Bringing Thaksin To Account

[sriracha john]

In the most damning report yet....

Drug war toll blamed on last government

Politicians gave the orders, says inquiry panel

Policy-makers in the Thaksin Shinawatra administration should take responsibility for the heavy-handed approach in the war on drugs that resulted in the extra-judicial killings of 2,500 people, an independent inquiry panel says. The responsibility should culminate in criminal action, said the Independent Commission for Study and Analysis of the Formation and Implementation of Drug Suppression Policy (ICID), chaired by former Attorney-General Khanit na Nakhon. ICID secretary Chanchao Chaiyanukij said yesterday the panel, which is preparing a progress report on its investigation into the deaths of 2,500 people during the three-month anti-drugs drive from Feb 1 to April 30, 2003, plans to make the recommendation in that report. Chanchao said the ICID found that ''politicians who laid down the anti-drug policy'' should be held accountable as they gave orders and instructions that resulted in mis-enforcement of policy causing social damage. A source close to the inquiry said the recommendation is largely based on the findings of a sub-committee headed by Office of the Narcotics Control Board Secretary-General Kitti Limchaikij. The sub-committee's chief pieces of evidence include cabinet resolutions from Jan 2-April 22 in 2003, speeches by Thaksin and guidelines laid down by the Centre to Fight Against Drugs. ''Those who implemented the orders thought they could do whatever it took to meet the target which was to reduce drug traffickers,'' said the source. The inquiry is an attempt to set a precedent in terms of political accountability.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/02Dec2007_news01.php

Edited December 1, 2007 by sriracha john

[marshbags]

In the most damning report yet....

Drug war toll blamed on last government

Politicians gave the orders, says inquiry panel

Policy-makers in the Thaksin Shinawatra administration should take responsibility for the heavy-handed approach in the war on drugs that resulted in the extra-judicial killings of 2,500 people, an independent inquiry panel says. The responsibility should culminate in criminal action, said the Independent Commission for Study and Analysis of the Formation and Implementation of Drug Suppression Policy (ICID), chaired by former Attorney-General Khanit na Nakhon. ICID secretary Chanchao Chaiyanukij said yesterday the panel, which is preparing a progress report on its investigation into the deaths of 2,500 people during the three-month anti-drugs drive from Feb 1 to April 30, 2003, plans to make the recommendation in that report. Chanchao said the ICID found that ''politicians who laid down the anti-drug policy'' should be held accountable as they gave orders and instructions that resulted in mis-enforcement of policy causing social damage. A source close to the inquiry said the recommendation is largely based on the findings of a sub-committee headed by Office of the Narcotics Control Board Secretary-General Kitti Limchaikij. The sub-committee's chief pieces of evidence include cabinet resolutions from Jan 2-April 22 in 2003, speeches by Thaksin and guidelines laid down by the Centre to Fight Against Drugs. ''Those who implemented the orders thought they could do whatever it took to meet the target which was to reduce drug traffickers,'' said the source. The inquiry is an attempt to set a precedent in terms of political accountability.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/02Dec2007_news01.php

This is a very courageous report by the ICID and in particular for Chanchao Chaiyanukij for speaking out forcefully about their findings and not leaving any doubt were they point the finger regarding accountability.

A damning report indeed and clearly laying the blame in Chapter 4 on the adopted policies of Thaksin, his administration and the police.

If i may be allowed to further quote part of the article:-

The highlight of the report, which will be submitted to the government early next year, is Chapter 4 which studies the drug crackdown during February 1-April 30 2003, said the source.

A heavy-handed approach was widely adopted by government agencies taking part in the drug war, in particular police.

I for one was expecting a watered down version to take into account the political uncertainty and the next elected government.

Kudos to all those who rightly laid the blame were it belongs, let us hope it is not in vain and those who have been found responsible of these murders are not in a position to carry out a vendetta against the ICID or Thailands under privileged

May we also hope those who are electioneering within the PPP / ( TRT ) are not allowed to follow the EJK,s up with what would surely be a far more frightening scenario.

The reference to a progress report being submitted to the elected prime minister in January next year could also render the outcome of the findings nill and void within Thailand if a certain party are elected !!!!!!!!! ??????

The fact that while they say it has been found, half those murdered were innocent and in no way connected to drugs, and also that as none of the others were given a chance to defend themselves and therefore all were innocent until found guilty.

( These by the way are only estimates and can be taken as being on the low side reagarding statistics / numbers. )

This is surely a most dastardly and despicable crime projected for self gain and failed political greatness.

Thaksin and his henchmen knew exactly what the objectives were all about and for sure they were not intent on getting rid of the drugs.

Otherwise as we all know, several of his associates would have been the first to be apprehended / murdered, EJK style, but then again they are after all untouchable PUYAI and even simple arrest was completely out of the question in their case.

marshbags and

Edited December 2, 2007 by marshbags

[jackspratt]

Investigations revealed that half of slain people on War on Drugs campaign had not relation with narcotics

The Office of Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) recently formed a committee to investigate extra-judicial killings and issues revolving around the former government’s war on drugs. The committee convened for a meeting that allowed academics and other officials to attend and revealed that some 1,400 of the 2,500 deaths during the crackdown had little or nothing to do with narcotics.

A representative of the ONCB disclosed that because policies during the war were ambiguous as to the definitions of drug related crimes many people may have been mistaken or wrongly labeled.

Prosecutor’s stated that many of the police who participated in the war on drugs aided in the later investigation which has been carried out by the current government.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 28 November 2007

I am waiting for their take on this, from the apologists and hang 'em high brigade, who earlier seemed content with the whole idea that a few innocent bystanders getting killed was a price that was OK to pay.

How about 1,400?

You know who you are!

