On Friday 28th March the Ministry of Justice Division for the Protection of Rights and Freedoms held a one day meeting to discuss the relevance of the death penalty in present day Thailand. The meeting was one of five meetings held throughout the country to prepare for a parliamentary debate on abolition of the death penalty.
The morning was devoted to a powerful and convincing
presentation of current thinking on the death penalty. Today, 140 countries
have rejected the death penalty, while it is retained by 58 others. Even in
retentionist countries the death penalty is continually reducing in practice. It
is now recognised that the death penalty is not a deterrent to crime; rather,
crime is deterred by strong likelihood of detection and punishment. Practice of the death penalty cannot avoid
the terrible occurrence of wrongful execution. Persons who commit the most
serious crimes, in the name of humanity, deserve another chance to regret their
action and reform. The belief in reform was presented as Buddhist teaching
which should influence a Buddhist nation.
Finally, abolition of the death penalty is the proclaimed
moral aim of the UN assembly of the world’s nations.
During the afternoon over a hundred participants gathered in
groups to answer the question proposed by the theme of the seminar: Is the
death penalty still necessary to Thai society? In opening the Seminar the head
of the Rights and Liberties Department, Dr. Narat Sewattanant said that 80 – 90%
of Thais disagreed with the idea of abolishing the death penalty. His statement
was backed by the reactions of participants in the afternoon meeting. Group
after group reported their opinions that the death penalty is indeed necessary.
It is necessary for all the 55 crimes listed in the outdated criminal code. And
imprisonment is not an alternative option.
Apart from one small group of members of civil society
organizations, rejection of the morning’s presentations was complete. The
participants were people of educated background, most being in government
service. Their ignorance of the tide of change regarding the death penalty
throughout the world was complete. Or perhaps they believed in a viewpoint
frequently expressed, that Thailand
is different, and fear of execution is the only possible defense against chaos
and rampant crime.
