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Published on February 22, 2008

Social activist Gothom Areeya yesterday said it was a curse to have an interior minister who had disregard for human life and human rights.

"All murders are illegal, whether it is a case of criminals killing one another or police killing them," he added.

Democrat party-list MP and former senator Kraisak Chonhavan called on Chalerm to "read carefully" the report of an independent panel set up by the previous  government to look into the drug-related killings.

The panel found that more than 800 victims of more than 2,800 allegedly drug-related murders during Thaksin's campaign had nothing to do with drug dealing, and that the police made little progress in solving 80 cases pursued by victims' relatives.

A National Human Rights Commission report said the number of innocent victims could be as high as 1,100, he added.

Kraisak said a revival of the get-tough policy would likely result in the use of violence. "I wouldn't want the minister to make a statement in such a manner, which is like giving the green light to police to use violence on drug dealers. This may prompt an urge to set up a 'kill record' to comply with the get-tough policy."

Phairoj Pholphet, head of the Promotion of the People's Freedom Association, said Chalerm's statement sends the wrong signal that policemen were authorised to use violence against drug suspects at will.

The Nation