Thailand: Two Years On Has Anti-Torture Law Reduced Abuse? – Analysis

 March 16, 2025  

By BenarNews

By Nontarat Phaicharoen

After an infamous case where police were filmed torturing a drug suspect who died, a Thai court in 2023 ordered police to implement measures under an anti-torture law, including videotaping interrogations and wearing body cameras during arrests. 

The police officers entangled in the 2021 case thought they had erased footage from a CCTV camera of their interrogation of suspect Jirapong Tanapat. But an officer leaked it to a lawyers’ group, which circulated it on social media. 

Former Police Col. Thitisan Utthanaphon – nicknamed “Jo Ferrari” because he had a personal fleet of fast cars – was the policeman who led the interrogation where officers handcuffed and put plastic bags over Jirapong’s head. 

On March 7, Thitisan was found dead in his Bangkok prison cell, where he was serving a life sentence over the case. Authorities this week ruled his death a suicide by hanging.   

But whatever happened with the anti-torture measures that were mandated under the law? 

Have the measures made a difference?

The law has led to the purchase of nearly 50,000 body cameras for law enforcers, authorities said.

Since the Prevention and Suppression of Torture and Enforced Disappearance Act was passed in February 2023, the Justice Ministry reports 141 complaints have been filed. 

That’s a significant reduction. 

Statistics from the National Human Rights Commission showed that at least 150 cases were reported annually in the years 2017 through 2022.

Breaking down the 141 complaints from the past two years, 58 involve torture, 45 involve cruel and inhumane treatment, 17 involve enforced disappearances and 21 involve multiple offenses. Officials said no officers have been prosecuted but several cases are under investigation.

“This law is a crucial tool that will ensure state officials carry out their duties more cautiously, and as we’ve seen, complaints have indeed decreased,” Justice Minister Tawee Sodsong said late last month.

During the same month as the law took effect in February 2023, the cabinet approved spending 445 million baht ($13.2 million) to acquire 48,568 body cameras for police officers. These cameras were allocated to crime prevention, patrol and traffic officers along with investigators.

Somchai Homlaor, a member of the Committee on Prevention and Suppression of Torture and Enforced Disappearances, noted significant improvements.

“In these two years since implementation, effective measures include body cameras and arrest-report documentation,” he told BenarNews. “We must acknowledge that complaints about torture and enforced disappearances have significantly decreased. Officials are considerably more cautious.” 

Despite the apparent success of the cameras, some issues remain.

“The sheer volume of data is enormous and it must be retained until each case is closed, presenting considerable challenges during implementation,” Thanaseth said.

How did this happen? 

The path to enactment of the anti-torture law took over a decade despite attempts by advocates to get it on the books.

Thailand ratified the U.N. Convention Against Torture in 2007 and signed the Convention Against Enforced Disappearances in 2012. Yet, efforts to pass the domestic law stalled for years. 

In 2016, Thailand’s junta-led National Legislative Assembly, whose members were mostly police and military officers, rejected proposed legislation. Following the 2019 election of a new, democratic legislature, PMs eventually passed the bill in 2022, leading to its implementation in early 2023. 

“This law primarily addresses state officials’ actions. It directly affects law enforcement officers and their handling of suspects, ensuring accountability for any torture or cruel treatment inflicted physically or mentally,” police Col. Thanaseth Pirom-iam, deputy commander of the Royal Thai Police Education and Quality Assurance Division, told BenarNews. 

Pornpen Khongkachonkiet, director of the Cross Cultural Foundation, emphasized the significance of the law, which was created with public participation and closely aligns with international standards.

“It can genuinely protect victims, provide remedies and hold state officials accountable for acts of torture,” she told BenarNews.

Key provisions prohibit detention in secret or undisclosed locations and unequivocally forbid enforced disappearances under any circumstances, including war, internal security threats or public emergencies.

The law covering police, military, immigration and forestry officers mandates comprehensive audiovisual recording from the moment of arrest through interrogation and release. Offenders face severe penalties, including prison terms ranging from 15 years to life and fines between 300,000 and 1 million baht (U.S. $8,875 and $29,600).

