The Amerian Anthropology Association (AAA) has written to Thai prime-minister Samak Sundaravej, expressing grave concerns about his recent renewal of the war on drugs. Here is a copy of the letter: aaa-letter.pdf. In an email to the AAA human rights list, Sara Davis (the Chair of the AAA Committee of Human Rights) explains some of the background:
In the past, the Thai war on drugs has been accompanied by numerous rights abuses, including thousands of extrajudicial executions… We were approached by Thai human rights groups and asked to show solidarity in their efforts to raise the profile of the problem. We appreciated that Setha Low, the AAA president, and the executive board of AAA took this seriously and expedited the letter.
In addition to sending the letter to the Thai government, we will:
- feature the letter on the AAA website
- submit the letter to editors of the Bangkok Post and the Nation, which have extensively covered the drug war issue
- offer to meet with the editorial boards of both papers in Thailand to discuss our concerns …
- offer to accompany local Thai human rights groups working on the issue to government meetings in Bangkok
I support this action and I abhor the so-called war on drugs.
But there is another anthropological challenge to be taken up. And that is to contribute to an understanding of why this violent campaign attracts so much popular support. The brutal reality is that an enormous number of Thai people want precisely this sort of heavy handed response to what is often perceived as a rampant drug problem. Samak is playing the war on drugs card because he knows it is exceptionally popular. And Thaksin’s earlier war on drugs attracted royal endorsement because the king knew that it was a cause dear to the heart of many in Thailand.
I strongly suspect that there is a view in many cities, towns and villages throughout Thailand that intractable criminal activity that threatens the welfare of others is best dealt with by violent means. Understanding the historical, cultural and political origins of this view is a challenge that anthropologists are well placed to take up.
8 responses so far ↓
1 Grasshopper // Mar 7, 2008 at 4:32 pm
I think it is a universal issue where people who are unable to control themselves look to blame an ‘other’, in this case, drugs. Of course the initial problem is with drug users themselves, that they are unable to control themselves for it to be a problem. There would be psychological reason behind the individuals abuse. But sociologically, it is a sign of great weakness that there must be a war against something, in this case drugs, in order to be ‘better’ than it. Popular violent action along supply routes is a good indication that it reflects a fear and therefore weakness, at least from a liberal perspective, in relation to self control. Is this too general? Because obviously issues of personal will which come over the will of society is a re-occurring theme in South East Asia, at least from my perspective. What is uniquely Thai about this? It seems fairly Hegelian. Would Thailand’s elite be able to survive with more subtle policies of fear??
2 Ladyboy // Mar 7, 2008 at 9:10 pm
Grasshopper
“people who are unable to control themselves look to blame an ‘other’, in this…”
I don’t follow. Are those who are unable to control themselves the supporters of the war on drugs? If so what do you mean by unable to control themselves?
3 Lleij Samuel Schwartz // Mar 8, 2008 at 2:18 am
Re: Grasshopper
Indeed, and this ‘other’ is often fused with other ‘others’. (Try saying that 3 times fast!) In the United States, the Drug War is linked to Blacks, Latinos/Hispanics, and most recently ‘terrorists’; in Thailand, drugs are linked to the hill-tribes and the southern insurgents. In both countries, the police are much more likely to bust down the doors of a suspected crack-house in the slums, than they are to raid the Ecstasy-driven drug parties of the rich, teenaged elite.
For statistics of just how disproportionate the Drug War is in America, I recommend going here. I also recommend the journalistic work/activism of Radley Balko.
4 R. N. England // Mar 8, 2008 at 2:11 pm
Despite its general popularity in Thailand, the Drug War has been unpopular with people who support the rule of law. The same people are also dismayed by the trashing of one Thai Constitution after another. The rule of law has been introduced to Thailand and many countries from the West. Though well informed Thais since the time of Rama IV have seen its great advantages, the rule of law is not well established in the culture of Thailand, which is still based mainly on patronage. The rule of law is a new and still fragile development in human culture, even in the West. There is more of interest for anthropologists in the study of the rule of law than there is in the study of patronage. Patronage is well understood in sociobiological terms, and governs much of the social the behaviour of other advanced species as well as humans. Those who feel insulted at being compared with animals need to get over their arrogance. We all have a great deal in common with them.
5 jonfernquest // Mar 8, 2008 at 9:48 pm
“…the Drug War has been unpopular with people who support the rule of law”
Government officials make up black lists, people on those lists show up systematically dead. No one officially knows how, but knowing how things work at the unreported and untransparent local rural level can well guess how.
Then inquiries and headlines ask whether anyone was killed who shouldn’t have been, because if this is true, then it was ok after all, which misses the whole point of judicial inquiries in the first place, as opposed to local lynch mobs or vigilante justice or extra-judcial cops out of uniform or mob justice. In the end, they just prune the twigs or level functionaries in the drug distribution network, and democratic or at least very popular bloodlust sentiment is satisfied, and the big guys really in control just replace those low level functionaries, i.e. BS.
6 Grasshopper // Mar 8, 2008 at 10:12 pm
ladyboy,
Are those who are unable to control themselves the supporters of the war on drugs? If so what do you mean by unable to control themselves?
I mean both sides are not able to control themselves. I believe violent reaction is an equally extreme behavior as using substances and therefore, not a particularly progressive situation. By submitting to the actions of drug traffickers and drug users, supporters of the war give credit to the aforementioned for being such a threat to the regular way of life that they must be violent in response. That violence is seemingly the only option, I believe, does not reflect a strong character for those war on drugs supporters and is equally weak as those either selling or defecting into a comatose state because the prime motivator is fear. Fear is not strength, and therefore not control.
I think that this promotes interesting questions on how violence is viewed culturally. In my limited scope, I believe that when violence is justified, it is really the justification of cowardice. From what other emotional position allows a justification of violent behavior? Are there other monastic or ascetic positions and perspectives?
*steps down from the lectern*
7 Land of Snarls // Mar 11, 2008 at 1:04 am
Interesting piece in The Nation today:
ONCB says alarming increase in the number of drug users
Hat Yai, Songkhla The Office of the Narcotic Control Board (ONCB) has expressed grave concern over the sharp increase in the number of drug users in Thailand, saying the number of illicit drug users jumped to 2.5 million in 2007, up by half a million from the previous year.
Kitti Limchaikit, secretary-general of the ONCB, told a press conference in Hat Yai that he was alarmed because the latest figure indicated a big rise in the number of users. According to ONCB figures, Thailand had about 475,000 drug users in 2003.
Moreover, the three southernmost provinces accounted for about 300,000 of the 2.5 million users for 2007, while Bangkok accounted for about 128,707 users.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30067747
8 Land of Snarls // Mar 27, 2008 at 1:44 am
A short piece in The nation’s Breaking News today (26.03) states that Kh Chalerm announced that the ‘war on drugs’ will commence on 2nd April.
Final sentence: “He called for strict law enforcement without heeding the concern of human right advocates.”
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30069230
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