Thailand has not scrapped death penalty: Dr Wissanu

[webfact]

Thailand has not scrapped death penalty: Dr Wissanu

 

 

BANGKOK: -- Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngarm clarified on Thursday that Thailand has not scrapped death penalty, but, in actual practice, the punishment has not been enforced for the past 10 years and replaced by life imprisonment.

 

Mr Wissanu made the clarification in reference to a recent verdict of the Criminal Court handing down death sentence on two defendants for stabbing to death a student in order to steal the victim’s iPhone smart phone.

 

The deputy prime minister said that death penalty still exists in the Thai law but, in practice, it has not been enforced for the past decade. He added that the executioners have been redundant for 7-8 years.

 

He explained that there are two schools of thought about capital punishment. One school of thought is that the capital punishment will discourage people from committing serious crimes while the other believes that it goes against the humanitarian principle.

 

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/thailand-not-scrapped-death-penalty-dr-wisanu/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2017-06-02

 

[ezzra]

This should be more to do with matting the right and proper punishment

for a crime committed that to serve as a deterrent, as we have seen time

and time again that when someone who's embarks on committing a heinous

crime punishable by death will go ahead to do it regardless....

[ratcatcher]

 "He added that the executioners have been redundant for 7-8 years.'"

So, have they been axed, fired or are they still hanging around just in case someone above changes their mind?

[Chris Lawrence]

There is evidence out there that it doesn't discourage serious crimes. It does sound as though the Deputy is getting ready to bring the team out of retirement. A hanging always excites the crowd, and will give a boost in popularity. Maybe just what is needed to induce the 'Manchurian Candidate Syndrome' in the people of Thailand.

 

Lets face it, the 4 questions have been a failure.

[rodney earl]

I lived in Singapore a long time ago and I always remember what the then Justice Minister for Malaysia said about the death penalty. Quote We are not committing murder. We are enforcing justice.Unquote. It may not discourage people (I think that it does) but it certainly discourages those who get the death penalty. Justice has not only got to be done it has to be seen to be done and in so many cases it does not seem to be done.!!!

[wirat69]

Reduces the chances of reoffending!!

[robblok]

In general I am against capital punishment as even in the USA there have been cases were the death penalty has been carried out on innocent people. In my country we don't have it and even there we had major cases that were later overturned.. if you have a death-penalty its had to do that. 

 

However in cases where there is video evidence like the Iphone killers here I have no qualms about it as it is 100% sure the guys were guilty. 

[tracker1]

3 hours ago, ratcatcher said:

 "He added that the executioners have been redundant for 7-8 years.'"

So, have they been axed, fired or are they still hanging around just in case someone above changes their mind?

Just moved to an Inactive Post !

[baboon]

3 hours ago, ratcatcher said:

 "He added that the executioners have been redundant for 7-8 years.'"

So, have they been axed, fired or are they still hanging around just in case someone above changes their mind?

I think they are prison guards who perform executions when required. They certainly won't be on a retainer.

[YetAnother]

remarkable that thai courts (remember there are no juries) hand out sentences that are unenforceable; the life sentences (which are by law limited to 20 years; that means that the sentencers were breaking the law) as well as this case; maybe these court judges dont know the law

Edited June 2, 2017 by YetAnother

[robblok]

27 minutes ago, baboon said:

I think they are prison guards who perform executions when required. They certainly won't be on a retainer.

There was a movie about the last Thai executioner .. ((havent seen it but recall there was)

 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2442670/combined

[Stargeezr]

I think that all countries should have the death penalty, and the method in all countries should be

the guillotine. It is a swift method that is very effective and efficient. the control room could have

3 buttons to activate the device. Three people can push the buttons but only one of them make the

guillotine work.  Better than the hanging, and injections and the Saudi Arabia sword beheadings.

