just state that the victim deserved it and then say all I did was to deny the victim due process.

[ColPyat]

It was and is used by all media outlets, H.Rights and most individuals who are familiar with the evil it represents, namely the

" War On Drugs / Drug War " as it was introduced by the one and only infamous and evil Thaksin.

While the inclusion of other H.R.Abuses is o.k., they should not hijack the threads objectives.

Should anyone wish to debate them in detail then, IF other threads do not cover them already, then everyone is in a position to exercise their rights, as members, and start a new one off.

All H.R.Abuses are equally important and each deserves individual discussion, that is of course unless you are active in a thread along the lines of H.R. Abuses ( plural ) and this one had it been the objective to do so would have had a sub title to indicate such a subject matter.

To put them all under one umbrella would not give each case the full attention they deserve, chaos would prevail, ( as some are trying to instill into this thread, ) along with the obvious desired outcome of having the debate closed.

Due to the fact that certain members are continually going off topic with other issues, in spite of warnings and advice to

" Keep On Topic " i have to assume they are indeed out to troll, cause disruption and chaos ect. ect. to get their own agenda,s realised.

I would respectfully request the Mods take actions against the individuals if it is deemed neccessary, rather than close the thread and thereby penalise all the positive posts in support of the observations ( both sides of course ) of those relevant to the threads objectives.

After ignoring the usual warning, of course, to stay on topic.

marshbags

So, in short - you just want to say that Thaksin has to carry the sole guilt for the drug war killings, even though more than enough evidence has been presented that he was part of the decision making process together with most other sectors of the Thai power networks, but you don't want any discussion on this, and want the moderators to warn and punish people who do not have such a narrow perspective on the war on drugs, and try to introduce evidence that counters your very mistaken assumption.

Funny, in the forum rules it is written that discussion is allowed.

[marshbags]

The Nation..Breaking news

September 13, 2007 : Last updated 06:28 pm

Quote:-

Civil Court dismisses Thaksin's suit against Charan

The Civil Court Thursday ruled against launching a judicial review into a Bt2 billion lawsuit filed by former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

As plaintiff, Thaksin sued the Justice Ministry permanent-secretary Charan Pakdeethanakul for defamation stemming from his remarks last month.

He claimed damages on the grounds that Charan had linked him to more than 2,500 deaths relating to the war on drugs in 2003.

The court dismissed the case after pointing out Charan's comments cited by the plaintiff were actually legal opinions on an investigation into the unexplained, drug-related killings.

"Charan made no mention of the plaintiff by name nor did he try to single out any individual culpable for the killings," the ruling said.

The Nation

Unquote

Ref url:- http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingne...newsid=30048872

There are it seems, cracks / signs of the once infamously sharp mind for detail and legalities starting to show all over the place.

Happy days all around , but especially for the continued progress in Bringing Him to Account on the EJK,s and the long overdue and well deserved credit / accountability

marshbags

Edited September 13, 2007 by marshbags

[sriracha john]

Yet another frivolous Thaksin lawsuit gets thrown out.... what is his total up to now? Fifty rejections???

Court rejects Thaksin suit against Jarun

The Civil Court on Thursday rejected a two-billion-baht lawsuit filed by ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra against Justice permanent secretary Jarun Pukditanakul. Thaksin's lawyer Prachum Thongmee filed the case on August 27, accusing Jarun of defaming him in interviews with the press about the deaths of more than 2,500 people who were killed during the war on drugs that was launched under his administration. Jarun's interviews on Nov 14 last year and Aug 3 this year were blamed for mounting opposition among the British public to Mr Thaksin's acquisition of Manchester City Football Club, it said. The court reached the conclusion that the interviews did not confirm in any way that Jarun committed any wrongdoing, nor did he say that extra-judicial killings actually took place. Jarun only suggested further investigation into

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/b...s.php?id=121604

[Plus]

... more than enough evidence has been presented that he was part of the decision making process together with most other sectors of the Thai power networks.

In this case I haven't seen any evidence of anyone else making decisions but Thaksin. I don't remember anyone proposing various plans to prosecute the drug war and persuading Thaksin to accept them.

Surely people responsible for the death squads themselves knew what they were going to do but I haven't seen any evidence that they came to Thaksin with this plan themselves.

Speaking of "more than enough evidence" - there's no evidence whatsoever of death squads existence in the first place.

We can only guess their chain of command and so far they look pretty exclusive as no leaks has ever taken place. I'm pretty sure they don't have big ministerial office buildings, phone numbers, and name cards.

