Why so hard to reform police and the powerful?
I may be a person who speaks, thinks, and writes things honestly and blatantly. This may cause some people who are not familiar with this kind of directness to view it as dangerous to the advancement of the family, their organization, and to their close relatives and friends.
But they forget that these good wishes, that may be strongly asserted, are goodwill that aims to bring about change and promote development in a better way for both themselves and the nation as a whole.
Many people with attitudes or behaviours similar to mine are often viewed as prejudicial, self-effacing, and pessimistic. Others wonder if they are too jealous of other people or did it to get a rank or other reward.
Many queries are almost always raised! “Well, it’s up to you to describe others in a bad way,” people say. As a result, Thai society is stuck with these malicious mindsets that make it difficult to find people who are brave enough, which sometimes may even result in personal suffering or being affected greatly. Some people may worry whether their views are compatible with those of others. Or even be afraid of whether they could get along with others. Would it be difficult for people in the organization to work harder, for example? This could be considered a good thing; however, from people who are careless and narrow-minded may not like this very much.
Sleazy news happens again and again in police and government circles. For example, abuse of power and misconduct has become entrenched, with people who are seen by others as only an ant like to act as big, roaring with pride like a lion. It is shameful, and also something that a civilized society cannot accept.
The latest case (as far as we know) from Lamphun Province, featured a group of underrated police officers going into an off-the-beaten-path place like a nightclub or bar. They showed off and demonstrated unbecoming conduct by taking off their shirts and dancing around and aloud in an entertainment venue. Later on, when the security guard goes to stop them, they are not satisfied and claim to be police, which would be honourable if it were used in the right way to protect good people and challenge bad people. But their identification as police was instead used to slap the security guard twice in the face. Then the matter disappeared for weeks, though it it was published in the newspapers. The content of the news rather reflects the lack of systematic measures to raise awareness of perpetrators and is likely to cause a “just like this” attitude, over and over again, endlessly.
After graduating with a Master’s degree in 1994, I felt sad about one news story, at first misundersting the news was something that happened in other places in the world. But after reading the entire story, I realized that it was in my country, Thailand. The incident occurred in Cha-am, Phetchaburi Province. I am rather shocked and awed with what really happened as reported in the newspaper at the time. I was a Black Singha of the 37th class with a Master's degree from the Red Singha (Thammasat) in that year when the news appeared that the nephew of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Mr. Anant Anantakul was killed by the Cha-am Police squads who "summarily killed and brutally killed Permanent Secretary Worawut and another three voluntary officers, including one sergeant who are involved in the case, a total of 5 people”.
This story is shocking. Not just for the entire country, but for Political Science students at Chulalongkorn University; most of my friends and I were expecting to take an entrance exam to become the future bailiff. We were worried and frightened really. It was something that, if there were in that era, Psychologists or professional groups that would come to provide consultancy to children and youth, we would have been the most likely to receive services.
The events that occurred in this case were lessons learnt for future generations to study and be useful in teaching the Criminology and other things that I am extremely responsible for in the justice process. This is because it is a reflection of the hate and cruelty of human beings. Those who are intoxicated with power, including government procedures and laws that are obstacles in the pursuit of justice when people in the process distort and rely on their arrogance to act to achieve power.
I would like to summarize this for people who may not have been born at that time or are even interested or have been affected by the actions of the officials. This is the case that occurred between the Interior Bureau and a police department (at that time). But the case was buried by the investigating officer; he did not submit the account to the prosecutor. This caused the relatives of the deceased to join together to take action to sue according to the Criminal Procedure Code that allows them to do so. After years of spending money, resources, suffering hardship, and suffering in entering the process in which the Court of First Instance and the Court of Appeals punished all defendants with a death penalty verdict. All of the defendants were eventually given a reduced death sentence.
What I have presented here is based on the facts that appear in the media that we have researched, but the circumstances of the case reflect complacency and concealment. Taking advantage of loopholes, adherents protect each other based on selfishness and hatred. For example, when there was a quarrel between the government officials and the police, after the killing of people on both sides, the deceased was still shot dozens of times. There was stomping on corpses and inappropriate acts towards the deceased, even making me think of the terrible political events of October 6, 1976, at which time I watched the live footage aired from the front of Thammasat University.
I have seen Thai people kill each other like fish and vegetables just because of rage and hatred. It is no different from the day when I did my research and collected data at a police station in the Prachachuen area. There was a big argument of an officer with someone else in the pub. He summoned staff, and the captain from the pub came to practice witnessing himself. This story has been reported in some of my important documents. You can find it, though.
This has happened time and time again and continues to exist. And will for as long as Thai society, Thai people, Thai civil servants, politicians, Thai leaders are still obsessed with the pursuit of power and prestige, dividing small and big matters into trivial matters. Even overlooking the fundamentals of justice that would be the source of other good things. Why don’t the police and prosecutors only visit the designated areas and avoid dirty places when not on duty? Why are people who do not need to use a weapon still free to carry a gun? Are you still thinking about closing the pub at 4am? Why are some politicians who have violated sexual harassment law still in power? Why is the legal scrutiny by the opposition leader not enough and more is needed from a governing body of the House? Many other questions need pondering.
Amorn Wanichwiwat, Political Science, Chulalongkorn University
