Teen fight cuts boy’s life short
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| Wassana |
The mother of a 12-year-old boy killed by a stray bullet during a teen fight outside a Si Sa Ket temple is appealing to police to arrest the culprit.
Wassana Wapeeneh, 39, left a message on Facebook last week pleading with police to speed up the case as the young man whose stray bullet killed her son, Premnach “Pluem” Sarapol, 12, remains free.Pluem was playing with his friends at Wat Ban Nong I Tong on Dec 16 where locals had gathered to celebrate a birthday.
Ms Wassana said her son was heading back to find her shortly after 11pm when a group of teens from out of town, who were drinking outside the temple, started a fight with some rivals.
One of the drinkers, Songchai “Eed” Saingern, 21, pulled out a gun and shot at the rival group five times, injuring two. One bullet also killed the boy, who was passing at the time.
The stray bullet pierced Pluem’s right rib-cage, went through his heart, and exited the other side. A video clip shows locals trying to help the boy get air as he lay in a pool of blood on the ground.
A villager who knew his mother tracked her down to say Pluem had been shot. By the time she reached the scene he was trying to call his name. The lad was taken to hospital but died of his injuries.
As the family cremated his body on Monday, Ms Wassana told reporters the boy was an innocent victim who just happened to be passing, and deserves justice. Police had obtained a court warrant on Dec 18 but had yet to find the offender, she said.
“I don’t know the offender as he wasn’t local but I want him caught. He should amend for his sins, pay compensation, and be put to death,” she said bluntly.
Young Pluem, she said, was a friendly kid who was looking forward to a family trip on Tuesday to Phu Tub Berk mountain in Phetchabun.
“When I told him we were going he went to the calendar and counted the days left.
“He had hardly been anywhere and was excited about the trip. He asked me to buy a long sleeved shirt and trousers so he could keep warm. He also wanted to sleep in a tent alone,” she said.
Pluem is the oldest of two children who lived with his mum and her partner. A TV crew who visited them at home filmed his bedroom, virtually empty but for his duvet, mosquito net and teddy bear.
Ms Wassana said she had given away his clothes to those in need, leaving just his school uniform, which she hung up for mourners to see at his funeral, and one set of casual clothes which he loved to wear.
They had gone to the temple that night after the mother of a man celebrating his birthday invited them. She was in two minds about whether to go, but Pluem wanted to join the function so she agreed. They went about 8pm, and Pluem went off to play with his mates. He came back several times asking for money to buy snacks.
At 10pm her son asked for the keys to their motorcycle so he could take his phone back home to be charged. “He said he wouldn’t be long and I told him to hurry back as the next day he had school. About 11pm I went looking for him but couldn’t find him...I thought he must have gone home.
“A villager told me about half an hour later that he’d been shot. I found him on the ground in a pool of blood, his breathing shallow. I called his name but he couldn’t reply,” she said.
“People were heading home after the function. I suspect he was walking back to find me when he was shot,” Ms Wassana added.
Two teens were injured in the shooting: Rangsun Paderm, 28, who was shot in the elbow, and Natthawat Wichean, 21, who was hit in the right hand and back.
Natthawat’s dad, Sakorn, 48, said on the night of the shooting the doctor called to say his son was in a bad way and may not make it. However, doctors were able to patch him up and his condition was now improving.
“My son said he knew the attackers as he and his friends had had trouble with them before. He said he was the intended target, but one of the bullets missed and hit the boy. Natthawat was there for the birthday function, not to make mischief, and didn’t know the rival teens would be there,” he said.
Police want Songchai “Eed” Saingern to answer charges of intentional killing and attempting to kill, and have obtained a warrant. They believe he has gone to ground in the district.
The suspect’s father, identified as Tong, said he hadn’t seen his son for a week.
“I don’t know where he is as he hasn’t been in touch and I can’t reach him. I didn’t know he had a gun,” Mr Tong told reporters at their family home.