Regardless - why should Thaksin be exonerated of HIS crimes? He did his part and he should be punished for it. So far he hasn't pointed fingers at anyone else as an excuse.

[ColPyat]

Regardless - why should Thaksin be exonerated of HIS crimes? He did his part and he should be punished for it. So far he hasn't pointed fingers at anyone else as an excuse.

He shouldn't be exonerated.

Nevertheless, when the sham investigations are only limited to him as the one who gave the order, then the whole thing is a entirely fruitless exercise, and changes nothing in the system of using extra judicial killings as a semi-legitimate tool of the Thai state to fight what is declared an enemy of the state.

Which we can see now - Thaksin is gone, and the present powers use death squads again, as usual. While the debate is steered towards Thaksin, the brutalities go on with hardly any resistence. Blame Thaksin as much as you want, but as long as the system of informal power networks circumventing formal power is not dismantled, Thailand will stay the eternal under achiever stuck in banana republic status.

[Tony Clifton]

Regardless - why should Thaksin be exonerated of HIS crimes? He did his part and he should be punished for it. So far he hasn't pointed fingers at anyone else as an excuse.

He shouldn't be exonerated.

Nevertheless, when the sham investigations are only limited to him as the one who gave the order, then the whole thing is a entirely fruitless exercise, and changes nothing in the system of using extra judicial killings as a semi-legitimate tool of the Thai state to fight what is declared an enemy of the state.

Which we can see now - Thaksin is gone, and the present powers use death squads again, as usual. While the debate is steered towards Thaksin, the brutalities go on with hardly any resistence. Blame Thaksin as much as you want, but as long as the system of informal power networks circumventing formal power is not dismantled, Thailand will stay the eternal under achiever stuck in banana republic status.

Your daily ramblings about the death squads being used by present powers over and ooover remind me of the whole WMD thing. Even though it's based on one news article, if you repeat it often enough, some will actually believe it. Is that the goal?

Where are human rights critics on this issue?

They could use the subject to defend Dear Leader but where are the pro-Thaksin denouncing this?

[ColPyat]

Your daily ramblings about the death squads being used by present powers over and ooover remind me of the whole WMD thing. Even though it's based on one news article, if you repeat it often enough, some will actually believe it. Is that the goal?

Where are human rights critics on this issue?

They could use the subject to defend Dear Leader but where are the pro-Thaksin denouncing this?

I have known this for several months already, but this is actually the first journalistic article on one of the three vigilante groups presently committing extra judicial killings i know of. No, my knowledge is not based on one wire that was distributed by AP to the newspapers, but i have learned not to post anything anymore without it having appeared first in the media. And even if it appears in the media, some <deleted> prefer not to believe it because it goes against their ideologies, and the hogwash they are fed and which they prefer to believe in.

Where are they human rights activists? Well, i would like to know that as well, many are still far too busy with the drug war (and getting it mostly very wrong), trying to somehow finger it in the way so that Thaksin will have to take the blame for all while others have to come out without blemish (yet not necessarily forcing down a trial as the other factors would then risk of being exposed, if not in Thailand, then at least in foreign countries).

It is a difficult game to appear clean when you are not.

And, of course, this shadow world is almost impossible and exceedingly dangerous to investigate in.

The Human Rights debate in Thailand is dominated by selective hypocrisy combined with narrow and shortsighted political activism. And so is this thread here on the forum.

Edited September 14, 2007 by ColPyat

[sriracha john]

Leaving the derogatory name-calling to once again return to the topic....

Former addicts battle mistrust

One-fifth of 405,000 former drug addicts who underwent medical treatment and rehabilitation programmes launched by the previous government have returned to using drugs again, according to a report released recently by the Public Health Ministry. The report was based on the monitoring and evaluation of former drug addicts undergoing medical treatment and rehabilitation programmes at 5,700 rehabilitation centres and camps across the country from 2003 to 2006. Around 315,000 drug addicts were made to undergo those programmes in 2003 when the war on drugs was launched by the Thaksin Shinawatra government. Another 90,000 addicts joined the programmes between 2004 and 2006. Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) deputy secretary-general Pitthaya Jinawat, who is responsible for the national drugs prevention policy, said the treatment and rehabilitation programme during the Thaksin administration was considered to be ''a flop'' because it focused on the quantity of attendants, rather than the quality of the scheme.

