Akeyuth murder: Many questions surround the case

[webfact]

SPECIAL
Many questions surround the case
The Nation



BANGKOK: -- The million-dollar question at the moment is who ordered the assassination of long-time government critic and whistle-blower Akeyuth Anchanbutr?

This query has been on everyone's mind as new details continue making the case more mysterious and puzzling. One also can't help but wonder if this is another case in which the masterminds are virtually untouchable?

Though the circumstances surrounding Akeyuth's death appear to be fishy and complicated, lawyer Suwat Apaipak told ASTV on Wednesday that he and the late businessman's family were 100-per-cent sure that motivation was not theft as it has been made out to be. They believe the murder involved professional killers and included a "high-ranking military man who plotted the assassination".

Suwat said he did not believe for a minute that Akeyuth's 25-year-old driver Santiparb Pengduang had the skills to come up with such a well-planned murder plot.

"Akeyuth was strangled by the neck till his eyes and tongue popped out," Suwat said. "There is no way a man with a small structure like Santiparb could have done that."

Also, he said, the theory that his client as killed for money did not work. He said the "team" of killers, which he believes comprised four or five men, would not have strangled Akeyuth for a mere Bt5 million as claimed by Santiparb.

Plus, he said, the entire Bt5 million was found in Santiparb's possession, which means that the rest of the team had been paid by someone else to do the job.

Another missing piece of the jigsaw - which could help unravel who the killers and the mastermind were - is the mobile phone that Santiparb allegedly used before driving Akeyuth to his death. A security camera in the restaurant where Akeyuth ate with his friends before the fatal drive captured Santiparb speaking on a mobile phone. Yet this phone was not part of the evidence the police said they had seized from the driver.

An odd arrest

Another discovery is that the police team that nabbed Santiparb at a petrol station was led by none other than Pol Colonel Napanwut Liamsa-nguan - a suspect acquitted over the disappearance of lawyer and human-rights activist Somchai Neelapaijit in 2004. Thaksin Shinawatra was in power when Somchai disappeared.

Napanwut, who changed his name from Chadchai, works as a superintendent at the Children and Women's Protection Division. Yet, Bangkok Police Chief Kamronwit Thoopkrachang gave him the job of making arrests after news came out that Akeyuth might have been abducted.

When Santiparb was arrested, Kamronwit refused to confirm the arrest to the media, saying he "hadn't received any reports".

Kamronwit was previously linked to Thaksin, when it was discovered that he met the fugitive former PM in Hong and allowed him to pin a new rank insignia on his uniform. He even has a photograph of himself with Thaksin on his office wall.

Before his murder, Akeyuth had filed a libel suit against Kamronwit over a police raid on a karaoke bar. However, many believe that a libel court case is not a strong enough reason for murder.

The point that the public has found most unusual and strange is that the investigators were too quick to parade the driver before the press, even though his story - which he later changed - was full of holes.

At noon he denied any knowledge of his boss's disappearance, only to confess six hours later that he and others took part in the killing because Akeyuth had "fired his girlfriend" and that he wanted the money.

Strange timing

It is strange that Santiparb's confession came after Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung, who has been very outspoken about this case, told the media that he believed the driver had murdered his boss for money.

Lawyer Suwat said he had faith in the ASTV report, which alleged that Akeyuth was killed because he was a "long-time whistle blower against the Thaksin regime". ASTV also stated that Akeyuth had enraged the Shinawatra family by not only leaking news that "Yingluck secretly met with businessmen at the Four Seasons Hotel", but by also claiming that she used taxpayer's money to fund a "passionate getaway in the Maldives".

Akeyuth's Facebook page, which normally carried information against the Shinawatras, has been inaccessibly since Thursday.

Suwat has one last hope in unlocking the mystery.

Though the hard drive of the security camera in Akeyuth's home has mysteriously gone missing, the fact that the camera could be accessed via the Internet means the service provider's server still holds footage recorded by the camera.

Hence, he is calling on Chalerm, who has the power to order a search, to come forward with this "damning" piece of evidence.


-- The Nation 2013-06-15

[NongKhaiKid]

A nice A-Z of the case's salient points but all to no avail as the case is solved, Chalerm and the BIB have said so.

[bigbamboo]

This would be a case for CSI Bangkok if such a thing existed here.

Unfortunately all we have is Chalerm and it appears the outcome may rest with him.

