Stepfather from hell
Supranee kisses the portrait of her dead son, Foam.
Supranee Onjai said her son from an earlier relationship, Nattapol, or Foam, aged 15, and his stepfather Somyot Keowman, 52, were often at loggerheads.
However, nothing could prepare her for Mr Somyot’s savage response after their latest row at her home, in Ko Taphao of Ban Tak district, on April 14.
Nattapol asked her for 20 baht so he could buy a drink to help counter the stifling Songkran heat. She had only five baht with her so suggested he try her wallet.
This simple remark set off her husband, who accused her of constantly pandering to the boy’s needs.
Mr Somyot, the boy’s stepfather, and Nattapol started to argue, as was their habit, before Mr Somyot took off on his motorcycle.
“I assume they were just parting ways after an argument, which is usually what happens.”
But Somyot went back to his house to fetch a shotgun.
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| Somyot Keowman |
Ms Supranee, who went to the boy’s aid while they waited for rescue workers to arrive, said her son was panting faintly as he took his last breaths of life.
He reached out for his mother’s arm and held it, uttering “Mum” before finally succumbing to his injuries.
Speaking from the boy’s funeral at Wat Wang Mor on the banks of the Ping River, Ms Supranee showed reporters a mark on her arm left by the boy’s fingernails as he held on to her for comfort.
When Mr Somyot returned to Ms Supranee’s house, news reports say, he came across the boy’s elder sister first, and made as if to shoot her as well.
However, he decided to spare her life before making a beeline for his real target.
After shooting the boy, Mr Somyot, in time-honoured Thai tradition, fled into a forest on his motorcycle, where police caught him later.
Ms Supranee, who has three children, said she and her husband still have their own homes, though Mr Somyot tended to stay at her place overnight, along with her, her youngest child Nattapol, and his elder sister, her first-born. Nattapol was about to start Por Wor Chor (higher vocational certificate) studies, and had a bright future ahead of him, she said.
Her middle child, Nattapol’s elder brother, Nattakan, 21, moved out when he started his own family and now lives in Sukhothai. All are children from a previous relationship.
Speaking from his brother’s funeral, Nattakan said Nattapol and his stepfather were often at odds.
“I would look for a place to get out of the way when their arguments started, as I didn’t want to get into a row with my stepfather. However, I never expected this kind of thing. Somyot should pay for what he did,” he said. No word was to hand on the charges he faces.
Lights out at the store
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| Outside the grocery store where the double shooting took place. |
A Lop Buri mother was the unfortunate witness of a double shooting over the holiday as her own son shot his wife dead following a row, and then, after a quick word of apology to his Mum, turned the weapon on himself.
Khok Tum police on April 13 were called to the grisly scene outside a grocery store where Assada “Ball” Yaemkesorn, 30, shot his wife, Wassana Topeng, 36, before taking his own life.
A 9mm Sig Sauer handgun, which Assada wore on his waist, was found nearby along with his motorcycle.
Assada’s mother, Sangwan Kaisingsom, 55, said her son and his wife had been married three years. She had been celebrating Songkran with them at their place only moments before.
When she left their home she detected no signs they were at odds or what was about to follow.
That morning, Assada and his wife made merit at a temple, before returning home for a meal and a few Songkran drinks with Assada’s mother.
“I decided to head home but dropped into the local grocery store first. As I was there I saw Wassana arrive on the back of a friend’s motorcycle, followed shortly after by my son on his own bike,” Ms Sangwan said.
“He was furious and started abusing her, asking repeatedly why she had to criticise him,” she said.
New reports said the couple had argued after his mother left, when Wassana called him a few choice names before leaving with a friend on her motorbike.
However, Assada would not let the matter go so easily.
Ms Sangwan said: “I tried to break it up but my son told me not to interfere. He hit his wife, knocking her to the ground.
“They struggled, and he shouted at her many times, ‘Why did you have to abuse me?’”
In shocking scenes, he pulled out his gun and shot her five times.
A moment later, he turned to his mother, said sorry for what he was about to do, and turned the gun on his own chest, shooting himself dead.
Police say Assada no doubt opted to kill himself rather than face punishment for having slain his wife.
When Assada saw his mother and wife at the shop, they say, he assumed his wife went there to tell his Mum about their argument. In fact, the meeting appears to have been coincidental.
‘Father of the year’ faces jail
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| Thotsanat after being shot in the leg. |
Sung Men police nabbed Thawin Thaisiriporn, 64, for shooting his son, Thotsanat, 38, in the right leg.
One news report asked if he was not a contender for father of the year for intervening to stop the beatings.
He delivered a warning shot to his errant son, who was angry at first to be shot in the leg, but has now come to his senses, it said.
However, the charges are a criminal matter which cannot be dropped as a result of conciliation between the parties, which means the unfortunate Mr Thawin is now facing the prospect of jail time.
Mr Thawin was waiting to hand himself in when police arrived at the scene of the shooting at the family home.
He claimed the shotgun he used belonged to a local, though he hid the weapon under a car in his own workshop following the attack.
He faces firearms charges on top of the attempted kill rap.
Thotsanat’s wife, Siriwimon Pansawat, 37, said the confrontation started when she told her husband not to go out drinking.
They argued and he broke her finger. “His father intervened and told him to stop hitting me. The two argued, and Thotsanat challenged his father to shoot him if he really meant it.
“Thawin drove to the farm, brought back the weapon and shot him in the knee,” she told reporters.
The shot passed through his leg and hit a wall. News images showed Thotsanat, bare-chested and wearing red shorts, writhing in pain on the floor.
Thotsanat, who was taken to a nearby hospital and is now recovering, has forgiven his father.
“He was angry at the time but has now cooled down. It’s his father after all, who is now facing serious charges,” she said.
Speaking at the police station, Mr Thawin said he had reached the end of his patience with his son’s antics, and wanted to teach him a lesson. However, he thanked his son for not holding it against him.
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| Thawin Thaisiriporn |
They argued and he broke her finger. “His father intervened and told him to stop hitting me. The two argued, and Thotsanat challenged his father to shoot him if he really meant it.
“Thawin drove to the farm, brought back the weapon and shot him in the knee,” she told reporters.
The shot passed through his leg and hit a wall. News images showed Thotsanat, bare-chested and wearing red shorts, writhing in pain on the floor.
Thotsanat, who was taken to a nearby hospital and is now recovering, has forgiven his father.
“He was angry at the time but has now cooled down. It’s his father after all, who is now facing serious charges,” she said.
Speaking at the police station, Mr Thawin said he had reached the end of his patience with his son’s antics, and wanted to teach him a lesson. However, he thanked his son for not holding it against him.
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