That’s all it took
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| Pongsakorn was shot while having dinner at the kitchen table. |
Boonruang police in Chiang Khong district nabbed Wai (no surname given), 58, for fatally shooting Pongsakorn (no surname given), 41, as they were having a som tam salad at home. The victim liked to leave unwashed dishes piled up in the sink, which angered the older man and prompted the row.
Police found Pongsakorn on the lower floor of the two-storey concrete/wooden house. He had been shot in the right side of the face, and a homemade Thai gun was found nearby.
News reports said the two men were often at odds. Wutthikrai Chaiyai, head of Village 6 in Huai So subdistrict, said the two argued while having dinner, which escalated into a heated exchange. The offender took out his homemade gun and shot his nephew dead.
Villagers knew the men often quarrelled as they could hear them. About a month ago, the victim had also threatened his uncle with a gun, reports said.
After killing Pongsakorn, Wai went out to buy alcohol and went to see a friend at a rubber plantation about 3-4km away, as if nothing had happened.
However, no one was at the plantation, so he returned home and was caught by police.
Udon Moolwong, 50, the offender’s younger brother, said he was sitting at home about 10 metres away from the scene when he heard a shot ring out. Shortly after, he heard the sound of Wai’s motorcycle leaving.
He went to check and found his nephew lying face up, one hand still holding a spoon and the other holding a plate of papaya salad, with his left leg caught under the table. He told the village head, who called the police.
At Boonruang police station, reporters spoke to Wai, who admitted killing his nephew. They had argued several times over the nephew’s refusal to wash the dishes, and the victim had assaulted him multiple times, he complained. On the night of the incident, he also confronted him about an electricity bill.
The victim, he claimed, picked up a gun and came towards him, intending to shoot. A scuffle ensued and he later shot the victim, resulting in his death.
Mr Udon said the patriarch of the family would often intervene to stop the men arguing, but after he moved to Lampang, the arguments increased.
The victim was known to be addicted to drugs, while the perpetrator had a drinking problem, which worsened their fights.
At Kiang Tai temple, where the funeral was held, Somdet, 69, father of the victim, said his son and younger brother argued multiple times.
He had warned them, but neither listened.
Police charged Wai with murder.
Pill stash stored in wrong place
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| Uncle A and his drug stash, below left |
Police in Nan were able to make two unexpected drug arrests in one swoop thanks to an old man’s poor memory.
Provincial police looking for drugs offenders rounded up Uncle A (no names given), 58, as he was heading out to feed his pigs.
He was a known target who happily admitted to using methamphetamines. However, they searched him and found nothing illegal.
Police handed him over to Nan district office staff for processing. They intended to offer him rehabilitation under a Ministry of Interior policy offering minor drug addicts the chance to enter detox rather than face charges.
The Nan Provincial Court had previously issued a warrant for Mr B’s arrest. Police noticed Mr B as he happened to walk past Uncle A’s house and nabbed him.
Admitting he was the person named in the warrant, Mr B said he had fled to work in another province and had returned just that morning.
After apprehending Mr B and retrieving Uncle A’s wallet, they took Uncle A back to the Nan district office.
Theeraporn Mankaeo, the district officer, was about to process Uncle A for treatment and again asked to see his ID documents.
Uncle A pulled out his wallet and took out his driver’s licence, but along with the licence, six meth pills in a zip-lock bag tumbled out.
That upped the sale of the offending, so Mr Theeraporn alerted police, who were to charge Uncle A with drug possession.
Unlucky Uncle A, who admitted he was addicted to meth, said he takes two pills each morning. He had hidden his remaining pill stash but could not remember where.
He had searched for half the day before heading out to feed his pigs when he encountered the police.
When the district officer asked to see his ID, he pulled it out, and the meth fell out with it. He then recalled that he had placed the meth in his wallet after using it for safekeeping. District staff handed him over to the police at Muang station for legal action.
Wife on the warpath
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| The man who fell asleep at the wheel of his car for hours. |
A pickup driver fell asleep at the lights in Nan, defying attempts by locals and rescue workers to wake him for more than an hour.
In another unusual tale from that province, news reports said a local contacted Muang police to say the pickup was idling in front of a red light with the driver, alone inside the cab, either in a deep sleep or perhaps unconscious.
The informant had seen the vehicle parked there since 11pm, and it hadn’t moved even when the light turned green. After going to eat noodles and returning, he found the truck was still at the same spot.
Upon closer inspection, he found the driver slumped over in his seat. Concerned about the possibility he might be incapacitated, locals had been trying to wake him for nearly an hour.
After getting word, police joined rescue workers, staff from Nan Hospital, and locals who had encircled the vehicle. They tried in vain to get the occupant to wake up.
The pickup truck was surrounded by locals who were shouting, knocking on the windows, and even jumping on the truck’s bed to shake it. Inside the cab, the driver, aged about 40, was still slumped over, oblivious.
The rescue party were discussing whether to break the window when a local with a bright idea of what might wake the man stepped forward.
The man approached and shouted into the vehicle, “Hey, wake up! Your wife sent me to bring you home!” The man immediately jolted awake and opened the car door. He looked confused about what was happening.
Police asked for his home address, when it transpired he had driven about 300 metres past his house, apparently without realising.
The driver said he had been helping with a relative’s funeral for several days and was on his way home to rest when he was stopped at the red light.
After that, he has no memory, and only realised what was happening when he heard his wife was looking for him. Police told him to get more rest and drove him back home.
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