Former Village Headman ‘Ordered Policeman Shot Dead In The Middle Of The Party’: Police

[webfact]

 

CRIME SUPPRESSION Division (CSD) police Saturday (Sep. 9) told the Criminal Court during a bail hearing for former village headman Mr. Praween Chanklai, or Kamnan Nok, that the suspect had ordered his subordinate to kill a policeman in the middle of a party at his house attended by several other policemen, Naewna newspaper said.

 

At the end of the hearing, the court on Ratchadapisek road ordered the 34-year-old suspect detained for the first 12-day judicial custody from Sep.9-20 and after that he was taken to Bangkok Remand Prison.

 

However Mr. Chao Kaensawat, the suspect’s lawyer, briefly mentioned that he had not applied for bail for his client because he had told him not to do so without giving any reasons. He has also denied all charges brought against him.

 

by TNR Staff

 

Full story: https://thainewsroom.com/2023/09/09/former-village-headman-ordered-policeman-shot-dead-in-the-middle-of-the-party-police/

 

-- THAI NEWSROOM 2023-09-11

 

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[smedly]

a brief glance at the underbelly of Thailand

[wpcoe]

The linked article says he is 34 and has been the village headman for nine years, so he became the village headman at 25.  Seems young, no?

 

How are these village heads chosen?  Is it by direct election of the citizens, or appointment by someone?  If the latter, who is that someone?

[bamnutsak]

Given the effort various senior government officials are putting in to keeping this story somewhat contained, some suspect this may lead to one of the bigger corruption schemes ever in Thailand.

 

What started as personal feud, expanded to encompass the truck sticker scheme, which in turn has unveiled epic levels of corruption in many provinces surrounding governors and the letting of construction contracts, which have been pilfered at historic rates.

 

 

 

 

[RichardColeman]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

However Mr. Chao Kaensawat, the suspect’s lawyer, briefly mentioned that he had not applied for bail for his client because he had told him not to do so without giving any reasons

Probably as he is also on a hit list now

[klauskunkel]

Quote

Praween had been a village headman of Takong subdistrict for nine years with the authority to investigate and arrest offenders only in his area of jurisdiction.

A headman with direct police powers - Thailand is amazing

[sammieuk1]

All that's missing is a Ferrari and a plastic bag but wait there is a Bentley and 2.2 billion baht in the bank and BJ now vowing to end police corruption again and again and again all just a normal day at the lunatic asylum ????  

[herfiehandbag]

No doubt "Big Joke" is even as we speak, penning a cocidil to his four page vision of the future of policing in Thailand if he gets the big job!

[TigerandDog]

5 hours ago, wpcoe said:

The linked article says he is 34 and has been the village headman for nine years, so he became the village headman at 25.  Seems young, no?

 

How are these village heads chosen?  Is it by direct election of the citizens, or appointment by someone?  If the latter, who is that someone?

How are these village heads chosen?

 

They are voted for by the villagers, NOT appointed

[ChipButty]

30 minutes ago, sammieuk1 said:

All that's missing is a Ferrari and a plastic bag but wait there is a Bentley and 2.2 billion baht in the bank and BJ now vowing to end police corruption again and again and again all just a normal day at the lunatic asylum ????  

The problem is the Lunatic's are running the Asylum 

[steven100]

The place resembles a circus and it has thousands of clowns performing daily.   ????

 

 

 

 

Edited September 11, 2023 by steven100

[Emdog]

I always try to schedule my murders towards the end of the party. Less mess to clean up & gets people to stay longer

[Purdey]

Thais watch too many soap operas. When the bad guys says, "Kill him" they think that's real life. 

[Goat]

5 hours ago, wpcoe said:

How are these village heads chosen?  Is it by direct election of the citizens, or appointment by someone?  If the latter, who is that someone?

A village head is called a PooYai Baan 

They are elected by the villagers and the position is held until they give it up. Usually at around 60 years old.

 

Differs from the Orbortor and Orborjor which have regular elections every few years.

 

The Gamnan is also a PooYai Baan but each subdistrict has many villages, and the Gamnan is the also the big boss of all the village heads/ Gamnans in the subdistrict. Usually 10-40 villages in a subdistrict.

 

Only the village heads/PooYAi Baans can vote for the Gamnan which is also a life long position.

This is where it gets interesting with conflicting big egos and much more money to be made. And it can be violent, and often deadly.

You gotta be tough to be a Gamnan. Which is why the word is similar to "Godfather" in the Italian mafia. 99% of people wont make problems with a Gamnan. He rules over the local police and the local mafia. 

 

Some are liked, some a feared and hated, but all are respected and everyone will suck up to them. Often he is the son or relative of a previous Gamnan.