[ando]

Canvasser for PPP arrested

Chiang Rai - Police have arrested a local leader, who is reportedly a canvasser for the People Power Party (PPP), for alleged involvement in the possession of methamphetamines. Jankaew Suprakarn, a former kamnan of tambon Pasak of Chiang Saen district in Chiang Rai, was linked to the illegal activity after police arrested his son Boonchuay and other suspects for possessing 240,000 speed pills in 2005. Jankaew was detained under an arrest warrant issued in 2005 after police broadened their investigation into his son's case. He denied the allegation during police interrogation yesterday.

According to a local source, Jankaew, who was previously known as being one of seven influential kamnans in areas near the Thai-Burmese border in Chiang Rai, had served as a key canvasser for many politicians in the North.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/29Nov2007_news07.php

A short while back the Junta said they wouldn't lift martial law in some Northern Provinces because of "a drug problem", rather than to stifle opposition to the military regieme and its backers. Now, as the election draws close the Police arrest a local headman who is canvassing for the PPP, -- on 2 year old "alleged evidence" linking him to drug trafficking by his son back in 2005. Very convenient timing me thinks. And probably more to come in the lead up to voting I would think. Just coincidence, or careful electoral timing? Who cares if it is a cocked up charge. The election will be over before the truth comes out, and then it wont matter one way or the other. In the meantime a strong PPP canvasser has been taken out of the equation. His reputation and that of the PPP has been smeared and military Junta has been vindicated for keeping those opposed to them under martial law. Ain't democracy wonderful?

[sriracha john]

What was the link between him and his son's quarter of million yaba pills?

[hammered]

What was the link between him and his son's quarter of million yaba pills?

hmmm. let me think. wouldnt be proxy would it?

[blaze]

What was the link between him and his son's quarter of million yaba pills?

convenience?

[sriracha john]

WAR ON DRUGS

Panel says Thaksin to blame for deaths

Committee chief Kanit to submit findings to government next month

The Kanit na Kakhon panel yesterday pinned the blame on former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra for killings during the 2003 war on drugs. The former chief prosecutor drew this conclusion at yesterday's session vetting his panel report.

The findings will be submitted to the government next month.

"On January 14, 2003 Thaksin chaired a meeting of provincial governors, police chiefs and heads of agencies and instructed them to wage all-out war on illicit drugs, classified as a national security threat which must be resolved without mercy, and any casualties were deemed necessary," the report said in one of its findings.

Key developments include:

- The unveiling of a drug-suppression policy to Parliament on February 26, 2001

- A target set by the Thaksin administration to cut drug trafficking by 25 per cent

- Thaksin's directive for "iron-fist" measures to uproot drug traffickers

- Two-week preparations for launching the fight against drugs from February to April 2003

- The formation of a National Centre for Drug Suppression to draw up a blacklist of traffickers

- Encouraging authorities to shorten the blacklist by extra-judicial killings

and

- A statement on the record by Thaksin in a March 23, 2003 meeting that traffickers could go to two places only, jail or a funeral.

The report outlined 2,656 cases of drug-related killings involving 2,921 deaths during the three-month campaign.

Of the death toll, 1,520 victims were reported as drug-related deaths, but the probe found brawls, robberies and domestic arguments had been responsible.

Mystery still surrounds 339 cases. Of the 1,176 cases involving 1,329 deaths that police classified as silence killings, 1,164 remain unsolved.

- The Nation

Edited December 23, 2007 by sriracha john

[John K]

Probably the most significant post in this thread. I can’t help but wonder if it was timed to be on election day or one year after Saddam found the end of the hangman’s rope.

[Tony Clifton]

Canvasser for PPP arrested

Chiang Rai - Police have arrested a local leader, who is reportedly a canvasser for the People Power Party (PPP), for alleged involvement in the possession of methamphetamines. Jankaew Suprakarn, a former kamnan of tambon Pasak of Chiang Saen district in Chiang Rai, was linked to the illegal activity after police arrested his son Boonchuay and other suspects for possessing 240,000 speed pills in 2005. Jankaew was detained under an arrest warrant issued in 2005 after police broadened their investigation into his son's case. He denied the allegation during police interrogation yesterday.

According to a local source, Jankaew, who was previously known as being one of seven influential kamnans in areas near the Thai-Burmese border in Chiang Rai, had served as a key canvasser for many politicians in the North.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/29Nov2007_news07.php

A short while back the Junta said they wouldn't lift martial law in some Northern Provinces because of "a drug problem", rather than to stifle opposition to the military regieme and its backers. Now, as the election draws close the Police arrest a local headman who is canvassing for the PPP, -- on 2 year old "alleged evidence" linking him to drug trafficking by his son back in 2005. Very convenient timing me thinks. And probably more to come in the lead up to voting I would think. Just coincidence, or careful electoral timing? Who cares if it is a cocked up charge. The election will be over before the truth comes out, and then it wont matter one way or the other. In the meantime a strong PPP canvasser has been taken out of the equation. His reputation and that of the PPP has been smeared and military Junta has been vindicated for keeping those opposed to them under martial law. Ain't democracy wonderful?

And I thought all comedy writers were on strike.

PPP brand new party Reputation Smeeeaaared.

:bah:

[marshbags]

WAR ON DRUGS

Panel says Thaksin to blame for deaths

Committee chief Kanit to submit findings to government next month

The Kanit na Kakhon panel yesterday pinned the blame on former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra for killings during the 2003 war on drugs. The former chief prosecutor drew this conclusion at yesterday's session vetting his panel report.

The findings will be submitted to the government next month.

"On January 14, 2003 Thaksin chaired a meeting of provincial governors, police chiefs and heads of agencies and instructed them to wage all-out war on illicit drugs, classified as a national security threat which must be resolved without mercy, and any casualties were deemed necessary," the report said in one of its findings.

Key developments include:

- The unveiling of a drug-suppression policy to Parliament on February 26, 2001

- A target set by the Thaksin administration to cut drug trafficking by 25 per cent

- Thaksin's directive for "iron-fist" measures to uproot drug traffickers

- Two-week preparations for launching the fight against drugs from February to April 2003

- The formation of a National Centre for Drug Suppression to draw up a blacklist of traffickers

- Encouraging authorities to shorten the blacklist by extra-judicial killings

and

- A statement on the record by Thaksin in a March 23, 2003 meeting that traffickers could go to two places only, jail or a funeral.