They were simple folk who sell goods and raise buffalo for a living, he said, urging his son to come back and surrender. The case continues.
Hope those were Gucci
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| Benz |
A young motorcyclist has gone to police after a Benz driver attacked him in a fit of road rage with his shoes.
Damrongrak “Benz” Sinsuwan, 19, and his mother complained to Chachoengsao district police on Monday after the Benz driver assaulted him at the so-called Starlight crossing on Sai Liang Muang Bang Kwan Road in Muang district the day before.
A clip taken by a local who witnessed the incident shows the driver of the black C200 Benz, who is standing by a traffic island, striking the young man with his canvas shoes while remonstrating with him. The two are parked at the intersection while the lights are red.
Benz had given the driver the middle finger moments before after he cut in front of him, almost knocking him off his bike. The driver caught up with Benz at the intersection, left his vehicle and began attacking him, apparently unconcerned that other motorists could see him.
Benz had visited the province to vote in the Provincial Administration Organisation elections and was returning to Bangkok when the incident occurred. The clip shows the driver trying to pull the young man off his bike, who sat astride the vehicle as he was being assaulted.
Benz, who said the driver also struck him over the head twice with his hand, and hit him repeatedly with his own helmet which he wrested from his grasp, said he was forced to sit and endure the punishment because the driver told him he had a gun and was prepared to use it.
“I had no choice but to put up with it as I was scared for my life. I also suspect the driver was drunk, judging by his manner and red face,” the young man said.
“I am not angry, but want to tell him to keep his cool. He could have simply told me off but assaulted me instead,” he said.
Benz said when he returned to Bangkok he dropped into his mother’s workplace to tell her what happened.
“Initially I thought he was joking, but when I saw the red marks on his face I felt sorry for him,” said his mother, Sukanya Khuasee.
“I decided I could not tolerate that. Even telling him off would have scared him. Why does he need to assault my son?” she asked.
“Benz is prepared to apologise to the driver for giving him the finger, but as far as the assault goes we want the law to deal with it. The driver should take responsibility,” she said.
She said a friend of the boy’s father sent her the clip, which was later posted to the internet.
Police have identified the driver as a self-employed businessman, aged 44. They have called him in for questioning.
Sticky fingers in the drawer
Damrongrak “Benz” Sinsuwan, 19, and his mother complained to Chachoengsao district police on Monday after the Benz driver assaulted him at the so-called Starlight crossing on Sai Liang Muang Bang Kwan Road in Muang district the day before.
A clip taken by a local who witnessed the incident shows the driver of the black C200 Benz, who is standing by a traffic island, striking the young man with his canvas shoes while remonstrating with him. The two are parked at the intersection while the lights are red.
Benz had given the driver the middle finger moments before after he cut in front of him, almost knocking him off his bike. The driver caught up with Benz at the intersection, left his vehicle and began attacking him, apparently unconcerned that other motorists could see him.
Benz had visited the province to vote in the Provincial Administration Organisation elections and was returning to Bangkok when the incident occurred. The clip shows the driver trying to pull the young man off his bike, who sat astride the vehicle as he was being assaulted.
Benz, who said the driver also struck him over the head twice with his hand, and hit him repeatedly with his own helmet which he wrested from his grasp, said he was forced to sit and endure the punishment because the driver told him he had a gun and was prepared to use it.
“I had no choice but to put up with it as I was scared for my life. I also suspect the driver was drunk, judging by his manner and red face,” the young man said.
“I am not angry, but want to tell him to keep his cool. He could have simply told me off but assaulted me instead,” he said.
Benz said when he returned to Bangkok he dropped into his mother’s workplace to tell her what happened.
“Initially I thought he was joking, but when I saw the red marks on his face I felt sorry for him,” said his mother, Sukanya Khuasee.
“I decided I could not tolerate that. Even telling him off would have scared him. Why does he need to assault my son?” she asked.
“Benz is prepared to apologise to the driver for giving him the finger, but as far as the assault goes we want the law to deal with it. The driver should take responsibility,” she said.
