August 24th, 2007, 14:25
Recently I was referring to ex-PM Mr. T.’s war on drugs and his shoot first – ask later policy.
I remember one of his remarks whilst he was addressing DSI-officers in Lad Phrao, that “a dead witness cannot stand in trial. Think by yourself”
Even the UN went loud and asked Mr. T. to stop this unlawful doings immediately but I also remember his comments“ Thai means free and a free man will not need advice from people who do not know anything but this is an internal Thai affair and drugs are threatening Thailand’s security. People should learn the Kalasin lessons … ”.
Please read more, taken from: The Nation, 24.08.2007:
Thaksin is target in drug war probe
A three-man investigation believes it can link former premier Thaksin Shinawatra directly to "murders" during the government's 2003 war on drugs. Anucha Charoenpo interviews one of three top investigators.
National human rights commissioner Wasant Panich was one of three human rights defenders who asked Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont to set up a panel to investigate the Thaksin government's war on drugs.
Question (Anucha): What was your role in the establishment of the independent committee?
Answer (Wasant): It was me, Kraisak Choonhavan [former senator of Nakhon Ratchasima province] and Somchai Hom-laor [chairman of the Human Rights and Development Foundation] who went to Government House to meet the prime minister in November last year. We wanted him to investigate drugs-related murder cases under the Thaksin government seriously and wanted Thailand to ratify the international criminal court treaty in order to help prevent a recurrence of such mass killings in the future. The people involved in this situation should also be taken to this court.
Q: What are your hopes for the independent committee ?
A: Firstly, we believe the committee will likely be able to find evidence and witnesses to link former prime minister [Thaksin] and his associates to these murders as they were the drugs policymakers. But we don't expect the committee will be able to punish all the people responsible for the 2,500 cases as everything is up to the witnesses and the evidence that the committee will obtain later.
Secondly, we hope the committee will be able to divide all the drug murder cases into two categories. The first group consists of really innocent people and the second group real drug suspects. After the findings, the committee must announce them officially to the public. From our experience, we don't believe all people killed in the war on drugs were really involved in drugs.
Thirdly, we hope that the committee will be able to help victims with more rehabilitation and compensation.
Under the Compensation for Victims of Crime Act, victims get very little compensation. Each person only receives around 100,000 baht.
Q: Why do you think the committee will be able to bring former prime minister Thaksin to justice?
A: We don't just want Mr Thaksin to stand trial, but also other senior state officials such as the then permanent secretary for interior responsible for issuing this kind of drugs policy. We have key evidence that the permanent secretary circulated a letter to all provincial governors and regional police commanders. The letter suggested three ways to rid drug suspects from the country. They were extra-judicial killings, arrest and death from any cause.
Worse, former prime minister Thaksin told officials to learn the Kalasin model as the province was at that time declared free of drugs and crime. But from our investigations, we have received lot of information that many mysterious killings have taken place in this province up until the present day.
Q: How much authority does the committee have?
A: As we understand it, the committee only has the authority to investigate the killings and to report the outcome to the next government with the possibility that it may or may not take legal action against those people involved. But for us, it's better than doing nothing as at least we think it will be able to raise awareness about the matter in society.
Q: If the next prime minister and government do not want to do anything against the accused, what will you do?
A: The new constitution opens a channel for people in general to file lawsuits with the courts of justice against those who created government policy which affected people's lives. But we can do this after an organic law comes out. The National Human Rights Commission can represent these people.
Q: How much progress has the National Human Rights Commission made in looking into drugs-related murder cases?
A: Since the beginning of the war on drugs, we have investigated around 50 cases; half of the findings had already been submitted to the previous government but there was no response from it. Another half of all reports was later sent to this government.
In November last year when this government assigned the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) to revive some related cases, 10 more complaints were lodged with us, most of them related to the disappearance of Lisu ethnic people in the North during the drugs war because most authorities still believed these ethnic people were surely involved in drugs. The officials were still discriminating racially and ethnically. The investigations into these cases are almost completed and we expect to forward them to the DSI soon.
