Accomplice of man put to death sought
Ministry to review capital punishment
The Justice Ministry has taken a noncommittal stance on the controversial issue of capital punishment which has been reignited following the execution of a 26-year-old convicted killer on Monday, the country’s first in nine years.
Justice Minister ACM Prajin Juntong said authorities are expected to discuss the issue but he could not speculate as to whether the policy would be changed.
Thailand was edging closer to no longer being considered a country that resorts to capital punishment before it administered a lethal injection this week, as any nation that goes 10 years without doing so is considered an execution-free state.
The death of Theerasak Longji, who was convicted for the brutal killing of a 17-yearold boy in Trang, has put the country in the international spotlight among human rights agencies and sparked a fresh local debate on capital punishment.
Debate continues to rage over the legitimacy of the death penalty.
Hashtag #deathpenalty was still among the top four words trending on Thai Twitter accounts with over 743,000 tweets.
The Facebook posts of Amnesty International Thailand, which has called to abolish executions, drew over 3,000 comments. Many said the rights group should take care of victims and their families.
Corrections Department chief Pol Col Naras Savestanan said Theerasak’s execution is generating strong reactions from both sides. He had no comment, only insisting that the state-sanctioned execution was in line with the court’s order.
A highly-placed source in the Justice Ministry said there was no hidden agenda behind the execution or any attempt to use this case to press for legal amendments.
The Commissioner for Human Rights of the German federal government was the latest to join the chorus against the death penalty. In a statement, Barbel Kofler expressed shock at Theerasak’s execution, saying it came just as the Thai government recently gave assurances about a moratorium on this.
The commissioner described it as a “regrettable step backwards and a dreadful signal”, urging authorities to refrain from executing the 516 convicts on death row.
Meanwhile, police in Trang are preparing to review evidence and resume their hunt for the alleged accomplice of Theerasak in the murder of the 17-yearold student.
The victim was attacked by two young men on July 17, 2012. He was stabbed 24 times. They stole his mobile phone and wallet. The second, unidentified, suspect fled with the victim’s possessions.
Pol Col Alongkorn Simawut, superintendent of Muang Trang police station, said police investigators will meet today to step up their search for the second suspect.
Theerasak’s body was delivered to his family in Trang on Tuesday night for a religious ceremony.
The family believes he was innocent and said it wants to put all this behind them.
Meanwhile, capital punishment must remain in place to deal with severe crime and ensure peace and order, and most of the public agree with that, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said on Tuesday.
“The death penalty is legitimate. Many severe crimes have happened. Capital punishment exists to guarantee national peace and teach lessons.”