Still, deaths in custody remain high, although the Justice Ministry attributes most of them to natural causes including illnesses. The ministry statistics show 627 deaths involving prisoners and 52 while in police custody were recorded over the past two years.

Are officials finding ways around the law?

Even as reports of torture appear to show a decrease, human rights advocates question whether law enforcement tactics may be changing. 

The Cross Cultural Foundation documented 24 complaints under the anti-torture law, but only one case reached court and 17 remain under investigation.

Foundation lawyer Pornpimol Mukkuntod said methods of mistreatment had become more subtle to evade legal detection. 

“The law is indeed enforceable, but is every article effectively implemented? Do all officials follow the rules strictly? That’s another matter,” Pornpimol said.

“Torture has significantly reduced, but we’ve received reports of soldiers forcing detainees to strip and stand in the rain, a more subtle form of abuse designed to circumvent the law.”

• Ruj Chuenban in Bangkok contributed to this report.

 

Rethinking Peace And Coexistence In The AI Age – OpEd

 March 14, 2025  

By Arab News

By Rafael Hernandez de Santiago

The dawn of a new year is often accompanied by resolutions, promises, and, let us face it, a generous helping of naive optimism. We set out to eat healthier, exercise more, or save money, only to find ourselves devouring pizza by February.

But perhaps as springtime approaches, humanity as a whole could make a belated resolution: To rethink coexistence and strive for a new era of peace. Nowhere is this call more urgent than in the Middle East, a region whose skies often echo with the sounds of war rather than laughter.

But let us be honest: It is 2025, and while some of us are debating the merits of pineapple on pizza, others are debating borders, religions and histories that stretch back thousands of years. If we are to find a way forward, it is time to rethink what coexistence truly means — not as a utopian ideal, but as a practical necessity.

Philosophers have long grappled with the challenges of human conflict. Immanuel Kant, in his essay Perpetual Peace, argued that lasting peace could only emerge from a foundation of mutual respect and legal frameworks that transcend individual nations. Sounds great, right? Yet, here we are, centuries later, with international laws that are ignored more often than New Year’s gym memberships.

Irony aside, Kant’s ideas remain relevant. The conflicts in the Middle East highlight the failure of both international governance and localized empathy. While governments sign treaties they do not intend to honor, children hold onto fading memories of safety. “We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves,” said the Dalai Lama. Yet, it seems humanity’s inner turmoil spills over into policies and actions, creating external chaos.

And yet, philosophers also remind us of our potential. Martin Buber’s concept of the “I-Thou” relationship emphasizes seeing others as ends in themselves rather than means to an end. What if this profound principle could guide geopolitics? Imagine a world where nations treated one another not as rivals or pawns, but as partners in a shared human story. Admittedly, this might sound like the plot of a  science fiction film, but every revolution — industrial, social, or ideological — began as a wild idea.

Enter technology — the double-edged sword of the modern age. While it has amplified voices, connected minds, and enabled innovation, it has also been wielded as a weapon in both literal and figurative senses. Yet, within this paradox lies a unique opportunity to rethink coexistence.

Imagine leveraging  artificial intelligence to create platforms that facilitate genuine dialogue between conflicting groups. AI could analyze speech patterns, cultural nuances, and historical grievances to foster understanding rather than deepen divides. In the spirit of ironic optimism, let us hope it does not malfunction and spark a virtual war instead.

Moreover, technology can offer new tools for transparency and accountability. Blockchain — a buzzword often associated with cryptocurrencies and get-rich-quick schemes — can be a powerful ally for peace. Smart contracts could ensure that aid reaches its intended recipients, while decentralized systems could make human rights abuses harder to conceal.

Of course, no technological advancement can substitute for the human will to change. As Albert Camus wrote: “Peace is the only battle worth waging.” The Middle East’s troubles — and, indeed, those of the wider world — are deeply rooted in identities, memories, and narratives. Rethinking coexistence requires us to confront these with humility and courage.

