Minivdo: Phuket Police Impose Strict Patrols For Yachts After A Foreign Yacht Skipper Was Attacked By A Foreign Robber Who Died.

[NBT TV Phuket]

To see or download mini-video, go to http://news.prd.go.th/news_detail.php?newsid=215900

The incident occurred on Wednesday night on a yacht moored in the sea off Kata beach. After being informed of a shooting on a yacht, police led by Chalong superintendent Pol. Col. Samarn Chainarong rushed to the scene and found a New Zealand man Pierre Alain Oberson badly wounded. The man was sent to Phuket International Hospital. A girlfriend of the victim who declined to give out her full name told police that while she was on board with Mr. Alain, a foreign robber who wore a diving suit, climbed up to the boat and used a gun in a plastic bag to force the victim to give him valuables. Mr. Alain fought back and got shot in the chest and leg while the robber was also shot and pushed off into the sea during the fight. They then fired the firework for a distress signal. A man, Weeraphol Jaiyen who was on board another tourist boat heard the sound and came to help. Police used a long tail boat to search for the robber and found his body floating dead nearby with no identification papers.

The Chalong Police superintendent said this is the first time such a robbery on a yacht occurred and that he instructed officers to impose strict patrols around the bay to prevent such bad incidents reoccurring. Police also took photos of the dead man and seek public cooperation if they know the man as it would help police to further investigate the case.

from Andaman News TV11 (VHF dial) & KPP Cable TV channel 1 at 8.30am + maybe FM90.5 Radio Thailand 6pm, both broadcast to Phang Nga, Krabi & Phuket provinces, FM108 Mazz Radio 7.30pm in Phuket & Phuket Cable TV Channel 1 at 7, 10.30 or 11pm, Friday 11 January 2008 & http://news.prd.go.th

[Sir Burr]

Other news reports are saying that the yacht in question was moored at Chalong Pier, not anchored off Kata Beach.That the robber spent an hour drinking with the owner before the incident and that he died from knife wounds and not a gunshot wound.

TV Channel 11's usual shoddy job of reporting the news, or, have they got it right this time?

[phuketsub]

Other news reports are saying that the yacht in question was moored at Chalong Pier, not anchored off Kata Beach.That the robber spent an hour drinking with the owner before the incident and that he died from knife wounds and not a gunshot wound.

TV Channel 11's usual shoddy job of reporting the news, or, have they got it right this time?

Phuket Gazette's version:

KARON: Chalong Police are investigating the bizarre killing, apparently in self-defense, of an unknown frogman who attacked a Swiss yacht owner and a Thai woman late Wednesday night.

The details of the case, as provided to the media at a press conference yesterday afternoon by Chalong Police Superintendent Col Saman Chainarong, are based on the eye-witness account of 25-year-old Trat native Porntip Pradit.

Also present at the press conference were Police Region 8 Deputy Commissioner Maj Gen Tavat Boonfueng and Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander Col Paween Pongsirin.

Col Samarn told the media that K. Porntip called police about 11:30 pm on Wednesday from a yacht anchored about 500 meters offshore from the Club Med Resort at Kata Beach.

Speaking in a panicked voice, she told police that her boyfriend, who had been shot in his left shoulder, was in urgent need of medical assistance, Col Samarn said.

Chalong Police responded to the distress call by arranging for a longtail boat to take them to the vessel.

K. Porntip fired three flares from the boat to inform police of her location.

Swiss national Pierre-Alain Oberson, 50, was rushed to Phuket International Hospital, where he remains in the Intensive Care Unit.

It will be at least five days before he can be questioned, Col Samarn said.

About 70 meters from the vessel, police recovered the body of a lightly bearded, middle-aged Caucasian male wearing a black diving suit, complete with swim goggles and fins. He had sustained two large wounds: one to his left eye and the other to his left wrist.

Doctors at Vachira Phuket Hospital had confirmed that the cause of death was blood loss from the wound to his wrist, Col Samarn said.

He explained that under questioning K. Porntip had told police that she and Mr Oberson were aboard the yacht that night when they noticed a man with a bag swimming toward the vessel.

