Army should hang its head in shame

 The reason is that he died while serving as a conscript in the army. I am sure his grieving family would most certainly rather have him back than all the macabre celebrity he now enjoys in death.

His death has generated extreme outrage in Taiwan, with tens of thousands taking to the streets to protest the manner of his death. The reason for this outrage is that he underwent improper punitive measures for a minor disciplinary offence and died as a result. 

So far 27 officers, including three-star Commander General Lee Hsiang-chou, have been charged in connection with Hung’s death. The defence minister has resigned and President Ma Ying-Jeou has publicly apologised, visited the family and promised justice.

Contrast this with the truly appalling case of Private Wichian Puaksom, who died in Narathiwat Provincial Hospital’s intensive care unit on June 5, 2011. His multiple injuries included acute renal failure and severe muscle damage after having been savagely beaten and abused at the Narathiwat Ratchanakarin Army camp by 13 low- and mid-ranked soldiers as punishment for disobeying orders and absconding from camp. 

The parallel with Hung’s death is compelling. Two conscripts under the control of the army viciously abused, denied proper medical attention and, as a result, dying. While life in the army should not be without risk, neither should it be a vicious, inhuman experience that involves physical abuse and possibly death.

As has been correctly deduced in Taiwan, those in the chain of command are responsible, and there the buck has gone all the way up to a three-star general, and rightly so. Officers have been negligent in their professional duty and will pay a heavy price.

Compare, however, what has happened in Thailand. Private Wichian’s mother has struggled for two years against a seemingly impervious and disinterested Army to gain justice in a civil action. Those directly responsible for this vile act remain unpunished, and those professional officers under whose command this atrocity occurred remain unchastened, their professional reputations intact.

It is utterly staggering that, in a supposedly developed country with a seemingly professionally run army, this evil act has been permitted to happen and remains unresolved after two years. Even with the case having finally reached the public’s attention, the Army chiefs remain silent, bot even issuing an apology.

This behaviour is shameful, brings the whole Army into disrepute and belies its privilege. Moreover, it puts starkly into question the Army’s position within an accountable legal system. It seems unwilling or unable to keep its house in order. It must therefore be held to account by others, having shown it is incapable.

In some ways I suppose this behaviour is to be expected, since it seems that few, if any, in Thailand are prepared to suffer the consequences of their actions. They instead wish for, and are given, amnesty. This inability to accept punishment and to learn from it leads only to a highly dysfunctional society where right and wrong cannot be separated, since there are no universal absolutes, only opinions that change on personal whims.

John Patterson

Bangkok