Murder case of police chief Nakhon Sawan
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The case of a suspect killed by police in Nakhon Sawan sheds light on rampant police brutality in Thailand but police reform is unlikely, Human Rights Watch says.
Thanks to social media and a whistleblower who leaked the chilling video, the public saw a group of police officers torture a drug suspect to death. This has again sparked public outcry against the authorities. And created a media frenzy over this blatantly heinous act.
The leaked video, which shows the 24-year-old victim being suffocated with a plastic bag, the prime suspect's celebrity connections and his unusual wealth, which would have taken him hundreds of years to collect from a police salary, show the brutality of the police in Thailand and the need for reform.
In an interview broadcast live Friday on Thai PBS World, Mr. Sunai Phasuk, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch (HRW) in Thailand, said torture of drug suspects in police custody is "very common."
“Each year, cases are reported to Human Rights Watch and other human rights organizations, but the problem is now highlighted by what happened in Nakhon Sawan. It happened in front of a camera and the footage leaked out. That sparked public outcry and anger,” Sunai said.
“In other cases, however, there were no witnesses, no evidence or footage and those who survived the torture are too afraid to press charges. So this is just the tip of the iceberg in Thailand that needs to be addressed seriously and thoroughly,” he added
On Thursday night, police held a press conference to announce the arrest of the prime suspect, Thitisan Uttanaphon. Also known as “Joe Ferrari” for his collection of supercars, who was the head of the Nakhon Sawan Muang District Police Station. He and the other police officers involved are fired.
“The police press conference last night was an insult to the public. It was not about reporting the progress of the police investigation or what the direction of the investigation will be, but about giving the prime suspect in this case, the one who ordered the torture and who committed the murder, the opportunity to offer to apologize.
“Who are they trying to fool?” asked Mr. Sunai. “Thai are not stupid. What was shown at the police press conference last night did not inspire confidence that justice will be done in this case,” the law researcher added.
Talks about the need to reform the police have resumed. Just like the talks about reforming the army. They would take place after the mass killing by a soldier in Nakhon Ratchasima (February 2020). The then army chief General Apirat Kongsompong vowed with tearful eyes to reform the army. However, not much has happened since then and the incident has been reduced to a personal conflict between the perpetrator and his superior. This time, Sunai thinks, it will be no different.
“First of all, it should be noted that the current prime minister has made firm promises to reform the army and police. We have already seen promises of military reform fail. Nothing really happened and so I'm not confident that serious action will be taken when it comes to police reform," he said.
“Let us not forget that as Prime Minister of Thailand, General Prayut is directly in charge of the Royal Thai Police. Seven years have passed, he has done nothing. Do you think he's going to do it now? No!" was his final conclusion
Source: Thai PBS World
Jo Ferrari drives a 200MB Lamborghini. He is a scion of one of the wealthiest families of Nakhon Sawan. As is customary in Thailand, he bought the post of chief of the local police, guaranteeing the family status and position. Now it's about preserving it. One of the police officers present felt remorse and reported the events that had already taken place on 6 August. The attitude of a doctor and the board of a hospital, to which the deceased was transported after death, is also poignant. Their message described the death as being due to excessive drug use.
The agent who leaked the images to a lawyer indicated that he had first sounded the alarm internally, but he got nowhere after 2 weeks. He feared for his life, he says, and eventually released the images through a lawyer. Does that internal reporting of things that are not right or 'strange or somewhat remarkable' work? (rhetorical question).
The role of the hospital is not yet completely clear to me. Apparently the police told the doctor that the man had died of an overdose, the doctor took over (and found that there were indeed drug residues in his body). But there doesn't seem to be any serious research. Perhaps that is not necessary if the police make it very clear what the cause of death is... I think a 100% independent investigation would make it a bit more difficult for officers... But networks are important in Thailand, right? =/
This may very well be the tip of the iceberg. Usually there is no video recording and then it is the word of the police versus a single next of kin…
The press conference regarding the martyrdom was also a circus. For example, we are the suspect(s) in photos with very loose ties around the wrists so that it is only for show, if the main suspect should speak, while at the standard press conference where the police show suspect(s), the latter quietly sit by while the men in brown speak proudly.
What did the main character, police colonel “Ferrari Joe” have to say? Well, that those 6 things had been overlooked to obscure the view of the drug deal suspect, that they only took action when the man resisted, that it was not the intention to suffocate him, that as a 38-39 year old he colonel and head of that police station is inexperienced and did not really know what he was doing (that was the excuse why the other cameras were turned off or deleted, 1 camera was forgotten). The false medical declaration of an overdose as the cause of death because the wife of the suspected drug dealer said he used daily (traces of drugs were found according to the hospital). Ferrari Joe is very sorry... Also sorry to the parents. The cremation had already been arranged, even though the mother of the deceased man objected to it...
