On March 26, a meeting of the Justice Coordination...

On March 26, a meeting of the Justice Coordination Committee chaired by Justice Minister Suthas Ngernmuen was held to consider the proposal by the Corrections Department that lethal injections replace gunshots as a method of execution. The proposal followed calls from human right groups for the Thai authorities to replace the death penalty with life imprisonment for the sake of humanitarianism. However, the Corrections Department and the Interior Ministry viewed that brutal criminals proven harmful to society deserved to die. The change was legislatively easy as the state would only have to amend Art. 19 of the Criminal Code, which stipulates that executions be carried out by firing squad. The matter rested mainly with the readiness of the Corrections Department, because the administering of lethal injections required doctors and experts. When the Department reported its readiness, the Justice Ministry would look into the legal amendment. The issue was not urgent as not many convicts were sentenced to death each year.