News Forum - PM Prayut declares war on drugs to prevent mass shootings in Thailand

[Thaiger]

Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha declared a war on drugs and a clampdown on gun control laws after a massacre at a daycare centre in northeast Thailand sparked urgent calls for change on Thursday. A former police sergeant facing trial for drug charges murdered 37 people – including 24 children under six years old – at a daycare centre in Nong Bua Lamphu province in a gun and knife rampage before committing suicide. Although no traces of drugs were detected in his body, police say he had a history of drug abuse, namely methamphetamine. The Royal Thai Police are wasting […]

The story PM Prayut declares war on drugs to prevent mass shootings in Thailand as seen on Thaiger News.

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[Ramanathan.P]

At one point the laws are eased...and from another point it has been eased...the drugs have to be fought to prevent any disaster. It is like moving forward and backward and remaining stay put in the same place. Just implement harsh penalties including mandatory death sentence for drugs and illegal weapons. That is the only way it can be controlled now. 

Edited October 11, 2022 by Ramanathan.P

[Fanta]

The last time a Thai Prime Minister declared war on drugs 2,800 people were murdered in extra judicial killings in just 3 months. How many needless deaths this time until “victory” can be claimed? 

Here’s an old idea that never gets old - take the big profits out of drugs by decriminalizing them and put the tax and profits earned back into harm reduction, drug education and rehabilitation. 

[Pj229]

Police have wasted no time and seized 8,000,000 meth tablets in 3 days, 

why did it take prayut to ask this why wasn’t it being done each and every day

Thailand is forever carrying out reactive policing instead of stopping things before they get to the stage where families are devastated 

[Faraday]

All well & good. However, I wonder what "stable" means in this case.

Does that mean stable with current medication, or no evidence of past MH issues?

A blood test to confirm not being addicted to illegal drugs would be a much better condition.

 

"General Prayut calls for stricter enforcement of gun control laws. Anyone buying a firearm needs to provide a medical certificate proving they have stable mental health"

From the above linked article.

[Vigo]

What's the connection to illegal drugs here? didn't the  investigation indicate that the  killer was drug free at the time of the killing, i.e. sober?  The issue here was a presumably mentally ill man who was allowed to circulate and who had access to a firearm.  So yes, indeed the  focus should be on mental health and tightening the access to firearms.

[Soidog]

How does this approach and the easing of cannabis laws stack up? 

[Graham]

Must be trying to get some brownie points before the next election.

[KaptainRob]

1 hour ago, Vigo said:

What's the connection to illegal drugs here? didn't the  investigation indicate that the  killer was drug free at the time of the killing, i.e. sober?  The issue here was a presumably mentally ill man who was allowed to circulate and who had access to a firearm.  So yes, indeed the  focus should be on mental health and tightening the access to firearms.

There's an excellent series of posts on this subject HERE 

 

[KaptainRob]

1 hour ago, Soidog said:

How does this approach and the easing of cannabis laws stack up? 

Ask Anutin for his explanation 

There's a world of difference between cannabis and methamphetamine - soft drug/hard drug is the short answer but SkyDogJack explains the real difference in the link above.

[Soidog]

2 hours ago, KaptainRob said:

Ask Anutin for his explanation 

There's a world of difference between cannabis and methamphetamine - soft drug/hard drug is the short answer but SkyDogJack explains the real difference in the link above.

I’m no expert on drugs and never used any, apart from alcohol. I do know several people who started life on cigarettes, then moved to cannabis and are now on Meth or Ketamine. Somehow it feels like Cannabis is a gateway drug for those who start getting their high from such things. Alcohol is possibly one of the strongest legal drugs available. However, it never looks or feels like it’s a step towards becoming a smack head. Can’t say the same for people I see holding a spliff between thumb and index finger (why is that the only way to smoke a spliff?) 

[jobapps]

Most Thai seem to have a stable mental health as this article states will be checked before they can buy a gun.

However  most of these shootings stabbings etc seem to follow a breakdown in the mans mental health due to breaking up with his wife and being unable to move on or let her move on. Then they just go on a rampage.

Clearly its a problem in relationships and dealing with break ups and separation and the cheap and readily available alchohol (and to Thai people drugs) solve these problems and your a lot of the way there. In most european countries dealing with a breakup isnt dealt with by a gun and not many western men could stab anyone its a state of mind. But that being said things can happen in any country, it just seems to happen here more.

