Pornthip Rojanasunand
Encyclopedia
Khunying Pornthip Rojanasunand, also spelled Porntip Rojanasunan, M.D.
is a Thai
forensic
pathologist
, author, human rights activist, and cancer survivor
.
Pornthip is presently Director of the Central Institute of Forensic Science, Ministry of Justice
, in Bangkok
. During the Thaksin Shinawatra
government, she repeatedly publicly accused the police of abuses. During Thaksin's anti-drug campaign in early 2003, during which more than 2,500 people were killed in what most non-government observers cited as extrajudicial killings, Pornthip claimed that some of these deaths were caused by police. Other sources claim that some of the killings were carried out to silence those who knew which police officials were involved in the drug trade.
A media personality and the most famous pathologist in Thailand, Pornthip often appears on television sporting her unorthodox style: punk-rock hair dyed purplish red, eccentric clothing, and glittery eye makeup, and platform shoes. The Thai English-language newspaper The Nation
chose Pornthip, along with Chote Wattanachet and brothel-tycoon Chuwit Kamolvisit
as persons of the year for 2003.
She was awarded the Chulchomklao (fourth degree) decoration and the honorific "Khunying" in 2003.
In the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
, Pornthip took charge of the effort to identify victims of the tsunami
in the Phang Nga
region. She and her team were widely praised for their hard work and dedication, but on January 13, 2005 Police General Nopadol Somboonsab complained that the police's identification centre in Phuket
should have charge of all identification operations. Pornthip attributed the intervention to Nopadol's supposed personal vendetta against her. Nopadol was ultimately successful, and the Phang Nga operation was closed down on February 3, 2005. Her life story and her work in Phang Nga were documented in the 2004 National Geographic documentary Crime Scene Bangkok.
2008 clashes between police and the Peoples Alliance for Democracy resulted in several serious injuries, but much confusion as to whether the injuries were caused by police tear gas grenades or improvised explosive devices carried by the protesters. Pornthip used a GT200
device to conclude that the protester injuries were not caused by IEDs and concluded that faulty tear gas grenades caused the injuries, leading to the removal from office of the national police chief.
In the early months of the Democrat
-led government of Abhisit Vejjajiva
, western news agencies broke the news that up to 1,000 Rohingya Muslim refugees from Myanmar
had been captured by the Thai Navy, beaten, then towed out to sea without engines or navigational aids and with little food and water. The scandal and subsequent government cover-up sparked global criticism of the Thai military and Abhisit. The Thai military asked Pornthip to investigate some refugee boats that had landed on Thailand's Andaman
coast. Pornthip found "substances and chemicals found that can be used in explosives" in one of the boats, leading the military to link the refugees to Islamic insurgency in the South of Thailand
. She did not reveal what devices or techniques she had used to detect the substances.
When news of the fraudulent nature of the GT200
devices became public in 2010, Pornthip defended the use of the devices, even if they were proven ineffective. She noted, “I do not feel embarrassed if the bomb detector is proven ineffective. Personally, I have never handled the device myself. But my people have used it and it is accurate every time. Long long time ago, people believed that the Earth is flat and anyone who said otherwise faced execution. Things which are not visible does not necessarily mean they do not exist.”
As of March 2011, an official English language translation of Dr. Pornthip's autobiography, containing her side of her life story and most famous cases is currently being reviewed for publication from Singapore.
In June 2009, she was one of the pathologists investigating the death of actor David Carradine
.
In October 2009, she concluded that Malaysian Democratic Action Party
employee Teoh Beng Hock
, who had been detained by the Malaysian federal Government's Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission
had an 80% probability of having been being murdered.
In April 2010, she was appointed to the Center for the Resolution of the Emergency Situation or CRES (previously known as the Center for the Administration of Public Order), a military organization charged with suppressing protests by the United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship.
Dr. Pornthip's autobiography, which details her life and most prominent cases, has been translated into English and is under editing for publication. In the book, Dr. Pornthip reiterates problems with state authorities in obtaining justice for those subject to injustice, a theme carried throughout the book.
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
is a Thai
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
forensic
Forensics
Forensic science is the application of a broad spectrum of sciences to answer questions of interest to a legal system. This may be in relation to a crime or a civil action...
pathologist
Pathology
Pathology is the precise study and diagnosis of disease. The word pathology is from Ancient Greek , pathos, "feeling, suffering"; and , -logia, "the study of". Pathologization, to pathologize, refers to the process of defining a condition or behavior as pathological, e.g. pathological gambling....