She said a friend of the boy’s father sent her the clip, which was later posted to the internet.
Police have identified the driver as a self-employed businessman, aged 44. They have called him in for questioning.
Sticky fingers in the drawer
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| Peak |
A disabled man who stole 400,000 baht from his struggling employer over three years has lost his job but escaped the threat of legal action, despite the scale of the theft.
Supachai Pramotkasemsuk, 39, owner of a late-night rice porridge shop in Phra Samut Chedi district of Samut Prakan, complained to police on Dec 18 after one of his staff, a mute known as Peak, admitted lifting money from the cash drawer every day for the past three years, stealing a total of 400,000 baht.
Mr Supachai said his shop had struggled to make ends meet for the past three years even though expenses remained the same. He had run the business, which trades from 6pm to 4am, more than 10 years. The money problems had led to fights with his girlfriend and almost caused the pair to break up.
He had hired Peak, whose surname isn’t known and who is aged in his 60s, about four years ago after seeing him wandering about asking for food. Peak had been unable to find work and Mr Supachai said he felt sorry for him. He hired him initially for 1,500 baht a month in return for which Peak would help with some cleaning and food preparation, and buy goods at the market.
However, after seeing Peak was a hard worker he decided to pay him 200 baht a day.
Things carried on normally until about 2.30am on Dec 18 when he heard the sound of the cash drawer being opened. There were no customers, and most staff were busy cleaning the dishes.
Mr Supachai said he walked over for a look but saw no one there except for Peak, who was taking out the rubbish. However, he was suspicious so took a look at the shop’s CCTV, where he found Peak helping himself to money. Even more shocking, when he went back over CCTV vision for the past month he found his employee helping himself to the cash drawer again and again.
Mr Supachai asked him to empty his pockets and found 5,500 baht of the shop’s cash in his wallet, along with a bank deposit book. Peak, he said, admitted taking money from the shop every night. He called police who visited the shop to investigate.
However, rather than deciding to pursue legal action, Mr Supachai, perhaps feeling sorry for Peak again, gave him 200 baht to help him with transport costs and told him he would let the matter go as long as he did not set foot in the shop again.
Supachai Pramotkasemsuk, 39, owner of a late-night rice porridge shop in Phra Samut Chedi district of Samut Prakan, complained to police on Dec 18 after one of his staff, a mute known as Peak, admitted lifting money from the cash drawer every day for the past three years, stealing a total of 400,000 baht.
Mr Supachai said his shop had struggled to make ends meet for the past three years even though expenses remained the same. He had run the business, which trades from 6pm to 4am, more than 10 years. The money problems had led to fights with his girlfriend and almost caused the pair to break up.
He had hired Peak, whose surname isn’t known and who is aged in his 60s, about four years ago after seeing him wandering about asking for food. Peak had been unable to find work and Mr Supachai said he felt sorry for him. He hired him initially for 1,500 baht a month in return for which Peak would help with some cleaning and food preparation, and buy goods at the market.
However, after seeing Peak was a hard worker he decided to pay him 200 baht a day.
Things carried on normally until about 2.30am on Dec 18 when he heard the sound of the cash drawer being opened. There were no customers, and most staff were busy cleaning the dishes.
Mr Supachai said he walked over for a look but saw no one there except for Peak, who was taking out the rubbish. However, he was suspicious so took a look at the shop’s CCTV, where he found Peak helping himself to money. Even more shocking, when he went back over CCTV vision for the past month he found his employee helping himself to the cash drawer again and again.
Mr Supachai asked him to empty his pockets and found 5,500 baht of the shop’s cash in his wallet, along with a bank deposit book. Peak, he said, admitted taking money from the shop every night. He called police who visited the shop to investigate.
However, rather than deciding to pursue legal action, Mr Supachai, perhaps feeling sorry for Peak again, gave him 200 baht to help him with transport costs and told him he would let the matter go as long as he did not set foot in the shop again.
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