Two Tourists In Pai Shot By A Police Officer

[thaigene2]

The Canadian Consular officials should insist on Dr Porntip for this case. The angle of the bullets, entry, exist all that stuff will tell the true tale.

If the cop's story is true, or at least very plausible, then he'll go free.

What I don't understand (and maybe it's translation), but the Reuters report says the cop was charged with murder and attempted murder, but then they let him go free because he turned himself in and said it was an accident.

Why would they charge him with murder then?

[sbk]

Canadian man killed by Thai police officer

Sean Myers , CanWest News Service

Published: Monday, January 07, 2008

A Calgary man was shot and killed in Thailand early Sunday morning - less than a week after arriving - leaving his family to grasp for the details of his fate.

According to media reports, a police officer shot Leo Del Pinto, 25, twice - once in the face and once in the torso - in a bar in the town of Pai. Del Pinto's girlfriend, Carly Reisig, was also shot in the incident and was taken to hospital.

While Reisig is Canadian, it is not clear where she's from. Del Pinto's family believes the two met in Vancouver more than a year ago.

Media reports claimed she was pregnant at the time of the shooting, but a family spokesman disputed that.

"We talked to some of his friends over there and we don't believe she was pregnant," said Ross Fortune, who is engaged to one of Del Pinto's sisters.

He said the family has been told very little about the incident.

"His parents are devastated," said Fortune. "He was their only son.

"They're also frustrated because we don't know what happened."

Fortune said the family was notified by Canadian officials at about 9 p.m. Sunday night.

They have been told very little of the circumstances of Del Pinto's death.

Media reports appearing on the websites of several international news outlets said Sgt. Uthai Dechawiwat, the officer accused of shooting Del Pinto, has been charged with premeditated murder and faces charges in connection with Reisig's shooting.

"We haven't even confirmed that a policeman was involved," said Fortune. "Our biggest concern is to get Leo back here as soon as possible and find out what happened."

Del Pinto's parents are longtime Calgarians. Their son was planning to return in time for Fortune's wedding to his sister in August.

"He was part of the wedding party," said Fortune.

Del Pinto had previously visited Thailand for more than six months, returning in September, and he was eager to go back.

"His parents were nervous about him going the first time, but he came back with great stories," said Fortune. "He was really enchanted by Thailand."

Del Pinto flew to Vancouver on Boxing Day and then left for Thailand last week.

Fortune said he had a job at a tattoo parlour and was hoping to teach English as a second language.

Del Pinto had previously trained as a recording engineer in Vancouver and worked in the music industry there.

His family plans to pressure Canadian and Thai authorities to retrieve Del Pinto's body and get to the bottom of what happened.

© Calgary Herald 2008

[lannarebirth]

Gosh, such sensational posts! But for your information the woman (who as not the dead guy's wife), as of an hour ago, is safe and recovering in a Chiang Mai hospital after her gunshot wound to the chest. Perhaps it would be best to wait for some proper reporting before we all jump to fantastic conclusions and speculations.

Will you be providing that? If so, when might it be expected? Thanks.

Thank You Sao Jiang Mai, and to your reporter as well. I hope you stay on it.

Regards

[samsara]

from the CBC website (Canadian news station)

Deadly Thai shooting unprovoked, says injured Canadian victim

Last Updated: Monday, January 7, 2008 | 8:56 AM ET

CBC News

A Canadian woman shot in Thailand has contradicted an official Thai police report into the shooting death of her Canadian companion, saying they were attacked for no reason.

Thai police on Monday said John Leo Del Pinto, 25, died early Sunday of two gunshot wounds — one to the face and one to the torso — and his pregnant partner, Carly Reisig, also of Canada, was in hospital with a bullet wound in her body.

Police said the pair, who lived in the town of Mae Hong Son, had a fight while drinking at a bar. The fight escalated outside and turned physical when a police officer tried to intervene, said Col. Sombat Panya of Pai district in northern Mae Hong Son.

