Career Criminal Shot Dead

[kurgen]

A fatal shooting now from Sattahip District located just outside of Pattaya.

In the early hours of Thursday Morning, Police Colonel Supatee, the Chief of Sattahip Police made his way to the scene of the crime, outside a motorbike showroom near the Sattahip Market.

The body of Khun Witawat aged 18 was lying in the road next to his motorbike.

He had sustained a single gun shot to his back and was pronounced dead at the scene. A single witness saw the shooting and told Police that the victim was driving his motorbike very fast and was being chased by 3 men on two further bikes.

One of them produced a gun and shot in the direction of the victim multiple times.

The victim was then seen to fall to the floor and one of the three men approached the body of Khun Witawat and was seen to take something from his pocket, they then fled the scene.

Khun Witawat had been released from a Youth Detention Center on 30th March and had a history of committing petty crimes and Police suspect he continued to involve himself in criminal activities which may be connected to the shooting.

The murder investigation continues.

Pattaya One News

[Humphrey Bear]

A 'career' criminal? He's only 18, for X sake.

Although the tattoos do tend to show that he fancied himself as Thai-yakuza.

But there were several shots fired while motor-bikes were travelling at high speed. We can be thankful that no innocent bystanders were hit.

This is dangerous stupidity at it's worst and a reason to consider moving away - as I and my family are discussing.

[Briggsy]

A normal night in upcountry Thailand.

[crudy21]

Guess its a case of live by the sword, die by the sword. RIP young man!

[bratpack]

ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST

Only a few thousand thais left now,then the world is ours.Sounds like a drugs deal gone wronG.

DO NOT REST IN PEACE

[bratpack]

I would never think about going back to the uk because thais are killing each other.However if thais started to shoot as many farangs i would consider it.

What is the alternative to Thailand for safety????

[Scott]

Well they might try and shoot us, but we keep jumping off balconies and moving targets are hard to hit!

My condolences to the family and friends of the deceased. He may not have been an exemplary character, but he's far from being as bad as some of the politicians we are supposed to admire!

[soundman]

ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST

Only a few thousand thais left now,then the world is ours.Sounds like a drugs deal gone wronG.

DO NOT REST IN PEACE

[Humphrey Bear]

A 'career' criminal? He's only 18, for X sake.

Although the tattoos do tend to show that he fancied himself as Thai-yakuza.

But there were several shots fired while motor-bikes were travelling at high speed. We can be thankful that no innocent bystanders were hit.

This is dangerous stupidity at it's worst and a reason to consider moving away - as I and my family are discussing.

OK. Consider moving away, but there are similar problems wherever you live. I have lived in England for 56 years and noticed the crime rate sky rocket. I moved to the Gambia in 2004, a place that I have great fondness for, but the crime rate there is escalating. I moved to Thailand in March this year for economic and health reasons, and here also there is a high crime rate. However Thailand has so much more to offer than most countries. Take a step back and consider carefully before making a decision to move away. The frying pan to the fire? The trend will probably continue worldwide with increasing drug use among the main contributing factors, and perhaps we get a little bit more intolerant as we get older, and bad news affects the mind more easily. Maybe I'm still looking at Thailand through rose coloured specs. although I have been holidaying regularly here since 1987. Best wishes, though, whatever you decide.

I have several alternatives to consider - my kids are 11 and 8 and of Thai nationality / ethnicity - so probably more susceptible to the influences of Pattaya.

We can move to the Cha-Am / Hua Hin area - more Thai influence but less drug/robbery/speeding motorbike gang influence; we can move to an up-country area; we can move to UK - where I have a house in Cambridge.

The latter would mean a big interruption in the kids education, the up-country alternative would cripple their education. So maybe the first of those would be the better choice. I have friends there, but my family does not. I am working away from home - another problem as the kids are growing up with only their mother's guidance - and she has a business to run.

This is all a recipe for the kids turning out poorly - absent father - working mother - local gang culture. So somehow I have to change it.