  With this method the bodies can be used for organ donations as well.  Just my cold blooded

suggestion, to this situation, which is effective as the killers will be dead, and will not ever do anymore

crimes.  That is why the death penalty is indeed effective and detures killers from killing again.

Geezer

[wgdanson]

25 minutes ago, robblok said:

There was a movie about the last Thai executioner .. ((havent seen it but recall there was)

 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2442670/combined

I've seen it, very good, moving (emotionally) film. You can get it on a torrent !

[wgdanson]

5 minutes ago, Stargrazer9889 said:

I think that all countries should have the death penalty, and the method in all countries should be

the guillotine. It is a swift method that is very effective and efficient. the control room could have

3 buttons to activate the device. Three people can push the buttons but only one of them make the

guillotine work.  Better than the hanging, and injections and the Saudi Arabia sword beheadings.

  With this method the bodies can be used for organ donations as well.  Just my cold blooded

suggestion, to this situation, which is effective as the killers will be dead, and will not ever do anymore

crimes.  That is why the death penalty is indeed effective and detures killers from killing again.

Geezer

Mr Pierrepoint was pretty swift though. I think his quickest was about 17 seconds.

[wgdanson]

6 minutes ago, Stargrazer9889 said:

I think that all countries should have the death penalty, and the method in all countries should be

the guillotine. It is a swift method that is very effective and efficient. the control room could have

3 buttons to activate the device. Three people can push the buttons but only one of them make the

guillotine work.  Better than the hanging, and injections and the Saudi Arabia sword beheadings.

  With this method the bodies can be used for organ donations as well.  Just my cold blooded

suggestion, to this situation, which is effective as the killers will be dead, and will not ever do anymore

crimes.  That is why the death penalty is indeed effective and detures killers from killing again.

Geezer

And is there not a snake who's bite can kill in 10 seconds. Or the injection used to put dogs or horses down, that does its job in seconds. So why all the <deleted> about three chemicals and twenty minutes in USA (or Thailand)

[brewsterbudgen]

There was a movie about the last Thai executioner .. ((havent seen it but recall there was)
 
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2442670/combined

That was when Thailand still executed people by machine gun! The last executions in Thailand were two drug traffickers and it was carried out by lethal injection, in 2009.

[baboon]

44 minutes ago, robblok said:

There was a movie about the last Thai executioner .. ((havent seen it but recall there was)

 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2442670/combined

That one I would like to watch. Must check Kodi to see if it is available...

[wgdanson]

2 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

That was when Thailand still executed people by machine gun! The last executions in Thailand were two drug traffickers and it was carried out by lethal injection, in 2009.

Correct. The machine gun was a bit over the top, emptying a full belt of bullets into one person, same as in Bangkok Hilton. Don't the Chinese just use one to the back of the head?

[baboon]

21 minutes ago, wgdanson said:

And is there not a snake who's bite can kill in 10 seconds. Or the injection used to put dogs or horses down, that does its job in seconds. So why all the <deleted> about three chemicals and twenty minutes in USA (or Thailand)

Never did agree with lethal injection. If the state is going to grant itself the power over life and death, it should be prepared to get its hands dirty, as it were, not hide behind some faux 'clinical proceedure'.

[Srikcir]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Thailand has not scrapped death penalty: Dr Wissanu

I think that was obvious with military extrajudicial killings.

[rkidlad]

Thailand - a country with a culture that's molded with heavy influences of Buddhism. I guess they interpreted the "thou shall not hurt another living creature" with "thou shall never say bad words and hurt people's feelings. Killing is okay, though"

 

Seems to me that the biggest crime you can commit in this country is calling a spade a spade. Calling someone a c*** and then listing the reasons why seem to be the most sacrilege. 

 

 

[Khon Kaen Dave]

On 6/1/2017 at 11:30 PM, ezzra said:

This should be more to do with matting the right and proper punishment

for a crime committed that to serve as a deterrent, as we have seen time

and time again that when someone who's embarks on committing a heinous

crime punishable by death will go ahead to do it regardless....

