Thais demand police reform as videos of alleged brutality go viral online | South China Morning Post

Videos of alleged police brutality are going viral on Thai social media, as whistle-blowers seize the opportunity to demand reform of the scandal-ridden force following the arrest last week of a police chief over the alleged extortion and murder of a suspected drug dealer. Police Colonel Thitisant Utthanaphon was detained on August 26 after the leak of a video allegedly showing him using plastic bags to suffocate 24-year-old Jeerapong Thanapat to death, with the help of six other officers. The video gave the public a rare window into police brutality and the culture of impunity within the force, which critics…