The officer involved, Sgt. Uthai Dechawiwat, told Thai investigators the pair attacked him when he tried to intervene, and that his gun "accidentally went off" three times as he tried to defend himself.

But Reisig contradicted the official police report Monday, telling a reporter in Thailand that an undercover officer attacked them for no reason.

Cindy Tilney, a reporter with Thai website Citylife Chang Mai, visited Reisig in hospital, where the Canadian is in stable condition with a bullet wound to her chest.

Tilney said Reisig is in shock and upset over the shootings, which she said started when she and Del Pinto left a bar. Reisig, who denied being pregnant, said she arrived in Thailand several days ago to visit Del Pinto, who she said was her ex-boyfriend and good friend.

Reisig said she and Del Pinto were not fighting when they left the bar and passed an undercover officer while walking to another part of town. She said the man rushed up and hit her and that Del Pinto subsequently shoved the man.

Reisig told Tilney she had her face "painted" and believes that may have angered the man.

According to Reisig, the man then rushed to a nearby motorcycle and retrieved a gun. Del Pinto and the man struggled for control of the gun before the man shot them both, she said.

Reisig said she has spoken with Del Pinto's family in Canada and they were very upset.

Tilney said the police officer has been charged with manslaughter but is not being held in custody. The town's police chief said suspects who admit guilt are allowed to be released before their trials.

oh boy. so here are some Qs/thoughts:

1) the woman and the officer must have known each other already.

2) basically 80% of what was previously reported was wrong. they werent drunk, she isnt pregnant, they werent married, etc. IF shes telling the truth.

3) how could face "painting" anger someone??

4) comes off as being the most random series of events ever

[jomtienbob]

Yep that's exactly right.

Why is it that once one idiot goes off the rails and commits murder under the cloak of authority does everyone brandish all Thais with the same brush.

It's not just one. There have been two off duty Thai Policemen that murdered foreigners fairly recently I can think of off the top of my head.

Does the US invasion of Iraq not equate starkly by comparison when it is now almost universally agreed that they had no justification to do so? I put that in the murder basket!

Thailand was an ally of the US in the invasion of Iraq.

If Thailand is such a dangerous place, someone name for me the last Thai mass/serial murderer

There are and have been many Thai serial killers.

I take it you completely missed this story from a couple of weeks ago? Lol.

http://news.monstersandcritics.com/asiapac...cle_1372754.php

or one that blew up a building full of innocent people in a major city

You do know there's a civil war going on in the South don't you?

or the last time a crazed kid(s) opened fire with automatic weapons in a school of any description.

A couple of young guys went bezerk near the Mall in Bang Na several weeks ago with AK47's. I believe they killed a police officer. Does that qualify or does it have to be a school? I could have taken my pick of the shootings in central Bangkok as common as they are.

You can't seriously be cherry-picking information snippets like that to argue that Thailand is generally not a safer less confrontational place such as US or UK? If so, why don't you go back there to live then?!? The Muslim extremist insurgency in the south could hardly qualify as a civil war, but there you go I am cherry picking irrelevant points of argument because my original point was generically proposed not pedantic as you have interpreted and argued.

Sensational 'outliers' do not indicate the mean average in any equation or evaluation and my point that generally Thailand is a much safer place than many richer western countries remains still unchallenged by your nit-picking samples of 2 newspaper articles. There are murders and crime in every society since societies began and we still haven't got any smarter about minimizing or avoiding them, however the Buddhist social fabric that weaves this emerging country together has a lot more positives than negatives. If they could get rid of the guns it would probably be even better, but for as long as I have been here I have never heard the crackle of gunfire in the suburbs as one does so often in some of the larger cities in the states.

Anyhow this is all really terribly irrelevant because our opinions don't count for much here, just as those of visiting foreigners (non-citizens) count for diddlie-sqwat in our own home countries. Let's at least be a bit fair to the Thais as we are the visitors/guests on the whole.

[sibeymai]

Those who admit guilt are released on bail ?

