Bringing Thaksin To Account

[sriracha john]

In 2006:

DSI to probe four murders from 'war on drugs'

The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) agreed Thursday to take charge of six cases, four involving people who were murdered or disappeared mysteriously during the Thaksin government's war on drugs three years ago.

Justice Minister Charnchai Likhitjittha said: "When requested, DSI can provide a protection team for witnesses."

He was speaking after the DSI board convened a meeting and passed a resolution to investigate six cases under the Special Investigation Act.

The third case relates to the death of Samarn Thongdee, who was gunned down on April 9, 2003 in Tak. Samarn's had no record of being involved in drugs or crime, but on his death some illicit drugs were suspiciously found in his pocket.

In 2007:

UPDATE... and it's a biggie

fake witnesses... fake evidence... abuse of power...

Thaksin Could Face Charges As DSI Links Police To Drug War Killings

The Department of Special Investigation has evidence linking police to four extra-judicial killings during deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's war on drugs in 2003. Ex-premier Thaksin could face charges of incitement. DSI director-general Sunai Manomai-udom said on Monday that all four cases were transferred from the police to the DSI which began its investigation in December 2006 following complaints lodged by victims' families. The four cases were the death of a 9-year old boy, alias Nong Fluke, on Feb 23, 2003 and the subsequent disappearance of his mother; the killings of Nikhom Ounkaew and his wife Khanraya, in Nakhon Ratchasima's Khon Buri district on March 28, 2003; the deaths of Pongthep and Ampaiwan Rukhongprasert in Tak's Mae Sot district on May 18, 2003; and the killing of educator Samarn Thongdee in Tak's Muang district in April 2003.

In 2009:

The Nation Reader's Opinion Page:

Find the perpetrators of the 'war on drugs'

It was gratifying to learn that Samarn Thongdee, a teacher who was brutally murdered in his home by several gunmen in 2003, has been absolved posthumously from involvement in the drug trade by the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB), which found that he was framed and murdered by state officials.

The decision has meant that Samarn's widow was able to force a life insurance company to pay compensation for his death through a civil lawsuit six years after the event. What is not mentioned in your article is what action is being taken against the state officials who murdered Samarn and many other alleged drug dealers during that shameful period of Thai history, or what compensation the government plans to pay to the murder victims' bereaved families.

I also find it regrettable that the underlying sense of the article seems to be that, if Samarn had really been a drug dealer, it would have been perfectly legal for the state officials to murder him.

Meanwhile, the well-connected kingpins that control the illegal drug trade, who were never targeted in the "war against drugs", continue to flood the country with their products with impunity.

George Morgan

Bangkok

-- The Nation 2009-05-13

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Unfortunately, I'm unable to find the original The Nation article online that this reader is responding to... but apparently there was a determination rendered very recently in regards to Khun Kroo Samarn.

[Samuian]

-- The Nation 2009-05-13

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Unfortunately, I'm unable to find the original The Nation article online that this reader is responding to... but apparently there was a determination rendered very recently in regards to Khun Kroo Samarn.

And unfortunately the link isn't linking the artikcle either - just links to "Tha Nation" Online- Frontpage

[HagenvonTronje]

-- The Nation 2009-05-13

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Unfortunately, I'm unable to find the original The Nation article online that this reader is responding to... but apparently there was a determination rendered very recently in regards to Khun Kroo Samarn.

And unfortunately the link isn't linking the artikcle either - just links to "Tha Nation" Online- Frontpage

yep, some people doesn't understand how the internet works. i asked sri john a couple of times to provide the direct link. he don't do it, i guess with intention, makes it easier for him to edit and alter 'his news' , in the hope nobody can and will check if he don't give a correct citation.

the letters to the editors.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2009/05/13...on_30102517.php

sriracha john did forget to copypsta the headline of that letter. Re: "Teacher absolved posthumously", News, May 12. . anyway, bizarre is that even such letters to the editors of that unreliable newspaper got posted here.

the original article is here, it takes 0.01 seconds to find that out.

[sriracha john]

-- The Nation 2009-05-13

=======================================================================

Unfortunately, I'm unable to find the original The Nation article online that this reader is responding to... but apparently there was a determination rendered very recently in regards to Khun Kroo Samarn.

