Thai Drug Suspect's Death While in Police Custody Drives Calls for Reform

BANGKOK - The alleged killing by provincial police in the central Thai province of Nakhon Sawan of a drug suspect whose death by suffocation with a plastic bag in custody was caught on camera, has outraged the public, which is demanding reform of Thai police, notorious for a culture of abuse, impunity and corruption.

In a leaked nine-minute video, a 24-year-old suspect, Jeerapong Thanapat, is handcuffed before a senior officer allegedly pulls a plastic bag over his head, while four other officers hold the gasping man down for several minutes. In the video, which has gone viral, the lead officer, identified as Colonel Thitisant Utthanaphon, at a police station can be heard demanding that Jeerapong give up his “stash” before he loses consciousness. Thai police have issued arrest warrants for seven police officers for murder and torture over the Aug. 5 incident, which only surfaced publicly this week when a police whistleblower released the video.