Some addicts were made to attend the programme for only a few weeks, which was not enough, said Mr Pitthaya. Such a programme should take between four months and one year, depending on the severity of each individual's addiction to drugs.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/15Sep2007_news24.php

[marshbags]

Leaving the derogatory name-calling to once again return to the topic....

Former addicts battle mistrust

One-fifth of 405,000 former drug addicts who underwent medical treatment and rehabilitation programmes launched by the previous government have returned to using drugs again, according to a report released recently by the Public Health Ministry. The report was based on the monitoring and evaluation of former drug addicts undergoing medical treatment and rehabilitation programmes at 5,700 rehabilitation centres and camps across the country from 2003 to 2006. Around 315,000 drug addicts were made to undergo those programmes in 2003 when the war on drugs was launched by the Thaksin Shinawatra government. Another 90,000 addicts joined the programmes between 2004 and 2006. Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) deputy secretary-general Pitthaya Jinawat, who is responsible for the national drugs prevention policy, said the treatment and rehabilitation programme during the Thaksin administration was considered to be ''a flop'' because it focused on the quantity of attendants, rather than the quality of the scheme.

Some addicts were made to attend the programme for only a few weeks, which was not enough, said Mr Pitthaya. Such a programme should take between four months and one year, depending on the severity of each individual's addiction to drugs.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/15Sep2007_news24.php

Assessment, Medical treatment, Rehabilitaion sounds right to me and humanely superior to murderous extinction.

If i may add Education, Continued monitoring and ongoing support both medically and economically with meaningful employment to get out of the scenario of feeling worthless, poor and easy targets for the dealers / suppliers ect. ect.

IMHO of course.

marshbags

P.S.

To quote C.P,s take on this thread in post 912:-

The Human Rights debate in Thailand is dominated by selective hypocrisy combined with narrow and shortsighted political activism. And so is this thread here on the forum.

Unquote

It is not only derogatory but a load of <deleted>.

Prehaps you should use your democratic right and leave the thread then C.P. instead of being an active contributor if you truly think this is the case.

Edited September 15, 2007 by marshbags

[Plus]

I have known this for several months already, but this is actually the first journalistic article on one of the three vigilante groups presently committing extra judicial killings i know of.

There's a big difference between vigilante groups taking revenge on an opposite ethnic group in a war zone area and the government secretly employing covert death squads in direct contradiction to publicly declared policies.

For one thing, defense volunteers are formed legally and their existence is known to anyone who cares, including Colpyat. You have names and ranks in the news, and when they overstep their limits it is being noticed.

Thaksin's death squads have never been acknowledged. They may be very well operating in the south now, or their activities could have been curbed under present government.

There's no evidence either way, and we don't know what the present government reaction would be if their existence came to light.

Unless Colpyat can show that the government is using the same squads and same tactics in the south, there's no reason to link this thread to violence there.

Buddhist vigilantes is not the link.

[hammered]

Regardless - why should Thaksin be exonerated of HIS crimes? He did his part and he should be punished for it. So far he hasn't pointed fingers at anyone else as an excuse.

He shouldn't be exonerated.

Nevertheless, when the sham investigations are only limited to him as the one who gave the order, then the whole thing is a entirely fruitless exercise, and changes nothing in the system of using extra judicial killings as a semi-legitimate tool of the Thai state to fight what is declared an enemy of the state.

Which we can see now - Thaksin is gone, and the present powers use death squads again, as usual. While the debate is steered towards Thaksin, the brutalities go on with hardly any resistence. Blame Thaksin as much as you want, but as long as the system of informal power networks circumventing formal power is not dismantled, Thailand will stay the eternal under achiever stuck in banana republic status.

Hi colpyat.

The system of networks you refer to are not going to be disolved any time soon, and no elected government of any persuasion will do away them either. Truth is they exist outside and inside the the formal power system, and manipulate and control the formal power system, and different networks are used by differnet sides. Right now the struggle is just to see which side of the coin lands face up. Then they can give their opponents a shafting. To rid Thailand of these completley would take more than some politcal will, which doesnt exist. It would take a complete change in society and culture.

[Plus]

...complete change in society and culture.

That's the crux of Colpyat's argument - Thailand should completely get rid of its "system".

All his contributions stem from this idea, and all contributions lead to it. Drug war, south, coup - he'll denounce any solution unless it incorporates "system change". No political party gets his recognition unless it's against the system - that's the main reason he called them "conservative" and "right", just a few pages ago.

Colpyat's really single minded in that sense.

[ColPyat]

Leaving the derogatory name-calling to once again return to the topic....

