A QUESTION FOR BILLIONAIRE EX-PM OF THAILAND
WHY DID YOUR POLICE KILL MY LOVELY GRANNY?
SUNDAY MIRROR INVESTIGATES: DISTRAUGHT FAMILY SEEK TRUTH
By Kate Mansey And Andrew Drummond
As he ploughs millions into Manchester City, new owner Thaksin Shinawatra is being hailed by fans as the latest foreign billionaire to bring his riches to British football.
But back in his native Thailand, the exiled former prime minister is being investigated over policies which led to the deaths of nearly 2,500 people.
Last week, while Thaksin signed off the purchase of four new multimillion-pound players by Man City manager Sven Goran Eriksson, human rights groups accused the 57-year-old of supporting mass executions and torture during a yearlong war on drugs he ordered in 2003.
In a small town 100 miles south of the capital Bangkok, little Montililai Klinmalee is one of the innocent victims of that war on drugs.
Montililai - nicknamed Noon - was just seven when her grandmother was shot dead in front of her by policemen her family say were acting on orders from Thaksin’s government.
(Noon,pictured above, writes to Manchester City)
Now 11, Noon is still confused and traumatised by an event she cannot understand. “What did my granny do wrong?” she asks. “She did not know anything about drugs.”
Holding the hand of her mother Nongkran at the family shop in Baan Laem, in the northern Phetchabun province, Noon says: “I was very young. I did not know anything. But I know now. I am not scared. My grandmother had nothing to do with drugs. I know that.
“Can you find out why she died?” she asks. “Nobody has investigated it here.”
Nongkran, 30, has tried in vain to find out why her mother was killed that day. “I wrote to Mr Thaksin. I wrote to the interior ministry,” she says. “But they never even bothered to reply.
“I don’t understand those people in England who want him to run their football club. Is money all they care about? Maybe someone in England can provide the answers. How can he do these sort of things to his own people?
“When the police came here one of them took a photograph from his pouch and nodded. Then the other pulled his gun and shot my mother in the chest.
“She slumped forwards and then he fired at least five more shots. Then both men turned around and casually walked out of the shop. My mother knew nothing about drugs.”
The family’s story has been looked at by Pradit Charoenthaitawee of the Thai Human Rights Commission, which is investigating deaths during the drugs war launched by Thaksin in February 2003.
Dr Charoenthaitawee said: “I will bring the charges myself privately if need be. We have strong evidence in 400 or so cases. Many of these injudicial killings were carried out in daylight in front of witnesses and many had nothing to do with drugs.”
At the height of the drugs war Suwit Baisan, a cameraman working for Thailand’s government-run TV Channel 11, famously went on his knees in front to Thaksin to ask why his mother and father had been shot.
(Suwit above: ‘What happened to my parents Mr. Thaksin?’ Courtesy The Nation)
He never received an answer. At the end of 2003, Thaksin declared victory in the war on drugs. He denied police were carrying out executions without trial and insisted many of the deaths were merely the result of drug dealers killing other drug dealers. No investigations were launched.
Thaksin has refused to return to Thailand under the current regime since he was deposed in a military coup last year. As well as human rights abuse accusations, he also faces corruption charges over a £11.3million land deal he struck while PM. If convicted, he and his wife Pojaman face 13 years in jail.
But a trial is more than many of the drug war victims were afforded, claim campaigners. Last week Brad Adams, Asia director of Human Rights Watch, sent a letter to the Premiership questioning Thaksin’s suitability to own Manchester City.
He said: “Mr Thaksin’s time in office was characterised by numerous extra-judicial executions, ‘disappearances’, illegal abductions, arbitrary detentions, torture and attacks on media freedoms.
“The most disturbing period of Mr Thaksin’s rule was his ‘war on drugs’.
“It appears Thaksin is trying to buy his way into polite society in Britain to cleanse his image. The Premier League shouldn’t play this game.”
“Thaksin’s lawyer, Noppadol Pattama, said the allegations against him are unfounded. He added: “As far as I am concerned, he has never instructed any public officer to execute a drug dealer. We will be able to prove his innocence after the general election when we are sure our client will get a fair trial.
“We just tried to solve the drug problem in Thailand by getting tough with criminals. But he has never issued any instructions for shoot-to-kill policies. I hope Manchester City fans and British people are fair-minded. They should suspend their judgment before deciding Thaksin is not fit. He is a fit and proper man to run the club.”
“Last night a Premier League source said they were prepared to question whether Shinawatra passed their “fit and proper person” test to run a football club if any new information came to light.
The source said: “There is ongoing due diligence and if something adverse comes to light we are empowered to investigate and take the appropriate action.”
