Police inspect Saturday’s battle zone to find out mystery surrounding the gun battle

[Lite Beer]

Police inspect Saturday’s battle zone to find out mystery surrounding the gun battle

BANGKOK: -- In the wake of the gunfights between anti-government protesters and red-shirt supporters at Lak Si intersection in Bangkok last Saturday, police are in the process of gathering evidence from bullet trajectories to decide who started the shots. But by far they still were unable to determine who did the actual shootings.

Movement by the police came after the Army spokesman strongly calls on the police to investigate before indicating to the media that armed men in black clothes on the anti-government protest site started the shootings first. Soldiers in civilian dress indicated to be among protesters.

At the scene of gunfights at Lak Si intersection in the capital, they detected were 48 bullet impacts on two police booths, three on a police pickup truck, three impacts underneath the Lak Si intersection pedestrian overpass, and many more bullet impacts on the sides of the IT Square building.

Investigation of the trajectory of the bullets reveals that most of the bullets were fired into the IT Square building and that the shots were fired from various elevated positions as well as from ground level. Many of the shots were fired from many different directions. But many shots are suspected of being shot from a telephone exchange box directly opposite the IT Square building as there were evidently video clips of unknown gunmen in black clothes firing from that vantage point.

The police were able to ascertain that there were seven different types of weapon used in the shootings from 0.38 inches, 0.45 inches, 9 mm, shotgun pellets, high velocity hunting rifles of .223 inches in caliber, AK 47s of 7.62 mm caliber and carbines. The police will be comparing their findings at the scene with the numerous eye-witness accounts and other evidence in order to make a strong case.

Police General Jaramporn Suramani, the advisor to the National Police Office said the police would determine the trajectory of the shots fired.

He said the police will be comparing those to the various clips that the media have managed to capture and from other sources in order to get a clearer picture of the event.

They also will be attempting to determine the identities of the gunmen who appear in most of the clips and together with eyewitness accounts to make a strong case in order to bring justice for all the affected parties, he said.

He said however that it was still premature to say which group did the actual shooting as well as whether all groups had weapons on them and further investigation will be required before any allegations can be made.

Colonel Winthai Suwari, the deputy spokesman for the Army stated that no military personnel were involved in the shooting as no weapons were issued to personnel on security detail at the area. He stated that we should wait for the police’s investigation before making any unfounded accusations.

Earlier a red-shirt leader accused the Army of helping the protesters to fight them citing the men in black are profession as some were seen carrying automatic rifled with fertilizer bag covering the gun barrel. This was an act of a professional, the red-shirt said.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/police-inspect-saturdays-battle-zone-find-mystery-surrounding-gun-battle/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=police-inspect-saturdays-battle-zone-find-mystery-surrounding-gun-battle

-- Thai PBS 2014-02-03

[Costas2008]

Police investigating..........hope I'm alive before the results come out.

[JesseFrank]

Love it, all those " investigators " with their blue gloves to prevent any evidence to be destroyed, investigating a site they reopened to the public right after the facts, 3 days earlier.

[onewhowalkswithbuffalo]

God dam a thai version of CSI would be hilarious... CSI BK

Edited February 3, 2014 by onewhowalkswithbuffalo

[Scamper]

As always, police investigations on the scene happen well after the fact. One can almost guarantee that if this is ever pieced together, the police won't be the ones doing it. But at least now details are beginning to coalesce of a group of men in black as there are video clips as well as on the ground eyewitness accounts.

" Earlier a red-shirt leader accused the Army of helping the protesters "

A singularly odd accusation which begs more questions of the one who makes it.

Edited February 3, 2014 by Scamper

[djjamie]

Maybe Chalerm will say it was Akeyuths' driver.

Case closed.

Edited February 3, 2014 by djjamie

[55Jay]

"Earlier a red-shirt leader accused the Army of helping the protesters to fight them citing the men in black are profession as some were seen carrying automatic rifled with fertilizer bag covering the gun barrel. This was an act of a professional, the red-shirt said."

Fertilizer bags. The mark of a true professional gunman.

I know what these translated and/or Thai-lish articles mean to say, but sometimes they give me a good chuckle.

[taony]

What a well written article. NOT

Sent from my GT-I9500 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[whybother]

police are in the process of gathering evidence from bullet trajectories to decide who started the shots.

Do they measure the nuclear decay of the bullet casings to see how long it is since they've been fired?

[holeyman1]

For sure, the police will call in the old hag with the whacky hair style!!!