Guess that confession will be changed by the time it gets to court.

A premeditaed murder charge will be difficult to prove judging from the witnesses which will "appear" for the defence. Probably be aquited whereas he might be found guilty of a lesser charge.

Hard to dodge the charge of shooting the woman but she's alive so plead guilty to whatever lesser charge arises.

Justice Thai style.

Edited January 7, 2008 by sibeymai

[sonnyJ]

We can travel all these countries if we know how to behave.

That’s the funniest statement ever on this board.

I'm still waiting for the donations.

I would also like to know where is the gun used in this killing.

[Briggsy]

Ok now we have a report from the shot girl contradicting the policeman's statement.

Though it took a farang journalist to bother to go and get it.

[Artfullmover]

Although a trajic story. Most people still walking around know not to get involed in a fight with a drunken thai.

The Thai's dont hold the copywright for "tourist killed by a local" scenario. Tourists here in Australia who get into drunken brawls with the local rift raft can end up just as dead the only difference its usually by a knife not guns.

One would think Thailand is just as safe as any other popular tourist destination.

A lot of you people make Thailand seem like a very sad place to be open your eyes and look around.

If your worried about Thailand grab your self a back pack and come down under.

[sonnyJ]

"Old western-countries saying "Don't pull a knife or gun unless you're willing to use it"

.... expats know that Thai's will do just that, but do tourists? And is it emphasised in guidebooks?"

It sounds to me like the Thai's are willing to use their guns if they pull them. They just don't know when to pull them...

Also, I am no CSI guy, but how do you shoot somebody when you are laying on the ground, and the shot goes through their face, then into their shoulder??? You are shooting up at somebody when you are on the ground, but then the bullet changes direction and comes down through their shoulder after going through the face...Or wait, the falang was probably doing a backflip attack at the time so he was completely upside down when he was shot! There we go, now it makes sense...

Ya and the cop will get away with it. I also like how the newspapers always report it simply as being a "police officer", not "an off-duty police officer".

Ever heard of the magic bullet theory?

Actually it is possible for the bullet to change direction inside the body, .38 shot very close, it's possible.

What we can be sure of is that the scene is already destroyed.

[stevemiddie]

"Old western-countries saying "Don't pull a knife or gun unless you're willing to use it"

.... expats know that Thai's will do just that, but do tourists? And is it emphasised in guidebooks?"

It sounds to me like the Thai's are willing to use their guns if they pull them. They just don't know when to pull them...

Also, I am no CSI guy, but how do you shoot somebody when you are laying on the ground, and the shot goes through their face, then into their shoulder??? You are shooting up at somebody when you are on the ground, but then the bullet changes direction and comes down through their shoulder after going through the face...Or wait, the falang was probably doing a backflip attack at the time so he was completely upside down when he was shot! There we go, now it makes sense...

Ya and the cop will get away with it. I also like how the newspapers always report it simply as being a "police officer", not "an off-duty police officer".

Ever heard of the magic bullet theory?

Actually it is possible for the bullet to change direction inside the body, .38 shot very close, it's possible.

What we can be sure of is that the scene is already destroyed.

Usually a low velocity..........such as a .38..............or a bullet at the end of its velocity can indeed richochet inside the body looking for the easiest exit.

Instances of shots in the shoulder and the bullet exiting via the hip area.

[taxexile]

the fact that the policeman ran to his bike and got his gun and then returned to shoot them should be evidence enough to hang him. blood alcohol measurements of the victims and the policeman will determine how drunk / sober they were.

forensic analysis of the bullet trajectories will determine how close the murderer was to the victim.

i doubt if blood alcohol measurements will have been taken and i doubt if any half decent forensic crime scene analysis was performed.

this is thailand , the police look after their own and a tourist here has as much status as a poor farmer , i.e.none.

a guilty verdict will result , an appeal in a couple of years will reduce whatever sentence was passed. he will remain on bail and still working as a policeman , and will be looked up to and be feared in equal amounts by the locals.