I remember one of his remarks whilst he was addressing DSI-officers in Lad Phrao, that “a dead witness cannot stand in trial. Think by yourself”
Even the UN went loud and asked Mr. T. to stop this unlawful doings immediately but I also remember his comments“ Thai means free and a free man will not need advice from people who do not know anything but this is an internal Thai affair and drugs are threatening Thailand’s security. People should learn the Kalasin lessons … ”.
Please read more, taken from: The Nation, 24.08.2007:
Thaksin is target in drug war probe
A three-man investigation believes it can link former premier Thaksin Shinawatra directly to "murders" during the government's 2003 war on drugs. Anucha Charoenpo interviews one of three top investigators.
National human rights commissioner Wasant Panich was one of three human rights defenders who asked Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont to set up a panel to investigate the Thaksin government's war on drugs.
Question (Anucha): What was your role in the establishment of the independent committee?
Answer (Wasant): It was me, Kraisak Choonhavan [former senator of Nakhon Ratchasima province] and Somchai Hom-laor [chairman of the Human Rights and Development Foundation] who went to Government House to meet the prime minister in November last year. We wanted him to investigate drugs-related murder cases under the Thaksin government seriously and wanted Thailand to ratify the international criminal court treaty in order to help prevent a recurrence of such mass killings in the future. The people involved in this situation should also be taken to this court.
Q: What are your hopes for the independent committee ?
A: Firstly, we believe the committee will likely be able to find evidence and witnesses to link former prime minister [Thaksin] and his associates to these murders as they were the drugs policymakers. But we don't expect the committee will be able to punish all the people responsible for the 2,500 cases as everything is up to the witnesses and the evidence that the committee will obtain later.
Secondly, we hope the committee will be able to divide all the drug murder cases into two categories. The first group consists of really innocent people and the second group real drug suspects. After the findings, the committee must announce them officially to the public. From our experience, we don't believe all people killed in the war on drugs were really involved in drugs.
Thirdly, we hope that the committee will be able to help victims with more rehabilitation and compensation.
Under the Compensation for Victims of Crime Act, victims get very little compensation. Each person only receives around 100,000 baht.
Q: Why do you think the committee will be able to bring former prime minister Thaksin to justice?
A: We don't just want Mr Thaksin to stand trial, but also other senior state officials such as the then permanent secretary for interior responsible for issuing this kind of drugs policy. We have key evidence that the permanent secretary circulated a letter to all provincial governors and regional police commanders. The letter suggested three ways to rid drug suspects from the country. They were extra-judicial killings, arrest and death from any cause.
Worse, former prime minister Thaksin told officials to learn the Kalasin model as the province was at that time declared free of drugs and crime. But from our investigations, we have received lot of information that many mysterious killings have taken place in this province up until the present day.
Q: How much authority does the committee have?
A: As we understand it, the committee only has the authority to investigate the killings and to report the outcome to the next government with the possibility that it may or may not take legal action against those people involved. But for us, it's better than doing nothing as at least we think it will be able to raise awareness about the matter in society.
Q: If the next prime minister and government do not want to do anything against the accused, what will you do?
A: The new constitution opens a channel for people in general to file lawsuits with the courts of justice against those who created government policy which affected people's lives. But we can do this after an organic law comes out. The National Human Rights Commission can represent these people.
Q: How much progress has the National Human Rights Commission made in looking into drugs-related murder cases?
A: Since the beginning of the war on drugs, we have investigated around 50 cases; half of the findings had already been submitted to the previous government but there was no response from it. Another half of all reports was later sent to this government.
In November last year when this government assigned the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) to revive some related cases, 10 more complaints were lodged with us, most of them related to the disappearance of Lisu ethnic people in the North during the drugs war because most authorities still believed these ethnic people were surely involved in drugs. The officials were still discriminating racially and ethnically. The investigations into these cases are almost completed and we expect to forward them to the DSI soon.