War on Drugs: Death for killer cops

Death penalty for the 3 police who killed 17 year-old motorcycle thief, hanging him from ceiling of hut after release from police station on bail.

Three former Kalasin policemen who murdered a teenage boy in 2004 are escorted by prison officers to the Criminal Court for sentencing. The judge sentenced them to death (Photo: Surapolpromsakana Sakolnakorn).

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Crimes

Killer cops face execution

3 get death penalty for 'war on drugs' murder
31/07/2012
Achara Ashayagachat

Three police officers were sentenced to death yesterday for the 2004 murder of a 17-year-old during the Thaksin Shinawatra government's war on drugs.

Kiattisak Thitboonkrong, of Kalasin province, was arrested in July 2004 for alleged motorcycle theft, but he was found hanged from the ceiling of a hut in Roi Et's Chang Han district days after being released from Muang Kalasin police station.

His relatives suspected the teenager was a victim of extra-judicial killing, which was widespread during the war on drugs campaign between 2003 and 2005.

The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) accepted the case and pressed charges of premeditated murder against six police officers attached to Muang Kalasin police station.

The Criminal Court on Ratchadaphisek Road in Bangkok read out the verdict on the case yesterday, sentencing three of the police officers to death, one to life imprisonment and another to a seven-year prison sentence. The sixth defendant was acquitted.

Angkhan Khammoonna, Sutthinan Nonthing, and Phansin Uppanan - all holding the rank of senior sergeant major - were sentenced to death for premeditated murder and hiding a corpse.

Pol Lt Col Sumit Nunsathit was sentenced to life imprisonment for premeditated murder, while Pol Col Montri Boonlue was sentenced to seven years in jail for abuse of authority to help protect his subordinates from prosecution.

The only defendant who was acquitted was Pol Snr Sgt Maj Samphao Indee.

Pol Snr Sgt Maj Samphao made a telephone call to arrange Kiattisak's release on bail on the day he was freed. The court ruled that the policeman merely performed his duty and did not believe he was involved in the murder.

Kiattisak's aunt Pikul Prohmchan, grandmother Sa Thitboonkhrong and other family members showed up at the court room to listen to the verdict.

Thaksin launched the controversial war on drugs in 2003 under his policy to rid the country of narcotics during his tenure as prime minister. The campaign, however, resulted in extra-judicial killings of more than 2,500 suspects.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), led by then-commissioner Wasant Panich, conducted an inquiry into Kiattisak's death and reported its findings in 2006.

One of the NHRC's recommendations was for the government to provide some remedial measures to Kiattisak's family as he had died at the hands of police officers.

In 2005, the DSI accepted Kiattisak's death as a special case and, on Sept 9, 2009, the public prosecutor decided to charge the six suspects.

Ms Pikul said she was happy justice had been served but expressed disappointment that one of the defendants was set free.

"Pol Snr Sgt Maj Samphao Indee was overseeing Muang Kalasin police station because his boss, Pol Col Montri Boonlue, was not on duty the day Kiattisak was released," Ms Pikul said.

Pol Snr Sgt Maj Samphao contacted an insurer to guarantee Kiatttisak's release despite our family's plan to do so in the next few days.
nephew.

If he hadn't been so hurriedly released, my nephew would not have disappeared and been killed by the police. But this defendant was set free.

Solicitor Ratsada Manooratsada said Kiattisak's relatives would appeal against Pol Snr Sgt Maj Samphao's acquittal.

Ms Pikul said she would call on the Yingluck Shinawatra administration to comply with the NHRC recommendations on remedial measures.

"The red shirts [killed or injured in protest crackdowns in 2010] have been given compensation; the victims of southern violence have also been paid. This case was also caused by state authorities. Therefore, the government is required to pay for the loss in our family too," she said.

Ms Pikul was one of three key witnesses in the case who had been under witness protection provided by the DSI.

However, the witness protection for the three expired with the conclusion of the case.

The three witnesses will now have to return home or move elsewhere.

"Mother Sa, myself, and another prime witness are now on our own," Ms Pikul said.

[The third witness] had to run away and change names and houses several times because he feels he has been followed around.

Ms Pikul is a representative of Kalasin Relatives of Deceased and Disappeared Persons due to the Actions of State Officers in the War on Drugs.

