Pubdate: Mon, 17 Feb 2003 Source: Bangkok Post (Thailand) Copyright: The Post Publishing Public Co., Ltd. 2003 Contact: http://www.bangkokpost.co.th/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/39 Author: Aphaluck Bhatiasevi EXTRA-JUDICIAL KILLINGS Doctors Say Police Thwart Autopsies Unable To Give Cause Of Unusual Deaths Doctors are concerned the new autopsy law will become ineffective in the face of the government's "carefree" attitude to the killing of drug suspects. The law requires a doctor to carry out a forensic examination in the case of every unnatural death. Pornthip Rojanasunan, acting director of the Forensic Science Institute, said the justice system could be jeopardised by a lack of explanation of extra-judicial killings. Many drug dealers had died since the Feb 1 launch of the government's crusade against drugs. Some were killed by police who said they were acting in self-defence, and others by unknown assailants, although police attribute the murders to scared drug gangs cleaning out their ranks. Dr Pornthip said it was essential to identify the cause of death where police were involved. "It should be made clear whether the killing was done in self-defence or not," she said. The law required the presence of at least one doctor at the scene of an unnatural death. This was intended to ensure justice for both the suspect and the police by identifying the cause of the death, but few people were willing to intervene in such cases. They worried about how the police would react. "As it is, doctors don't want to go out to the crime scene. They don't want to have any problems with police," she said. This could result in the judicial system being twisted and cases where people had actually been murdered could be overlooked, Dr Pornthip said. A rural hospital director who declined to be named said although doctors felt uneasy about the government's war on drugs, they still needed to go to the crime scene as required by law. "All we can do is report on the location of the bullet and other wounds on the body of the dead person. "We can't say who did what and how the bullet hit the person, as is intended by the law," he said. Though no doctor will say so publicly, police have discouraged them from being as open as the law requires. In some cases witnesses said no fighting had taken place between the victim and police before the victim's death. This could give rise to complaints by family members that the victim was killed unlawfully, but doctors were unable to perform checks to give their own opinion of the cause of death. Arak Wangvorachat, president of the Rural Doctors Society, said no members had complained officially, but it was clear that many doctors were worried about the limitations imposed on them. Nakhon Phanom hospital director Amphon Hongngam said most doctors called to witness crime scenes were not pathologists and could perform only limited forensic checks. Chiang Rai provincial health chief Thepnarumit Netnavin said doctors called to a crime scene could not refuse. "But in cases where there is only one doctor at a hospital we ask another staff member to go to the crime scene instead," he said. "Our priority must be to treat our patients." Calling out women doctors at odd hours was a problem, because they needed to be accompanied for safety reasons. Tapanawong Tanguraiwan, of Phra Nangklao hospital in Nonthaburi, an administrative member of the Medical Council, said no doctor wanted to make forensic examinations because they already had a heavy workload and the payments were very small. - --- MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager