Nong Bua Lamphu massacre sheds light on Thailand’s failed police reform

Amorn Wanichwiwatana

Special to The Nation

The committees continued to operate following the disbandment of the junta’s National Reform Council (RNC). I was appointed as a member of one of those committees, which was tasked with reforming national politics. I also took up assignments on committees to reform the police force and draft the constitution. Some of those reform committees continue to operate, with members still being compensated handsomely after six years.

So, I have nothing to hide or disguise in discussing the failure of Thailand’s reform plans. Many National Reform Committees are still running, offering a fixed monthly allowance of about 10,000 baht per member. However, we rarely hear anything about what they are doing, or the results of reforms they have produced so far.

As I had been on the police reform committee, reporters approached me after the October 6 massacre of mainly young children perpetrated by a sacked cop, asking what had gone wrong with our reform plan.

Honestly speaking, I had very good will and the best intentions towards the police when I and35 others were tasked with the herculean task of reforming the force. There had been nearly a dozen police reform committees before mine, which had an additional committee responsible for drafting laws according to our reform plan. So, we no longer needed any committees to find facts or solutions to reform the police. Everything about police reform was already on shelves or storage in the offices of the powers-that-be and all that was now required was decisions on the right formula for the police.

Again, I can guarantee that my proposals as well as my criticism of the police were based on my long experience and strong regard for the policing profession. Soon after graduating in criminology from Oxford University, I went to see the then head of Thailand’s Police Academy to discuss how I could repay my student grant. I simply felt that as the grant came from taxpayers, I should find a place where I could contribute with knowledge learned at Oxford. However, a police teacher with an Oxford degree seemed superfluous and not really required in a force where celebrities or controversial characters could be promoted to high-ranking posts. Finally, I faced reality and followed through on the original commitment when I signed the grant contract to teach at my present university. I believe I chose the right path, as I might not have had the “resilience” reportedly needed to become a good police officer.

I always remember the force emphasising the term “police resilience” as one of the most important elements needed to become a respectable officer. But when I hear people talk on the street about the police – particularly following the October 6 incident in Nong Bua Lamphu, I must say that if I were an officer, I would be tempted to take off my uniform and disguise myself. The strong condemnation including curse words must be difficult to hear if you are a policeman. That’s another reason why I think myself lucky not to have been chosen to join the force a few decades ago.

Many might wonder why the Thai police are so hated and derided by the majority of the public. Ordinary Thais understand this very well since they can recall heinous crimes committed by the police themselves. The front pages of national newspapers have reported on drug smuggling, rape, murder and serious corruption being practised by police officers. Now we can add the October 6 massacre. Some might say the perpetrator was an ex-cop but this is not clear. Consider that he killed and maimed children and other innocent people on the day he appeared in court on a drug-related matter to which he had never confessed, claiming that all but one amphetamine pill found in his room actually belonged to his wife. When people say he was fired from the force, we need to scrutinise if he was actually being disciplined and on what charge. Normally if when someone is disciplined for criminal misconduct, the police disciplinary committee has to wait for the court verdict before taking action. This is because in serious cases, the committee must use the court verdict as guidance. So, calling him an ex-officer may only be a way of diverting condemnation away from the police as a whole.

Another weird thing happened when several media outlets reported that the officer in question committed the murders under the influence of drugs, without any proof from the coroner or medical personnel. I contacted several news editors about this and asked them this unverified news could be spread across the country? Media outlets race against one another to get the news out, but they often forget the importance of accuracy. I like the BBC’s motto that ‘”trust is earned” and “accuracy is more important than speed”. However, another international news agency, CNN, violated journalistic ethics when trespassed on the crime scene, earning condemnation from many Thais.

I would like to see this tragic incident become the last. But for that to happen, everyone concerned would need to be brave enough to accept a large number of “rotten apples” must be eradicated from the police force once and for all. We need to examine its personnel administration system to find out the source of the rot. Attempts to tone down the incident or sweep the mess under the carpet are not good idea. Worse still, they indicate bad intentions and show that police apologists have no love for their organisation at all. Many police are defending themselves by blaming intervention in the force by external factors such as politicians. But the truth is that the more you hide yourself in the dark or prevent oversight by outsiders, the more you have to hide.

I will keep repeating this point: we do not need any new reform plan or any reform committee for the police, period.

Amorn Wanichwiwatana, DPhil (Oxon), is a political scientist at Chulalongkorn University.