(Source: Bangkok Post, Crimes, Killer cops face execution, 3 get death penalty for 'war on drugs' murder, 31/07/2012, Achara Ashayagachat, link) 


Law Enforcement & Extrajudicial Killings Vocabulary

extrajudicial killing - "the killing of a person by governmental authorities without the sanction of any judicial proceeding or legal process. Extrajudicial punishments are by their nature unlawful, since they bypass the due process of the legal jurisdiction in which they occur. Extrajudicial killings often target leading political, trade union, dissident, religious, and social figures and may be carried out by the state government or other state authorities like the armed forces and police" (See Wikipedia)

law enforcement - the activity that police do, find people who broke the law and gathering evidence for a criminal trial and then getting a warrant for their arrest so they can stand trial and be punished if found guilty of the crime)

murder - the crime of killing a person intentionally (not an accident, not self-defense) ฆาตกรรม

premeditated - planning to do someone before you do it (not just an accident happening on the spur of the moment)
premeditated murder - the crime of planning to kill someone and then killing them

National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) - the independent Thai government agency overseeing human rights created in 2001 คณะกรรมการสิทธิมนุษยชนแห่งชาติ (See Wikipedia and website)

sentence (noun) - a punishment given by a court of law การตัดสินลงโทษ
prison sentence - the period of time that a person must live in prison or jail as punishment for a crime
seven-year prison sentence

sentence (verb) - (of a court of law) to give a punishment ลงโทษ
sentenced to death

penalty - a punishment, or the usual punishment, for doing something that is against a law โทษ
death penalty - death as penalty for a crime

capital punishment - Same as "death penalty" (See Wikipedia)
death sentence - Same as "death penalty"

execution - Same as "death penalty"
killer cops face execution

3 get death penalty for 'war on drugs' murder

Three police officers were sentenced to death yesterday for the 2004 murder of a 17-year-old during the Thaksin Shinawatra government's war on drugs.

prosecution - the person or organisation that tries to prove in court that someone has committed a crime อัยการ
prosecutor - a lawyer who works on the prosecution of a legal case (trying to prove that a crime was committed by a person)

alleged - claimed, but not yet proven ที่ถูกกล่าวหา
theft - (the act of) dishonestly taking something which belongs to someone else and keeping it การลักขโมย
alleged motorcycle theft

hanged - when someone has put a rope around the neck of another person and killed them by "hanging" them from something (the roof, a tree)
ceiling - the surface that is above you in a room
hut - a very small house (usually in a far away place like the middle of a rice field)

found hanged from the ceiling of a hut

release - to allow someone to go free ปล่อยตัว to set someone or something free; to let someone leave a place where they have been kept, in this case, a prison ปล่อยตัว ปล่อยเป็นอิสระ
released from jail

Kiattisak Thitboonkrong, of Kalasin province, was arrested in July 2004 for alleged motorcycle theft, but he was found hanged from the ceiling of a hut in Roi Et's Chang Han district days after being released from Muang Kalasin police station.

relatives - members of a persons family
suspected - thought to be something เป็นที่สงสัย people believe that they might have done something wrong, but not yet proven

victim - someone who has been harmed, injured or killed as the result of a crime เหยื่อผู้เคราะห์ร้าย

widespread - happening or existing in many places, or affecting many people อย่างแพร่หลาย
campaign - a planned group of activities (especially political, business or military) to achieve a certain goal การรณรงค์

His relatives suspected the teenager was a victim of extra-judicial killing, which was widespread during the war on drugs campaign between 2003 and 2005.

charges - bring a criminal case against a person
pressed charges

The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) accepted the case and pressed charges of premeditated murder against six police officers attached to Muang Kalasin police station.

verdict
read out the verdict on the case

imprisonment - the punishment of being put in prison จำคุก
life imprisonment - the penalty of life in prison as punishment for a crime

defendant - someone who has been accused of a crime and is on trial จำเลย
acquitted - found not guilty (of a crime by a court of law)

The Criminal Court on Ratchadaphisek Road in Bangkok read out the verdict on the case yesterday, sentencing three of the police officers to death, one to life imprisonment and another to a seven-year prison sentence. The sixth defendant was acquitted.

