Police Deny Reports Of Ramkhamhaeng Gunman Arrest

BANGKOK: -- The police have denied the claim of an anti-government protest leader that a gunman who shot dead one of its supporters during the clashes in Bangkok has been arrested.

One anti-government protester and three pro-government Redshirts were killed in the violence that erupted in Ramkhamhaeng district of Bangkok on night of 30 November and early hours of 1 December.

Although Redshirts protesters are among the dead, the anti-government movements led by Mr. Suthep Thaugsuban have accused the police of deliberately letting the shadowy militants into the district to attack their supporters.

Mr. Satit Wongnongtoey, a former Democrat MP who is co-leading the protests, went as far as telling the protesters gathering at Ratchadamnoen Avenue that the police have already detained the mysterious gunman who killed the anti-government protester at Ramkhamhaeng.

He also claimed the arrested gunman is related to the Redshirts movement, and accused the police of acting suspiciously by keeping the arrest secret. Mr. Satit then demanded the police to clarify the matter to the public.

But Pol.Col. Chayanond Meesati, deputy commander of the Bangkok Metropolitan Police, said in a press conference that the police have not arrested the gunman as claimed by Mr. Satit.

However, he said, the police did arrest an anti-government volunteer guard last night on the charge of embezzling. According to Pol.Col. Chayanond, the suspect, named as Mr. Kachakorn Lachai, 25, is wanted by an arrest warrant signed by Dusit Circuit Court in 2012.

The suspect was arrested in Soi Charansanitwong 35, the officer added.

Pol.Col. Chayanond said the suspect confessed that he had been working as a motorcycle taxi since the arrest warrant was issued. When the political rallies in Ratchadamnoen Avenue began last month, Mr. Kachakorn reportedly joined the protesters′ volunteer guards, patrolling the protest site in exchange with a payment of 500 baht per day, until he was eventually arrested by the police.

"Mr. Satit might have misunderstood the news about the arrest," Pol.Col. Chayanond said.

He added that only two suspects related to the violence in Ramkhamhaeng district have been arrested so far: a 29 year old man and a 15 year old man who allegedly stole passengers′ belongings which had been left behind in a public bus.

The bus was later torched, but the suspects insisted they were not responsible for the arson, Pol.Col. Chayanond said.

Source: http://www.khaosod.c...id=TURFd01BPT0=

-- Khaosod 2013-12-13

Police deny red shirt arrested. THAT I believe. I have heard of this happening only once in the last 30 months, and it seems it was an error with the police database.

So those who were saying that protesters were not paid here is a guy admitting it. Obviously not everybody protesting was paid but I know that in Ayutthya they were offering 1,000 baht a day for front-line guys to come down to the protest.

So those who were saying that protesters were not paid here is a guy admitting it. Obviously not everybody protesting was paid but I know that in Ayutthya they were offering 1,000 baht a day for front-line guys to come down to the protest.

All the guards will be paid though, as are the red shirt guards. They're doing a job, after all. I'd guess the vast majority of the red shirt guards are actual red shirts though, and I'd assume it's the same with this lot - they're likely to be supporters of the movement, not just paid mercenaries.

So those who were saying that protesters were not paid here is a guy admitting it. Obviously not everybody protesting was paid but I know that in Ayutthya they were offering 1,000 baht a day for front-line guys to come down to the protest.

All the guards will be paid though, as are the red shirt guards. They're doing a job, after all. I'd guess the vast majority of the red shirt guards are actual red shirts though, and I'd assume it's the same with this lot - they're likely to be supporters of the movement, not just paid mercenaries.

I believe that, too. A case of 1,000 baht per day is an offer not to be missed.

So those who were saying that protesters were not paid here is a guy admitting it. Obviously not everybody protesting was paid but I know that in Ayutthya they were offering 1,000 baht a day for front-line guys to come down to the protest.

The same BS from the same poster. only last time it was everyone that was being offered 1k.

The police said he admitted it, a big difference.