[webfact]

AKEYUTH MURDER
4th suspect surrenders to police
The Nation


Suthipong Pimpisal, the fourth suspect in the murder of businessman Akeyuth Anchanbutr, shows how he tied a shoelace around Akeyuth

Suthipong denies strangling tycoon; victim 'was dead' when he saw him

BANGKOK: -- Suthipong "Berm" Pimpisal, the fourth suspect in the murder of businessman Akeyuth Anchanbutr, surrendered yesterday but denied that he had strangled Akeyuth with a shoelace.

Suthipong was earlier implicated by Akeyuth's chauffeur, Santiparb Pengduang, of having strangled Akeyuth.

Santiparb and two other suspects - Thiwakorn Kuathong and Chawalit Woonchum - have been arrested. Police yesterday obtained the Criminal Court's permission to further detain the three suspects for investigation.

Suthipong surrendered at the Metropolitan Police head office after which police took Santiparb to the head office to identify Suthipong.

Suthipong told police investigators that he had not killed Akeyuth. He said when he entered the van, he found that Akeyuth had already been killed. Suthipong said Santiparb then told him to tie a shoelace around Akeyuth's neck.

Earlier, Santiparb told police that Suthipong had strangled Akeyuth out of anger that the businessman had tried to escape.

Santiparb told reporters yesterday that he would like to apologise to Akeyuth's family. He said he did not intend to kill Akeyuth and he planned to flee after splitting the money with his friends but Suthipong strangled the businessman.

Following the court's approval, Santiparb, Thiwakorn and Chawalit were taken for detention to Bangkok Remand Prison at 2pm.

Suchart Wongananchai, the director-general of the Corrections Department, said he had instructed prison officials to closely monitor the three suspects and to check their food for their safety.

Suchart said inmates, who have been appointed as assistant guards, would closely monitor the three to prevent them from being harmed.

Thiwakorn and Chawalit were detained at Hua Mark Police Station's detention cell on Thursday night while Santiparb was detained at Wang Thonglang Police Station. A police officer has been assigned to sleep in Santiparb's detention cell to prevent him from committing suicide.

Meanwhile, in Nakhon Si Thammarat, eight scuba divers were dispatched to comb the bed of Klong Praek River mouth in Hua Sai district. The suspects claimed they had dropped Akeyuth's gold necklace, gold ring and watch at the river mouth, however scuba divers found nothing yesterday.


-- The Nation 2013-06-15

[meatboy]

i thinks they need mr.bean to solve this one.

[1weatherman]

Business as usual. Scapegoats a dime (3 baht) a dozen in Thailand.

[Payboy]

A police officer has been assigned to sleep in Santiparb's detention cell to prevent him from committing suicide.

A murder may be the best way to prevent suicide.

[sjjmmi]

Life is so cheap here

[petedk]

Suthipong denies strangling tycoon; victim 'was dead' when he saw him

So why is the victim squatting in the re-enactment?

Surely if the victim was already dead he would be flat out on the floor.

Edit: I take that comment back. I hadn't seen the video as it was too slow to load. After seeing the video I understand more.

Edited June 15, 2013 by petedk

[jaidam]

I like the bit about divers being dispatched to search for a 200k baht gold necklace, and unsurprisingly nobody found it! Do wetsuits have pockets?

[hanuman2543]

Wouldn't be too surprised if the suspects commit group suicicde while in detention

[tomross46]

This would be a case for CSI Bangkok if such a thing existed here.

Unfortunately all we have is Chalerm and it appears the outcome may rest with him.

Chalerm is the Gethro Leroy Gibbs of Thailand. He is better than NCIS.

[rametindallas]

Whoever ordered this murder was so arrogant they didn't think their cunning plan all the way through. Next option is for the accused to commit suicide in jail. The police in Thailand are scarier than the mafia in the U.S.

[OzMick]

I often see Thais throwing B200,000 gold chains into the river near here.