That question still reverberate in Thailand: Why did Thaksin mastermind, orchestrate, direct and literally micromanage the weekly blacklists and the weekly extrajudicial kills during 2003 - 05 anti-drugs madnesss while PM of Thailand? And yet not ONE drug lord was arrested or killed. For TV glory or expediency or his URGE to appear godlike perhaps?
Thaksin as PM of Thailand then had the commanding overwhelming majority in the Thai parliament with his Thai Rak Thai party in complete control of the Thailand’s law making body, and Thaksin could have authored and passed the most punishing anti-drug law in the world, if he so chose, but did NOT . . . but instead found his KICKS from directing that horrific extrajudicial rampage that led to the death of some 8,000 (latest estimates) very poor, mostly illiterate villagers.
I hope Manchester City can keep Thaksin Shinawatra as their permanent guest until he dies. In Thailand, if ever Thaksin manages to return to power, he will most certainly revert to his Mr. Hyde extrajudicial monster side . . .
Certainly a disturbing article–hope you keep tracking this story. See this blog which is taking a looking at the whole Thaksin/City controversy–
thaksinskeptic.wordpress.com
I am happy the coup was set up to get Thaksin off the controls. It seems now that one rotten apple is replaced by a bunch of rotten apples, but i say give the CNS the benefit of the doubt for a bit longer. You can not get rid of a bad regime in a week…
When time passes you almost forget the bad things Thaksin did and focus on the here and now; Thailand is not doing very well. But CNS helped us get rid of this unhumain power loving criminal. We should not forget that.
What the democrat party should do is invest in pamflets for every villager to explain in normal Thai what Thaksin did wrong or is accused of. Due to the brainwashing of ex-TRT members people forget what he did wrong and he becomes a national hero.
Thailand does not have many famous sport figures or movie stars. The only world famous well know figure is Thaksin. He will become a cult hero if he gets Thailand on the football map.
2500 Thai people, guilty or not, got killed with out proper trial. Thais should understand that due to these kind of actions, and a coup needed to get a dictator of his democratic trown, Thailand goes back in time and needs to climb a new difficult route out of trouble. Birma is suddenly not that much lower, and that is not realistic.
Thailand is a beautiful country with beautiful people that deserves a place in the developed world. The king has that dream for his kingdom. Educate the people, do not brainwash. Liberties and freedom in moderation step by step. Clean the past, vote for a future!
Punish the guilty, support the victims. Show your country men (south, north, east and west) that bad deeds will lead to nothing and together you build a proud future with freedom for every tribe, religious group or other minority…
I salute you, the Thai people. Hand in hand for a future of freedom and prosperity for ALL!
Choke dee!
Hi,
Tragic. I was living in Thailand while all this was going on. Just a quick correction. Baan Laem is in Phetchaburi province.
Very interesting read, well written. I believe Thailand is looking ahead to an even brighter future now.
It is almost unbelievable what this man almost got away with.
The thing that really pains me, is that with all his talents, organizational skills, his ‘non-requirement’ to be corrupt (when’s enough enough ?) and his abilities to get the crowds behind him; what would Thailand look like today,m if he would have been the “Benevolent-Dictator” which this nation is (unknowingly) craving for:
The economy could have been the envy of many countries in the reegion; the Educational System could have been the best in the East, the Healthcare System could have been a shining example and the Elderly, Infirm & Incapable would have been cared for properly and with dignity.
The Police Department could have been re-invented and set-up on premises without the eternal corruption . . . . . just to mention a few things that srping to mind.
This man is an insult to the human race and a very bad nightmare for Thai’ society.
I sincerely hope Karma will catch-up with him and his ilk !
Sincerely,
JGK/Pattaya-Thailand
Andrew,
I too lived in Thailand during this power hungry mans killing rampage, and was astounded that the foreign press did not report it in more detail. Perhaps as you have access to numerous detailed reports you should now allow more of the British Press to be able to print ( your articles) what it is that this man has been involved in. I am sure that if the public really get to know exactly who has been allowed to buy one of our Premier League football teams then the football association or indeed the British Government might have to do something about this very unsavoury character.
Mr. Thaksin is a murderous buddy of Mr. Bush. Bush got his toy soldiers for the Iraq war, Non Nato Ally Status and then the drug war started the same day as the Iraq ground war, Feb.1 2003 and thousands were murdered, many of the hill tribe.
See http://www.akha.org/content/drugwar/drugwardeathpics.html
I personally picked up bodies from this drug war, some who had only been gunned down an hour earlier.
Mr. Thaksin is a murderer of the worst sort and should not own Manchester City under any terms.
He should be sent to prison and tried for his crimes. He should hope to get more mercy than he gave others.
Thaksin was once a former Police in Thailand. 98% of The Policemen in Thailand themselves are corrupted and dealing in Drugs.
(Last sentence edited. The writer contributed a statement which well may be true, but libelous in a Thai court not doubt)