Former addicts battle mistrust

One-fifth of 405,000 former drug addicts who underwent medical treatment and rehabilitation programmes launched by the previous government have returned to using drugs again, according to a report released recently by the Public Health Ministry. The report was based on the monitoring and evaluation of former drug addicts undergoing medical treatment and rehabilitation programmes at 5,700 rehabilitation centres and camps across the country from 2003 to 2006. Around 315,000 drug addicts were made to undergo those programmes in 2003 when the war on drugs was launched by the Thaksin Shinawatra government. Another 90,000 addicts joined the programmes between 2004 and 2006. Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) deputy secretary-general Pitthaya Jinawat, who is responsible for the national drugs prevention policy, said the treatment and rehabilitation programme during the Thaksin administration was considered to be ''a flop'' because it focused on the quantity of attendants, rather than the quality of the scheme.

Some addicts were made to attend the programme for only a few weeks, which was not enough, said Mr Pitthaya. Such a programme should take between four months and one year, depending on the severity of each individual's addiction to drugs.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/15Sep2007_news24.php

This is proof how the drug debate in Thailand is led by selective hypocrisy and narrow political games.

Only 1/5the returned to drugs? If the numbers are correct, this would be by any standard a very good result. You will have much lower success rates in therapy programs in the west.

Edit:

In the next months though i predict that we will see a huge rise in drug addiction rates in Thailand. The economy is collapsing, factories are closing, and that will have a direct effect. Already now crime rates are shooting up, and the massive drug business is making a return.

Edited September 15, 2007 by ColPyat

[meemiathai]

I did not read all posts.

But do people really think a leader in a corrupted country should be or could be 100% honest? Can act like a gentleman and solve every problem with a proper way? Can survive if he doesn't use some dirty tricks?

It is about balancing the interests between powerful people of the country and the country itself. Do you think Thaksin himself, just one person could make this country more or less corruptive?

My opinion is that he got oust because he was just not venemous enough. And had tried too much to better the country thus offending too much powerful people. The coup happened just because the military worried Thaksin getting too much power.

I will cut my head off if there is just one leader of a country in the whole world that never lies!

Edited September 15, 2007 by meemiathai

[ColPyat]

I have known this for several months already, but this is actually the first journalistic article on one of the three vigilante groups presently committing extra judicial killings i know of.

There's a big difference between vigilante groups taking revenge on an opposite ethnic group in a war zone area and the government secretly employing covert death squads in direct contradiction to publicly declared policies.

For one thing, defense volunteers are formed legally and their existence is known to anyone who cares, including Colpyat. You have names and ranks in the news, and when they overstep their limits it is being noticed.

Thaksin's death squads have never been acknowledged. They may be very well operating in the south now, or their activities could have been curbed under present government.

There's no evidence either way, and we don't know what the present government reaction would be if their existence came to light.

Unless Colpyat can show that the government is using the same squads and same tactics in the south, there's no reason to link this thread to violence there.

Buddhist vigilantes is not the link.

The vigilante groups are not the two well known village defense volunteer organisations (Or Lor Bor and Chor Lor Bor), they are completely separate, even though some members of the Or Lor Bor are also members of the shadow groups.

Instead of flaming me, enlighten us please about the other two vigilante groups apart from Ruam Thai - names, organizational structure, arms available to them, funding, etc.

Because i have not seen any of that in the news.

[ColPyat]

Hi colpyat.

The system of networks you refer to are not going to be disolved any time soon, and no elected government of any persuasion will do away them either. Truth is they exist outside and inside the the formal power system, and manipulate and control the formal power system, and different networks are used by differnet sides. Right now the struggle is just to see which side of the coin lands face up. Then they can give their opponents a shafting. To rid Thailand of these completley would take more than some politcal will, which doesnt exist. It would take a complete change in society and culture.

Yes, thank you for a reasonable post.

You are right, there is very little political will (though it is slowly increasing). The problem though is that as long as this system exists nothing will change - Human Rights abuses will continue in Thailand, and all the talk about investigating the drug war killings is only a political game.

[Tony Clifton]

Leaving the derogatory name-calling to once again return to the topic....

