Police are examining the violent history of Thana "Pong" Koetthong, 43, identified as the main suspect and ringleader in the killing of five people near Pattaya. The victims in the current case are two Russian siblings and a Thai family of three - a father, mother and child - who were killed and buried during robbery attempts. The investigation has drawn particular attention among foreign residents after the deaths of the Russian victims. Pong was released from prison in June 2026 after serving more than seven years for a 2018 shooting in Huai Yai, Banglamung district, Chonburi. Authorities are now reviewing that case as part of the inquiry into the recent killings. Gunfire at Huai Yai shophouse Reporters visited the scene in Soi Kok Lang, Ban Thung Lahan, Moo 8, Huai Yai, on 4 August 2026. The shophouse was the target of a late-night shooting in early October 2018. According to local accounts, an argument began after a 24-year-old man, known as Bom, rode a motorcycle with a loud exhaust past Pong. The pair reportedly fought before going their separate ways. About 10 minutes later, Pong allegedly returned by motorcycle with a gun and fired about five shots into the shophouse. People inside fled through the rear of the building. The owner, Mrs Thip, 65, said she went outside when the gunfire began and shouted: "Why are you shooting at my house?" She said she later learned from village officials and police that Pong was the suspected gunman, although he did not harm her. Victim shot again outside Mr Tom, 38, who was present that night, said Pong allegedly waited outside the shophouse after police had attended and left. At about midnight, Bom went outside to urinate and was shot twice in the abdomen. Bom was seriously injured and taken to Banglamung Hospital. He has since returned to live in his home province of Amnat Charoen. The Pattaya Provincial Court issued arrest warrant No. 444/2561 on 7 October 2018, accusing Pong of attempted murder and firearms offences. Patrol officers from Nong Prue Police Station arrested him on 13 October at a home in Pong subdistrict, Banglamung, before handing him to Huai Yai Police. Pong reportedly admitted using a .38-calibre revolver and claimed he threw it into the sea behind Ban Amphoe Temple. Divers and officers using metal detectors searched the area but did not recover the weapon. Police suspected it may instead have been hidden or passed to another person. Questions over release and rehabilitation Pong was sent to court and later imprisoned at Pattaya Special Prison. Reports also say he was moved to Rayong Provincial Prison in 2021 after an alleged violent incident involving another inmate. Prison officials said standard procedures had been followed and that he served his sentence in line with the court's legal conditions. Join the discussion? 5 August 2026
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