Murder of drug suspect in Thailand sparks calls for police reform

Images of police officers using plastic bags to strangle a drug suspect are fueling calls for reform in Thailand.

Bangkok, Thailand - Police officers lead a newly arrested person into a brightly lit room. 

The suspect's head is covered with a black bag. 

He was asked to sit on a chair in a corner while the officer in charge wrapped other bags over his head. 

The suspect moaned and sobbed, then fell to the ground. 

A brief scuffle ensued and several police officers immobilized him as the officer in charge continued to wrap more plastic around his head. 

Within minutes, the suspect stopped breathing. 

This murder was caught on a security camera in Nakhon Sawan province, central Thailand, on August 5. The footage was leaked online last week, sending shockwaves across Thailand, stoking a wave of protests and heated debate over long-standing allegations of police brutality in the Southeast Asian nation. . 

The officer in charge has since been identified as Thitian "Jo Ferrari" Uttanapol and his victim as Jeerapong Thanapat, 24. 

According to local media, a total of six police officers were involved in Jeerapong's death. The Bangkok Post reported that the young man, arrested for selling methamphetamine pills, died of suffocation when police attempted to extort a bribe of two million Thai baht ($ 60,000) to secure his death. release. After Jeerapong's death, the Post reported that the police even tried to cover their tracks by asking doctors at Sawan Pracharak Hospital to indicate the inmate's cause of death as the cause of the drug overdose. 

Amid public outrage, Thai police began to search for Uttanapol. On Wednesday, a police spokesperson promised criminal charges, as well as disciplinary action, when other officers raided Uttanapol's home in the capital Bangkok. There they found at least 30 cars, including Bentleys, Porsches, Lamborghinis and Ferraris, illustrating how the disgraced policeman earned his nickname. 

A day after the raid, Uttanapol surrendered to the police. 

In a strange twist, the authorities allowed him to hold a press conference to explain his version of events. 

At first Uttanapol tried to justify its actions.