Let us embrace the irony that hope often emerges from despair. The conflicts in Gaza, Yemen, and beyond are not just crises; they are opportunities to rethink our approach to coexistence. They challenge us to go beyond slogans and resolutions, to actively build bridges where walls once stood.

Let us draw on the wisdom of philosophers, the potential of technology, and the strength of the human spirit to craft a new narrative — one where coexistence is not merely an abstract idea but a lived reality.

And if all else fails, let us at least agree on the one universal truth — pineapple has no place on pizza. Peace may take time, but some battles — culinary or otherwise — are worth fighting.

• Rafael Hernandez de Santiago, viscount of Espes, is a Spanish national residing in Saudi Arabia and working at the Gulf Research Center.

FlipboardMastodonLinkedInShare

AI Reveals New Insights Into The Flow Of Antarctic Ice

This map, which shows glaciers and tributaries in patterned flows, was created using the same data that Stanford researchers used to train an AI model that revealed some of the fundamental physics governing the large-scale movements of the Antarctic ice sheet. (Image credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio)

 March 14, 2025  

By Eurasia Review

As the planet warms, Antarctica’s ice sheet is melting and contributing to sea-level rise around the globe. Antarctica holds enough  frozen water to raise global sea levels by 190 feet, so precisely predicting how it will move and melt now and in the future is vital for protecting coastal areas. But most climate models struggle to accurately simulate the movement of Antarctic ice due to sparse data and the complexity of interactions between the ocean, atmosphere, and frozen surface. 

In a paper published in Science, researchers at Stanford University used machine learning to analyze high-resolution remote-sensing data of ice movements in Antarctica for the first time. Their work reveals some of the fundamental physics governing the large-scale movements of the Antarctic ice sheet and could help improve predictions about how the continent will change in the future.

“A vast amount of observational data has become widely available in the satellite age,” said Ching-Yao Lai, an assistant professor of geophysics in the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability and senior author on the paper. “We combined that extensive observational dataset with physics-informed deep learning to gain new insights about the behavior of ice in its natural environment.”

Ice sheet dynamics

The Antarctic ice sheet, Earth’s largest ice mass and nearly twice the size of Australia, acts like a sponge for the planet, keeping sea levels stable by storing freshwater as ice. To understand the movement of the Antarctic ice sheet, which is shrinking more rapidly every year, existing models have typically relied on assumptions about ice’s mechanical behavior derived from laboratory experiments. But Antarctica’s ice is much more complicated than what can be simulated in the lab, Lai said. Ice formed from seawater has different properties than ice formed from compacted snow, and ice sheets may contain large cracks, air pockets, or other inconsistencies that affect movement. 

“These differences influence the overall mechanical behavior, the so-called constitutive model, of the ice sheet in ways that are not captured in existing models or in a lab setting,” Lai said. 

Lai and her colleagues didn’t try to capture each of these individual variables. Instead, they built a machine learning model to analyze large-scale movements and thickness of the ice recorded with satellite imagery and airplane radar between 2007 and 2018. The researchers asked the model to fit the remote-sensing data and abide by several existing laws of physics that govern the movement of ice, using it to derive new constitutive models to describe the ice’s viscosity – its resistance to movement or flow.

Compression vs. strain

The researchers focused on five of Antarctica’s ice shelves – floating platforms of ice that extend over the ocean from land-based glaciers and hold back the bulk of Antarctica’s glacial ice. They found that the parts of the ice shelves closest to the continent are being compressed, and the constitutive models in these areas are fairly consistent with laboratory experiments. However, as ice gets farther from the continent, it starts to be pulled out to sea. The strain causes the ice in this area to have different physical properties in different directions – like how a log splits more easily along the grain than across it – a concept called anisotropy.

“Our study uncovers that most of the ice shelf is anisotropic,” said first study author Yongji Wang, who conducted the work as a postdoctoral researcher in Lai’s lab. “The compression zone – the part near the grounded ice – only accounts for less than 5% of the ice shelf. The other 95% is the extension zone and doesn’t follow the same law.”