rank - someone's official position in the armed forces, police, fire services, etc. ตำแหน่ง
holding the rank of senior sergeant major
corpse - a dead body ศพ

Angkhan Khammoonna, Sutthinan Nonthing, and Phansin Uppanan - all holding the rank of senior sergeant major - were sentenced to death for premeditated murder and hiding a corpse.

abuse - to use or treat someone or something wrongly or badly, especially in a way that is to your own advantage ใช้ในทางที่ผิด
authority - power; the power to make decisions or tell people what to do อำนาจ, อำนาจในการสั่งการ
abuse of authority

subordinates - people who are working under your supervision in an organization

protect subordinates from prosecution

Pol Lt Col Sumit Nunsathit was sentenced to life imprisonment for premeditated murder, while Pol Col Montri Boonlue was sentenced to seven years in jail for abuse of authority to help protect his subordinates from prosecution.

defendant - a person being tried for a crime by judges in a legal court
defendant acquitted - the defendant found to be not guilty (did not do criminal act)

The only defendant who was acquitted was Pol Snr Sgt Maj Samphao Indee.

bail - money that is given to a court when someone is allowed to stay out of prison until their trial. If they do not return for the trial, the court keeps the money เงินประกัน; การประกันตัว (See Wikipedia)
release - to let someone leave a place where they have been kept, in this case, a prison ปล่อยตัว
release on bail

court
the court ruled that ...

duty - something that you have to do because it is part of your job, or something that you feel is the right thing to do หน้าที่, ความรับผิดชอบ
perform duty - do the work you were given to do by your boss

the policeman merely performed his duty

Pol Snr Sgt Maj Samphao made a telephone call to arrange Kiattisak's release on bail on the day he was freed. The court ruled that the policeman merely performed his duty and did not believe he was involved in the murder. Kiattisak's aunt Pikul Prohmchan, grandmother Sa Thitboonkhrong and other family members showed up at the court room to listen to the verdict.

launched - began เริ่ม started เริ่มต้นดำเนินการ
controversial - a subject that people disagree about and argue about; causing disagreement or disapproval ความขัดแย้ง ความไม่ลงรอยกัน

Thaksin launched the controversial war on drugs in 2003

narcotics - illegal drugs such as heroin or cocaine ยาเสพย์ติด
policy - a plan of action to guide decisions and achieve outcomes นโยบาย (See Wikipedia)
policy to rid the country of narcotics

tenure - the period of time that a government official works for the government ในระยะเวลาที่ดำรงตำแหน่ง
tenure as prime minister

suspects - people that the police think might be guilty of a crime ผู้ต้องสงสัย
extra-judicial killings of more than 2,500 suspects

Thaksin launched the controversial war on drugs in 2003 under his policy to rid the country of narcotics during his tenure as prime minister. The campaign, however, resulted in extra-judicial killings of more than 2,500 suspects.

commission - a group of people who have been formally chosen to discover information about a problem or examine the reasons why the problem exists คณะกรรมาธิการ  

commissioner - a member of a commission กรรมาธิการ

the commisioner now
the commisioner then - the commissioner in the past

then-commissioner
then-commissioner Wasant Panich

inquiry - 1. an official examination of a problem, crime, accident, etc. in order to get information or the truth การไต่สวนหาข้อเท็จจริง การไต่สวน; 2. asking questions or investigating to get information; the process of asking questions การสอบถาม

an inquiry into a death
conducted an inquiry into the death

findings - the results or conclusions of an investigation or research; statements about a situation made after research; what the committee decided was true, after looking at all the evidence
reported findings

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), led by then-commissioner Wasant Panich, conducted an inquiry into Kiattisak's death and reported its findings in 2006.

remedial - corrective (to correct or improve something)
measures - actions taken to deal with a problem มาตราการ
remedial measures

provide - to give someone something that they want or need
provide some remedial measures

died at the hands of police officers - the police officers were the people who killed them

charge - to accuse someone officially of committing a crime ตั้งข้อกล่าวหา
charge the six suspects

the public prosecutor decided to charge the six suspects

One of the NHRC's recommendations was for the government to provide some remedial measures to Kiattisak's family as he had died at the hands of police officers. In 2005, the DSI accepted Kiattisak's death as a special case and, on Sept 9, 2009, the public prosecutor decided to charge the six suspects.

