WAR ON DRUGS

Killings return to haunt Thaksin

Bloody campaign was a crime against humanity, rights commissioner says

Ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra and his government should be held to account for the systematic killings of more than 2,500 people during the notorious "war on drugs", National Human Rights Commission chairman Somchai Homla-or said yesterday.

"Thaksin and his government committed crimes against humanity," Somchai said at a seminar.

The seminar focused on the violation of human rights in the many cases that the Thaksin-led government labelled as "silence killings", in which small-scale drug dealers were allegedly being silenced by large-scale dealers.

Somchai yesterday accused Thaksin, former interior minister Wan Muhamad Noor Matha and former permanent secretary for the interior Sermsak Pongpanich of issuing a licence to kill to law enforcement agencies during the war on drugs three years ago.

"Thaksin often reiterated that drug sellers would have only two choices - death or jail," said Somchai.

National Human Rights Commissioner Wasant Panich said it was clear that the Thaksin-led government had rushed into the war on drugs and expected the killings to curb the flow of drugs.

On January 14, 2003, Thaksin asked local authorities to draw up lists of suspected drugs dealers.

"But the blacklists were not reliable. Many names should have not been there," Wasant said.

He said the war on drugs then began on February 1 that same year and the government demanded to see clear results within 15 days.

Wasant added that all provincial governors received a circular from the Interior Ministry stating that the number of drug dealers and manufacturers would only be reduced via three scenarios - arrests, extrajudicial killings and death by other causes.

In Samut Sakhon's Ban Phaeo district, people on the blacklist were summoned to report to the authorities otherwise, "your safety cannot be guaranteed".

"We should take action against Thaksin for issuing such a policy, which triggered a wave of murders," Wasant said.

Thaksin was stripped of power through a coup in September.

Somchai said the interim government and the Council for National Security should tackle human-rights violations committed during the Thaksin government.

If they did nothing, the September 19 coup would have accomplished nothing.

Former senator Kraisak Chonhavan said there was solid evidence of human-rights abuses against Thaksin and his government.

Somchai added that the country should ratify the International Criminal Court, which would be able to take action against Thaksin for the alleged crimes.

"If the ratification takes place, Thaksin won't be able to travel around because he will automatically risk being arrested and tried in the International Criminal Court," he said.

The Nation

DRUG WAR KILLINGS

Evidence to convict Thaksin 'is strong'

Kraisak calls for ICC to be ratified so ex-PM's crimes can be exposed 'internationally and at the highest level'

Human rights activists and lawyers are confident they have strong cases to prosecute the deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawa-tra on crimes against humanity for his role behind the killing of drug suspects and alleged Muslim insurgents from 2003 to 2006.

Former senator Kraisak Chonhavan told The Nation yesterday that so far, 40 families have come forward to file complaints with the National Commission on Human Rights (NHRC) about their loved ones who have either been killed or abducted since the beginning of 2003.

As part of his populist programme, the Thaksin government began an indiscriminate campaign to get rid of drug suspects through extra-judicial killings.

From February to April 2003, the Royal Thai Police Headquarters issued the death toll on a daily basis to show off their success in eradicating what they described as drugs pushers and sellers.

The campaign continued but without much media exposure in later years under the Thaksin regime - although the number often cited was about 2,300-2,500 deaths.

However, the number was much higher if those who were killed included the second campaign that started at the end of 2003 and ended around the first quarter of 2004.

According to informed sources, the "special force" belonging to the police literally killed every drug suspect or alleged Muslim insurgent who was blacklisted.

The police adamantly deny this.

In the past few years, the NHRC has painstakingly recorded in detail the killings in the South and elsewhere of families who want assistance. "I hope more people come forward because several thousand were killed," Kraisak said.

He said that since Thai criminal law does not deal with crimes against humanity, other ways must be found to prosecute Thaksin.

He urged the interim government to ratify the International Criminal Court (ICC) immediately with a retroactive clause so that the ICC can be allowed to look into the case.

"Thaksin's crimes must be exposed internationally and at the highest level," he said.

In the 21,000 "white papers" that are to be distributed to the public and diplomatic community, one of the justifications for the coup against Thaksin was rampant violations of human rights inside the country, especially in the South. Throughout his administration, Thaksin advocated the use of force against drug suspects and insurgents.

Kraisak said there could be a separate committee formed to work exclusively to investigate the extra-judicial killings in the near future as in the cases of two anti-corruption committees.

The Ministry of Justice has been informed of these moves. Positive signals were given to human rights activist and lawyers that this was probably the best case to prosecute Thaksin for his numerous criminal activities.

The Nation