, author, human rights activist, and cancer survivor
Cancer survivor
A cancer survivor is an individual with cancer of any type, current or past, who is still living. About 11 million Americans alive today—one in 30 people–are either currently undergoing treatment for cancer or have done so in the past." Currently nearly 65% of adults diagnosed with cancer in the...
.
Pornthip is presently Director of the Central Institute of Forensic Science, Ministry of Justice
Ministry of Justice (Thailand)
The Ministry of Justice of the Kingdom of Thailand is a Cabinet Ministry in the Government of Thailand. The Ministry is in charge of the criminal justice system in the Kingdom. As well as running prisons and aiding the Royal Thai Police, the ministry also run the government's drug and narcotic...
, in Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
. During the Thaksin Shinawatra
Thaksin Shinawatra
Thaksin Shinawatra is a Thai businessman and politician, who was Prime Minister of Thailand from 2001 to 2006, when he was overthrown in a military coup....
government, she repeatedly publicly accused the police of abuses. During Thaksin's anti-drug campaign in early 2003, during which more than 2,500 people were killed in what most non-government observers cited as extrajudicial killings, Pornthip claimed that some of these deaths were caused by police. Other sources claim that some of the killings were carried out to silence those who knew which police officials were involved in the drug trade.
A media personality and the most famous pathologist in Thailand, Pornthip often appears on television sporting her unorthodox style: punk-rock hair dyed purplish red, eccentric clothing, and glittery eye makeup, and platform shoes. The Thai English-language newspaper The Nation
The Nation (Thailand)
The Nation is a broadsheet, English-language daily newspaper founded in 1971 and published in Bangkok, Thailand, and is owned by the Nation Multimedia Group.The Nation is a member of the Asia News Network...
chose Pornthip, along with Chote Wattanachet and brothel-tycoon Chuwit Kamolvisit
Chuwit Kamolvisit
Chuwit Kamolvisit is a controversial Thai politician who was once the country's biggest massage parlor owner. After an arrest in 2003, he went public with his claims of having paid large bribes to hundreds of police officers. He then sold some of his massage parlors, formed his own political...
as persons of the year for 2003.
She was awarded the Chulchomklao (fourth degree) decoration and the honorific "Khunying" in 2003.
In the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on Sunday, December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake itself is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake...
, Pornthip took charge of the effort to identify victims of the tsunami
Tsunami
A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or a large lake...
in the Phang Nga
Phang Nga Province
Phang Nga is one of the southern provinces of Thailand, on the shore to the Andaman Sea. Neighboring provinces are Ranong, Surat Thani and Krabi. To the south is the Phuket province, but without land boundary to Phang Nga....
region. She and her team were widely praised for their hard work and dedication, but on January 13, 2005 Police General Nopadol Somboonsab complained that the police's identification centre in Phuket
Phuket Province
Phuket , formerly known as Thalang and, in Western sources, Junk Ceylon , is one of the southern provinces of Thailand...
should have charge of all identification operations. Pornthip attributed the intervention to Nopadol's supposed personal vendetta against her. Nopadol was ultimately successful, and the Phang Nga operation was closed down on February 3, 2005. Her life story and her work in Phang Nga were documented in the 2004 National Geographic documentary Crime Scene Bangkok.
2008 clashes between police and the Peoples Alliance for Democracy resulted in several serious injuries, but much confusion as to whether the injuries were caused by police tear gas grenades or improvised explosive devices carried by the protesters. Pornthip used a GT200
GT200
The GT200 is a fraudulent "remote substance detector" that is claimed by its manufacturer, UK-based Global Technical Ltd, to be able to detect from a distance various substances including explosives and drugs...
device to conclude that the protester injuries were not caused by IEDs and concluded that faulty tear gas grenades caused the injuries, leading to the removal from office of the national police chief.
In the early months of the Democrat
Democrat Party (Thailand)
The Democrat Party is Thailand's oldest political party and was the main coalition government party of the 23rd House of Representatives of Thailand. The Democrat Party's current leader is Abhisit Vejjajiva, incumbent opposition leader and former Prime Minister. The party upholds a conservative...
-led government of Abhisit Vejjajiva
Abhisit Vejjajiva
Abhisit Vejjajiva , , ; born Mark Abhisit Vejjajiva; 3 August 1964 in Newcastle upon Tyne) is a Thai politician who was the 27th Prime Minister of Thailand from 2008 to 2011 and is the current leader of the Democrat Party...
