Justice in peril

Deputy justice permanent secretary Tawatchai Thaikyo admits there is the potential for the poor to be made into scapegoats in some cases ( BP, June 4). Take the case of the two Myanmar boys convicted and sentenced to death in the Koh Tao murders, and the two mushroom pickers who were jailed. But imagine if they were very wealthy. Now imagine this. A spoiled brat — the scion of a multi-billionaire family — who has literally gotten away with murder and evaded the justice system for nearly five years. Imagine if he were as poor as those Myanmar boys, or as the mushroom pickers. Imagine the son of a powerful politician being convicted for that murder at a bar years ago, a scene witnessed by so many people, if his family were just poor, ordinary Thais.

The death penalty is indeed useless. The poor become scapegoats, the rich enjoy privileged status, and we are left with police sloppiness and an inadequate performance. OHPCHOI