The report outlined 2,656 cases of drug-related killings involving 2,921 deaths during the three-month campaign.

Of the death toll, 1,520 victims were reported as drug-related deaths, but the probe found brawls, robberies and domestic arguments had been responsible.

Mystery still surrounds 339 cases. Of the 1,176 cases involving 1,329 deaths that police classified as silence killings, 1,164 remain unsolved.

- The Nation

This is a just result for all those victims and their families / loved ones.

I,m very pleased they have made this official before the elections begin.

It will make it difficult for anyone so minded to annul it and sweep it under the carpet, should they be in a position to do so afterwards.

It would be a meaningless action because at the end of the day, world wide knowledge and the consequent revulsion of the EJK,s, which has now been published in detail will only magnify what he has cold bloodly done and the demand by everyone to make him accountable.

Add to this the evidence of other H. Rights offences that we are able to pursue via modern technology and in recent times.

Thailand is only a minor player relating to accountabliity ( not in a derogratory way as the majority of Thai,s in general are of the same opinion regarding the evil implications. )

Fortunately world opinion will eventually make him accountable outside the counrty he is intent on destroying as has been shown during his exile.

He couldn,t care less about the welfare of the lesser priviledged members of society and is yet again using those who will go ahead and vote for his surrogate party.

Knowing full well his intentions are and always have been for self / selfish interests and the choosen few within his unethical gruop of so called elite.

The outcome of the investigation is clear and damning and points the blame exactly were it rightly should be.

Let us not forget the actions of a similar nature in the south, that took place either as they are yet to be addressed.

A merry christmas, like fukc it is, not for the victims and loved ones of his evil and dastardly misuse of all the institutions invloved, who carried out his orders.

Bah Humbug, what a load of crap this saying is in relevance to what christmas is meant to be about.

Goodwill, Peace, Love, Caring for your fellow man / woman, sharing happiness and most important of all the religious meaning to all wherever they may come from and who their particular god is.

May the new year bring about a fair and just outcome of todays events and end with a peaceful solution in all aspects and in doing so demonstrate the true virues of what chrismas is really meant to represent.

May we also see and end to all the evil done in the name of so called democracy not only in Thailand but all over the wolrd.

Please God or whoever your symbolization of a creator may be and it,s possible equivalent may be

Respectfully to all denominations, worthy of inclusion.

marshbags

Personally my conscience will not allow me to say otherwise.

Edited December 23, 2007 by marshbags

[hammered]

WAR ON DRUGS

Panel says Thaksin to blame for deaths

Committee chief Kanit to submit findings to government next month

The Kanit na Kakhon panel yesterday pinned the blame on former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra for killings during the 2003 war on drugs. The former chief prosecutor drew this conclusion at yesterday's session vetting his panel report.

The findings will be submitted to the government next month.

"On January 14, 2003 Thaksin chaired a meeting of provincial governors, police chiefs and heads of agencies and instructed them to wage all-out war on illicit drugs, classified as a national security threat which must be resolved without mercy, and any casualties were deemed necessary," the report said in one of its findings.

Key developments include:

- The unveiling of a drug-suppression policy to Parliament on February 26, 2001

- A target set by the Thaksin administration to cut drug trafficking by 25 per cent

- Thaksin's directive for "iron-fist" measures to uproot drug traffickers

- Two-week preparations for launching the fight against drugs from February to April 2003

- The formation of a National Centre for Drug Suppression to draw up a blacklist of traffickers

- Encouraging authorities to shorten the blacklist by extra-judicial killings

and

- A statement on the record by Thaksin in a March 23, 2003 meeting that traffickers could go to two places only, jail or a funeral.

The report outlined 2,656 cases of drug-related killings involving 2,921 deaths during the three-month campaign.

Of the death toll, 1,520 victims were reported as drug-related deaths, but the probe found brawls, robberies and domestic arguments had been responsible.

Mystery still surrounds 339 cases. Of the 1,176 cases involving 1,329 deaths that police classified as silence killings, 1,164 remain unsolved.

- The Nation

This is a just result for all those victims and their families / loved ones.

I,m very pleased they have made this official before the elections begin.

It will make it difficult for anyone so minded to annul it and sweep it under the carpet, should they be in a position to do so afterwards.

It would be a meaningless action because at the end of the day, world wide knowledge and the consequent revulsion of the EJK,s, which has now been published in detail will only magnify what he has cold bloodly done and the demand by everyone to make him accountable.

Add to this the evidence of other H. Rights offences that we are able to pursue via modern technology and in recent times.

Thailand is only a minor player relating to accountabliity ( not in a derogratory way as the majority of Thai,s in general are of the same opinion regarding the evil implications. )

Fortunately world opinion will eventually make him accountable outside the counrty he is intent on destroying as has been shown during his exile.

He couldn,t care less about the welfare of the lesser priviledged members of society and is yet again using those who will go ahead and vote for his surrogate party.

Knowing full well his intentions are and always have been for self / selfish interests and the choosen few within his unethical gruop of so called elite.

The outcome of the investigation is clear and damning and points the blame exactly were it rightly should be.

Let us not forget the actions of a similar nature in the south, that took place either as they are yet to be addressed.

A merry christmas, like fukc it is, not for the victims and loved ones of his evil and dastardly misuse of all the institutions invloved, who carried out his orders.

Bah Humbug, what a load of crap this saying is in relevance to what christmas is meant to be about.

Goodwill, Peace, Love, Caring for your fellow man / woman, sharing happiness and most important of all the religious meaning to all wherever they may come from and who their particular god is.

May the new year bring about a fair and just outcome of todays events and end with a peaceful solution in all aspects and in doing so demonstrate the true virues of what chrismas is really meant to represent.