i doubt if the policeman will serve much time.

only if this story becomes "massive" in the international media and the canadian diplomats press for action will anything resembling justice prevail. if the victims really are "lowlife types" , then the canadians are not likely to care much about it either.

poorly connected thais face these problems on a daily basis (e.g. remember the girl who had her arm chopped off by a drunken policeman last year ) , why should foriegn tourists expect anything different.

the police force here are an absolute disgrace , of that there is no doubt.

only by international publicity , naming and shaming on a grand scale etc. , will things here and in many other countries with similar medieval policing and judicial systems change.

this shouldnt be seen as an attack on tourists or foreigners , but as an example of the untouchability of the police here.

[Atli]

Already, we've determined that an execution took place. I'd guess some beligerent tourists insulted the wrong Thai guy. He may or may not have been a cop, doesn't much matter now does it. Lesson learned: drink lots of water, walk slowly and respect the local population. Funny, works just about everywhere.

can I say this?, I,am half and half ...<deleted> to any idea of kowtowing, showing respect for the culture ( which is what exactly...? )if it means backing down, do not back down from any of there cowards- none of them!

do not change anything, policeman or not,just do as a normal decent person would do and 99.9% of the time your be fine.

,most locals are a bunch of cowardly <deleted> who would,nt do anything without all their friends behind them or a gun,knife or whatever, or some high-so daddy, its pathetic! Get them on their own and they,re nothing.

one to one for people here does,nt exist, at heart I,am ashamed to say this-thais by and large ( not all of coures)are cowards, its just the typical primate mentality of a nation still with one foot in the rice paddy .They ( we) also see westeners as 'better' and so are more likely to act like a primate fool.

I hate it when i see people suggest that westeners should somehow act differently, why does,nt someone suggest that thailand grow up for a change- then we really would have something to be proud of instead of all this mindless propaganda we,re fed from day one

This logic just has a tiny little dent: We live in their country. Their culture and their behavior is their business and none of ours. We like it, we stay, we don’t like it, we leave.

I am responding to the quote and not the shooting of the Canadian guy, where it would be good if we could see a proper investigation and justice done.

Yet, if I were 5.2ft or 5.5, and probably only half the weight of my “Noble and Fair Fighting” attacker, who also had only some blood in his alcohol, and was raving mad on the top of it, because his lady had brought home an unwanted addition to the family, and with his lady now also on the attack showing a rather belated solidarity with her hubby, who knows what I would have done if I had been armed.

I am really sorry when a young life needlessly ends like this.

However, I don’t think he was very smart right from the beginning. Never mind how much it hurts, but when the wife or girlfriend brings a “Cuckoo,” one says ‘Thank you very much for the good times we had, and have a nice day,’ and flees her like a bat out of hel_l. This is 2008 in the Western World. As a Canadian he should know very well that the notoriously anti-male biased courts, cynically called “Family Courts,” pin him down for supporting this child with the full force of the State, if he reconciles. Garnished wages and the confiscation of his driver’s license are only a very small part of the game, if he doesn’t to pay. Several thousand unfortunate Canadian “Cuckoo Fathers” can testify to my statement.

Now, that’s what one can call “Losing Face.”

[stevemiddie]

Already, we've determined that an execution took place. I'd guess some beligerent tourists insulted the wrong Thai guy. He may or may not have been a cop, doesn't much matter now does it. Lesson learned: drink lots of water, walk slowly and respect the local population. Funny, works just about everywhere.

can I say this?, I,am half and half ...<deleted> to any idea of kowtowing, showing respect for the culture ( which is what exactly...? )if it means backing down, do not back down from any of there cowards- none of them!

do not change anything, policeman or not,just do as a normal decent person would do and 99.9% of the time your be fine.