Gamnan Nok looks to quickly resort to violence and is mega rich.

The stereo typical Gamnan.

 

 

[bamnutsak]

Pol. Col. Wachira Yaothaisong, Superintendent of Highway Police Division 2, used a gun to shoot himself on Monday inside a house in the Khu Khot area of Pathum Thani Province, whose condition is currently unknown.

The cause is not yet known for certain, but initially it was thought to be from stress after being accused of calling Pol.Lt.Col. Sivakorn Saibua, a 32-year-old lieutenant of the highway patrol, and ordering him to go to the sub-district headman's house in Nakhon Pathom Province on September 6. The gunman, who was close to the sub-district headman, shot and killed Pol.Lt.Col. Sivakorn that night.

 

Khaosod English Facebook

 

 

This one will last a few weeks I think, but it does highlight the vast spread of corruption at the provincial level.

 

Interesting that the press refers to them as "Influential People".

 

 

 

 

[PETERTHEEATER]

5 hours ago, TigerandDog said:

How are these village heads chosen?

 

They are voted for by the villagers, NOT appointed

It used to be a fixed term and then a new election but some years ago it was made a life term. This for Puyaibahn, village level headman.

However, the accused is reported as being Or Bor Tor?

[bamnutsak]

30 minutes ago, bamnutsak said:

Pol. Col. Wachira Yaothaisong, Superintendent of Highway Police Division 2, used a gun to shoot himself on Monday inside a house in the Khu Khot area of Pathum Thani Province, whose condition is currently unknown.

Confirmed dead.

 

Meanwhile senior Police have been transferred to inactive duty.

 

Police Major General Chakkrit Khruesunthornwanich, the Provincial Police Commander of Nakhon Pathom, and Police Colonel Phuphon Thapcharoen, the Superintendent of Nakhon Pathom Provincial Police Station, have been transferred to inactive duty pending an investigation into the murder of Pol Maj Sivakorn "Inspector Bank" Saibua.

Pol Maj Gen Chakkrit and Pol Col Phuphon were at the birthday party of subdistrict headman Praween "Kamnan Nok" Chankhlai where the shooting took place.

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

The vague account in the OP news report resembles the account my Thai wife gave me from her reading of the Thai news...

 

That the village Kamnan had some understanding or expectation that Major Saibua was supposed to promote a relative of the Kamnan who was/is serving in the police. And when Saibua supposedly refused to go ahead with the promotion, that's what led to the Kamnan allegedly instructing his subordinate to shoot (and kill) Saibua right there at the party.

 

And that Kamnan supposedly is heavily involved in the local trucking business and part of the arrangement whereby truckers have to pay the police for special stickers that allow them to avoid any enforcement. And the fatally shot officer was, of course, part of the local Highways Police.

 

 

Edited September 11, 2023 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[KhaoNiaw]

13 hours ago, wpcoe said:

The linked article says he is 34 and has been the village headman for nine years, so he became the village headman at 25.  Seems young, no?

Following in the family (his father's) footsteps.

[KhaoNiaw]

22 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

That the village Kamnan had some understanding or expectation that Major Saibua was supposed to promote a relative of the Kamnan who was/is serving in the police. And when Saibua supposedly refused to go ahead with the promotion, that's what led to the Kamnan allegedly instructing his subordinate to shoot (and kill) Saibua right there at the party.

And that Kamnan supposedly is heavily involved in the local trucking business and part of the arrangement whereby truckers have to pay the police for special stickers that allow them to avoid any enforcement. And the fatally shot officer was, of course, part of the local Highways Police.

 

The murdered officer was specifically assigned to his position to clean up the sticker racket after the recent negative publicity and supposedly as clean as a police officer can be here. They were saying on the radio that there were 3 problems 1) he previously refused to meet Kamnan Nok to discuss the sticker issue, which has recently been affecting the Kamnan's overloaded trucks 2) at the dinner he wouldn't consider the relative's promotion and to top it off 3) the murdered officer beat him in some kind of drinking duel.  

[steven100]

8 minutes ago, KhaoNiaw said:

was specifically assigned to his position to clean up the sticker racket

well that went well didn't it 

[TigerandDog]

17 hours ago, PETERTHEEATER said:

It used to be a fixed term and then a new election but some years ago it was made a life term. This for Puyaibahn, village level headman.

However, the accused is reported as being Or Bor Tor?

It's not a life term. It's mandatory retirement at age 60, the same as for ALL Govt, Local Govt and semi govt personnel. The fact that the accused is being reported as being Or Bor Tor makes no difference. He is still elected by the people.