(SATIRE)

[Estrada]

Akeyuth is just one of a number of my friends and acquaintances who have been murdered by the order of Poo Yais in the last 30 years since I have been doing business in Thailand. I knew Akeyuth from when he was living in the UK. In February they tried to kill him in the Land Mark Hotel Bangkok after he made some allegations against the PM. It was only a matter of time before a more professional hit was made. For those of us who have been here a long time we are familiar with the techniques used by the Poo Yais to get rid of people they don't like. I think the first case I remember over 20 years ago, was when a rich developer had his Architect shot dead at a karaoke bar because the Architect was singing badly and refused to handover the microphone and let someone else sing. Vatana Asavahme's son attacked a man at the traffic lights on Pattanakarn, and later ran down a policeman on the same road and got away with it after his father paid compensation. Then there was the case of Chalerm's son shooting a policeman.

Prosecutors in Thailand are expected to appeal against the acquittal of a company director accused of arranging the murder of an Australian auditor.

Another friend, Michael Wansley, 58, who worked for as an auditor for Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu was gunned down in March 1999 as he rode in a van on his way to the Namtal Kaset Thai sugar mill in central Thailand.He had been investigating outstanding debts at the company's sugar mill in Nakhorn Sawan province.

Sugar mill owner, Pradit Siriviriyakul, had been charged with hiring the gunman to murder Mr Wansley, but was acquitted for lack of evidence. Prosecutors in Thailand were expected to appeal against the acquittal of one of the company's directors accused of arranging the murder, but of course nothing happened.

It is typical that the murder is paid for and the actual mastermind may not be charged, but a "stand in" is paid to do the time for the actual murderer.

After the bids for the privatisation of the PWA, the Director in charge of the bidding was killed in a car accident, blamed on his driver running off the road. However, I was not surprised as he had made some enemies during the bidding process and I still do not believe his death was an accident, nor do I believe that Akeyuth's driver was the mastermind behind this killing.

I also note that the Policeman who arrested Akeyuth's driver for this killing was also named as a possible suspect behind the "disappearance" of another friend, Khun Somchai who was a lawyer who vanished in the South.

It goes without saying that you have to be careful to avoid confrontation here in Thailand, life is cheap.

P.S. Also do not hog the mike in the Karaoke!

[Bellweather]

This would be a case for CSI Bangkok if such a thing existed here.

Unfortunately all we have is Chalerm and it appears the outcome may rest with him.

You have to love the way things are handled, I mean bungled here.

The simplest case possible is presented in such a way that alarm bells start ringing everywhere and the most difficult, suspicious and potentially long term enquiry is solved in no time flat.

[Siripon]

Next month Ekayut was due to give evidence in London regarding suspicions of Thaksin's financial activities in the UK amounting to money laundering.

[FarangTalk]

Akeyuth is just one of a number of my friends and acquaintances who have been murdered by the order of Poo Yais in the last 30 years since I have been doing business in Thailand. I knew Akeyuth from when he was living in the UK. In February they tried to kill him in the Land Mark Hotel Bangkok after he made some allegations against the PM. It was only a matter of time before a more professional hit was made. For those of us who have been here a long time we are familiar with the techniques used by the Poo Yais to get rid of people they don't like. I think the first case I remember over 20 years ago, was when a rich developer had his Architect shot dead at a karaoke bar because the Architect was singing badly and refused to handover the microphone and let someone else sing. Vatana Asavahme's son attacked a man at the traffic lights on Pattanakarn, and later ran down a policeman on the same road and got away with it after his father paid compensation. Then there was the case of Chalerm's son shooting a policeman.

Prosecutors in Thailand are expected to appeal against the acquittal of a company director accused of arranging the murder of an Australian auditor.

Another friend, Michael Wansley, 58, who worked for as an auditor for Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu was gunned down in March 1999 as he rode in a van on his way to the Namtal Kaset Thai sugar mill in central Thailand.He had been investigating outstanding debts at the company's sugar mill in Nakhorn Sawan province.

Sugar mill owner, Pradit Siriviriyakul, had been charged with hiring the gunman to murder Mr Wansley, but was acquitted for lack of evidence. Prosecutors in Thailand were expected to appeal against the acquittal of one of the company's directors accused of arranging the murder, but of course nothing happened.

It is typical that the murder is paid for and the actual mastermind may not be charged, but a "stand in" is paid to do the time for the actual murderer.

After the bids for the privatisation of the PWA, the Director in charge of the bidding was killed in a car accident, blamed on his driver running off the road. However, I was not surprised as he had made some enemies during the bidding process and I still do not believe his death was an accident, nor do I believe that Akeyuth's driver was the mastermind behind this killing.