Wierdly the drug problem is exclusively Thai  to Thai (i've never noticed anyone taking drugs or been offered drugs here) In nepal you can't walk 100 yards without someone offering you something.

[HolyCowCm]

If I am not of sound mind and am readin into it it incorrectly. It almost looks like they brainwashed and set this guy up to do this so he would do this in order for them/they can reap the rewards of clamp down and I am your friend so vote for us and trust us. I call BS.

JFK but in another scenario. Maybe not, but hey are sure taking the opportunity to reap all they can get out of this one. Cannot mention anything except the bottom feeders. 

[MrNovax]

Wait, what?????  So the individual who did this was "facing trial for drug charges" and the solutions is to more aggressively go after drug offenders?  

Would it not be more prudent to maybe, I don't know, up treatment and recovery options for those individuals? 

[MrNovax]

3 hours ago, Soidog said:

’m no expert on drugs and never used any, apart from alcohol. I do know several people who started life on cigarettes, then moved to cannabis and are now on Meth or Ketamine

I know many people who started with cannabis and stayed with cannabis.  You start by saying your no expert so im not trying to bash you for taking the "gateway drug" propaganda and running with it but its simply not the case.  The correlation is those who use hard drugs are likely to use soft drugs, often its not the opposite way around.  It's like saying that 99% of people who have done heroine have also taken aspirin there for aspirin leads to heroine use.  

[Faz]

Off-topic posts and replies removed.
Moderator.

[Mazz11]

22 hours ago, Fanta said:

The last time a Thai Prime Minister declared war on drugs 2,800 people were murdered in extra judicial killings in just 3 months. How many needless deaths this time until “victory” can be claimed? 

Here’s an old idea that never gets old - take the big profits out of drugs by decriminalizing them and put the tax and profits earned back into harm reduction, drug education and rehabilitation. 

I believe that this policy has had some success in other countries.

[Mazz11]

14 hours ago, MrNovax said:

Wait, what?????  So the individual who did this was "facing trial for drug charges" and the solutions is to more aggressively go after drug offenders?  

Would it not be more prudent to maybe, I don't know, up treatment and recovery options for those individuals? 

And maybe take his guns away from him.

At the risk of copping a heap of abuse from some I will say this.

Gun ownership is a privilege not a right.  

[MrNovax]

11 hours ago, Mazz11 said:

And maybe take his guns away from him.

At the risk of copping a heap of abuse from some I will say this.

Gun ownership is a privilege not a right.  

Or, promote gun ownership so people can defend themselves.  Thank God its a Right in the USA

[Faz]

43 minutes ago, MrNovax said:

Or, promote gun ownership so people can defend themselves.  Thank God its a Right in the USA

Over 30,000 US Americans are killed every year as a result of gun violence, and few other countries have experienced a similar crime rate. 
https://ndla.no/nb/subject:1:4ad7fe49-b14a-4caf-8e19-ad402d1e2ce6/topic:1:e3ad38fc-f144-4ed4-8f3b-8978e11b0eb2/resource:1:96279

The 'right to defend' appears to have backfired in the US.

We don't want repeats of the mass shooting in the US gaining a foothold in Thailand.
You want the right to own a gun, you're in the wrong Country.

[Mazz11]

7 hours ago, MrNovax said:

Thank God its a Right in the USA

You are entitled to your opinion but god isn't going to protect you or your family when some nutcase decides to start shooting up the mall or school because he is having a bad day.

And you can't be everywhere at all times with your gun to protect them either.

Will you still support this persons right to own a gun if this happens to you or someone you love?

I have no issue with gun ownership but I do have an issue with the wrong people owning one.

[Soidog]

8 hours ago, MrNovax said:

Or, promote gun ownership so people can defend themselves.  Thank God its a Right in the USA

By that logic, America should be the safest place on the planet with regard to not being shot dead. America has the highest rate of gun ownership in the world. Why is it not the safest country in the world with regard to being shot dead? More guns means more gun deaths. How does that blindingly obvious logic go missing in the US? 
 

We all witness and laugh at many of the things we see and experience each and every day in Thailand. The rest of the world is doing the same with this issue on America. The problem is, this isn’t a policeman driving an “Hello Kitty” motorbike. This is people’s life’s we are talking about. America needs to grow up on this issue.