And unfortunately the link isn't linking the artikcle either - just links to "Tha Nation" Online- Frontpage

Yes, that's how the system that the Forum Admin set up works.

With all the listed news sources, it takes the reader to the homepage of those sites, but that's how they decided to do it.

Anyway, I checked The Nation again and found the article that the reader opinion's letter was referring to. It was published yesterday. Indeed, it was I figured based on the letter's wordings and a ruling was done on Samarn's case in that he was not involved with drugs and that he was murdered by the police.

Teacher absolved posthumously

Widow seeks action against Tak police for false report, failure to find killers

After years of investigation into a man's drug-related death, a government committee has absolved him posthumously and returned all his frozen assets and pension to his wife and two adult children, after finding out that he was not involved in the drug trade as claimed by police in Tak province.

"Samarn Thongdee was innocent, but victimised by a violent anti-drug campaign. He was framed and ultimately murdered by state officials," a statement released by the Office Narcotic Control Board (ONCB) said.

It was revealed by his widow Jaruayphorn Thongdee, a government nurse based in Tak province.

Samarn, 46 at the time of his death, was shot dead by several gunmen at his home on April 6, 2003.

Jaruayphorn said police in Tak probed the murder and finally concluded that Samarn, a government teacher, died from a revenge killing by drug dealers. The police said in a case report they found a plastic bag containing 98 amphetamine tablets - which Jaruayphorn said never existed - in his underpants.

Local police reports said Samarn's death was linked to trading in drugs, which led to an automatic freezing of his assets, pension, and life insurance.

Two of Samarn's children had to seek a new school in other provinces because of the public humiliation of a father who died as a drug dealer.

Following Jaruayphorn's complaint, the ONCB ordered a probe into the police report and found he had no involvement in the drug trade and his income resources could be traced. A civil lawsuit ordered the insurance company to pay compensation to Samarn's family, following the ONCB conclusion that Samarn was not involved in any drug trade.

Jaruayphorn said she was expecting the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) to hasten its investigation at her request against local police in Tak for their false report and for their deliberate failure to find the real culprits behind the killing.

Wasan Phanich, a former National Human Rights Commission member, called on other relevant agencies, including the National Anti-Corruption Commission, to assist the DSI in probing hundreds of drug-related deaths that occurred during the Thaksin Shinawatra government.

He said all victims proved innocent should be absolved posthumously and their families compensated without any legal bureaucratic deadline. Wasan also called on families of victims who had not made complaints to do so.

The DSI recently concluded that a suddenly affluent couple killed during the campaign were not involved in the drug trade.

The DSI report found Pongthep and Ampanpong Rukhongprasert won millions in lottery, but local police in Tak's Mae Sot district said they generated the money through drugs and seized it, along with the couple's assets totalling Bt20 million, which have never been found.

-- The Nation 2009-05-12

[HagenvonTronje]

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/'>

when you write an entry, there are a lot of colourful gimmicks around the frame you type your words into. look above and you will spot a row of this icons.

is between the emoticon selection button and the button to insert images .

if you hoover with your mouse pointer over that icon the words 'Insert Link' pop up. try again. mouse over here: . ever try to press that button? do it.

Insert images you can do, smileys too, copy pasta also, highlight red and bold as well. all the gimmicks and tricks the board software has to offer. why is it so difficult do insert or copypasta the link /url as well?

and yeah, somebody at the Admin level add that gimmick that you can quickly insert banner icons of an newspublisher and doing so you also generate a link to the homepage, web portal. the banner idea is good, as user and visitor of TVboard you can spot in no time, which entry contains 'news'. these banners create a uniform look and seperate the 'news' blah form the other 'blah'. that is good, user friendly. (maybe little bit misleading and someone could think TOC/TAN news would be the same then Reuters, but nvrmnd.) and everybody is invited here to take part, to collect the news, post them here. that is cool.

you can add that banner and are request to do so. an nice visual eye catcher. but not much more.

and it's not an invitation to skip the in TEH Internet usual form of citation and refer to a source. Deep Linking. direct the reader, exactly to that page where you take your quote your copypasta from. in the old style media world, you would name the title of a book, the name of the author and the number of the page where that specific quote appears. and not just the postal address of the library. and in the internet user give

so watch out for that button click it next time you place an entry here and look what happen. and because you had shown the ability to add banners like The Nation banner together with a calendar date, you should be able to understand how it works.