,most locals are a bunch of cowardly <deleted> who would,nt do anything without all their friends behind them or a gun,knife or whatever, or some high-so daddy, its pathetic! Get them on their own and they,re nothing.

one to one for people here does,nt exist, at heart I,am ashamed to say this-thais by and large ( not all of coures)are cowards, its just the typical primate mentality of a nation still with one foot in the rice paddy .They ( we) also see westeners as 'better' and so are more likely to act like a primate fool.

I hate it when i see people suggest that westeners should somehow act differently, why does,nt someone suggest that thailand grow up for a change- then we really would have something to be proud of instead of all this mindless propaganda we,re fed from day one

This logic just has a tiny little dent: We live in their country. Their culture and their behavior is their business and none of ours. We like it, we stay, we don’t like it, we leave.

I am responding to the quote and not the shooting of the Canadian guy, where it would be good if we could see a proper investigation and justice done.

Yet, if I were 5.2ft or 5.5, and probably only half the weight of my “Noble and Fair Fighting” attacker, who also had only some blood in his alcohol, and was raving mad on the top of it, because his lady had brought home an unwanted addition to the family, and with his lady now also on the attack showing a rather belated solidarity with her hubby, who knows what I would have done if I had been armed.

I am really sorry when a young life needlessly ends like this.

However, I don’t think he was very smart right from the beginning. Never mind how much it hurts, but when the wife or girlfriend brings a “Cuckoo,” one says ‘Thank you very much for the good times we had, and have a nice day,’ and flees her like a bat out of hel_l. This is 2008 in the Western World. As a Canadian he should know very well that the notoriously anti-male biased courts, cynically called “Family Courts,” pin him down for supporting this child with the full force of the State, if he reconciles. Garnished wages and the confiscation of his driver’s license are only a very small part of the game, if he doesn’t to pay. Several thousand unfortunate Canadian “Cuckoo Fathers” can testify to my statement.

Now, that’s what one can call “Losing Face.”

Errrrrrrrrrrrrr latest reports are saying that she has denied being pregnant.

[stepenwolf1958]

Well i would like that i wrong now but i am so sceptical and i think with a reason...As i already posted here very strange situations about activities of NEWBIES here and their style-one more time i will say that this is not for the first time we have a kind of sabotage by NEWBIE,trying to spread kind of panic anong the all of us...

This NEWBIE says 2 versions and one suppose to be OFFICIAL(he/she says so)...so official is that,so that NEWBIE couldn't say where he/she took it as official?????According to other postings here, about that murder(is it really?)-i see not any of us(farangs)saw the news in any media...Any...So,how come that no any media published that news?As far as we know,many murders happened and we have got that news...all of them...So what now?

I hope moderators here will chec all medias,soon as possible and let us know all about this"murder case"...

Once again-i would like i am wrong about my point of view about NEWBIES here...

[jomtienbob]

from the CBC website (Canadian news station)

Deadly Thai shooting unprovoked, says injured Canadian victim

Last Updated: Monday, January 7, 2008 | 8:56 AM ET

CBC News

A Canadian woman shot in Thailand has contradicted an official Thai police report into the shooting death of her Canadian companion, saying they were attacked for no reason.

Thai police on Monday said John Leo Del Pinto, 25, died early Sunday of two gunshot wounds — one to the face and one to the torso — and his pregnant partner, Carly Reisig, also of Canada, was in hospital with a bullet wound in her body.

Police said the pair, who lived in the town of Mae Hong Son, had a fight while drinking at a bar. The fight escalated outside and turned physical when a police officer tried to intervene, said Col. Sombat Panya of Pai district in northern Mae Hong Son.

The officer involved, Sgt. Uthai Dechawiwat, told Thai investigators the pair attacked him when he tried to intervene, and that his gun "accidentally went off" three times as he tried to defend himself.

But Reisig contradicted the official police report Monday, telling a reporter in Thailand that an undercover officer attacked them for no reason.

Cindy Tilney, a reporter with Thai website Citylife Chang Mai, visited Reisig in hospital, where the Canadian is in stable condition with a bullet wound to her chest.