, western news agencies broke the news that up to 1,000 Rohingya Muslim refugees from Myanmar
Myanmar
Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
had been captured by the Thai Navy, beaten, then towed out to sea without engines or navigational aids and with little food and water. The scandal and subsequent government cover-up sparked global criticism of the Thai military and Abhisit. The Thai military asked Pornthip to investigate some refugee boats that had landed on Thailand's Andaman
Andaman Sea
The Andaman Sea or Burma Sea is a body of water to the southeast of the Bay of Bengal, south of Burma, west of Thailand and east of the Andaman Islands, India; it is part of the Indian Ocean....
coast. Pornthip found "substances and chemicals found that can be used in explosives" in one of the boats, leading the military to link the refugees to Islamic insurgency in the South of Thailand
South Thailand insurgency
An ethnic separatist insurgency is taking place in Southern Thailand, predominantly in the Malay Pattani region, made up of the three southernmost provinces of Thailand. Violence has increasingly spilling over into other provinces...
. She did not reveal what devices or techniques she had used to detect the substances.
When news of the fraudulent nature of the GT200
GT200
The GT200 is a fraudulent "remote substance detector" that is claimed by its manufacturer, UK-based Global Technical Ltd, to be able to detect from a distance various substances including explosives and drugs...
devices became public in 2010, Pornthip defended the use of the devices, even if they were proven ineffective. She noted, “I do not feel embarrassed if the bomb detector is proven ineffective. Personally, I have never handled the device myself. But my people have used it and it is accurate every time. Long long time ago, people believed that the Earth is flat and anyone who said otherwise faced execution. Things which are not visible does not necessarily mean they do not exist.”
As of March 2011, an official English language translation of Dr. Pornthip's autobiography, containing her side of her life story and most famous cases is currently being reviewed for publication from Singapore.
In June 2009, she was one of the pathologists investigating the death of actor David Carradine
David Carradine
David Carradine was an American actor and martial artist, best known for his role as a warrior monk, Kwai Chang Caine, in the 1970s television series, Kung Fu, which later had a 1990s sequel series, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues...
.
In October 2009, she concluded that Malaysian Democratic Action Party
Democratic Action Party
The Democratic Action Party, or DAP is a secular, multi-racial, social democratic Malaysian political party.The DAP is one of the three major opposition parties in Malaysia, along with the PKR and PAS, that are seen as electable alternatives to the Barisan Nasional coalition of parties...
employee Teoh Beng Hock
Teoh Beng Hock
Teoh Beng Hock was a Malaysian journalist and political aide to Ean Yong Hian Wah, a member of the Selangor state legislative assembly and state executive council. On 15 July 2009, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission took Teoh into custody for questioning about allegations of corruption...
, who had been detained by the Malaysian federal Government's Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission
Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission ' ) is a government agency in Malaysia that investigates and prosecutes corruption in the public and private sectors...
had an 80% probability of having been being murdered.
In April 2010, she was appointed to the Center for the Resolution of the Emergency Situation or CRES (previously known as the Center for the Administration of Public Order), a military organization charged with suppressing protests by the United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship.
Dr. Pornthip's autobiography, which details her life and most prominent cases, has been translated into English and is under editing for publication. In the book, Dr. Pornthip reiterates problems with state authorities in obtaining justice for those subject to injustice, a theme carried throughout the book.
See also
- GT200GT200The GT200 is a fraudulent "remote substance detector" that is claimed by its manufacturer, UK-based Global Technical Ltd, to be able to detect from a distance various substances including explosives and drugs...
- People's Alliance for DemocracyPeople's Alliance for DemocracyThe People's Alliance for Democracy also called the National Liberation Alliance - กลุ่มพันธมิตรกู้ชาติ, Thai Patriots Network or the Yellow Shirts - เสื้อเหลือง - was originally a coalition of protesters against Thaksin Shinawatra, the former Prime Minister of Thailand. Its leaders include...
- Thaksin ShinawatraThaksin ShinawatraThaksin Shinawatra is a Thai businessman and politician, who was Prime Minister of Thailand from 2001 to 2006, when he was overthrown in a military coup....
- Democrat Party (Thailand)Democrat Party (Thailand)The Democrat Party is Thailand's oldest political party and was the main coalition government party of the 23rd House of Representatives of Thailand. The Democrat Party's current leader is Abhisit Vejjajiva, incumbent opposition leader and former Prime Minister. The party upholds a conservative...
- Abhisit VejjajivaAbhisit VejjajivaAbhisit Vejjajiva , , ; born Mark Abhisit Vejjajiva; 3 August 1964 in Newcastle upon Tyne) is a Thai politician who was the 27th Prime Minister of Thailand from 2008 to 2011 and is the current leader of the Democrat Party...