Pray tell how many episodes can they squeeze out of csi(bkk)

Don't hold your breath!

Best regards

keyboard warrior

[casualbiker]

For sure, the police will call in the old hag with the whacky hair style!!!

Pray tell how many episodes can they squeeze out of csi(bkk)

Don't hold your breath!

Best regards

keyboard warrior

Oh no they won't SHE is a Suthep fan.

[surangw]

all the latest low cost hd video cameras on the market now, and they still use a monster tape video camera?

must be a face thing to carry a big camera

[NongKhaiKid]

Love it, all those " investigators " with their blue gloves to prevent any evidence to be destroyed, investigating a site they reopened to the public right after the facts, 3 days earlier.

I can state from personal knowledge that one word covers crime scenes and that is ' contamination ' or rather the lack of / prevention of such.

It;s something the BIB are not familiar with and not just for this case. How many times do we see news video footage of a scene complete with a cast of thousands comprising police, media and the public all wandering around ?

They do sometimes put up police tape but this does not have magical abilities and cannot hold people back unless there are officers controlling access which rarely happens.

Most times I see footage of the BIB in action it seems to serve no purpose that make it look as if they are actually doing something and by this time, depending on how news worthy the case is, someone ' knows ' who is responsible or every conceivable motive will have been advanced. .

[Lantern]

The Thai police would make a great comedy show.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRWVAXf0rhs

[Chang_paarp]

When I first saw the photo, before reading the headline, I wondered what a school excursion did to merit a news article.

Not sure the impression has changed after reading the headline.

[kotsak]

all the latest low cost hd video cameras on the market now, and they still use a monster tape video camera?

must be a face thing to carry a big camera

Wait till they realize he forgot to load the tape

[webfact]

LAK SI CLASH
Police say both sides fired in Lak Si
The Nation



Jarumporn refuses to say which side was worse; army denies involvement

BANGKOK: -- Gunshots were fired from both anti- and pro-government crowds confronting each other in a firefight on Sunday near the Lak Si intersection in northern Bangkok, Assistant Police chief Pol Lt Gen Jarumporn Suramanee said yesterday.

His statement has ended a dispute, made much of in social media, that anti-government protesters fired on the pro-government crowd. But he did not say who opened fire and refused to comment over which side's weapons were "heavier."

The police had earlier issued that the firing came mainly from a People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) group. It said it was aimed at a pro-election group who converged not far from the intersection, awaiting arrival of PDRC supporters from the inner city to blockade a ballot storage site in the Lak Si district office.

Within the few hours later, the army issued a statement that no conclusion should be made over which side fired their weapons or who opened fire until an official, comprehensive police investigation into the shooting was complete.

Deputy Army spokesman Col Winthai Suvaree said photos of anti-election supporters carrying guns were abundant in media footage because reporters had accompanied them all along, while there were no reporters embedded in the pro-election crowd.

Asked by reporters if his crime scene investigation was conducted to "counterbalance" the army's statement, Jarumporn said: "No, the police are conducting a regular scientifically based inspection, and trajectory inspection results will later tell all. The police are treating all sides fairly."

In the Jarumporn-led inspection yesterday, the types of cartridges and munitions found matched those reported in the police statement on Sunday, but also included 7.62 ammunition for an AK-47 rifle.

The army yesterday denied any involvement in the firefight at Lak Si intersection in northern Bangkok on Sunday after the confrontation between anti- and pro-government supporters.

Winthai said wars of words on the incident, especially in the social media, would only further divide Thai society, while the police investigation was not complete.

He said a company of soldiers dispatched to the Lak Si intersection to contain the situation was entirely unarmed, and that various types of assault rifles seen carried by men in civilian clothes, some of whom were hooded, were available widely among civilian collectors apart from police and military personnel.

He said a number of rifles stolen from soldiers by red-shirt protesters in various clashes during their 2010 Bangkok protest remained unrecovered, and could be used in firefights by both sides. The army's armouries have been well guarded and the soldiers put in charge in Sunday's incident were entirely unarmed, he added.

The spokesman called on any members of the public witnessing incidents of armed men or use of violence to take pictures and send them to [email protected], which is used by the Army’s photo collection centre, or call 083-188-7008 to give oral details.

PDRC leader Suthep Thaugsuban admitted two men wearing PDRC armbands firing pistols were his responsibility, and would investigate why they carried guns in violation of PDRC security regulations. He denied the PDRC had links with a two-man firing team seen shooting an automatic rifle from a large plastic sack.

