Sentenced To Death

[grahamb]

OK, can someone explain this to me... I read this in the Bangkok Post this morning:

Chalermchai loses appeal against death

Aides also sentenced for governor's murder

The Appeal Court yesterday upheld the death sentence given to Maj Chalermchai Matchaklam, alias Major Tueng, for the premeditated murder on March 4, 2001 of Yasothon governor Preena Leepattanapan at a Bangkok hotel.

The court also passed death sentences on the major's aides, Sgt Manit Srisa-art and Sgt Suwat Khamngao, who were earlier cleared of all charges.

It upheld the three years and eight months jail sentence handed to the governor's mistress, Ankhanang Sunthornwipak, on theft and firearms charges.

Maj Chalermchai was all smiles when he arrived at the court yesterday but visibly paled as the court pronounced its verdict.

His mother, wife and children burst into tears.

The army major advised his two aides to ''let it be'' after the court sentenced them to death, overturning the lower court's acquittal ruling.

The previous ruling was made on grounds of a lack of witnesses to implicate them and no proof that bloodstains found on the brake pedal of Maj Chalermchai's car and on Sgt Suwat's shoes and T-shirt were of human origin.

The court said there was sufficient forensic evidence to indicate Preena was forced to lie face down on the floor, then stabbed repeatedly, his throat cut and finally shot in the head.

The court said there was clear evidence there had been more than one attacker.

Ankhanang had previously confessed to shooting Preena in the head and then stabbing him several times in room 4006 of the Royal Pacific Hotel.

The court said Ankhanang was not the killer, her confession was considered dubious and no traces of blood were found on her hands even though she did not wash them before leaving the hotel.

It upheld her jail term for theft and possessing a firearm as she sold the governor's ring to a jewellery shop and because the gun used to kill the governor was found at her house.

The court said the killers had tried to make her look like the culprit by leaving the murder weapon there.

The court was certain Maj Chalermchai and his aides had gone to the hotel to murder the governor as the major first checked in using his real name and only later changed it on the register to ''Guy''.

Bloodstains found in his hotel room matched the victim's blood-type, according to DNA tests by the Scientific Crime Detection Division.

Moreover, on March 10, 2001 a police raid on the major's house found five pieces of paper in his handwriting showing hotel floor plans, details of directions and hotel staff working hours.

After leaving the courtroom, Maj Chalermchai's wife Mrs Orathai said tearfully that she did not believe her husband was the killer and that he would appeal to the Supreme Court.

She said if anyone wanted to know who murdered the governor they should ask Ankhanang.

Am I reading this correctly? Does this say that the 2 aides who were earlier cleared of all charges have now miraculously been found guilty and sentenced to death all at the same time? Can the Appeals Court even do that?!

I know that TIT and therefore there must be more to it than this but this seems pretty amazing!

[chanchao]

That's why I'm usually not bothering with the Bangkok Post. Invariably leaves you with more questions after reading than before. And it gets worse if there are numbers in the article, especially percentages or statistics.

[Ajarn]

I just have a big Som Nam Naa! for all of them

And yes, as I understand things, the presecutor can appeal innocent verdicts, too. From the article, new evidence came in, and the Appeals Court figured there was plenty of evidence to overturn the innocent verdict in the lower court...

[andyadam]

the presecutor can appeal innocent verdicts

As in most countries! Also, if you appeal a guilty verdict and the judge upholds it but thinks the sentance was not enough he can increase it!!!!

[Darth Bangkok]

That's why I'm usually not bothering with the Bangkok Post. Invariably leaves you with more questions after reading than before. And it gets worse if there are numbers in the article, especially percentages or statistics.

me too. The nation is only a bit better. I pretty much only read the opinion pages these days. when I read the articles, my neck cramps up because my head goes around in circles as I try to make sense out what the journalist is writing.

[Limbo]

It upheld her jail term possessing a firearm because the gun used to kill the governor was found at her house.

The court said the killers had tried to make her look like the culprit by leaving the murder weapon there.

Poor girl, being punished for the crime of being the mistress of a Provincial Governor. She must have gone through ######, first confessing the crime she didn't commit, the fear to die in prison, the members of her family threatened with death.

The choice to die herself to save others.

So now convicted for the possession of a murderweapon given to her to make her lies thruthworhty.

[Ajarn]

That's why I'm usually not bothering with the Bangkok Post.  Invariably leaves you with more questions after reading than before.  And it gets worse if there are numbers in the article, especially percentages or statistics. 

me too. The nation is only a bit better. I pretty much only read the opinion pages these days. when I read the articles, my neck cramps up because my head goes around in circles as I try to make sense out what the journalist is writing.

I know how the Post does with anything numerical , but I have no other real issues with their reporting in comparison to the Nation. Lately, I seem to be seeing less 'professional' writing than I came to respect in the past with the Nation. I do like their editorial writers, though

Some of the columns are great, some are not, in my opinion. The Expat Page is one column where the writing and topics are not usually interesting to me. I would like to see different writers rotate a column like that to keep it fresh and always changing, but with the focus still on potential issues of interest to Expats. Someone else suggested that the expat community is more broadbased than he felt was being reflected in the writing of the person currently doing the column.

[Darth Bangkok]

both newspapers tend to just blindly copy what any gov't official or anyone for that matter tells them. if toxin says the sky is green, then the next day there will be an article that says the sky is green. there would be no additional info like "but observers report seeing a blue sky or cloudy sky"

yeah, I too would like it if the expat page would talk about more than just bars. its only advertising and they don't even try to hide that fact as they give a deadline for those who want to have their establishment mentioned in the column.

[Ajarn]

both newspapers tend to just blindly copy what any gov't official or anyone for that matter tells them.  if toxin says the sky is green, then the next day there will be an article that says the sky is green.  there would be no additional info like "but observers report seeing a blue sky or cloudy sky"

Yep. The gossipy story in the Nation(?) a couple of days ago about some german with a limp infecting young girls with aids comes to mind as a recent example. I surely assume it will be picked up by the trashy UK papers....