Quite possible the guards are paid after all they are expected to put themselves on the line.

Note that it is only anti-Govt protesters who have been arrested.

So those who were saying that protesters were not paid here is a guy admitting it. Obviously not everybody protesting was paid but I know that in Ayutthya they were offering 1,000 baht a day for front-line guys to come down to the protest.

The same BS from the same poster. only last time it was everyone that was being offered 1k.

The police said he admitted it, a big difference.

Quite possible the guards are paid after all they are expected to put themselves on the line.

Note that it is only anti-Govt protesters who have been arrested.

Yes, as far as we know those who were attacking innocent citizens on buses, bikes, taxis and those planning to spray fecal matter on the police, were anti-government protesters.

Clearly there is some cover-up going on in the police-Redshirts camp, as an article posted by Nick Nostitz on New Mandala documents a middle-aged man captured by Redshirt guards, roughed up a bit by their interrogators, identified as a gunman by someone who was actually shot and then handed over to the police. See:

http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/newmandala/2013/12/10/ramkhamhaeng-a-view-from-inside-the-stadium/

So there is a direct witness to this gunman's action and he has been handed over to the police, according to a foreign reporter on the ground (with photographic evidence to boot) in front of what looks like dozens of further witnesses. What have the police and Redshirts got to hide I wonder? Perhaps the intrepid Nick Nostitz should investigate.

Clearly there is some cover-up going on in the police-Redshirts camp, as an article posted by Nick Nostitz on New Mandala documents a middle-aged man captured by Redshirt guards, roughed up a bit by their interrogators, identified as a gunman by someone who was actually shot and then handed over to the police. See:

http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/newmandala/2013/12/10/ramkhamhaeng-a-view-from-inside-the-stadium/

So there is a direct witness to this gunman's action and he has been handed over to the police, according to a foreign reporter on the ground (with photographic evidence to boot) in front of what looks like dozens of further witnesses. What have the police and Redshirts got to hide I wonder? Perhaps the intrepid Nick Nostitz should investigate.

Yellow, red, black....if they have guns, arrest them and send them to jail. None of us wants to be in a lawless community. I thought the Nostitz article was very balanced( given his location), as was the long report in the BP

So those who were saying that protesters were not paid here is a guy admitting it. Obviously not everybody protesting was paid but I know that in Ayutthya they were offering 1,000 baht a day for front-line guys to come down to the protest.

The same BS from the same poster. only last time it was everyone that was being offered 1k.

The police said he admitted it, a big difference.

Quite possible the guards are paid after all they are expected to put themselves on the line.

Note that it is only anti-Govt protesters who have been arrested.

So you've gone from 'same BS' to 'Quite possible' in the space of two sentences. Well I'm glad that even the most hardened Suthep supporters are beginning to soften their stance.

Cue, I am not a Suthep supporter I just hate Thaksin.....

Clearly there is some cover-up going on in the police-Redshirts camp, as an article posted by Nick Nostitz on New Mandala documents a middle-aged man captured by Redshirt guards, roughed up a bit by their interrogators, identified as a gunman by someone who was actually shot and then handed over to the police. See:

http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/newmandala/2013/12/10/ramkhamhaeng-a-view-from-inside-the-stadium/

So there is a direct witness to this gunman's action and he has been handed over to the police, according to a foreign reporter on the ground (with photographic evidence to boot) in front of what looks like dozens of further witnesses. What have the police and Redshirts got to hide I wonder? Perhaps the intrepid Nick Nostitz should investigate.

Seems just as likely that this guy got caught up in the confusion and was mistaken for a gunman rather than actually being a gunman. He doesn't particularly look like he'd be in any state to be shooting anyone to me, and there's no mention of whether they found a weapon on him, but if they had, surely that'd be pictured. Anyway, I read in a previous report that police had arrested at least two people who they'd found with weapons. Perhaps they were arrested, but not charged.

According to everything I've read, there were probably several people with guns on both sides in any case, not just one man.