But the lawyer who released the video now has a defamation lawsuit... after all, poor Joe's image is in tatters. Speaking of his image, he had that name “Ferrari Joe” for a while, everyone knew that he had a large fleet of expensive cars (Ferrari, Mercedes Benz, Maserati and so on) and two villas. All this on a salary of less than THB 50.000 per month, although he could legally earn extra money because an officer keeps about 1/4th of seized criminal goods (luxury cars and the like) that are resold at auctions as a reward. But that would still be a long way from such a luxurious life, and he didn't have a rich family or wife either. And yet no one examined him? There are more senior officers and soldiers who are unusually rich, but where there is no investigation or it comes to nothing... it has been the case for years that money flows up to the top... I have to laugh that there were people who seriously thought that General Prayuth was going to put things in order in 2014. 555 While for about a century now there have been various cliques and networks that have been killing each other, becoming unusually rich and making annoying citizens disappear. Unfortunately, blood, corruption and faulty networks are not rare. Just read the history books about Thailand.
That is also the reason for pessimism. You have already read many comments asking whether there will be a serious approach this time or whether we will look away and sweep another case under the rug, delaying tactics and laughable punishments for “people with a good network”. Under those circumstances you can speak of a rotten system. You don't tackle that so 1-2-3.
Still, I believe it can. But then the people really have to clean up and kick a large part of that mess up there out of the saddle. Demand that there is serious transparency now, tackling people who are unusually rich. No more empty promises that the military, police or politicians will be thoroughly screened and then nothing essential will be done after some symbolic rituals and shows. But really getting the broom through the system, there will be good resistance from the higher circles. Thanks to social media, it is a lot more difficult to sweep things under the rug, so who knows, there is still hope. Let's hope that these agents are really properly investigated and vetted before an objective judge and OM and receive appropriate punishments. At least it would be a small start.
Sources and more info (cut and paste myself, couldn't place them as a fully automatic link without going through the spam filter with more than 1-2 clickable links):
- https://www.thaienquirer.com/31842/most-shocking-quotes-from-surreal-press-conference-with-killer-cop/
-https://www.thaienquirer.com/31874/lawyer-who-leaked-joe-ferrari-tape-sued-for-defamation/
-https://thisrupt.co/current-affairs/a-very-sad-siamese-tale/
-https://thisrupt.co/current-affairs/nausea-and-corruption-in-siam-land/
-https://www.khaosodenglish.com/opinion/2021/08/28/a-rotten-cop-reminds-us-police-reform-urgently-needed
The video of the interrogation and murder of the drug suspect on August 5 was made by a young officer at that Nakhorn Sawan police station. He passed the images on to a lawyer who subsequently did not receive a proper response from the authorities and therefore posted them on social media.
The problem with fighting corruption in Thailand is that would-be whistleblowers often fear the dire consequences: murder, harassment, dismissal and libel charges. I suspect that young cop is also very scared now. All very sad. I might add that the parents of the murdered 24-year-old drug suspect were pressured by the police to remain silent. There is also a video of that.
And then there is also a video of a monk visiting the police station in question and saying:
Joe Ferrari is a better man than others who are corrupt and set the country on fire. The dead man, sad as it is, was just a drug dealer."
Precisely. And this statement exactly reflects the mentality and mindset of many Thais who have no interest in the principles of a constitutional state or rights for ordinary people. A 'higher' Thai may have someone's death on his conscience, but a 'lower' Thai will go to prison for 112 years for an insult.
And then of course this. The whistleblower must hang:
https://aseannow.com/topic/1229063-lawyer-who-leaked-joe-ferrari-tape-sued-for-defamation/
No, that is not true. The officer who recorded the images on his camera feared for his life and passed the images on to the lawyers because there was no follow-up internally. Now one lawyer accuses the other of waiting too long to release the images because he wanted an amount of 20 million from the perpetrator. Yes, yes, and so it goes on, I suspect it is also true, why otherwise 2 well-known lawyers would have a fight with each other, it would not be something that would just be said.
One can start by reading Montesquieu's Trias politica (1689-1775) before thinking or speaking of reforms.
A separation of powers according to the Western model will never, ever take root in ootsres thinking!
That's not true Herman. There is a reasonably good separation of powers in Taiwan, Japan and South Korea.
If the Thai police start investigating the Thai police, expectations are not high. “I tried to get information from the suspect with the aim of destroying the drug cartel.” said the guilty owner of 13 sports cars. “Money plays no role here. Never in my police life have I been corrupted.” After this press conference, I am a lot more confident about the integrity of the Thai police.
Do you remember that soldier who shot several people because of his Thai bath-hungry superiors. Even then we would change the system properly.
And, nothing changes.
Also in this case: when things calm down a bit in the media, we will just continue as before.
I remember Thaksin's "war on drugs" around 2003. 3 people were executed by the police in 2800 months. Simply shot because it was allowed. There were many innocents among them. People did not go to court, a police badge was immediately a “license to kill”.
The solution lies in better training, higher recruitment requirements and better salaries for the police.
