Bangkok, Friday, AFP
THAILAND: Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej pledged Friday to revive a controversial anti-drugs campaign which human rights groups say led to the extra-judicial killings of some 2,500 people.
The drugs war was initially launched by deposed premier Thaksin Shinawatra, Samak’s political patron, to curb an alarming surge in the flow of narcotics through the kingdom.
Although Thaksin’s get-tough campaign enjoyed widespread public support and did stem the supply of narcotics, human rights groups estimate at least 2,500 people died in extra-judicial killings in 2003 and 2004. Thaksin has always denied any wrongdoing.
Samak said Friday that the deaths were the result of in-fighting among drug traffickers, but hinted the new campaign may also be bloody.
“My government will decisively implement a policy against drug trafficking. Government officials must implement this policy 24 hours a day, but I will not set a target for how many people should die,” he said.
He also strongly defended Thaksin’s record on drugs.
“The drug traffickers were killing each other so that authorities would not be able to question them and track down their big bosses,” he told reporters, referring to the earlier deaths.
“I have no doubt that 2,500 people were killed. It could even be 5,000, but what can the government do when they are killing each other?” he added. “If (the) police killed someone, then we would call that an extra-judicial killing. There are only 59 such cases, and the police are standing trial for those deaths.”
After the military toppled Thaksin’s government in a September 2006 coup, the army-backed government opened a new investigation into the drugs war.
That probe, however, concluded there was no evidence to take legal action against the former premier over the deaths.
Thaksin has lived in self-imposed exile since the coup but says he plans to return to Thailand by May now that his political allies have returned to power following December elections.
The drugs war was initially launched by deposed premier Thaksin Shinawatra, Samak’s political patron, to curb an alarming surge in the flow of narcotics through the kingdom.
Although Thaksin’s get-tough campaign enjoyed widespread public support and did stem the supply of narcotics, human rights groups estimate at least 2,500 people died in extra-judicial killings in 2003 and 2004. Thaksin has always denied any wrongdoing.
Samak said Friday that the deaths were the result of in-fighting among drug traffickers, but hinted the new campaign may also be bloody.
“My government will decisively implement a policy against drug trafficking. Government officials must implement this policy 24 hours a day, but I will not set a target for how many people should die,” he said.
He also strongly defended Thaksin’s record on drugs.
“The drug traffickers were killing each other so that authorities would not be able to question them and track down their big bosses,” he told reporters, referring to the earlier deaths.
“I have no doubt that 2,500 people were killed. It could even be 5,000, but what can the government do when they are killing each other?” he added. “If (the) police killed someone, then we would call that an extra-judicial killing. There are only 59 such cases, and the police are standing trial for those deaths.”
After the military toppled Thaksin’s government in a September 2006 coup, the army-backed government opened a new investigation into the drugs war.
That probe, however, concluded there was no evidence to take legal action against the former premier over the deaths.
Thaksin has lived in self-imposed exile since the coup but says he plans to return to Thailand by May now that his political allies have returned to power following December elections.
3 comments:
It is okay by me if Samsak can kill more Thai people through his anti-drug policy!
doing drug is bad for society; cambodia should adopt same policy as thailand on drugs issue.
Cambodia has adopted and implemented anti drug with support of UN Anti Drug Agency, US and other international community.
This will take time to eradicate completely just as USA law enforcement has done for years and is still carrying out now against drug lords in Colombia and any countries deemed to be produced or transit point for smuggling into USA, the Italian government against Mafia.
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