May we also see and end to all the evil done in the name of so called democracy not only in Thailand but all over the wolrd.

Please God or whoever your symbolization of a creator may be and it,s possible equivalent may be

Respectfully to all denominations, worthy of inclusion.

marshbags

Personally my conscience will not allow me to say otherwise.

Marshbags you'll still get PM Samak greeting Mr T at the airport in a valentines day love fest as he returns a hero, and heros must have all indictments against them disproved by behind the scenes shenanignas as in 2001 as later told by a retired judge. Oh and things may have moved on from Ts drug war if Chalerm and his sons start leaping around the country offing anyone they dont like and sticking a couple of ya ba pills in their hands while ignoring the cuff marks on their wrists from recently removed restraints.

What Thaksin learned a long time ago and few others remember is that elections trump judicial process. He remembers it well from 2001. Why else did he say he would return on Feb 14 if people gave PPP more than 240 seats?

[marshbags]

Perspective >> Sunday December 23, 2007

Ref url:- http://www.bangkokpost.com/231207_Perspect...007_pers006.php

COMMENTARY

Capital crimes explained

THONGBAI THONGPAO

Quote

A friend recently asked me what are capital offences under Thai law. I told him most of the capital offences were prescribed under the Penal Code, which has been in effect for more than half a century.

Among the capital offences in the code are:

- Offences against the King, the Queen, the Heir-Apparent and the Regent, for both the masterminds and conspirators (sections 107-111).

- Offences against the internal and external security of the Kingdom for those who have caused insurrections, subjected the country to foreign sovereignty, taken up arms against the country, assisted an enemy of the state, or engaged in espionage (sections 113, 119, 121, 122, 124 and 127).

- Terrorist offences, added during the Thaksin Shinawatra government (Section 135).

The last part of the article is quoted in relation to the drug EJK,s and others relating to members of the police, who put the law into their own hands as follows :-

He also remarked on two interesting developments involving the death penalty in Thailand.

First, although the penalty exists, it has hardly been executed in recent years and no executions are expected in the near future.

Second, the capital punishment has increasingly been used as a basis for punishment commutation. For example, someone convicted of a capital offence will get a commuted sentence - to life imprisonment or 25 years in jail - if he/she confesses.

What's more of a concern these days than capital punishment is that officials who sometimes put the law in their own hands have allegedly been guilty of extrajudicial killings.

In such a case a suspect has no chance for justice.

The suspect may not even know why the police have come for him/her.

marshbags

Edited December 25, 2007 by marshbags

[hammered]

The chances of any further investigation into the extra judicial stuff is pretty much zero now. It will now just exist as a file in HRW and Amnestys large cabinet of abuses.

[marshbags]

The chances of any further investigation into the extra judicial stuff is pretty much zero now. It will now just exist as a file in HRW and Amnestys large cabinet of abuses.

In Thailand, possibly yes, for the present time but internationally his reputation is destroyed and just maybe........................

It,s all on record and cannot be erased so..............................One day, hammered, one day.

Karma is his least payback for all his H.R. activity.

marshbags

If i may without wishing to gain anything other than give hope to those who care.

( I am after all an anonymous poster apart from the ' marshbags ' tag. )

Like the Burmese H.R,s situation that i,ve long been sympathetic to, while nothing happened for many years, now look what is starting to unfold.

I was fighting their cause when no one outside of Burma seemed to have the desire to help the many victims and their loved ones.

The U.K. press in particular weren,t interested in the documentation and evidence that i was continually posting to them and had personally witnessed the situation and fear within the country.

Look at the reaction there now as well...........................................At Last

Edited December 27, 2007 by marshbags

[sriracha john]

TAK BAI TRAGEDY

Muslim woman wins human rights award

Muslim woman Yaena Salaemae has been named Outstanding Human Rights Defender for 2007 by the National Human Rights Commission for her relentless fight for justice for victims in the 2004 Tak Bai tragedy. The hijab (Muslim head scarf) maker in her 50's had been accompanying suspects and victims' relatives in the Tak Bai case to court, acting as their interpreter, arranging bail, and coordinating the cases. She credited her husband Boso, a motorcycle taxi driver, for his support for her activist role, which the mother of eight has taken on. "My son is among the suspects. I cannot sit idly by," she said. "It is also easier for women to make a move in this situation." She said her son and relatives were among the 58 suspects accused of assaulting authorities and causing chaos during the Tak Bai riot over three years ago. On Oct 25, 2004, a protest in front of Tak Bai police station in Narathiwat province got out of hand. Authorities' attempts to end the riot led to the deaths of 85 people. Of them, 78 suffocated while being transported to an army camp in neighbouring Pattani province. "They [the authorities] were heavy-handed. We have done nothing wrong. So I want to help everyone prove their innocence in court," she said. Mrs Yaena first started acting as an interpreter because most of the suspects could not speak fluent Thai. She later asked her relatives to place their land as surety to bail out suspects who could not afford the 250,000 baht bail. She said the lengthy legal battle had taken its toll on the poor suspects and their families. Many were fired because they took too many days off work to attend court. The cases were dropped last year and the Defence Ministry paid the families of the deceased a total of 42.2 million baht in compensation. The ministry last year agreed to pay a total of seven million baht in compensation to the 24 injured victims.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.net/News/10Jan2008_news003.php

[Jai Dee]

'War on Drugs' probe draws a blank

An independent committee probing drug-related killings during the first Thaksin Shinawatra government has found no concrete evidence linking senior figures with the murders, a Justice Ministry source said yesterday.

After five months of inquiries, the panel, led by former attorney general Khanit na Nakhon, has obtained only statistical details about the number and nature of the murders.

But no conclusion that would implicate police or Thaksin as the instigator of the shoot-to-kill policy has been reached.

The panel's report will be submitted to the Cabinet today. It's main content is facts and government records showing how Thaksin's order was carried out from top to bottom through the bureaucracy.

