Three More Provinces Security Hot Spots: Thailand Election

[webfact]

GENERAL ELECTION

Three more provinces hot spots

By The Nation

Phuket, Ratchaburi and Mae Hong Son have been declared "hot spots" in addition to 10 other provinces, including Bangkok, that are under heightened police security during the runup to the July 3 election.

Career gunmen are active in all 13 provinces and local candidates have asked for police protection, said Pol MajGeneral Suphisal Phakdeenaruenart, commander of the Crime Suppression Division, which is tasked with monitoring and taking action against hitmen.

In Kamphaeng Phet, which is not on the hotspot list, police reported movements of three gunmen from outside the province. Candidates campaigning in Khlong Khlung, Khlong Lan and Pang Sila Thong districts are seeking protection from police and complaining about intimidation by rival parties.

Police across the country have increased operations and arrested people involved in general crime and in activities suspected of leading to political violence. In Trang, police arrested 19 people suspected of various crimes in a series of raids that yielded a large number of handguns and illegal narcotics.

Krabi police arrested people wanted in 65 cases, 50 of which were drugrelated, and seized 29 handguns after conducting numerous raids. A large number of police calendars consisting of mugshots of 75 mostwanted hitmen were distributed in the 13 provinces and elsewhere. Two of the suspects recently surrendered to police.

In Samut Songkhram, CSD officers raided the homes of three people, all of whom were related. One was a local politician in Lat Yai subdistrict. Officers seized a large number of handguns and ammunition along with documents related to illegal loans and underground lottery operations.

One of the men, Theeraphong Srikamnerd, 37, was serving a suspended prison term for unauthorised possession of firearms. He was recently acquitted of an attempted murder six years ago.

Vandalism of election banners and billboards is spreading in areas outside Bangkok, with only some of the culprits arrested. The latest cases as of yesterday were reported in Krabi and Kamphaeng Phet.

-- The Nation 2011-06-02

[KKvampire]

Get away from The Beaches and Krabi province with more armed hit men than Sicily would send to do jobs.

[tragickingdom]

How about some additional surveillance on the gunmen that killed 91 demonstrators?

[mccw]

^ how about the people who were bombing, shooting, grenading civilians in Bangkok and across the country that forced the government to break their murderous rampage by force.

[whybother]

How about some additional surveillance on the gunmen that killed 91 demonstrators?

Were the army demonstrating too? And were people standing at train stations demonstrating? I'm sure journalists weren't demonstrating.

[bf2002]

Nice thought....now tell me who threw the grenades?

How about asking how hard it is to sort out unsolved crimes?

Come on.

Stop blaming the cops....blame the people....they are the problem and we all know it.

^ how about the people who were bombing, shooting, grenading civilians in Bangkok and across the country that forced the government to break their murderous rampage by force.

Edited June 2, 2011 by bf2002

[bf2002]

Funny.....the state of emergency is lifted but they are ramping up security in a bunch of places....it's clear that's the case in Pattaya (for whatever reasons, officially its for crime and drug prevention only).

Standard Thai face saving and in this case classic Thai political maneavuring by the Dems.....