Up until 1934, they were still cutting peoples heads off with a sword. I even think that the executioner did a little dance just before delivering the final blow.I read that the method of execution was then replaced by shooting the condemned in the back with a 50 cal rifle bullet whilst they were tied to a pole. The movie, 'The last executioner' is a masterpiece of Thai film making. Horrendous, but true. Especially when they shoot he first victim, but she fails to die, so they release her to suffer on the ground while they repeat the process and shoot the second prisoner. They then proceed to retie the girl to the pole and shoot her a second time, even though she is wounded already.I would think that, if they brought back the DP it would be lethal injection.Oh yeah, in the movie, the executioner is presented with his trusty rifle as a memory of all his good work. I dont think that Albert Pierpoint was allowed to keep any of his ropes. I think they ended up in the 'black museum in Scotland Yard.

[Khon Kaen Dave]

On 6/2/2017 at 5:03 AM, rkidlad said:

Thailand - a country with a culture that's molded with heavy influences of Buddhism. I guess they interpreted the "thou shall not hurt another living creature" with "thou shall never say bad words and hurt people's feelings. Killing is okay, though"

 

Seems to me that the biggest crime you can commit in this country is calling a spade a spade. Calling someone a c*** and then listing the reasons why seem to be the most sacrilege. 

 

 

Thais, Buddhist when it suits them.

[brewsterbudgen]

Up until 1934, they were still cutting peoples heads off with a sword. I even think that the executioner did a little dance just before delivering the final blow.I read that the method of execution was then replaced by shooting the condemned in the back with a 50 cal rifle bullet whilst they were tied to a pole. The movie, 'The last executioner' is a masterpiece of Thai film making. Horrendous, but true. Especially when they shoot he first victim, but she fails to die, so they release her to suffer on the ground while they repeat the process and shoot the second prisoner. They then proceed to retie the girl to the pole and shoot her a second time, even though she is wounded already.I would think that, if they brought back the DP it would be lethal injection.Oh yeah, in the movie, the executioner is presented with his trusty rifle as a memory of all his good work. I dont think that Albert Pierpoint was allowed to keep any of his ropes. I think they ended up in the 'black museum in Scotland Yard.

Thailand has never dispensed with the death penalty. It was last used in 2009 when two drug traffickers were executed by lethal injection.

[Khon Kaen Dave]

3 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

Thailand has never dispensed with the death penalty. It was last used in 2009 when two drug traffickers were executed by lethal injection.

Hi brewster, my old fencing partner. I am aware that Thailand has not executed a murderer for many years.I thought it was earlier than 09, but if you say so,i am prepared to believe you.Although i didn't know that it was the punishment for drug trafficking. I do remember crossing to Cambodia years ago, when there was a sign on the airport wall, that stated. ' if you deal in drugs, you will die' or something like that.

[coulson]

I think they are prison guards who perform executions when required. They certainly won't be on a retainer.

*The last executioner* is actually a pretty good thai movie, think it even made it to cannes this year (or may have been the same director for a more recent offering).

But yes, prison guards with a good eye used to get promoted to the post. However, I'm not sure this is the case for administering a lethal injection.

[coulson]

I've seen it, very good, moving (emotionally) film. You can get it on a torrent !

Its on netflix

[baboon]

40 minutes ago, coulson said:

 

*The last executioner* is actually a pretty good thai movie, think it even made it to cannes this year (or may have been the same director for a more recent offering).

But yes, prison guards with a good eye used to get promoted to the post. However, I'm not sure this is the case for administering a lethal injection.
 

 

I watched it yesterday. Not just a good Thai movie but a good movie full stop, I would say. I will certainly watch it again.

 

As for lethal injection, I am sure I read something along the lines of 'Somebody has to do it (administer the drugs), so it's You, You and You'. However I am quite prepared to stand corrected on that count.