Intrigued, they began to talk with the man and then invited him aboard. The man said he enjoyed swimming and diving at night, he said.

The man remained aboard for about one hour, during which time the group drank beer and coffee together while the man inspected the vessel. “He stayed about one hour and then said, ‘I have to go.’ Then he said goodbye,” Col Samarn quoted the woman as saying.

Rather than leave, the man reached into his bag and pulled out a homemade gun and a knife. With the gun in one hand and the knife in the other, the man ordered K. Porntip to tie up Mr Oberson with rope and gag him with black electrical tape, said Col Samarn.

As she began to do so, both she and Mr Oberson exchanged glances before simultaneously charging at the man. In the ensuing fight, the man was hit twice by Mr Oberson with a boat hook, he added.

The man then fired his gun once, hitting Mr Oberson in his left shoulder, before jumping overboard.

Police are still seeking leads to discover the identity of the intruder and are especially interested in his homemade gun, recovered from the seabed by Marine Police around noon yesterday.

As the gun was unlike any they had seen before – it fired with a switch rather than a conventional trigger – they suspect the man may have been a weapons expert and will contact Interpol to see if his description matches the profile of a known international terrorist, Col Samarn said.

Immigration are also trying to identify the man, he said.

Anyone with information that could help in his identification is urged to contact Capt Theerawut Thep-Luen at Chalong Police Station, he added.

Col Samarn said that Mr Oberson had come to Thailand with his wife and two young children, a boy and a girl, all three of whom were staying at a resort on Koh Racha Yai when the incident took place, he said.

Suspicious that the unknown diver might have been the same man who robbed the Karon branch of Siam Commercial Bank of 420,000 baht last June, police presented photos of the man to staff there.

He did not fit the description of the bank robber, Col Samarn said.

[sbk]

Speaking in a panicked voice, she told police that her boyfriend, who had been shot in his left shoulder, was in urgent need of medical assistance, Col Samarn said......

He explained that under questioning K. Porntip had told police that she and Mr Oberson were aboard the yacht that night when they noticed a man with a bag swimming toward the vessel.......

Col Samarn said that Mr Oberson had come to Thailand with his wife and two young children, a boy and a girl, all three of whom were staying at a resort on Koh Racha Yai when the incident took place, he said.

Sounds like Mr Oberson was not enjoying the company of his wife on the boat.

[Bkkboet]

The guy was on a yacht with an unknown Thai woman while his wife and kids were in a resort. That will be an interesting reunion!

[thaiexp]

found his body floating dead nearby with no identification papers.

Let that be a lesson to all robbers, make sure you are carrying identification papers when out robbing yaughts!

[Hurricane51]

You couldn't make this stuff up...

[jumnien]

It's interesting when a farang is knifed to death and dumped in the ocean by another farang under mysterious circumstances it's a funny story, but when a farang tourist is killed by a Thai its an international incident that warrants tremendous criticism of Thailand.

Edited January 11, 2008 by sunrise07

[absolutelyBangkok]

Here, from a Swiss newspaper:

http://www.blick.ch/news/ausland/taucher-a...tumsegler-80368

The Thai girl has a name - Ponthip Jansom - and she's 22.

[fsuthai]

It's interesting when a farang is knifed to death and dumped in the ocean by another farang under mysterious circumstances it's a funny story, but when a farang tourist is killed by a Thai its an international incident that warrants tremendous criticism of Thailand.

Give it a rest Sunrise...this will definitely be an "international incident" also.

[joskydive]

Here, from a Swiss newspaper:

http://www.blick.ch/news/ausland/taucher-a...tumsegler-80368

The Thai girl has a name - Ponthip Jansom - and she's 22.

I wonder what he will look like after his wife has finished with him!

[thaigerd]

Here, from a Swiss newspaper:

http://www.blick.ch/news/ausland/taucher-a...tumsegler-80368

The Thai girl has a name - Ponthip Jansom - and she's 22.

Read it again please:Gegen 22 Uhr hören beide jemand «Hello» rufen.

translated into English language:...around 10pm both could hear someone calling "Hello"

The report does not mention the Thai female's age.