Tilney said Reisig is in shock and upset over the shootings, which she said started when she and Del Pinto left a bar. Reisig, who denied being pregnant, said she arrived in Thailand several days ago to visit Del Pinto, who she said was her ex-boyfriend and good friend.

Reisig said she and Del Pinto were not fighting when they left the bar and passed an undercover officer while walking to another part of town. She said the man rushed up and hit her and that Del Pinto subsequently shoved the man.

Reisig told Tilney she had her face "painted" and believes that may have angered the man.

According to Reisig, the man then rushed to a nearby motorcycle and retrieved a gun. Del Pinto and the man struggled for control of the gun before the man shot them both, she said.

Reisig said she has spoken with Del Pinto's family in Canada and they were very upset.

Tilney said the police officer has been charged with manslaughter but is not being held in custody. The town's police chief said suspects who admit guilt are allowed to be released before their trials.

If she had only arrived in Thailand a few days earlier, how would she know he was an undercover policeman??

[invalidusername]

I spoke to an eyewitness who saw the cop run off shouting 'I'LL KILL YOU'

he then came back with his gun and killed the man.

I am sure there was a struggle, but that is after the cop returned with the intent to KILL.

the cop who did this was a bit off and if i remember correctly was the same cop that after arresting a falang for smoking ganja took the ganja and rolled it and smoked it in front of the falang - blowing the smoke in his face.

that incident happened at the pai jail earlier this year.

Since the new police chief came to Pai a year ago in Novemeber 2006 - the police force has been rife with corruption and undisplined acts. Instead of trying to uphold the law, they have been excerting their power to try to make money off of all the tourists.

furthermore the police force has regualrly been going to the bars and shining flashlights in peoples eyes and removing them for drug tests and then bribes.

All the bars except Phu Pai which is owned by a former police officer and wealthy property developer.

its sad - if they keep this up they will destory pai.

[Atli]

"Old western-countries saying "Don't pull a knife or gun unless you're willing to use it"

.... expats know that Thai's will do just that, but do tourists? And is it emphasised in guidebooks?"

It sounds to me like the Thai's are willing to use their guns if they pull them. They just don't know when to pull them...

Also, I am no CSI guy, but how do you shoot somebody when you are laying on the ground, and the shot goes through their face, then into their shoulder??? You are shooting up at somebody when you are on the ground, but then the bullet changes direction and comes down through their shoulder after going through the face...Or wait, the falang was probably doing a backflip attack at the time so he was completely upside down when he was shot! There we go, now it makes sense...

Ya and the cop will get away with it. I also like how the newspapers always report it simply as being a "police officer", not "an off-duty police officer".

Ever heard of the magic bullet theory?

Actually it is possible for the bullet to change direction inside the body, .38 shot very close, it's possible.

What we can be sure of is that the scene is already destroyed.

There is, of course, a possibility: If the Thai officer was flat on his back, and the Canadian bending over him to seize him by the collar, or similar, to pull him up, to hit him or for whatever reasons, a shot in the mouth can easily end up in the upper body.

[Johpa]

Apart from the original posts, we have not had any contributions from members located in Pai. This is a bit disappointing as normally this forum balances all the opinion and rants by also having contributions from the scene. At this time of year Pai, at least the town core, should be fairly crowded and I would expect there were plenty of witnesses. Hopefully we will get some posts from Pai. The original post's account seems to be holding up somewhat although clearly not facts but second hand reports. And as a one of the other earlier poster's noted, the shooting appeared to be outside the restaurant and not inside as our original poster noted. So since the first page of this thread there as been nothing substantive apart from opinion and people noting that Thailand is a violent country.

But I do appreciate the imaginative media story about the tall body builder and the hippie lady (are there any other types of Farang women in Pai?) against the diminutive Thai policeman.

[apetley]

If she had only arrived in Thailand a few days earlier, how would she know he was an undercover policeman??

If she since found out he was a policeman out of uniform easy to say something like that.