One of the most potent pieces of evidence is that an anti-narcotics centre under the Interior Ministry was ordered to issue a blacklist naming drug dealers and users nationwide, as well as an appraisal measure to show a "decline" in the number of people blacklisted.

But the report contained no conclusion that may subject an individual to criminal liability.

The outcome is likely to be considered by many as a failure, because the panel's objective was to bring those responsible for the murders to justice - be they police officers or anyone in higher authority who encouraged extrajudicial killings.

The Khanit na Nakhon panel is said to have opted not to name at least three political office-holders involved in administering Thaksin's highly controversial policy, despite discovering their involvement.

The report said 2,819 people were killed in 2,559 murder cases between February and April in 2003. Of those killed, 1,370 were related to drug dealing, while 878 of them were not. Another 571 people were killed without apparent reason.

Some 54 people were killed in shootouts with police officers, 41 with known drug-related links but two without any known ties. Another 11 people were killed but it is not known how they were involved in the shootouts.

The overall murder rate two years before and two years after the three-month 'War on Drugs' was 454 cases a month, or a third of the number killed between February and April 2003.

Source: The Nation - 16 January 2008

[hammered]

'War on Drugs' probe draws a blank

An independent committee probing drug-related killings during the first Thaksin Shinawatra government has found no concrete evidence linking senior figures with the murders, a Justice Ministry source said yesterday.

After five months of inquiries, the panel, led by former attorney general Khanit na Nakhon, has obtained only statistical details about the number and nature of the murders.

But no conclusion that would implicate police or Thaksin as the instigator of the shoot-to-kill policy has been reached.

The panel's report will be submitted to the Cabinet today. It's main content is facts and government records showing how Thaksin's order was carried out from top to bottom through the bureaucracy.

One of the most potent pieces of evidence is that an anti-narcotics centre under the Interior Ministry was ordered to issue a blacklist naming drug dealers and users nationwide, as well as an appraisal measure to show a "decline" in the number of people blacklisted.

But the report contained no conclusion that may subject an individual to criminal liability.

The outcome is likely to be considered by many as a failure, because the panel's objective was to bring those responsible for the murders to justice - be they police officers or anyone in higher authority who encouraged extrajudicial killings.

The Khanit na Nakhon panel is said to have opted not to name at least three political office-holders involved in administering Thaksin's highly controversial policy, despite discovering their involvement.

The report said 2,819 people were killed in 2,559 murder cases between February and April in 2003. Of those killed, 1,370 were related to drug dealing, while 878 of them were not. Another 571 people were killed without apparent reason.

Some 54 people were killed in shootouts with police officers, 41 with known drug-related links but two without any known ties. Another 11 people were killed but it is not known how they were involved in the shootouts.

The overall murder rate two years before and two years after the three-month 'War on Drugs' was 454 cases a month, or a third of the number killed between February and April 2003.

Source: The Nation - 16 January 2008

No surprise there then especailly after the PPP win. It was always realistically going to be down to Amnesty and HRW to keep championing the call for justice or at least ensuring that these deaths are kept in the international spotlight.

Edited to add: 4-5 months ago Kraisak Choonhaven predicted that the allies of Thaksin would be back in power and he would be welcomed back as a hero with all the drug stuff brushed away as those investigating had little heart to do so. Looks like his prediction is starting to take shape as reality;)

If one were to go back few pages one can find an interim statement that says the Thaksin government should take responsibility. Amazing how a few weeks and an election can change the tone of everything. Oh the wonders of Stalinism live on in modern day Thailand. Everyone is innocent in the drug war and nobody planned it.....

Lets start a list of cases that suddenly change course, or suddenly lose all evidence, or suddenly lose all witnesses or........ Thailands special magic show.......

Edited January 16, 2008 by hammered

[ando]

I would have thought the investigation should have started with individual cases and followed the leads from the bottom up, rather than starting from the top and working down.

But then again if the courts were to try to implicate everyone who failed to protest the slaughter at the time it was happening, -- who knows who they might end up slurring?

[hammered]

I would have thought the investigation should have started with individual cases and followed the leads from the bottom up, rather than starting from the top and working down.

But then again if the courts were to try to implicate everyone who failed to protest the slaughter at the time it was happening, -- who knows who they might end up slurring?

In reality nothing was really going to happen. The powerful may have infighting and it may see the odd court case on corruption and some money seizing (that is kinda traditional in Thailand) but there are limits. It is hard to find anyone including even Kraisak who thought this would lead anywhere. Too often people forget that the main protagonists in this current conflict are two sides of a coin.

It will remain a large case file in the overstuffed cabinets of HRW and Amnesty and will probably end up like 1976 and1992 in Thailand. Dont forget we are, barring mystical events, about to see a PM with connections to both those previous events.

[marshbags]

January 20, 2008 : Last updated 03:11 pm The Nation

Surayud to hold talk with next PM

Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont said Sunday that he is waiting to hold a talk with his successor to hand over unfinished works.

Surayud was speaking to a group of reporters who visited his resort home at the Khao Yai Thiang Mountain in Nakhon Ratchasima's Si Khiew district.

While having lunch with the reporters, Surayud admitted that his government had failed to solve the problem of southern violence and failed to bring those behind the extra-judicial killings of drug suspects to justice.

The Nation

Unquote

Sad but not exactly unexpected given the present political scenario and the involvement in these evil and inhuman incidents of certain individuals, both here and temp. living in exile.

At least it is now all well and truly documented for future reference, along with the evidence.

It may go off the radar within Thailand but internationally it it assured resurrection as and when somewhere down the road.

If Buddhism is to believed they are at the very least assured their payback Karma wise.