Gerd

[mikethevigoman]

To see...

Pirates in phuket ! what next ? ,. this will be another story full of red herrings ( forgive the pun )

[joskydive]

Thai friend Ponthip Jansom. Against 22 both someone "Hello" hear o'clock call.

Cut and pasted direct from the newspaper.

[jumnien]

Thai friend Ponthip Jansom. Against 22 both someone "Hello" hear o'clock call.

Cut and pasted direct from the newspaper.

That clears that up!

[Girlaboutglobe]

Weird these relatively big ticket crimes by farangs out here. I guess the draw's the same as it is for "normal" expats; more opportunity and lower cost of living, huh? Still, our image isn't exactly lacking in tarnish without such incidents.

[joskydive]

Thai friend Ponthip Jansom. Against 22 both someone "Hello" hear o'clock call.

Cut and pasted direct from the newspaper.

That clears that up!

Sorry, that's as clear as it gets for me too. I don't speak that language.

[skorchio]

Thai friend Ponthip Jansom. Against 22 both someone "Hello" hear o'clock call.

Cut and pasted direct from the newspaper.

That clears that up!

Absolutely, all the facts, right there!!!

[Sir Burr]

The dead diver found in the sea. His name is Jason Bourne.

[skorchio]

Actually, reading the Gazette's report, it sounds like K Porntip did a fine job in getting help. Seems to me as if the victim might have been a dead man dumped in the water if she hadn't been there, and after what followed, she managed to get 3 flares away to guide the cops in on a longtail. The flares probably helped find the attacker's body too. Good job luv.....

[joskydive]

The dead diver found in the sea. His name is Jason Bourne.

I think these people would like to know that.

Immigration are also trying to identify the man, he said.

Anyone with information that could help in his identification is urged to contact Capt Theerawut Thep-Luen at Chalong Police Station, he added.

[Master Chief]

That shot gun must have been built by a real terrorist, one piece of fine workmanship.

I do not know what preferenses the Thai police have as to proffesional build weapons of terror, but to me that looks like something really unproffesionally built.

But then again it seems to have work as it fired and wounded the skipper!

Lets see if I can build one of those too, black PVC tape, PVC pipe, black widow slingshot, 8mm nut. hmmm that should do it.

[McFarang]

We have certainly not heard the last of this one. Thai woman will hold the key if she talks, business deal gone sour.

If Gambling was legal I think my money would be that both men knew each other, it will all come out in the wash maybe

[jstumbo]

It's interesting when a farang is knifed to death and dumped in the ocean by another farang under mysterious circumstances it's a funny story, but when a farang tourist is killed by a Thai its an international incident that warrants tremendous criticism of Thailand.

Give it a rest Sunrise...this will definitely be an "international incident" also.

And it would be an international incident if a Thai tourist was murdered by a US citizen in the US. But if a Thai person killed another Thai person in the US, it would probably not be as big a story.

[Jimmy in Bangkok]

The dead diver found in the sea. His name is Jason Bourne.

well done Sir Burr I quite liked that, actually laughed out loud!

[jstumbo]

The dead diver found in the sea. His name is Jason Bourne.

I think these people would like to know that.

Immigration are also trying to identify the man, he said.

Anyone with information that could help in his identification is urged to contact Capt Theerawut Thep-Luen at Chalong Police Station, he added.

Immigration wants to find out who he is? Maybe they want to cite him for not carrying his passport with him.

[innovator]

Is it April 1st already???? Boy, time sure flies after New Year's Fireworks burn out!!!!

[Goshawk]

The dead diver found in the sea. His name is Jason Bourne.

maybe the guy was simply trying to deliver a box of Milk Tray before it suddenly went all pear shaped..

[dotcom]

A bad guy gets perforated & killed. Excellent.

Condolences to the victims.

Karma got this SOB.

[chill]

I could be wrong, (I often am), but I think Jason Bourne is a spy character out of one of Robert Ludlum's books. I guess he had a reputation for making lethal weapons from innocuous household items. Perhaps it's not the diver's real name.