Red Drum killings

Overview

The "Red Drum" or "Red Barrel" killings (Thai: เผาถังแดง) refer to the mass killing of civilians in Tambon Lam Sai, Phatthalung Province, in southern Thailand, in late 1972. More than 200 people were confirmed killed, while informal accounts speak of as many as 3,000 victims. The killings occurred under the military dictatorship led by Thanom Kittikachorn and Praphas Charusathien.

Alleged perpetrators and method

The massacre was probably ordered by the government's Communist Suppression Operations Command (CSOC), with army units, police, and volunteer defence forces implicated in carrying it out. Victims were accused of working with the then-illegal Communist Party of Thailand and of supporting its insurgency.

Prior to this period, communist suspects arrested by soldiers were typically shot by the roadside. The "red oil drum" method was reportedly introduced specifically to eliminate evidence of the killings. According to the source account, suspects were clubbed to the point of semi-consciousness before being placed into gasoline-filled, used 200-litre red oil drums fitted with an iron grille divider — with fire lit beneath the grille and the victim positioned above it — and burned alive.

Broader context

The Phatthalung killings have been described as one example of "a pattern of widespread abuse of power by the army and enforcement agencies" during nationwide anti-communist suppression operations conducted from 1971 to 1973. The official death toll for these operations across the country was 3,008 civilians, while unofficial estimates for Phatthalung Province alone range between 1,000 and 3,000.

Aftermath

Even after the end of military rule following the October 1973 Thai popular uprising, the killings were, according to the source, never seriously investigated, and none of the alleged perpetrators were punished or held legally accountable.