Last week’s Rose Cafe deviated from the normal set of topics we usually have. Instead, the conversation revolved around the difficult subject of torture. We had the privilege of having Dr. Nick Chessman and Pornpen Khongkachonkiet lead the discussion on the subject matter, specifically focused on their work in Southeast Asia. The combination of the two speakers, Pornpen a human rights activist and Nick a scholar, helped to provide two important perspectives. Pornpen spoke from that of a local who is on the front lines talking to those directly affected by the use of torture by the government of Thailand, while Nick spoke on how his own research in Myanmar has influenced his work on torture.
The main question that was asked by the Rose Scholars and one that the speakers kept coming back to during the talk was whether or not torture “works”. Pornpen’s response to this question really struck me the most: Is stripping the dignity and humanity of another person worth obtaining an piece of information? This question really made me reflect on what countries that utilize torture mechanism really value. This topic was a gruesome one to cover, but I am grateful that our speakers were willing to share their experiences with us.
It is always hard to accept the reality that other countries experience on a day to day basis. The truth is that in many ways, the rulers of these places firmly believe that torture is the only real way to extract the truth from someone. Whether that is true or not, I hope to never find out.
I agree with you that the presence of two lecturers was beneficial to the discussion. I think it’s often the case that academics can be somewhat detached from the issue at hand, but with the added perspective of an activist I felt that I gleaned more from the talk than I would have otherwise. Regardless, I think that it is incredibly important to establish a dialogue around a topic like torture, which is highly relevant yet often seen as taboo.
An interesting quote by Napoleon Bonaparte, the former Emperor of France, on torture in a letter written to Louis Alexandre Berthier:
“The barbarous custom of having men beaten who are suspected of having important secrets to reveal must be abolished. It has always been recognized that this way of interrogating men, by putting them to torture, produces nothing worthwhile. The poor wretches say anything that comes into their mind and what they think the interrogator wishes to know.”