I for one strongly believe in this, but not in the context of it,s general meaning.

marshbags

Edited January 20, 2008 by marshbags

[marshbags]

Bangkok Post 21-01-2008

Ref. url http://www.bangkokpost.com/topstories/tops...s.php?id=125301

Murder probes fizzle out

By Anucha Charoenpo

Quote :-

Nakhon Ratchasima - The inquiry into some 2,500 extra-judicial killings during the war on drugs by the Thaksin Shinawatra government has found no evidence which would enable the punishment of those involved, Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont said on Sunday.

Gen Surayud said he had just received a final report from panel chairman Khanit na Nakhon stating that no one could be held to blame for the killings.

"Due to lack of evidence, as many witnesses have refused to come forward to provide vital information to the investigators, this panel couldn't hold anyone responsible," he said when leading reporters on a tour of his resort home in Khao Yai Thieng in Sikhiu district.

Unquote

How different it would have been if there was a few of the " priviledged "drug barons innocents in the statistics !!!!!

Please spare us the what did you expect , this was predictable shi* kind of quotes ect.

Think of the implications all this will have on the victims who were considered un important enough to reach this conclusion

Once again Thailand has failed to move into the 21st century and rid itself of the old guard, self rewarding, outdated cultures, relating to the so called elite / political culture ect. ect. and it,s past.

marshbags

and very for the victims and their families

Edited January 21, 2008 by marshbags

[hammered]

Witnesses not coming forward is no surprise. I think many would be too scared to give evidence against authorities carrying out an extra-judicial kill policy. That is always the difficulty in proving any extra-judicial case by authorites anywhere in the world. Usually it requires a long long time and the government/authorities repsonsible out of the way for that time too, and a lonf cordinated campaign calling for investigation. These conditions were not going to be met in Thailand.

[marshbags]

Witnesses not coming forward is no surprise. I think many would be too scared to give evidence against authorities carrying out an extra-judicial kill policy. That is always the difficulty in proving any extra-judicial case by authorites anywhere in the world. Usually it requires a long long time and the government/authorities repsonsible out of the way for that time too, and a lonf cordinated campaign calling for investigation. These conditions were not going to be met in Thailand.

Agreed but i hope it isn,t to long before something kickstarts it again and brings it into awareness of the H.Rights and their publicity vehicles. ( not addditional evil of course, but usable evidence that cannot be ignored, )

Without being or sounding condescending, thanks for your support along with everyone else,s regarding the circumstances and genuine horror / outrage of it all.

Also i must acknowledge S.J,s contribution in keeping us informed, along with that of J.D.

Sadly i think we have to draw a line under it, along with all other human rights issues that occured in recent times, for the immediate future at least.

Respect and concern was shown to the victims and i for one am heartened by the genuine care and sincerity in this thread.

All i can say is i hope that they do not carry out their intentions to restart the murderous vendettas once the new Government are established.

marshbags

Edited January 22, 2008 by marshbags

[Jai Dee]

War on Drugs Massacre - Officials Scot-Free

BANGKOK, Jan 24 - Shortly after Thailand’s military leaders grabbed power in the September 2006 coup, they pledged to rectify the ‘wrongs’ committed during the five-and-a-half years of the Thaksin Shinawatra administration. Securing justice for the victims of a bloody ‘war on drugs’ was one of them.

The military-appointed government, under Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont, was praised by the families of the victims, lawyers, human rights activists and the anti-Thaksin lobby for promising a proper investigation into the 2003 anti-narcotics crackdown in which over 2,500 people were killed.

During encounters with the press, some lawyers and former politicians even made a case that Thaksin could be tried for war crimes, since the ousted premier and senior government officials had approved a policy that gave the police a ‘’license to kill’’ in going after suspected drug dealers.

Yet any hope of bringing those responsible for excesses in the anti-drug campaign were dashed by a statement made by Surayud, days before handing over power to a new government elected in the late December polls. The independent panel appointed by the post-coup administration to inquire into the killings has unearthed little evidence to punish the perpetrators, he said told Thai reporters on the weekend.

‘’Due to lack of evidence, as many witnesses have refused to come forward to provide vital information to the investigators, this panel couldn’t hold anyone responsible,’’ Surayud was quoted as having told the press in Monday’s edition of the ‘Bangkok Post’ newspaper.

It is an admission that has left human rights activists aghast. ‘’This means that the culture of impunity we have in the country will continue,’’ Pornpen Khongkachonkiet, coordinator of the Working Group on Justice for Peace, a local rights lobby, told IPS. ‘’It is shameful that this admission of failure has been made at such a high level, by the prime minister.’’

‘’There have been over 2,500 people who died, and I cannot understand how the police or the DSI (Department of Special Investigation) can tell the panel that they cannot prosecute any of the offenders,’’ Somchai Homlaor, a leading human rights lawyer, added in an interview.

In fact, some sources who have been monitoring the work of the Surayud-appointed committee -- the Independent Commission for Study and Analysis of the Formation and Implementation of the Drug Suppression Policy -- say the weekend’s admission of failure marks a dramatic shift from the tone the committee had maintained till December.

Even before the Dec. 23 parliamentary elections, the committee, which was headed by a former attorney general, informed the public that they had evidence linked to some perpetrators and that prosecutions were possible. Among the evidence the panel admitted having were instructions in writing made by senior officials in the Thaksin administration to local officials to launch a heavy-handed crackdown on the drug networks, the sources said.

It was a tone that had made women like Malai Khamjarsai hopeful that those responsible for the killing of her 33-year-old sister, Umpaipan Roopongpraserd, and her sister’s 44-year-old husband, Pongtep, would be finally tried in courts. The couple was slain late evening on May 19, 2003, near a security checkpoint in Mae Sot, a town by the side of the Thai-Burma border.

These victims of the ‘war on drugs’ were initially framed by the police for being drug carriers, she told IPS. ‘’It was done because my brother-in-law ran a transport business in that area where he refused to pay the police any bribes,’’ she added. ‘’I suspect the police were behind the killings.’’