Will never happen!!! The suggested solution implies a better functioning police force, of no interest to the ruling clique. In 2003, such a corps would have failed to comply with the relevant orders, and however horrific it may be, such an attitude will not be accepted.
That really needs to be broomed, but I don't hear from any other country that they also do something about it or comment on it diplomatically.
The UN, which has its headquarters for Asia there, is also silent.
In many societies it is not about what kind of work you do, but what you get out of it. Everyone knows that in Thailand you have to buy from the police or the army. Some are lucky but have a debt of honor.
So much money is made by allowing underground activities by the police and the military that a cleanup is simply not possible.
In Thaksin's time there were murder squads that had to kill nasty drug dealers and that was arranged by the police, so we shouldn't be surprised that this is still happening now. Killing on a desk is not too smart, but mistakes are also made where people work.
It is what it is and up to the Thai people to have an opinion on this.
The entire government system, especially the military and police, is rotten through and through. This is only possible because the top also shows the same profile.
My Thai wife was always very afraid of police.
I asked her why, she said that her mother used to say that she should keep herself far away from policemen because those people are no good.
When we are in the car now she still gets nervous when she sees the police.
So among the population they know damn well what is going on, but they do nothing with it.
If people look away at elections and deny it, it will be well ingrained.
And then I think of the proverb: Every population gets the leaders it deserves.
Life is a big theater play for many. I cannot emphasize it often enough. Corruption is a common way for many Thais to make money. So for that group nothing to worry about. If this is overhauled at once, there won't be much left of the police organization, I'm afraid. So virtually nothing happens, although this does not just blow over. I've already heard reports that the death penalty is even being considered for these types of offences. But yes, what can you take seriously in Thailand. The Thai and the sense of shame, it's confusing.
Losing face is an impassable terrain. I almost always see cooperating suspects who also cooperate in the inspection. Possibly as part of the interrogation methods that, according to hearsay, do not always conform to Western standards. Corrupt lawyers and (coronary) doctors are not averse to money either. Money keeps the world afloat, but it also makes many people sick. In the Netherlands we have an internal investigation bureau at the police, which is reasonably populated and is never without work. Every self-respecting organization should take care of prevention, because it always turns out to be necessary. I don't know how that has taken shape in Thailand, but if one wants to retain some credibility, it is now high time to give substance to this. And of course that should not be reserved for the police alone, as we all know.
Let me play devil's advocate again because that Joe has already been convicted in the public eye before his trial has even started. And if that is not the case later (many years later) or if only a light sentence is handed out, the comments on the corrupt police, government and judges are rife.
1. No one, including Joe, is guilty until the judge gives his verdict;
2. Even if Joe admits to putting bags over the suspect's head, one of the most important questions is WHY he did it. That will largely determine the sentence because one murder is not the other, in other words was it intentional or wrongful death. Joe himself has already given the initiative by saying that he wants to protect Thai society against drugs and drug dealers. Hundreds of Thais have been killed for this in the past. Joe claims this is the first time a suspect has died because of him. The question then is why he has not killed other drug suspects in the past. They were also a threat to the people, weren't they?
3. The fact that Joe is rich, is very rich has nothing to do with the "murder of the drug suspect" for the time being. Of course, the attention is now on him and his doings (especially when it comes to proceeds from his actions and paying taxes on them) will be investigated further.
4. For the time being, there are all kinds of rumors: that he (and his team) partly concealed the seized drugs and put them back on the market; that he illegally imported the luxury cars himself and then confiscated part of them. Rumors, no facts yet.
5. I estimate that in this case too, the distinction between what is illegal (and for which you therefore come into contact with the law) and what is 'inappropriate' (which may or may not cost you your job, your reputation, but also hero) will play a major role.
Inappropriate is what you shouldn't do, but everyone has their own ideas about that. Depending on your own norms and values that may or may not be shared at a higher level (e.g. in a society). Sometimes the word corruption is used by one society, while in another society there is no such thing at all. In the case of Joe I have not yet found any examples of corruption, but I have found examples of murder or manslaughter, extortion and (incitement to) forgery.
Is it illegal to own 29 expensive cars on a middle income? Not if you got it through legal means. Is it inappropriate for a police chief to pocket the confiscation bounty all by himself? Well, that depends on the values and norms of the chief, of his colleagues (who together may receive 100.000 Baht for every million Baht the chief collects to keep them happy and quiet), of the values in the police force and in the society as a whole. In Thai society, unlike the more egalitarian Dutch society, being very rich is not necessarily objectionable or suspicious.
Laws describe what is and what is not legal. To make values and norms clear, so-called codes of conduct are needed, which form part of your employment contract and which – if violated – can lead to dishonorable dismissal. These codes of conduct are present in many countries (doctors, banks, education, ministries), and certainly where the police are concerned.
If the Thai government wanted to, those codes of conduct are fairly easy to specify for the Thai police. There really is no need to invent the wheel. But many believe that the political will to reform the Thai police has been lacking for decades. Me too by the way.