Accurately understanding the ice sheet movements in Antarctica is only going to become more important as global temperatures increase – rising seas are already increasing flooding in low-lying areas and islands, accelerating coastal erosion, and worsening damage from hurricanes and other severe storms. Until now, most models have assumed that Antarctic ice has the same physical properties in all directions. Researchers knew this was an oversimplification – models of the real world never perfectly replicate natural conditions – but the work done by Lai, Wang, and their colleagues shows conclusively that current constitutive models are not accurately capturing the ice sheet movement seen by satellites.

“People thought about this before, but it had never been validated,” said Wang, who is now a postdoctoral researcher at New York University. “Now, based on this new method and the rigorous mathematical thinking behind it, we know that models predicting the future evolution of Antarctica should be anisotropic.”

AI for Earth science

The study authors don’t yet know exactly what is causing the extension zone to be anisotropic, but they intend to continue to refine their analysis with additional data from the Antarctic continent as it becomes available. Researchers can also use these findings to better understand the stresses that may cause rifts or calving – when massive chunks of ice suddenly break away from the shelf – or as a starting point for incorporating more complexity into ice sheet models. This work is the first step toward building a model that more accurately simulates the conditions we may face in the future. 

Lai and her colleagues also believe that the techniques used here – combining observational data and established physical laws with deep learning – could be used to reveal the physics of other natural processes with extensive observational data. They hope their methods will assist with additional scientific discoveries and lead to new collaborations with the Earth science community. 

“We are trying to show that you can actually use AI to learn something new,” Lai said. “It still needs to be bound by some physical laws, but this combined approach allowed us to uncover ice physics beyond what was previously known and could really drive new understanding of Earth and planetary processes in a natural setting.”

Dramatic Increase In Research Funding Needed To Counter Productivity Slowdown In Farming

 March 14, 2025 

By Eurasia Review

Climate change and flagging investment in research and development has U.S. agriculture facing its first productivity slowdown in decades. A new study estimates the public sector investment needed to reverse course.

In the paper, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers model both the dampening effects of climate change on U.S. agriculture and the accelerating effects of publicly funded research and development (R&D) – and use the estimates to quantify the investment in research required to maintain agricultural productivity through 2050.

They find that a 5% to 8% per year growth in research investment is needed – an investment comparable to those made following the two world wars. Alternatively, they find that a fixed $2.2 billion to $3.8 billion per year in additional investment would also offset the climate-induced slowdown.

“What we find is that we need a very steep growth rate – but it’s not unprecedented. We’ve seen the U.S. step up in the past. We can do this, but the time is now,” said senior author Ariel Ortiz-Bobea, associate professor at Cornell and an applied economist with expertise in agricultural, environmental and energy policy.

The urgency stems from the imminent effects of climate change and because publicly funded R&D in agriculture – which is carried out at universities and research centers – takes time to impact productivity.

“It’s not like an iPhone that can be designed in California, manufactured in China and used in Ithaca,” Ortiz-Bobea said. “The research has to be done in close proximity to the people using it, and then it needs to be adopted by farmers. So, it takes time, and the longer we wait, the longer we stay on a path where we’re less productive, while other nations like China and Brazil are investing heavily in R&D.”

The current public sector investment in R&D is approximately $5 billion, with spending growing only .5% per year from 1970 to 2000 before stagnating. Ortiz-Bobea favors the more incremental investment scenario that adds 5% to 8% funding every year, for a total investment of $208 billion to $434 billion by 2050. 

“The current environment is one where any public spending is seen as a waste, and obviously any use of taxpayer dollars should be assessed in a systematic way,” Ortiz-Bobea said. “But decades of research shows that agricultural research has a very high return on investment for the country.”

The alternative, Ortiz-Bobea said, is declining productivity, more government bailouts and increased reliance on other countries, as well as more environmental degradation: as farmers would need to use more land and more chemicals to increase production.