Deputy Army spokesman Colonel Winthai Suvaree yesterday dismissed as baseless and damaging an allegation by hardline red-shirt leader Wutthipong "Ko Tee" Kotchathammakhun that Army commander in chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha wanted Wutthipong dead after the election. A legal action is being processed against him, Winthai said.


-- The Nation 2014-02-04

[waza]

Jarumporn refuses to say which side was worse;

What the? How could any side be morally better in a firefight in a public street? The BIB were the worst because they are charged with maintaining the peace and they failed miserably.

Edited February 4, 2014 by waza

[whybother]

Police say both sides fired in Lak Si

No sh!t Sherlock. It took you 3 days to work that out?

[Thait Spot]

One has to applaud the technological brilliance of the police.

Blame the protesters and army, wait 5 days, count the casings, point a few sticks and hey presto!!!

[Lupatria]

What a well written article. NOT

Sent from my GT-I9500 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Easy to say if you are overwhelmed by all the high standards in most other fields around you.

[FireMedic]

Considering the whole firefight is on Youtube and a thousand Facebook pages, it shouldn't be that hard. Dudes running around with ARs and AKs in rice bags shooting at each other. Tell the police to look for the 100 cameras that were filming 2 feet from the guys shooting. There I go talking common sense again.......

[LomSak27]

It's always going to be a Mystery, if the video shows protestors shooting first

Good Job Nation

Go Nation

Fight Nation

Win Nation

[sam sen]

they just dont get what clowns they look.

if the country is serious about cleaning up corruption one of the first steps is establishing an honest and professional police force and judiciary system. not a hope at the moment.

[Macrohistory]

'Gunshots were fired from both anti- and pro-government crowds confronting each other in a firefight on Sunday near the Lak Si intersection in northern Bangkok, Assistant Police chief Pol Lt Gen Jarumporn Suramanee said yesterday.

His statement has ended a dispute, made much of in social media, that anti-government protesters fired on the pro-government crowd. But he did not say who opened fire and refused to comment over which side's weapons were "heavier."

The police had earlier issued that the firing came mainly from a People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) group...'

This is classic, considering that over the weekend all the TV Reds were going on about how conclusively the videos showed the protesters started the shooting. Now even the police are forced to change their story and admit that gunshots were fired from both sides. Moreover, when the police refuse to say "who opened fire [first] and refuse to comment over which side's weapons were heavier," that's a pretty good sign the Red signed opened fire first and that the Red side's weapons were heavier -- or, in other words, that Thaksin's Black Shirts have returned.

So how come the TV Reds have fallen silent on this issue? Answer: Every time they're proven wrong (most recently: on the voter turnout issue), they just change they subject and try to pretend like nothing ever happened.

But they're whistling in the dark because Thaksinocracy is doomed. "You don't need a weathervane," etc.

[tingtongteesood]

all the latest low cost hd video cameras on the market now, and they still use a monster tape video camera?

must be a face thing to carry a big camera

Probably to try and make sure idiots with guns can see they are a reporter, like holding up a big sign saying 'don't shoot me, i'm a reporter'

[belg]

CSI Thailand, there is hope for you criminals to get away with it ... and even if evidence if shown, it can disappear and even criminals are cought, they could escape, for the right amount in a brown envelope

[Loles]

For Thai police every circumstances are mysterious I guess.

And where are they when Benito Suthep's armed dogs shoot to people who just want to vote?

And where are they when a few idiots keep close important roads and junctions?

And where are they when other color idiots throw grenade to civilians?

And where are they when 50 brain washed close the election area?

Coward amateur bastards.

[tingtongteesood]

For Thai police every circumstances are mysterious I guess.

And where are they when Benito Suthep's armed dogs shoot to people who just want to vote?

And where are they when a few idiots keep close important roads and junctions?

And where are they when other color idiots throw grenade to civilians?

And where are they when 50 brain washed close the election area?

Coward amateur bastards.

For Thai police every circumstances are mysterious I guess.

And where are they when Adolph Taksin's armed dogs shoot at people trying to go about their daily business?

And where are they when a few idiots keep close important roads and junctions?

And where are they when red militia idiots throw grenades at civilians?

And where are they when the red brain washed burnt down parts of Central Bangkok?

Coward amateur bastards.

Yeah, anyone can play that stupid game. Try offering something at least a little constructive next time ?

[Lantern]

Thailand is rapidly becoming the laughing stock of the whole world.

They need to wake up and smell the Roses.