‘’My appeals for an investigation when Khun Thaksin was in power was ignored. But after the coup, the new government promised to investigate, and even the DSI officers contacted me,’’ she revealed. ‘’But I now fear this case will remain unresolved forever, since the newly elected government is backed by Khun Thaksin.’’

Somchai Turtlunglian is in a similar predicament. His nine-year-old nephew, Jakraphan Srisa-ard, was also killed during the ‘war on drugs’ in Bangkok, when the police pumped bullets into the car that Jakraphan and his mother were travelling in. The police had suspected the mother of being a drug-dealer.

The Thaksin government’s campaign to rid Thailand of its drug networks was launched on Feb. 1, 2003, in response to growing national concern that nearly five percent of the population -- three million Thais, some in their teens -- were hooked on methamphetamines. The police were given instructions to use any means to eliminate these networks, with reduction targets set for each of the country’s 76 provinces. The people targeted were those whose names had appeared on two lists -- blacklists and watchlists -- that had been complied by government agencies, including the police.

Belligerent comments made by government officials confirmed the level of force being permitted in the crackdown. ‘’The (drug dealers) will be put behind bars or even vanish without a trace. Who cares?’’ said Wan Mohamad Noor Matha, interior minister at the time. Added Thaksin: ‘’The government’s strategy is to smoke out pushers, who will be eliminated by their own kind.’’

Local and international human rights groups responded with alarm, given the already notorious record of force used by the Thai police and the culture of impunity they enjoy. To defend the charges of police brutality being unleashed during the crackdown, Bangkok said that most killings were the work of drug gangs eliminating one another.

But such arguments made by Thaksin, who has been living in exile since the coup, did not stick for long. His ouster in the country’s 18th military putsch revived the call for justice, including appeals for the police officers and government officials involved in the brutal campaign to be tried.

This week’s turn of events exposed the junta and its political allies on another count. ‘’This means that there is no hope for criminal justice in Thailand,’’ Sunai Phasuk, the Thai researcher for the global rights lobby Human Rights Watch (HRW), told IPS. ‘’I have completely lost my faith, since not a single official has been prosecuted for being involved in this very brutal campaign. And they cannot say that officials were not involved.’’

Source: IPS.org - 24 January 2008

[Ricardo]

‘’Due to lack of evidence, as many witnesses have refused to come forward to provide vital information to the investigators, this panel couldn’t hold anyone responsible,’’ Surayud was quoted as having told the press in Monday’s edition of the ‘Bangkok Post’ newspaper.

It is an admission that has left human rights activists aghast. ‘’This means that the culture of impunity we have in the country will continue,’’ Pornpen Khongkachonkiet, coordinator of the Working Group on Justice for Peace, a local rights lobby, told IPS. ‘’It is shameful that this admission of failure has been made at such a high level, by the prime minister.’’

‘’There have been over 2,500 people who died, and I cannot understand how the police or the DSI (Department of Special Investigation) can tell the panel that they cannot prosecute any of the offenders,’’ Somchai Homlaor, a leading human rights lawyer, added in an interview.

Source: IPS.org - 24 January 2008

Perhaps the incoming PPP-led coalition-government might have more success, in encouraging witnesses to come forward ? Or perhaps not, since their policy seems to be, to renew the drugs-war with added vigour ...

[marshbags]

‘’Due to lack of evidence, as many witnesses have refused to come forward to provide vital information to the investigators, this panel couldn’t hold anyone responsible,’’ Surayud was quoted as having told the press in Monday’s edition of the ‘Bangkok Post’ newspaper.

It is an admission that has left human rights activists aghast. ‘’This means that the culture of impunity we have in the country will continue,’’ Pornpen Khongkachonkiet, coordinator of the Working Group on Justice for Peace, a local rights lobby, told IPS. ‘’It is shameful that this admission of failure has been made at such a high level, by the prime minister.’’

‘’There have been over 2,500 people who died, and I cannot understand how the police or the DSI (Department of Special Investigation) can tell the panel that they cannot prosecute any of the offenders,’’ Somchai Homlaor, a leading human rights lawyer, added in an interview.

Source: IPS.org - 24 January 2008

Perhaps the incoming PPP-led coalition-government might have more success, in encouraging witnesses to come forward ? Or perhaps not, since their policy seems to be, to renew the drugs-war with added vigour ...

The only success we can look forward to is yet more " Dis " couragement Mafia style, but even more so now to put those wanting to come forward in a constant state of terror, along with their loved ones, should they be identified / singled out, as potential witnesses

When you consider who is implicated in these evil crimes and who is coincidently the unofficial leader of the " incoming PPP-led coalition- government ", it was always going to be a forgone conclusion once they were ( via coalition ) made the next Goverment in waiting.

It would seem at the present time / appear, Thailand has it,s own version of the now retired P.M of the U.K. " Teflon Thaksin "

I and many more, and in addition, more importantly, to include the relatives of at least 2,500 known victims of the EKJ,,s, plus the victims of the South who were murdered under his watch, ect. ect., await the day of reckoning.

I hope somewhere down the road, all the victims get their day in court and the justice they rightly deserve.

He will of course go down in history under a non complimentary list of modern day HR offenders and infamy, no matter what happens, here in Thailand.

He will never bribe his way out of this one, i can assure everybody who seemingly think money can buy anything and one day the above will STICK

marshbags

Edited January 24, 2008 by marshbags

[sriracha john]

A new government, another war on drugs

The new government's plan to launch its own ''war on drugs'' may please supporters of coalition leader People Power, a party believed to be the reincarnation of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra's disbanded TRT. But those opposed to the move _ human rights defenders, community leaders and anti-drugs officials _ are far from thrilled. The first war on drugs declared by the government of Mr Thaksin from Feb 1 to April 30, 2003 resulted in the deaths of over 2,500 so-called drug suspects. It caused an uproar among human rights activists, who viewed the crusade as giving law enforcement authorities a licence to kill, without allowing suspects recourse to due process of the law. They now fear that if the campaign is to be revived under the same concept, it could lead to even more deaths. "I never thought the Thaksin government's drugs war was successful. In fact it was a failure because it violated people's rights and never brought any big-time drug dealers to justice," said Angkhana Neelaphaijit, chairwoman of the Working Group on Justice for Peace. Mrs Angkhana, who travels frequently to the deep South to provide legal counselling for Muslim victims affected by the ongoing insurgency there, found information indicating that a dozen Muslim people disappeared without trace during the war on drugs and that local police never carried out proper investigations. (Mrs Angkhana is the widow of Muslim lawyer Somchai, who was abducted by persons unknown on March 12, 2004. Though feared dead, his body has not been found; conjecture has focused mainly on foul play involving the police.)