[Chloe82]

its sad - if they keep this up they will destory pai.

I disagree, when i used to come over with my friend (mixed Thai French) and stay with her family in Thailand during summer holidays from school we visited Pai and Mae Hong Son often, it was at that time a magical place with friendly and welcoming locals and the foreigners who did travel there had done so because of there interest in the local geography, culture etc. This has all changed through the type of foreigners who are now visiting and often 'staying on in' Pai.

It is the foreign visitors who are destroying Pai, not the local people or police force.

I went to Pai last year for the first time in 8 years, the place has changed dramaticaly, for the worse, and it is down to the influx of these foreigners who go there to take drugs, ignore local customs and generaly make asses of themselves.

Chloe.

[sbk]

Personal attacks have been deleted. If you can't do anything but flame other posters then don't bother to post.

[sonnyJ]

Well i would like that i wrong now but i am so sceptical and i think with a reason...As i already posted here very strange situations about activities of NEWBIES here and their style-one more time i will say that this is not for the first time we have a kind of sabotage by NEWBIE,trying to spread kind of panic anong the all of us...

This NEWBIE says 2 versions and one suppose to be OFFICIAL(he/she says so)...so official is that,so that NEWBIE couldn't say where he/she took it as official?????According to other postings here, about that murder(is it really?)-i see not any of us(farangs)saw the news in any media...Any...So,how come that no any media published that news?As far as we know,many murders happened and we have got that news...all of them...So what now?

I hope moderators here will chec all medias,soon as possible and let us know all about this"murder case"...

Once again-i would like i am wrong about my point of view about NEWBIES here...

Stepenwolf please move on to the 21st century. There are many conflicting news released of this by various media.

[sbk]

Lets keep this remotely on topic without resorting to trolling, flaming or abuse please

[meemiathai]

Too true, but, what is an off duty cop doing with a loaded revolver late at night near a pub minding other peoples business. It is telling from this saga that this is the true attitude of the police in Thailand of being above the law. Immoral and Disgusting

When I was all new and green in Thailand and spent my first Songkran in Chiang Mai in 2001 I was invited to drink with what turned out to be a (drunk) off duty cop. At one point he showed me a - I assume loaded - gun he was packing in his pants. I made sure the rest of the evening went to his liking. (No, he paid, lol.) I remember persuading him not to use his pistol with some people next door that were annoying him (I assume he was only joking).

This is Wild West territory when it comes to things like this. I'm not condoning this type of behavior from an off duty cop but we are not going to change it, as much as we may show our disapproval. Thailand may appear familiar to us after a while but the fact is among all the countries in SE Asia it's possibly the one that is most seperated from our Western values and traditions.

I know some people won't agree with me here but imho it's upon us to realize this as much as possible and tread lightly. And no this doesn't mean agreeing with everything and not stating your point of view on some issues.

I agree with you.

There is no point moaning about a lion attacking you in an african jungle. You just have to try your best to protect yourself and walk away from danger.

My condolences to the victims and their family. And I hope the policeman gets what he deserves.

And also it is strange that one thai policeman did something like that and people would blame all the thai police. Does that mean all brits are hooligans?

[taxexile]

Canadian man killed by Thai police officer

Sean Myers , CanWest News Service

Published: Monday, January 07, 2008

A Calgary man was shot and killed in Thailand early Sunday morning - less than a week after arriving - leaving his family to grasp for the details of his fate.

According to media reports, a police officer shot Leo Del Pinto, 25, twice - once in the face and once in the torso - in a bar in the town of Pai. Del Pinto's girlfriend, Carly Reisig, was also shot in the incident and was taken to hospital.

While Reisig is Canadian, it is not clear where she's from. Del Pinto's family believes the two met in Vancouver more than a year ago.

Media reports claimed she was pregnant at the time of the shooting, but a family spokesman disputed that.

"We talked to some of his friends over there and we don't believe she was pregnant," said Ross Fortune, who is engaged to one of Del Pinto's sisters.