Former addicts battle mistrust

One-fifth of 405,000 former drug addicts who underwent medical treatment and rehabilitation programmes launched by the previous government have returned to using drugs again, according to a report released recently by the Public Health Ministry. The report was based on the monitoring and evaluation of former drug addicts undergoing medical treatment and rehabilitation programmes at 5,700 rehabilitation centres and camps across the country from 2003 to 2006. Around 315,000 drug addicts were made to undergo those programmes in 2003 when the war on drugs was launched by the Thaksin Shinawatra government. Another 90,000 addicts joined the programmes between 2004 and 2006. Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) deputy secretary-general Pitthaya Jinawat, who is responsible for the national drugs prevention policy, said the treatment and rehabilitation programme during the Thaksin administration was considered to be ''a flop'' because it focused on the quantity of attendants, rather than the quality of the scheme.

Some addicts were made to attend the programme for only a few weeks, which was not enough, said Mr Pitthaya. Such a programme should take between four months and one year, depending on the severity of each individual's addiction to drugs.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/15Sep2007_news24.php

This is proof how the drug debate in Thailand is led by selective hypocrisy and narrow political games.

Only 1/5the returned to drugs? If the numbers are correct, this would be by any standard a very good result. You will have much lower success rates in therapy programs in the west.

Edit:

In the next months though i predict that we will see a huge rise in drug addiction rates in Thailand. The economy is collapsing, factories are closing, and that will have a direct effect. Already now crime rates are shooting up, and the massive drug business is making a return.

Funny enough that the numbers are from 2003 to 2006, starting back when an ex-PM had his controversial war on drugs and declared the country free of them afterwards, making it a "success".

Maybe this latest "success" report can also fit the "Corruption Probes: Ministers Won't Point The Finger " topic, trying justify a drug war to ease the burden on Dear Leader.

[hammered]

Leaving the derogatory name-calling to once again return to the topic....

Former addicts battle mistrust

One-fifth of 405,000 former drug addicts who underwent medical treatment and rehabilitation programmes launched by the previous government have returned to using drugs again, according to a report released recently by the Public Health Ministry. The report was based on the monitoring and evaluation of former drug addicts undergoing medical treatment and rehabilitation programmes at 5,700 rehabilitation centres and camps across the country from 2003 to 2006. Around 315,000 drug addicts were made to undergo those programmes in 2003 when the war on drugs was launched by the Thaksin Shinawatra government. Another 90,000 addicts joined the programmes between 2004 and 2006. Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) deputy secretary-general Pitthaya Jinawat, who is responsible for the national drugs prevention policy, said the treatment and rehabilitation programme during the Thaksin administration was considered to be ''a flop'' because it focused on the quantity of attendants, rather than the quality of the scheme.

Some addicts were made to attend the programme for only a few weeks, which was not enough, said Mr Pitthaya. Such a programme should take between four months and one year, depending on the severity of each individual's addiction to drugs.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/15Sep2007_news24.php

This is proof how the drug debate in Thailand is led by selective hypocrisy and narrow political games.

Only 1/5the returned to drugs? If the numbers are correct, this would be by any standard a very good result. You will have much lower success rates in therapy programs in the west.

Edit:

In the next months though i predict that we will see a huge rise in drug addiction rates in Thailand. The economy is collapsing, factories are closing, and that will have a direct effect. Already now crime rates are shooting up, and the massive drug business is making a return.

One effect of the drug war was to drive culture a lot deeper underground. This probably affects the numbers admiting to having returned to drugs or having taken them in first place.

[ColPyat]

One effect of the drug war was to drive culture a lot deeper underground. This probably affects the numbers admiting to having returned to drugs or having taken them in first place.

It also did effect the numbers themselves.

No drug war will have any effect without the underlying root causes changed. To some degree Thaksin's government did change some of these causes with his populist programs, and the perception of empowerment. Since a few months though drugs have been massively coming back. There are several factors responsible, and of course not all are fault of the present government. Changed strategies by the traffickers towards smaller shipments by single couriers and not as previously large heavily protected caravans make it more difficult for the security forces to intercept shipments. The entry points of trafficking are more diversified.

The slackening economy is empowring the drug business, and so does the frustration level under the poorer sectors of society. And there the government is partly at fault.

Another problem is a weakening of law enforcement. Regardless of propaganda - old style corruption of police and street mafias has fully returned as it was before.

I am watching it with concern. For several years now my neighborhood was relatively alright with drugs. They were available, of course, but very underground. Now, since a few months that has changed, and is far more in the open again. Even in front of my house, at night, drugs are regularly sold. Which i do not appreciate very much, obviously.

[Mid]

Six subcommittees to probe Thaksin drug war killings

Sunday 23 September 2007 01:40:20 PM (GMT+7:00)

BANGKOK, Sept 23 (TNA) - Six sets of subcommittee members have been selected to investigate extra-judicial killings during the ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra administration, according to Kanit Na Nakhon, former attorney general who chairs a special committee probing the issue.

