Death Penalty in Thailand

By Mak

Thailand’s Death Penalty

“You are not just killing an individual; you are attacking everything they represent”

Adding to that Mr. John Stevens, Commissioner of the Police Metropolis, not only are you attacking everything they represent, you are torturing and scaring it for life.

That quote represents what the death penalty is about. The fact that it’s much deeper than just killing a human, it’s much deeper than hurting his/her loved ones no matter the crime. The current situation in Thailand for the Death Penalty is unclear. The last documented execution was on the 24th August 2009. Until this day, there have been no recorded executions. As good as it sounds this may not be the case. As of October 7th 2013, there have been 112 people sentenced to death. So far there have not been any executions, but unfortunately looking at the darker side of Thailand, who knows how many people were executed without any publicity.

As shown by statistics, the death penalty has calmed down for Thailand in the 2000’s. In 1998 16 executions were reported, in 2009 a record of 2. It isn’t frequently publicized in Thailand. Since Thailand doesn’t have a mandatory Death sentence law, which cases can be evaluated to show enough evidence for a capital punishment? In 2001, Bundit Jaroenwanit, (45), and Jirawat Poompreuk, (52), were convicted of drug trafficking on and subsequently sentenced to death. They were executed on August 24th, 2009. If those two were sentenced to death, why wasn’t Chamoy Thipyaso, the fraud who cost Thailand over $204 at the time. Wouldn’t her act have damaged the economy more? There are a few categories that exclude the person from a death penalty. These include: Under 18s, women with small children, a mentally ill person, and pregnant women.

The political situation in Thailand complicates the public opinion. Either people are too afraid to speak out, or it’s an issue that doesn’t affect their everyday lives. In Thailand, the death penalty isn’t done in a “torturous” way. On 3rd October 2003, the law changed from an execution by a firing squad, to the lethal injection. This may have tampered the public opinion as the general eye would see this as a simple punishment where the person getting executed would feel the same pain people feel every day, and that’s a pinch.