Policeman Takes Five Youngsters Hostage, Kills One, Father Missing

[coalminer]

Policeman takes five youngsters hostage, kills one, father missing, manhunt underway

by Post reporters

A massive manhunt is underway for a police lance corporal who abducted five school students and killed one of them in Chon Buri yesterday.

The abducted students _ Siriwan sae Liang, 16, Papassorn Tharapis, 14, Ae Somsorn, 11, and two kindergarten students, Pawaris Tharapis, 6, and Peerada Somsorn, 4 _ were relatives who attend St Louis School in Muang district of Chachoengsao.

They were being driven to school by Siriwan's father, Somchai, 36, in a pick-up truck on Friday when they were stopped by two gunmen outside Bang Kla Rajabhat University in Chachoengsao's Ratchasan district.

The men emerged from a pick-up truck parked across the road to prevent Mr Somchai's truck from going through.

Siriwan later told police that one gunman dragged her father out of the truck and took him away. The other gunman then drove Mr Somchai's truck with the children on board for about an hour until they arrived at a bungalow near Bang Saen beach in Chon Buri's Muang district.

Police said the bungalow was rented by a Sureeporn Puedpong, 26, who also bought clothes and food for the children. The gang ordered the children to change into the new clothes. Siriwan said the abductors told the children her father had been arrested and charged with using drugs. Mr Somchai is still missing.

Police investigators identified the gang leader as Pol L/C Suriya Charajamnong, attached to the Phanom Sarakham district police in Chachoengsao. Siriwan, who is in the 11th grade, said he used to be a ''friend of the family''. The children called him Por Dom (Father Dom), she said.

Police said the gang contacted the children's families and demanded they pay a three-million-baht ransom. But the families tried to bargain it down to one million baht because they could not find the money, angering the gang. Siriwan said the gang then split the children into two groups. Pawaris, Peerada and Ae were driven to a market in Phanom Sarakham district where they were abandoned. They have now been returned to their families.

Siriwan said the gang planned to kill her and Papassorn because they were afraid the girls would remember them. The abductors attempted to strangle Siriwan with a cloth but she pretended to be dead. They then attacked Papassorn who fought them off and ran away. The men caught her and she was assaulted. The gang ran the pick-up truck over her body to make sure she was dead, said Siriwan. Papassorn's body was found near the entrance of Ua Arthorn housing estate in tambon Huay Kapi in Muang district of Chon Buri.

After the abductors left, Siriwan hid at a construction site. She fears her father is dead, as she saw his clothes discarded around the bungalow. An autopsy revealed deep bruises and drag marks on Papassorn's body. She also suffered broken arms.

Parents of the children told police they were close friends of Pol L/C Suriya until he asked for gambling money. Pol Maj-Gen Pongkarn Panjapan, deputy commissioner of Provincial Police Region 2, said it should not be difficult to bring the gang to justice as police know who they are.

www.bangkokpost.com/100808_News/10Aug2008_news00.php

[londonthai]

a week old 'news'.

discussed already

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Policeman-Le...&hl=hostage

[Tywais]

a week old 'news'.

discussed already

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Policeman-Le...&hl=hostage

Yep.

//Closed//