I also note that the Policeman who arrested Akeyuth's driver for this killing was also named as a possible suspect behind the "disappearance" of another friend, Khun Somchai who was a lawyer who vanished in the South.

It goes without saying that you have to be careful to avoid confrontation here in Thailand, life is cheap.

P.S. Also do not hog the mike in the Karaoke!

You missed out the Blue Diamond Affair and the gunning down of Saudi diplomats in central Bangkok during daylight hours and several other high profile crimes including murders, torture and assassinations carried out by the Thai Police that have been part of their modus operandi for decades now.

Good effort nonetheless.

Two other high profile cases, for expats at least, were the killing of Leo del Pinto in Pai by an off-duty Police officer and the assassination of Adam Lloyd and Vanessa Arscott by another copper, Somchai Wisetsingh in Kanchanaburi. We should never forget those.

When you read about cases like this, the bungling investigations, the deliberate cover-ups and the lies and obfuscations, it should be teaching you lessons you need to learn about this country and its inhabitants.

[cup-O-coffee]

The Nation is getting to be like Fox Snooze with their hype of nothing. All this fervor over one insignificant dead scumbag and the insignificant scumbags who do and don't factor-in are making me sleepy.

[jaidam]

Akeyuth is just one of a number of my friends and acquaintances who have been murdered by the order of Poo Yais in the last 30 years since I have been doing business in Thailand. I knew Akeyuth from when he was living in the UK. In February they tried to kill him in the Land Mark Hotel Bangkok after he made some allegations against the PM. It was only a matter of time before a more professional hit was made. For those of us who have been here a long time we are familiar with the techniques used by the Poo Yais to get rid of people they don't like. I think the first case I remember over 20 years ago, was when a rich developer had his Architect shot dead at a karaoke bar because the Architect was singing badly and refused to handover the microphone and let someone else sing. Vatana Asavahme's son attacked a man at the traffic lights on Pattanakarn, and later ran down a policeman on the same road and got away with it after his father paid compensation. Then there was the case of Chalerm's son shooting a policeman.

Prosecutors in Thailand are expected to appeal against the acquittal of a company director accused of arranging the murder of an Australian auditor.

Another friend, Michael Wansley, 58, who worked for as an auditor for Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu was gunned down in March 1999 as he rode in a van on his way to the Namtal Kaset Thai sugar mill in central Thailand.He had been investigating outstanding debts at the company's sugar mill in Nakhorn Sawan province.

Sugar mill owner, Pradit Siriviriyakul, had been charged with hiring the gunman to murder Mr Wansley, but was acquitted for lack of evidence. Prosecutors in Thailand were expected to appeal against the acquittal of one of the company's directors accused of arranging the murder, but of course nothing happened.

It is typical that the murder is paid for and the actual mastermind may not be charged, but a "stand in" is paid to do the time for the actual murderer.

After the bids for the privatisation of the PWA, the Director in charge of the bidding was killed in a car accident, blamed on his driver running off the road. However, I was not surprised as he had made some enemies during the bidding process and I still do not believe his death was an accident, nor do I believe that Akeyuth's driver was the mastermind behind this killing.

I also note that the Policeman who arrested Akeyuth's driver for this killing was also named as a possible suspect behind the "disappearance" of another friend, Khun Somchai who was a lawyer who vanished in the South.

It goes without saying that you have to be careful to avoid confrontation here in Thailand, life is cheap.

P.S. Also do not hog the mike in the Karaoke!

You missed out the Blue Diamond Affair and the gunning down of Saudi diplomats in central Bangkok during daylight hours and several other high profile crimes including murders, torture and assassinations carried out by the Thai Police that have been part of their modus operandi for decades now.

Good effort nonetheless.

Two other high profile cases, for expats at least, were the killing of Leo del Pinto in Pai by an off-duty Police officer and the assassination of Adam Lloyd and Vanessa Arscott by another copper, Somchai Wisetsingh in Kanchanaburi. We should never forget those.

When you read about cases like this, the bungling investigations, the deliberate cover-ups and the lies and obfuscations, it should be teaching you lessons you need to learn about this country and its inhabitants.

Not to forget another proud police moment. Kirsty Jones in Chiang Mai.

[A Member]

This would be a case for CSI Bangkok if such a thing existed here.

Unfortunately all we have is Chalerm and it appears the outcome may rest with him.

