Thaksin offers to help Prayut suppress narcotics trafficking

During his “CareTalk & Care” programme on the ClubHouse platform on Tuesday, Thaksin boasted he would need only six months to effectively end the drug problem.

“You should not have an attitude that even 100 prime ministers cannot solve the issue,” Thaksin said, directing his words at Prayut during his online talk show.

“If you don’t want to do it or are unable to do it, I can help. I’ll be in control of the issue in six months and then you can take credit. [I offer to help] out of love and concern for the country and our children because it’s uncertain how many more drug-related incidents would happen again.”

The Thaksin government launched its “war on drugs” in February 2003 to suppress drug trafficking and prevent substance abuse, much to the satisfaction of many Thais, who were naturally fed up with drug-related violence.

In the first three months of the campaign, some 2,800 extrajudicial killings took place.

In August 2007, the military-installed government of General Surayud Chalanont appointed a special committee to investigate the extrajudicial killings during the 2003 war on drugs. The committee’s report – which has never been made public – said that of 2,819 people killed between February and April 2003, more than 1,400 were unrelated to drug dealing or there had been no apparent reason for their killings.

In an article, late former senator Kraisak Choonhavan wrote that the “war on drugs” saw 2,873 Thais dead in a matter of three months – from February to April 2003. He said the victims included whole families, women, children and even the elderly.

Thaksin on Tuesday insisted that 2,000 people were killed during the period. He claimed the death toll included “unnatural deaths” and “accidents”.

“Only 80 were killed related to drugs but I did not order the killings. Of course, when the government suppressed trafficking, the traffickers killed one another to eliminate links to them because they were afraid of being arrested,” Thaksin argued.

He said after his government was toppled in a coup, the coup maker used the rhetoric of "Ka Tud Ton", or "elimination to cut links to act against him".

During the talk, Thaksin squarely blamed the Nong Bua Lamphu massacre by a sacked police sergeant on economic mismanagement by the Prayut government and by “politicians in power demanding money from police officers in exchange for promotions to the post of station chiefs”.

To prevent more violence, Thaksin said, the government must grant an amnesty to owners of illegal firearms to encourage them to hand over their guns to the authorities before the government cracks down.

Thaksin said Thailand is ranked 13th in the world and first in Asean as the country with the most guns. He said Thais now possess about 10.3 million guns, 40 per cent of which are illegal firearms.

According to the exiled PM, former interior minister Chavarat Charnvirakul enacted a wrong policy when he allowed law officers to buy their own guns under a welfare programme, which meant ex-officers could still hold guns.

The sacked policeman who committed the massacre used his welfare pistol during the rampage.

Thaksin said police and soldiers must be required to register all guns in their possession.

He warned the Nong Bua Lamphu violence was the tip of the iceberg as there were many drug addicts who could turn violent later.

He claimed politicians in power allegedly demanded up to 30 million baht in exchange for promoting police officers to station chiefs so these chiefs had to recoup their investments by engaging in social vices as well as selling drugs or providing protection to drug traffickers.

Thaksin said the economic slump because of mismanagement by the government also prompted “many” to become drug pushers.