Killing the Pushers
Collateral Damage in Thailand's War on Drugs
Over 2,000 people have died in Thailand’s three month war on drugs. Many innocent families and small time dealers lost their lives in bloody police raids.
“Drug dealers betray the nation because they know that the drugs will destroy people’s brains and bodies,” states Police Chief Pichai Sunthornsajjabul. He hit the headlines a few years ago when he was quoted endorsing police killings of drug traffickers. When Thailand launched a war on drugs, the police drew up blacklists of 40,000 suspected dealers. These suspects were then targeted in police raids. Thousands were killed. Police blame the killings on rival drug dealers, but the public do not believe them. And neither does Thailand’s Human Rights Commissioner, Professor Pradit Chareonthaitaee: “What they are doing is quite barbarous and inhuman.” The Prime Minister knows there’s no sympathy among Thais for drug dealers, but critics complain that the policy goes too far and that innocent bystanders have been killed.
Thailand – Killing the Pushers
(Foreign Correspondent) 00.03.15 Thai FBI-style training centre – police burst round corners & through doors to shoot myriad holes into cardboard human targets
00.03.43 young tearful girl is busted with amphetamines; close-ups of ‘yaba’ (speed) pills
00.04.02 corpse of presumed dealer sprawled on the road, revolver by his side
00.04.58 Thai regional police chief shoots & knocks over 5 targets in quick succession, then turns & grins at the camera
00.06.30 night-vision shots of Thai army making night-time raid on northern village
00.07.52 shot of corpse sprawled on back, moving to close-up showing revolver by outstretched hand and drugs package allegedly found on victim
00.10.48 close-up of pile of amphetamines
00.12.51 zoom to close-up of single bullet-hole through shattered windscreen
00.13.41 shots of Thai rickshaws, street scenes
00.13.58 elephant feet, elephant tourism – westerners taking rides
00.15.20 Thai soldiers patrolling hilly rural border with Burma
00.15.50 Thai & Burmese soldiers not understanding each other, and handling large wads of cash
00.18.28 shots of Thai prime minister Taksin Chinawat, a former policeman
00.19.13 pan round crowd then down to object of their attention – a corpse lying on the ground
Produced by ABC Australia.
FULL SYNOPSIS
(Foreign Correspondent) 00.03.15 Thai FBI-style training centre – police burst round corners & through doors to shoot myriad holes into cardboard human targets
00.03.43 young tearful girl is busted with amphetamines; close-ups of ‘yaba’ (speed) pills
00.04.02 corpse of presumed dealer sprawled on the road, revolver by his side
00.04.58 Thai regional police chief shoots & knocks over 5 targets in quick succession, then turns & grins at the camera
00.06.30 night-vision shots of Thai army making night-time raid on northern village
00.07.52 shot of corpse sprawled on back, moving to close-up showing revolver by outstretched hand and drugs package allegedly found on victim
00.10.48 close-up of pile of amphetamines
00.12.51 zoom to close-up of single bullet-hole through shattered windscreen
00.13.41 shots of Thai rickshaws, street scenes
00.13.58 elephant feet, elephant tourism – westerners taking rides
00.15.20 Thai soldiers patrolling hilly rural border with Burma
00.15.50 Thai & Burmese soldiers not understanding each other, and handling large wads of cash
00.18.28 shots of Thai prime minister Taksin Chinawat, a former policeman
00.19.13 pan round crowd then down to object of their attention – a corpse lying on the ground
Produced by ABC Australia.