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/31Jan2008_news21.php

[marshbags]

A new government, another war on drugs

The new government's plan to launch its own ''war on drugs'' may please supporters of coalition leader People Power, a party believed to be the reincarnation of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra's disbanded TRT. But those opposed to the move _ human rights defenders, community leaders and anti-drugs officials _ are far from thrilled. The first war on drugs declared by the government of Mr Thaksin from Feb 1 to April 30, 2003 resulted in the deaths of over 2,500 so-called drug suspects. It caused an uproar among human rights activists, who viewed the crusade as giving law enforcement authorities a licence to kill, without allowing suspects recourse to due process of the law. They now fear that if the campaign is to be revived under the same concept, it could lead to even more deaths. "I never thought the Thaksin government's drugs war was successful. In fact it was a failure because it violated people's rights and never brought any big-time drug dealers to justice," said Angkhana Neelaphaijit, chairwoman of the Working Group on Justice for Peace. Mrs Angkhana, who travels frequently to the deep South to provide legal counselling for Muslim victims affected by the ongoing insurgency there, found information indicating that a dozen Muslim people disappeared without trace during the war on drugs and that local police never carried out proper investigations. (Mrs Angkhana is the widow of Muslim lawyer Somchai, who was abducted by persons unknown on March 12, 2004. Though feared dead, his body has not been found; conjecture has focused mainly on foul play involving the police.)

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/31Jan2008_news21.php

The fact is that if they were genuine in their quest to elliminate drugs, several high profile members of the so called upper circle of the privilidged would be targeted and this would most certainly include some of the sponsors of the PPP / Coalition and Banned / TRT.

It will sadly be more of the same evil objectives, use of the less fortunate, less privilidged and consequent loss of lives, purely to distract from the major players and suppliers.

Do the supporters of the next government on this forum really want this to happen again, perhaps just one of you can name just one privilidged major player who was killed during the EJK,s...war on drugs.

Then again, perhaps not as everyone already knows the reply / answer !!!!!!!!!!!!!

marshbags, still and

Edited February 1, 2008 by marshbags

[marshbags]

The Nation..Thu, February 7, 2008 : Last updated 15:37 hours

Ref url http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/02/07...al_30064692.php

Quote

Chronic failure in Thai police: HRW

A leading human rights organization said Thursday that it was deeply concerned with a recent statement from police chief Pol General Seriphisut Temiyavej, who threatened to take legal action against anyone he claims is filing false complaints against police officers.

Seriphusut's statement was made light of a growing number of people who have been stepping forward to accuse the police of abuse and corruption following the arrest of Pol Captain Nat Chonnithiwanit and seven other members of the 41st Border Patrol Police (BPP) unit in Bangkok on January 25.

The officers were arrested for serious offenses committed over the past three years. The charge included criminal conspiracy, armed robbery, forced intrusion, threatening others with weapons, detaining others, and abducting minors under the age of 15.

Human Rights Watch's Asia director, Brad Adam, said the arrest revealed a chronic failure on the part of the police force and raised the question of accountability.

"The arrest of Police Captain Nat reveals shocking details of systematic police brutality, corruption and abuse of power in anti-drugs operations," Adam said. "This is not just a problem of a few rogue officers; there has been a chronic failure to ensure oversight and accountability for the police."

Moreover, said Adam, "Thailand's national police commissioner-general should be encouraging victims to come forward, not threatening them with legal action. Seriphisut's threats against victims of police abuse further fuel this vicious cycle of abuses and impunity."

To date, 61 people have filed formal complaints with the Justice Ministry alleging that they or their family members were abducted and tortured by members of the BPP under Captain Nat to extract confessions for the possession and trafficking of methamphetamines.

Victims alleged that they were electrocuted, suffocated with plastic bags, and severely beaten by BPP members. Many also claim they were forced to pay bribes in order to be released or to have lesser charges filed against them.

Seriphisut stated that he did not believe that the numbers of victims in this case could be as many as 50 or 60 people.

Despite these complaints about serious human rights violations, Captain Nat had been highly praised for years by the Royal Thai Police as a role model. He had received large amounts of reward money for the arrests he made.

Police brutality and abuses have characterized government efforts to suppress drugs in Thailand in recent years. HRW documented extrajudicial killings and other serious human rights violations in the context of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's notorious "war on drugs" (see the report at http://hrw.org/reports/2004/thailand0704/).

Despite the killing of more than 2,000 people, to date there have been no criminal prosecutions of the perpetrators, many of whom are believed to include police officers.

In August 2007, the military-installed government of General Surayud Chulanont appointed a special committee chaired by former Attorney General Khanit na Nakhon to investigate the extrajudicial killings that took place in 2003 as part of Thaksin's "war on drugs," but no action has ensued, HRW said.

After five months of inquiries, the committee only gave to the government statistical details about the number and nature of the murders. Its report - which has never been made public - said 2,819 people were killed in 2,559 murder cases between February and April in 2003, HRW said.

Of those killed, 1,370 were related to drug dealing, while 878 of them were not. Another 571 people were killed without apparent reason. Despite many promises to bring those responsible for the murders to justice, this committee has been unable to subject anyone to criminal liability, HRW said.

Unquote

marshbags

Edited February 7, 2008 by marshbags