Gen Manas: A man with a dark past

Whoever writes the script for the movie of his life — which, by the way, someone definitely should do — will have to tone it down a bit or many viewers won't believe that just one man has done what three-star Thai Gen Manas Kongpan has done.

Lt Gen Manas, in the police version, has been trafficking in persons, trafficking children, abducting illegal aliens, ransoming illegal migrants, assaulting some and using mass graves to hide the evidence. There are other charges including the catch-all, "conducting transnational crime".

According to official records, Lt Gen Manas has been well rewarded in military terms for his work. He has shot from colonel to three-star rank. Before that, it appeared he might be colonel-for-life, at least until April 27, 2004.

That was the night of the very strange, coordinated attacks across the South by more than 100 men, many armed only with knives.

As security forces took rapid control of the situation, killing some attackers and sending many fleeing, 32 of the men ran into the Krue Se mosque in Pattani province and claimed they had the right of religious asylum.

Orders from Bangkok were to wait the siege out. But after seven hours, military got tired and sent their top operatives in to kill all 32 at point-blank range.