Thai Govt Critic Ekkayuth Feared Abducted

[BeforeTigers]

Maybe I just watch too many movies- But doesn't it seem like if someone were hired to shut him up, they wouldn't risk being caught with this ill-executed check cashing business? That seems unreasonably risky for an abductor with ties to a higher-ups?

[Lite Beer]

Police find Ekkayuth’s driver, car in Thailand’s South
By English News

BANGKOK, June 10 – The Thai authorities found the driver of missing businessman Ekkayuth Anchanbutr and a closed-circuit camera showed his car on a road in Surat Thani province on Saturday morning, a senior police officer said today.

Bangkok Metropolitan police chief Kamronwit Thoopkrachang said the authorities had gathered information concerning the case and were waiting for verification.

He said a closed circuit television camera at a narcotics checkpoint in Ban Na Derm, Surat Thani, detected Mr Ekkayuth’s black Volkswagen van at 10.36 am on Saturday.

The senior police officer would not confirm a report that police had located Mr Ekkayuth’s driver, Santiparb Pengduang, a native of Pattalung province.

It was reported that Santiparb had a record of robbery. Pattalung police were asked to check his home.

National police chief Adul Saengsingkaew, however, said authorities found Mr Ekkayuth’s driver and his car in the South and were questioning him.

Police pointed at the possibility of a personal or business conflict – with greater weight on the latter – as the reason for Mr Ekkayuth’s disappearance.

Crime Suppression Police chief Supisarn Pakdinaruenart said he believed Mr Ekkayuth was alive and that his driver was implicated in the businessman’s disappearance.

He said Crime Suppression police inspected Mr Ekkayuth’s residence at the Town in Town housing estate in Bangkok, Suvarnabhumi Airport, Surat Thani and Phattalung.

Gen Kamronwit said police had questioned several witnesses and initially believed Mr Ekkayuth was abducted but “we should have clearer information after tomorrow’s meeting.”

Mr Ekkayuth reportedly withdrew Bt5 million from his account before he went missing, prompting his wife to file a complaint with police. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2013-06-10

[bigbamboo]

Maybe he had a row with his wife?

Edited June 10, 2013 by bigbamboo

[EyesWideOpen]

This story has such a " Thainess" feel to it..... :-)

"Saying that police officers might have been involved, Suwat noted that Ekkayuth had conflicts with many police officers."

Police officers were involved in the abduction of the Muslim lawyer as well. Is this now becoming some kind of new side line for them?? Even more fascinating is that a Thai lawyer is hinting at this.

"It was reported that Santiparb had a record of robbery."

So I guess if you hire a robber, do not be surprised if he robs you? Or in this case, birds of a feather flocking together?

If there is a new program to abduct people critical of Thaksin, myself and a lot of other TV members are screwed. Although looking at the background of this guy, there will not be a whole lot of sympathy for him. In fact the term som nam na springs to mind..I like the story about him where he ordered his men to attack the staff at a karaoke bar in the Lat Phrao district

when the credit card machine malfunctioned.....

Well given the successful interrogation techniques of the Thai police, and with the driver in custody, I am sure the police will have this case cracked in short order. Unless the driver is out on bail and headed to Cambodia..... :-)

Edited June 10, 2013 by EyesWideOpen

[webfact]

UPDATE:

EKKAYUTH DISAPPEARANCE
Van seen on Surat Thani video footage
Jeerapong Prasertpolkrung,
Patinya Iamtarn
The Nation


Metropolitan Police Bureau chief Kamronwit Thoopkrachang shows Bt20 million cash transferred to him by former premier Thaksin Shinawatra to be paid as a reward to anyone who can inform police of the whereabouts of two individuals

Police probing personal or business conflict

BANGKOK: -- Police are focusing their investigation into the disappearance of tycoon and government critic Ekkayuth Anchanbutr on the South after his van appeared on closed-circuit video footage recorded in Surat Thani.

The video shows the black van with the Bangkok licence plate number HP 9304 passing through Surat Thani's Ban Na Doem district at 10.30pm on Sunday, Metropolitan Police Bureau chief Pol Lt-General Kamronwit Thoopkrachang said at a press conference yesterday.

Kamronwit said police in Region 8 and Region 9 had been instructed to track the van, believing Ekkayuth might be in it. However, he could not confirm a report that police had found Ekkayuth's driver and that he was being brought for interrogation.

There was still no sign of Ekkayuth himself, he said.

National Police chief Pol General Adul Saengsingkaew had earlier said that Ekkayuth's driver Santiparp Pengduang had been found with Ekkayuth's car in the southern province of Phatthalung.

Adul said that police were working on two possible reasons for Ekkayuth's disappearance: a personal or a business conflict. He said the latter motive was likely because Bt5 million had been withdrawn from the businessman's account before he went missing.

Adul spoke before attending a mobile Cabinet meeting in Kamphaeng Phet yesterday morning.

Kamronwit said several teams of investigators have been dispatched to comb the area toward which the van appeared to be heading.

He urged the media not to create public confusion with their reporting on Ekkayuth. He admitted that police had not been able to solve Ekkayuth's disappearance because they have to wait for detection and test results.