He said the family has been told very little about the incident.

"His parents are devastated," said Fortune. "He was their only son.

"They're also frustrated because we don't know what happened."

Fortune said the family was notified by Canadian officials at about 9 p.m. Sunday night.

They have been told very little of the circumstances of Del Pinto's death.

Media reports appearing on the websites of several international news outlets said Sgt. Uthai Dechawiwat, the officer accused of shooting Del Pinto, has been charged with premeditated murder and faces charges in connection with Reisig's shooting.

"We haven't even confirmed that a policeman was involved," said Fortune. "Our biggest concern is to get Leo back here as soon as possible and find out what happened."

Del Pinto's parents are longtime Calgarians. Their son was planning to return in time for Fortune's wedding to his sister in August.

"He was part of the wedding party," said Fortune.

Del Pinto had previously visited Thailand for more than six months, returning in September, and he was eager to go back.

"His parents were nervous about him going the first time, but he came back with great stories," said Fortune. "He was really enchanted by Thailand."

Del Pinto flew to Vancouver on Boxing Day and then left for Thailand last week.

Fortune said he had a job at a tattoo parlour and was hoping to teach English as a second language.

Del Pinto had previously trained as a recording engineer in Vancouver and worked in the music industry there.

His family plans to pressure Canadian and Thai authorities to retrieve Del Pinto's body and get to the bottom of what happened.

© Calgary Herald 2008

[sonnyJ]

Lets keep this remotely on topic without resorting to trolling, flaming or abuse please

I agree. We have a serious issue to discuss here. SBK I hope you don't refer trolling as revealing the truth or provoking people to discuss when there appears a disagreement. Thanks.

[mikethevigoman]

Bad things usually happen when you get drunk then insult, and assualt, the locals in any country. Imagine a Thai guy pushed a bloke on his arse in a east London, Glasgow or Manchester pub? He might not get shot but he would probably get beaten sensless or perhaps stabbed. In some parts of Thailand they prefer to use a gun.

Call me what you like, but if the story is true that the Canadian got drunk and started pushing people around, then serves him right. Considering his girlfriend got pregnant to a Thai bloke, one can only imagine what type of tourist we're talking about here.

Two years ago I witnessed a falang (English thug) beating up a random Thai girl outside the Q bar in Bangkok, for absolutely no reason. Everyone including the staff just stood back and watched. I intervened and got punched to the floor then the guy fled. I managed to get the Taxi drivers to locate him over the radio and hand him over to the Police. Hopefully he's still in Jail!

So the point is, My sympathy for falangs who cause trouble in Thailand?.....ZERO!

And the moral of the story is, dont take a knife to a gunfight,. maybe a case of here lies a dead hero,. of which i am not,.if he pulled it and warned them the demon drink did the rest it seems ,.will we ever know ?

[nikster]

Carlo Giuliani, shot in the face by a police man in the G8 riots in north italy. The policeman has been released BECAUSE HE SHOT IN THE AIR, AND HIS BULLET BOUNCED ON A FLYING STONE!!! Not even in Thailand they would have such fantasy!

Thanks for putting some perspective on the story - I was thinking the same thing. Some obviously crazy drunk police officer shoots a farang man and wife. It's very sad, and it greatly saddens me it happened in Pai where I live. I hope that justice will be served. And I am sending my heartfelt condolences to the victims and family.

However - this is not a reflection on Thai men (?!), Thailand, or Thai society (?!?!). You could blame the police for making up a ridiculous story to protect "their man", as they are wont to do. Police all over the world do this, and it's despicable. He should not have been released under any circumstances. But it is still important to note that this is a much lesser crime than the one originally committed.

That said, I do hope that the police in Pai and other places in Thailand cleans up their act now. There are way too many police officers out of control. The police is the biggest danger to the people in Pai.

[neilmc]

Apologies if this has been posted already, it includes details from the injured victim :

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2008/01/07/thai-cdn.html