Chalerm is the Gethro Leroy Gibbs of Thailand. He is better than NCIS.

Gibbs gets 50-55 minutes to solve a crime unless it's a double episode but Chalerm is even faster as he solves crimes as soon as they are reported.

[hanuman2543]

And if police is prosecuted and sentenced to dead, then they will get out on bail like in Kalasin.

[clockman]

And every one a devout Buddhist!

[Bagwan]

I still smile over the statement of a 50 year old soldier accused of murdering an opponent of Kamnan Poh. He had pleaded not guilty and was asked why he had signed a confession. He said that he had poor eyesight and could not read what was written. Asked what his specialty in the Army was he said that he was a marksman.

[Artisi]

I still smile over the statement of a 50 year old soldier accused of murdering an opponent of Kamnan Poh. He had pleaded not guilty and was asked why he had signed a confession. He said that he had poor eyesight and could not read what was written. Asked what his specialty in the Army was he said that he was a marksman.

Seem to remember a similar story concerning the extremely nice off-spring of our own dear deputy PM, whose son was charged with shooting a policeman in a Bkk nightclub, one witness suddenly discovered that he also had very poor eye sight, this came to light after the event when it was time to make a statement in court, the witnesses job - you guessed it -- army marksman / sniper, seems the army needs to improve their eye-sight testing system.

[ratcatcher]

I often see Thais throwing B200,000 gold chains into the river near here.

(SATIRE)

Had you not included the bracketed warning, I may have PM'd you for the location.

[Huayrat]

Akeyuth is just one of a number of my friends and acquaintances who have been murdered by the order of Poo Yais in the last 30 years since I have been doing business in Thailand. I knew Akeyuth from when he was living in the UK. In February they tried to kill him in the Land Mark Hotel Bangkok after he made some allegations against the PM. It was only a matter of time before a more professional hit was made. For those of us who have been here a long time we are familiar with the techniques used by the Poo Yais to get rid of people they don't like. I think the first case I remember over 20 years ago, was when a rich developer had his Architect shot dead at a karaoke bar because the Architect was singing badly and refused to handover the microphone and let someone else sing. Vatana Asavahme's son attacked a man at the traffic lights on Pattanakarn, and later ran down a policeman on the same road and got away with it after his father paid compensation. Then there was the case of Chalerm's son shooting a policeman.

Prosecutors in Thailand are expected to appeal against the acquittal of a company director accused of arranging the murder of an Australian auditor.

Another friend, Michael Wansley, 58, who worked for as an auditor for Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu was gunned down in March 1999 as he rode in a van on his way to the Namtal Kaset Thai sugar mill in central Thailand.He had been investigating outstanding debts at the company's sugar mill in Nakhorn Sawan province.

Sugar mill owner, Pradit Siriviriyakul, had been charged with hiring the gunman to murder Mr Wansley, but was acquitted for lack of evidence. Prosecutors in Thailand were expected to appeal against the acquittal of one of the company's directors accused of arranging the murder, but of course nothing happened.

It is typical that the murder is paid for and the actual mastermind may not be charged, but a "stand in" is paid to do the time for the actual murderer.

After the bids for the privatisation of the PWA, the Director in charge of the bidding was killed in a car accident, blamed on his driver running off the road. However, I was not surprised as he had made some enemies during the bidding process and I still do not believe his death was an accident, nor do I believe that Akeyuth's driver was the mastermind behind this killing.

I also note that the Policeman who arrested Akeyuth's driver for this killing was also named as a possible suspect behind the "disappearance" of another friend, Khun Somchai who was a lawyer who vanished in the South.

It goes without saying that you have to be careful to avoid confrontation here in Thailand, life is cheap.

P.S. Also do not hog the mike in the Karaoke!

your friend is no better than Thaskin.. Both thiefs who stole money from Thai people and ran away to hide in another country

[NongKhaiKid]

There's a media report today ( Sunday ) that the family are split over the situation, some want to quietly accept the official version of what's supposed to have happened whereas others are far from happy.

The family lawyers are awaiting final instructions on what position to take and once again the inconsistencies are in the spotlight not the least being the fact the drivers has consistently lied since his arrest.

This is not as clear cut as Chalerm and the BIB have made it out to be or should I say WANT IT TO BE !

[noitom]

These criminals must get reduced sentence plea bargained deals for detailed reenactment.