Mr. Kanit said after chairing a meeting Saturday that the committees on the first of October will start investigating the 'war on drugs campaign', launched by the government during 2003 and 2004. Some 2,500 persons are believed to be killed throughout Thailand during this campaign.

He said the subcommittees would speed investigation and try to wrap up their cases before the current interim government leaves office.

However, should the subcommittees be unable to finish the probe within the given timeframe, subcommittees will continue working in the next government, to be formed after the tentative December 23 general election, according to Mr. Kanit.

He said he believed that the subcommittees would face no problem in performing their mandate, because of a huge support from the general public.

The cabinet in mid-August approved of establishing an independent committee to conduct the retro-investigation into the alleged extra-judicial killings during the 'war on drugs campaign' launched by the preceding government.

A primary reason for the special committees is also to clarify the matter in the international community. (TNA) - E111

MCOT Public Company Limited.

[Coffee Drinker]

Justice panel to review TRT cabinet meetings

Thaksin's drugs war policy under scrutiny

By Supawadee Inthawong, Bangkok Post

An independent committee looking into alleged extra-judicial killings during the 2003 war on drugs has agreed to examine Thaksin Shinawatra's cabinet meetings to find out more about the drugs war policy blamed for more than 2,500 deaths. A source close to the committee said the members deemed it necessary to study and analyse what was discussed during the cabinet meetings at the time.

According to the source, the minutes of the meetings might offer clues as to how the policy laid down by deposed prime minister Thaksin turned violent.

The committee, chaired by former attorney-general Khanit na Nakhon, met yesterday to study preliminary information supplied by state agencies.

Committee secretary Charnchao Chaiyanukij said that a key piece of information was a recording of an anti-drugs meeting between Mr Thaksin and provincial governors and senior interior officials.

The committee was recently set up to study the formation and implementation of drug suppression policies during the Thaksin administration and six sub-committees were formed to assist it in its work.

Jarun Pukditanakul, permanent secretary for justice and head of a sub-panel, said yesterday the committee needed more information from the public and the media as most of the details to date had come from state agencies.

Mr Jarun's panel is tasked with investigating the policy makers who were behind the war on drugs in 2003.

Kraisak Choonhavan, who chairs a sub-committee on the international community, said his panel has requested data from international organisations to supply information about human rights violations in the war on drugs.

These agencies include the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, he said.

Mr Khanit, meanwhile, said the committee might not be able to complete its job by the time the interim government leaves office. A general election has been scheduled for December 23.

He said the committee members were aware that the task is extremely difficult.

''But a change of government should not be a problem as long as our work has support from the public,'' he said.

The committee's next meeting is scheduled for Oct 27.

[Tony Clifton]

Which ex-TRT cabinet minister recently admitted that their sensitive/controversial meetings were practically never recorded?

Edited September 23, 2007 by Tony Clifton

[blaze]

Which ex-TRT cabinet minister recently admitted that their sensitive/controversial meetings were practically never recorded?

Richard Nixon?

[marshbags]

Breaking News..... B.Post....10-10-2007 16:04

Quote:-

ONCB freezes B30 mln of 'drug money'

Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) on Wednesday froze 30 million baht that was found stuffed inside lengths of PVC pipe buried under kitchen floor in a house in Narathiwat.

Unquote

Ref. the url for the full B.News article

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/b...s.php?id=122507

The house is owned by Eso Yago, who is being investigated for alleged involvement in narcotics trafficking.

Anyone familiar with this guy please ?

The PVC pipes must be the extra large ones to stuff that amount of readies in, the mind boggles at visualising the

30 mil.

This could eventually be put into the kitty / made good use of, to compliment any other compensation the EKJ victims are paid.

We all would hope of course they have already been given some assistance in a meaningful way.

Kudos to the ONCB for makinig public their discovery.

marshbags

Edited October 10, 2007 by marshbags

[sriracha john]

Related thread:

Thai Drug Killings - YouTube Videos on the war on drugs under Thaksin

[marshbags]

Related thread:

Thai Drug Killings - YouTube Videos on the war on drugs under Thaksin

Hiya S.J.

Tried to access the url but " due to a board error ???? " unable to do so.

The error returned was:

Sorry, the link that brought you to this page seems to be out of date or broken.

I,ve also done a search on several forums but cannot locate it either, could it have been removed for admin purposes.?

marshbags