[jayboy]

. . anyway, bizarre is that even such letters to the editors of that unreliable newspaper got posted here.

Care to explain why it's bizarre? The Nation's not perfect but it has its strengths.

A useful rule of thumb is that foreigners writing letters to the English language press tend to be nutcases or bores (What am I going to do without BBC Entertainment, yawn yawn).In this instance I thought Mr George Morgan's letter was admirable,non ranting, knowledgeable and well argued backed by a genuine and justified moral outrage.I have no idea who he is but the way we write -or post- reveals so much about ourselves, more than many would be comfortable with - but most aren't self aware enough to know.

[HagenvonTronje]

. . anyway, bizarre is that even such letters to the editors of that unreliable newspaper got posted here.

Care to explain why it's bizarre? The Nation's not perfect but it has its strengths.

...

didn't you follow sri john recently explanation what we should think of opinion published by the new media of the internet? citizen reporter style, blogs. bangkok pundits blog, horror, that is the decline of all good values. a letter to the editor instead, used to requote two old entries of this thread, but not the article the letter was written as an answer for, seems to be daily buisness of virtuousness and integrity in the name of whatever.

did you ever follow Thanongs blog at The Nation? sometimes he quoted a couple of reader letters too, in the comment section. how can i know that this is for real and even than, the lwritter of the letters are welcome to take part at the discussion here (as sri john would say so), but quote them here in the same style 'news' normally get quoted?

and then there was the lack of a deep link too. and sometimes sri john edit those 'news' a little bit, so that they look better in his opinion.

if you ever see at prachathai, mandala, bkk pundit in the comment section a good text, written by one of these thai academics frequent these blog and left comments there. a text that explain where are the problem in thailand, something that was written with brain and don't need a photoshoped pictures of mr. urinal to come clear to the point. you know what kind of text i mean. so let somebody quote here this entry, because that somebody thought, valuable content, the TVmember should read that too and so on. then watch at the reaction of news quack sri john. read here and here. 2 examples.

that is the context to call it bizarre.

[sriracha john]

. . anyway, bizarre is that even such letters to the editors of that unreliable newspaper got posted here.

Care to explain why it's bizarre? The Nation's not perfect but it has its strengths.

A useful rule of thumb is that foreigners writing letters to the English language press tend to be nutcases or bores (What am I going to do without BBC Entertainment, yawn yawn).In this instance I thought Mr George Morgan's letter was admirable,non ranting, knowledgeable and well argued backed by a genuine and justified moral outrage.I have no idea who he is but the way we write -or post- reveals so much about ourselves, more than many would be comfortable with - but most aren't self aware enough to know.

I take it from your quote that everyone's favorite returnee Hagen had made a response to my post (I can't see it because I put his blathering posts on ignore).

Anyway, I don't normally put reader's letters on as posts (it's a first in my 24,000 AFAIK), but I did just wish to provide an update to the news that was posted previously in this historic thread about Samarn and as I was at first unable to find the article that the reader mentioned, I went ahead and posted it. That it seemed to be an exceptionally keen letter and well-written as you point out, it seemed to be an acceptable exception to the general rule. Of course my subsequently finding the article that his letter addressed was much better and enabled me to provide the news that the letter spoke of.

Anyway, I thought I had explained why I had posted it in the first place, but nothing will likely ever satisfy this Hagen (despite his supposed brand new status to the forum, I tired quickly of his demands to the forum and to forum Admin about how to run things) and he'll no doubt post after this one and that's fine. I just find it so refreshing not having to trudge through his stuff anymore.

Edited May 13, 2009 by sriracha john

[sbk]

Given that we now have three (at least) threads running on charges facing Thaksin, I think we can safely close this and ask people to post here:

Arrest Warrants Issued For 14 Red Shirt Leaders And Thaksin

///CLOSED///