justice - when people are treated fairly and equally (See Wikipedia) ความยุติธรรม
justice served
happy justice had been served
disappointment
expressed disappointment
set free
defendants set free

Ms Pikul said she was happy justice had been served but expressed disappointment that one of the defendants was set free.

overseeing - managing, checking to see that it operates properly and nothing goes wrong
insurer
guarantee - a promise that something will be done or will happen คำรับรอง, การประกัน
guarantee - promising that something will happen for sure
guarantee - promise that something will happen (See glossary)
guarantee - a promise to do or give something

"Pol Snr Sgt Maj Samphao Indee was overseeing Muang Kalasin police station because his boss, Pol Col Montri Boonlue, was not on duty the day Kiattisak was released," Ms Pikul said. Pol Snr Sgt Maj Samphao contacted an insurer to guarantee Kiatttisak's release despite our family's plan to do so in the next few days.

hurriedly released

If he hadn't been so hurriedly released, my nephew would not have disappeared and been killed by the police. But this defendant was set free.

solicitor - lawyer
appeal - a request to a court to change a decision by a lower court อุทธรณ์ ยื่นอุทธรณ์
acquittal - an official judgment in a court of law that someone is not guilty of the crime they were accused of การตัดสินให้พ้นโทษ

Solicitor Ratsada Manooratsada said Kiattisak's relatives would appeal against Pol Snr Sgt Maj Samphao's acquittal.

administration - one government that a country has for a period of time

comply - to do what someone tells you to do; to obey a rule or law or do what someone asks you to do ปฏิบัติตาม (กฎหมาย, ข้อเสนอ, etc.) การปฏิบัติตามกฎ
comply with - follow a rule
comply with NHRC recommendations

Ms Pikul said she would call on the Yingluck Shinawatra administration to comply with the NHRC recommendations on remedial measures.

protest - a strong complaint or disagreement ประท้วง
crackdowns - taking action against some crime or illegal activity and stopping it (at least for a short time, sometimes continues after crackdown is finished)
protest crackdowns

compensation - money that someone receives because something bad has happened to them, given for damage or harm suffered การจ่า่ยเงินชดเชย
victims - people who are killed injured or harmed in some way from an accident, natural disaster, crime, etc.
violence - physical force with the deliberate intention of causing damage to property or injury or death to people ความรุนแรง
victims of southern violence

state - government รัฐ
authorities - government officials; the police or people in official organisations who have the legal power to make people obey laws or rules เจ้าหน้าที่ (ตำรวจ หรือผู้มีอำนาจ)
state authorities

"The red shirts [killed or injured in protest crackdowns in 2010] have been given compensation; the victims of southern violence have also been paid. This case was also caused by state authorities. Therefore, the government is required to pay for the loss in our family too," she said.

key - important คนสำคัญ

witnesses - a person who say an event, usually an accident or crime that they describe, an eyewitness; someone who tells a court or investigators what they know about a crime ผู้ที่เห็นเหตุการณ์, พยาน

key witnesses - important witnesses in a legal case

witness protection - the system for protecting witnesses to a crime from being harmed by the criminal who wants to stop them from giving evidence of the crime

Ms Pikul was one of three key witnesses in the case who had been under witness protection provided by the DSI.

expired - ended, finished, no longer valid หมดอายุ สิ้นสุด

conclusion - the end; the final part of something, in this case, a final decision การสิ้นสุดลง การสรุป การตกลงขั้นสุดท้าย 
conclusion of case - a final decision in a legal case การสรุป การตกลงขั้นสุดท้าย

run away - to quickly leave the place you live or are staying at (because of some danger, for example)
followed around - when another person follows you whereever you go (watching what you do) 
representative - when one person acts for a group (making decisions for them and speaking for them)

However, the witness protection for the three expired with the conclusion of the case. The three witnesses will now have to return home or move elsewhere. "Mother Sa, myself, and another prime witness are now on our own," Ms Pikul said. [The third witness] had to run away and change names and houses several times because he feels he has been followed around. Ms Pikul is a representative of Kalasin Relatives of Deceased and Disappeared Persons due to the Actions of State Officers in the War on Drugs.