Businessman Gunned Down On Sakdidet Rd

[baabaabobo]

WICHIT, PHUKET: Phuket city police are investigating the murder of a local businessman shot to death in his car on Saturday night.

The murder was reported to Phuket City Police at about 10:15 pm.

Phuket Provincial Police Commander Apirak Hongtong rushed to the scene with Phuket City Police, forensics officers and rescue workers from the Kusoldharm Foundation.

At the scene, near the Chinese cemetery on Sakdidet Rd, a large crowd of onlookers had already formed around a Bangkok-registered Toyota Fortuner, the engine of which was still running.

The drivers side window had three bullet holes.

Opening the door, they found the car stereo still playing and the cabin splattered with blood.

The body of the victim, 33-year-old Kiatisak Rakchue, was found lying face down over the passenger’s side seat and gear shifter.

Mr Kiatisak, a resident of Sakdidet Rd in Wichit, was part owner of a car care business located nearby on Chao Fa East Rd in Phuket City.

He had been shot three times by 9mm bullets, once in the right shoulder, once in the chest and once in the ribs.

Three bullet casing found on the floor about three meters from the vehicle were collected as evidence.

Mr Kiatisak's body was taken to Wachira Phuket Hospital.

Witnesses said the victim had parked the vehicle and went to drink beer at an unnamed convenience store about 20 meters away from the murder scene.

He went back to the car and had already started it up when his assailant pulled up on a motorcycle and fired three times though the driver's side window before fleeing.

No description of the attacker was provided and it is not even known if there was more than one assailant on the motorbike.

Police think the motive for the murder may have been a business or personal dispute, as the victim was known to be a strong-willed, outspoken character.

They will now question the victim’s business partner, wife and friends to try and learn more about motives and track down the killer.

From The Phuket Gazette

[zorro1]

I have always wondered how the Thai police ending up catching the suspect when all they got to go on is a "Thai on a motorbike".

[LivinginKata]

That's 4 people killed over the past 2 weeks (2 foreign & 2 Thai), plus the other high profile killing of a Thai at the Farang Resturant last month. Getting a little out of hand .... don't you think.

[N47HAN]

Jees ,

This is getting crazy

Phuket , Thailand aka The OK CORAL

[samuibeachcomber]

That's 4 people killed over the past 2 weeks (2 foreign & 2 Thai), plus the other high profile killing of a Thai at the Farang Resturant last month. Getting a little out of hand .... don't you think.

getting to be like dodge city.

[choppychugger]

That's 4 people killed over the past 2 weeks (2 foreign & 2 Thai), plus the other high profile killing of a Thai at the Farang Resturant last month. Getting a little out of hand .... don't you think.

Couldn't agree more. Phuket is too small with too much competition fighting for what little trade there is,,,,Add to this the low season muggings that are to be expected - I predict 2009 to be one of Phukets worst in a while!

choppy

[alanmorison]

CRIME is growing on Phuket in 2009 and the island's small police force is at full stretch, the Phuket Police Commander, Major General Apirak Hongtong, has told Phuketwan.

Major General Apirak said the latest shooting death meant that there are now four outstanding Phuket murder investigations, with two of the killings involving expat residents.

Arrest warrants naming the suspects have been issued in the case of the murder of a Canadian property developer in Patong and the death by battery of a British man in his shophouse home-office near Tesco Lotus supermarket in Phuket City, Major General Apirak said.

http://phuketwan.com/tourism/fourth-murder...-full-strectch/