Pubdate: Mon, 24 Feb 2003 Source: Associated Press (Wire) Copyright: 2002 Associated Press Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/27 U.N. EXPERT: THAILAND MUST INVESTIGATE ALLEGATIONS OF EXECUTIONS DURING DRUGS WAR GENEVA - Thai authorities must investigate alleged breaches of human rights by law enforcement officials during a government-launched crackdown on the drugs trade, a United Nations expert said Monday. Asma Jahangir, the U.N. expert on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, said Thailand should ensure "the strict limits on the use of lethal force ... are followed rigorously and without exception." There have been nearly 500 slayings, many in murky circumstances, since the crackdown began on the drugs trade on Feb. 1. Jahangir, a Pakistani lawyer, called on Thai authorities to investigate each death to assess whether law enforcement officials were involved. They should ensure "the perpetrators of human rights violations are brought to justice in accordance with national and international standards," she said. Thai authorities said police were involved in just 22 of the killings, and that those were in self-defense. They blamed the other deaths on drug gangs seeking to silence potential informants. But human rights advocates fear police officers are arranging the killings or executing suspects without trial. London-based Amnesty International called the crackdown "a de facto shoot-to-kill policy" that encourages killings and puts police officers under heavy pressure to produce results or lose their jobs. Thai law enforcement officials have said it is possible some rogue officers are involved in executions, but defend the crackdown as an essential way to rid the community of drugs. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom