Pro-Government Militias
War on Drugs death squad (Thailand)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | yes |
| PGM ID Number: | 252 |
| Country: | Thailand |
| Date formed: | Feb. 1, 2003 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | month |
| Details of Formation: | Following the pledge by the prime minister to eradicate drugs, the first evidence of the group’s activity is from February 2003 and this “War on Drugs” campaign was announced to last three months. |
| Date dissolved: | April 30, 2003 |
| Accuracy of date dissolved: | month |
| Details of Termination: | PM Thaksin had announced that the campaign should be finished by April 30, 2003. There are no more reports afterwards that indicate that the death squads are still active. |
| Termination Type(s): | government defects |
Former and Successor Group Information
| Predecessor group(s): | none |
| Successor group(s): | none |
| Private Military Company? | no |
| Former Group? | no |
| Former Armed Group? | no |
| Former Rebel Group? | no |
| Former Rebel Group UCDP ID: | none |
| PGM Becomes Rebel Group? | no |
| Successor Rebel Group UCDP ID: | none |
Government Relation, Support, and Training
| Government Relation: | informal (type 1) |
| Created by the Government?: | yes | Main Creating Government Institution: | person/minister |
| Government Link(s): | person/minister |
| If link to party, name of party: | None |
| Training and Equipment: | yes |
| Shared Information and Joint Operations: | yes |
| Shared Personnel: | yes |
| Type(s) of Material Support: | domestic government |
| State Sponsor(s): | none |
| Other Connection(s): |
Group Characteristics
| Membership: | security forces |
| Primary Membership: | noncivilian |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | no information |
| Location: | nationwide |
| Force Strength: | [unknown, unknown] |
| Target(s): | criminals |
| Purpose(s): | anti crime |
Ethnic Characteristics
| Ethnic Target(s): | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Targeting: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Membership: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Membership: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Purpose: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Purpose: | not applicable |
Other Information
| Other Information: |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | The prime minister’s goal was to eradicate drugs, e.g. by targeting drug dealers. It was the PGM’s task to complete this process as quickly as possible, primarily by killing suspected drug dealers from secret blacklists. These blacklists were sometimes also used against political opponents. It has been reported that the group was intended to inform the police on suspected drug dealers. Referring to drug dealers coming to Thailand from other countries, the prime minister explicitly stated that the aim was not to arrest, but to kill them. |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | unknown |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | The group executed a large number of suspected drug dealers, operating outside the legal framework. Innocent people were killed as a result of being put on a blacklist of suspected drug dealers for political reasons by their opponents. The government did not pursue the people who killed civilians, indicating that it tolerated the group’s behaviour. News sources estimate the total number of victims at 2,000 to 2,500. |
| Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: | killing |
Reasons for Membership
| PGM Members Coerced? | no information |
| PGM Members Paid? | no information |
| Reasons for Membership: | |
| PGM Members Killed? | no information |
PGM Size
| Size: |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: |
Organisation
| Organisation: | There is no information on the group’s leadership or chains of command, other than the fact that its members worked with the local police as informants on suspected drug dealers. Members were recruited from the police. |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.