MEETING CALLED ON DRUG WAR KILLINGS

Surayud Likely to Chair It; Activists Delighted

Human rights activists yesterday hailed the prospect of Prime Minister
Surayud Chulanont chairing a meeting next week on extra-judicial
killings during the war on drugs under the Thaksin Shinawatra
government. Former senator Kraisak Choonhavan said no other prime
minister had shown an interest in dealing with breaches of human
rights. But he stressed that the task required no less than changing
the mindset of state officials who had been "programmed" to kill.

"This is worthier than an apology. It shows he is serious," Mr
Kraisak said.

"But I am still concerned because Mr Thaksin seems to have put state
officials into murder mode without caring about human rights.

"The prime minister's task is to change that way of thinking. If he
succeeds it would be a major change, making history,"Mr Kraisak added.

Justice Minister Chanchai Likhitjitta said he approached Gen Surayud
to chair the meeting at the Department of Special Investigation on Dec
8, and the prime minister promised to do so if he was not otherwise
engaged.

Gen Surayud earlier vowed to reopen cases of extra-judicial killings
during the war on drugs from February to April 2003, and in 2005.

More than 2,500 people are estimated to have died during the
anti-drugs campaigns. The National Human Rights Commission and the
Lawyers Council of Thailand believe that in at least 40 cases, the
victims were innocent.

Mr Chanchai said the mysterious murders of a couple in Khon Buri
district of Nakhon Ratchasima, after they won a first-prize lottery,
is expected to be the first case handled by the DSI.

Mr Kraisak drew attention to the case last month when he met justice
permanent secretary Jarun Pukditanakul.

Addressing a forum on human rights at the October 14, 1973 memorial,
Mr Kraisak deplored the Thaksin administration's heavy-handed approach
to tackling problems, ranging from drugs to the southern unrest.

This was estimated to have led to the deaths of 7,000-8,000 people,
some by extra-judicial killing, and Mr Thaksin must be summoned for
questioning and tried, Mr Kraisak said.

Mr Thaksin effectively signed death warrants by issuing an order that
drugs cases were considered closed only when the drug suspects were
convicted, summarily executed or dead, he said.

Less than 15 days after that, 586 people had been killed, he
said.

For this, Mr Thaksin could not be allowed to walk free when former
Iraqi president Saddam Hussein had been tried for the deaths of 149
people, he said.

Mr Kraisak emphasised the solution of extra-judicial killings was
important to political reform.

"If this government wants to achieve political reforms, it must deal
with Mr Thaksin," he said.

"No progressive constitution can usher in political reforms as long
as Thai society allows a person linked to the murder of so many people
to go free," he said.

Vithit Muntarbhorn, a lecturer in law at Chulalongkorn University,
backed calls for the government to make human rights a national agenda
item by probing breaches such as extra-judicial killings.

The academic also suggested the setting up of a civilian board that
empowers the public to monitor the work of the police.

Angkhana Neelaphaijit, wife of missing human rights lawyer Somchai,
said the situation had barely improved despite Gen Surayud's apology
because authorities in the field had hardly changed.

Killings went unaddressed and state authorities were left unpunished,
she said, citing a court verdict that three military officers ordered
the shooting into the Krue Se mosque in Pattani in April 2004.

Niti Hasan, president of the Muslim Council of Thailand, called on the
government to "bring the truth out into the open". Gen Surayud's
apology had not improved matters since he apologised for things he did
not do himself.