Kamronwit said he had instructed investigators to check why the hard disk storing footage captured by security cameras at Ekkayuth's house had been removed.

He said investigators were questioning witnesses over reports that Ekkayuth handed over money or cheques at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

He declined to respond to a comment by Ekkayuth's lawyer that the latter's disappearance has to do with a libel suit Ekkayuth filed against Kamronwit. "I do not want to react to his comments because it is his assumption. Police have a duty to resolve the case. I also do not want to touch on [possible] political motivations,'' he said.

Investigators have found that security cameras on Soi Sudjai-uthit recorded a video clip of Ekkayuth's van at 11pm on Thursday.

They have also found three cheques signed by Ekkayuth on June 7: a Siam Commercial Bank cheque worth Bt5 million, a Bank of Ayudhaya cheque worth Bt1.7 million (which was endorsed with the wrong year) and a Bank of Ayudhaya cheque worth Bt1.8 million.

Kamronwit said his bureau and the Crime Suppression Division had found that Santiparp had been arrested earlier on snatch-and-run charges but attorneys had decided to drop the case. He had also faced extortion allegations.

Wang Thonglang Police station superintendent Colonel Sanhakit Bamrungsuksawat yesterday led a team of investigators to examine Ekkayuth's house, which is also the office of Thai Insider Co Ltd, in Town in Town Village, Bangkok. The officers looked into documents detailing the routes of his money transfers as well as the fingerprints on the closed-circuit camera.

Ekkayuth's 33-year-old son Kongkarun Sriprasan said he had no clue as to why his father was missing. He only cared to know that his father was safe, rather than the motivation, at the moment.

Meanwhile, Ekkayuth's lawyer Suwat Apaipak said he doubted Ekkayuth's absence was related to the fact that he recently fired three employees from his company, one of whom had a personal relationship with Santiparp.

Suwat said the driver was not likely to have been able to abduct Ekkayuth by himself. But if he was abducted, the people who did so must have had close knowledge of legal and investigation processes, as they had covered their tracks well, he said.


-- The Nation 2013-06-11

[Thai at Heart]

Buggar. Thaksin is sending the coppers cash deposits?

[Ricardo]

PTP = Pay To Police !

Or 'Proper Pre-Payment Publicity Promotes Professional Policing' ?

[Payboy]

Bt20 million cash transferred to him by former premier Thaksin Shinawatra

Is this the same 20 million from the CentralWorld arsonists story?

[dighambara]

Another one bites the dust.

Open criticism of anyone, especially the rich and powerful in Thailand is hazardous for your health.

Itis very telling that they knew where to find what they needed at his house and that his driver was the go-between. Held until he paid the ransom and then made into dog food or pork balls.

[webfact]

UPDATE:
Disappeared businessman’s driver nabbed, questioned
By English News

BANGKOK, June 11 – The driver of missing businessman Ekkayuth Anchanbutr was questioned by authorities after being apprehended at a gas station in Samut Songkram, police said today.

Santiparb Pengduang, the driver, who was arrested last night appeared at a news conference at the Metropolitan Police Command this morning.

He denied any involvement in Mr Ekkayuth’s disappearance and said he was instructed to drive the businessman to the South on Saturday.

A day earlier, he said, Mr Ekkayuth received Bt5 million cash from a relative at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

He said Mr Ekkayuth told him to stop the car when they arrived at Pranburi district in Prachuap Khiri Khan after which Mr Ekkayuth ordered two cars to pick him up and he went into one of them.

Mr Santiparb said he could not remember the licence number and the type of the car that picked up Mr Ekkayuth who gave him Bt1,000 and instructed him to return and not to tell anyone about the trip.

A closed-circuit camera in Ban Dam Nern, Surat Thani, further south of Prachuap Khiri Khan, however, spotted Mr Ekkayuth’s black Volkswagen van at a police checkpoint there.

The driver said he drove the van to Surat Thani for relaxation and to show off the car to his friends. He insisted he was not involved in Mr Ekkayuth’s disappearance.

Metropolitan police chief Kamronwit Thoopkrachang said police will continue their investigation into the case. (MCOT online news)


-- TNA 2013-06-11

[CrisRMenumate]

sadly the whole "show of the car to my friends" story is plausible, Thai drivers are known to do that... friend of mine had a driver who basically used his Benz S500 for 2 weeks to travel around the country, live in it with his family, use the company fuel card to top up and have a great family trip around Thailand while the boss was away on annual vacation... it happens.. TIT

[Payboy]

The drivers confessed, I heard.

[jbrain]

sadly the whole "show of the car to my friends" story is plausible, Thai drivers are known to do that... friend of mine had a driver who basically used his Benz S500 for 2 weeks to travel around the country, live in it with his family, use the company fuel card to top up and have a great family trip around Thailand while the boss was away on annual vacation... it happens.. TIT

You think it's also plausible that the driver doesn't remember the type of car of none of the 2 cars that picked up his boss?

[whybother]

The other paper is reporting that the driver has confessed to killing him.

[webfact]

please continue:

Driver 'admits' killing Ekkayuth

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/645979-driver-admits-killing-ekkayuth/

//CLOSED//