Thai Investigators Fail To Identify Killers Of Foreign Journalists

[webfact]

Investigators fail to identify killers of foreign journalists

BANGKOK: -- Investigators on Monday failed to identify killers of two foreign journalists killed in April and May violence.

They have confirmed that autopsies showed they died form high-speed bullets.

Japanese cameraman Hiro Muramoto died on April 10 during a street battle between Thai troops and protestors on Ratchdamnoen Avenue, in the old part of Bangkok, while Italian free-lance photographer Fabio Polenghi died on May 19 during a government crackdown on protestors at Ratchprasong Avenue, in central Bangkok.

The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) was tasked with investigating the deaths of the two journalists and those of some 89 Thai nationals who also died in clashes and crackdowns between April 10 and May 19.

"From the autopsies we can conclude that both died from high-speed bullets," DSI Deputy Director General Naras Savestanan told a press conference. "But we still don't know who killed them," Naras said.

Autopsies on 89 Thais, including 11 policemen and soldiers, confirmed that all had died from bullet wounds.

Both sides, soldiers and protestors, were using war weapons in the Bangkok street fighting, the bloodiest seen in the capital in decades.

Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya on Monday assured visiting Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada that the government was following up on the death of Muramoto.

"Japan has placed great importance on this," Kasit said. "We are following up on the investigation of his (Muramoto's) death and forwarding all information to the Japanese government and his family. This is our duty."

Muramoto worked as a cameraman for Thomson-Reuters and was flown in from Tokyo to cover the Bangkok riots in early April.

The Thai capital was the scene of a mass anti-government demonstration from March 12 to May 19, organised by the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), better known as the red-shirts.

The UDD was demanding that Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva dissolve parliament and call for new elections.

The red shirt movement received financial and moral support from fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, a billionaire telecommunications tycoon who dominated Thailand's political scene during his two-term premiership, between 2001 to 2006.

Thaksin was toppled by a coup in September 2006 after months of street protests in Bangkok against his rule. He has lived in self-exile since August 2008, fleeing a two-year jail sentence for abuse of power.

-- The Nation 2010-08-23

[TAWP]

Bullets rarely carries names...of the shooter.

[unscathedgibbon]

Especially 'High speed bullets'

[rubl]

Seeing some-one shoot is not the same as seeing some-one killed, nor does is automatically connect to 'this one shot and killed that one'. To put a name on those who shot and killed AND the name of the one killed is not that easy. Proof is even more difficult.

All those videoclips circulating suggest that soldiers, reds, unknowns shooting; journalists, protesters, reds, soldiers, unknowns killed. As far as I known (and please correct me if I'm wrong) most video clips show one side as filmed from the other side, or from people around the filmer.

[geriatrickid]

Is it possible that an embarrassing detail is that the ordinance is all "government" stock? The issue then is that if the bullets were not fired by government agents, how did military issued ordinance get into the hands of non government agents? Were they sold, stolen or surrendered? I reckon, that's a subject best not discussed.

[philw]

Is it possible that an embarrassing detail is that the ordinance is all "government" stock? The issue then is that if the bullets were not fired by government agents, how did military issued ordinance get into the hands of non government agents? Were they sold, stolen or surrendered? I reckon, that's a subject best not discussed.

Too prescient !!!

Well done.

[rubl]

Is it possible that an embarrassing detail is that the ordinance is all "government" stock? The issue then is that if the bullets were not fired by government agents, how did military issued ordinance get into the hands of non government agents? Were they sold, stolen or surrendered? I reckon, that's a subject best not discussed.

Where as I don't know about the sold, it's know from news articles / flashes that weapons have been stolen down south and taken from or surrendered by soldiers during the March - May 'activities'. That's a subject which should be discussed but probably either in parallel or after the investigation on the 90 deaths (if we are to have an answer this century).

Edited August 23, 2010 by rubl

[tgw]

Is it possible that an embarrassing detail is that the ordinance is all "government" stock? The issue then is that if the bullets were not fired by government agents, how did military issued ordinance get into the hands of non government agents? Were they sold, stolen or surrendered? I reckon, that's a subject best not discussed.

I can understand why you wouldn't like to discuss that subject.

With people like Seh Daeng in their ranks, the reds also had access to military weaponry.

Add to that the theft of weapons from military depots (M79 launchers), you come to the point where you can draw no conclusion as to who did it.

A bullet is a bullet and doesn't change its color depending on who is shooting.

[souvenirdeparis]

the whole Southern arsenal was burglarised maybe ten years ago.

[Siripon]

Is it possible that an embarrassing detail is that the ordinance is all "government" stock? The issue then is that if the bullets were not fired by government agents, how did military issued ordinance get into the hands of non government agents? Were they sold, stolen or surrendered? I reckon, that's a subject best not discussed.

Embarrassing for the reds when the staff of Seh Daeng have started talking.

[JohnLeech]

Is it possible that an embarrassing detail is that the ordinance is all "government" stock?

Possible, but that is only something that would be known from the empty cases, not from any analysis of the bullets themselves. The type of weapon could probably be readily identified (and even the individual weapon if sufficient weapons were tested and any bullets recovered were relatively undamaged) but whether the ammunition fired was ""government" stock" (as in Thai government stock) would be impossible to confirm or deny.

[BettleBailey]

// link to Bangkok Post removed /Admin

On a report that the Japanese journalist was seen to have been shot by soldiers, Pol Col Narat said there were no witnesses to confirm this.

He said the DSI had paid special attention to the two cases since they were delicate and could affect Thailand's relations with Japan and Italy.

"The DSI cannot yet disclose details on the individual autopsies of those killed.

"We have not obtained all the information needed and many pieces of the jigsaw are still missing. We can only say that we will establish the truth

Edited August 23, 2010 by webfact
Link to BPost not allowed/Admin

[Jimi007]

Sorry, I couldn't resist: Is there a slow speed bullet?

[RedNIvar]

Sorry, I couldn't resist: Is there a slow speed bullet?

There is. They are marked like squash balls, blue dot, red dot and yellow dot. High speed, medium speed and low speed. They use low speed bullets mostly in Kung-<deleted> movies, when they need the hero to catch the bullet using his teeth.

Sorry, I could not resist either.

[moe666]

Sorry, I couldn't resist: Is there a slow speed bullet?

Yes, less powder in the shell casing.

[animatic]

Of course this assumes that a bullet actually stopped in the victim to find.

High speed bullets often pass right through, and I never saw any video showing any instances

of anyone let alone forensics people picking up rounds for cataloging and identification.

If a bullet did lodge in a victim and can then be matched by ballistics to a specific weapon,

then that weapon must be matched to who held it AT THAT TIME.

So it is not surprising that nothing more than the type of bullet that caused the wound can be ascertained.