Team of 5 arrested after botched Phuket hit

[webfact]

Team of 5 arrested after botched Phuket hit
Tanyaluk Sakoot


The fixer, Harim Rakmit, hides his face in his hands as the crew meet the press.

PHUKET: -- Police are looking for a few final pieces of evidence before naming the businessman who allegedly hired a team of five men to assassinate a neighbour who was demanding money from him for encroaching on his land.

The B300,000 contract was combined with another at the same price, to assassinate the neighbour’s brother.

The neighbour, Songvit “Koy” Winyupradit, 49, had complained that a building erected by the businessman on his adjoining land, next to the beach near Phuket Airport, was partly on Songvit’s own land. It jutted out, covering an area measuring 60 by 84 centimetres.

Mr Songvit told the businessman he wanted B6.5 million for the encroached land, failing which, he wanted the encroaching part of the building demolished.

The businessman looked at his options: B6.5 million to get the half-square-metre of land or B600,000 to get rid of Songvit and, as a precaution, his brother, who was also his heir. He hired a fixer who in turn hired four men to carry out the hits.

The team began to make plans. They were not very clever about it. Mr Songvit’s wife spotted one of them hanging around outside the house. When she asked him what he wanted he said, “I’m just interested in land,” and went away.

The first hit, against Songvit, went badly wrong.

On the morning of January 19, Songwit took his daughter to school. As he rode home again along the Baan Ya-Baan Don Rd, a motorbike came the opposite direction.

The passenger on the bike fired four shots, hitting Songvit in the hip, right leg and right buttock. Songvit managed to stay on the bike long enough to get help. The gunmen fled.

The day after the shooting, Adisak was sent to the hospital where he discovered that Songvit was still alive and under police guard. He reported this to Harim who was far from happy.

He said he would pay the crew B150,000 with the remaining half of the contract on Mr Songvit payable only on confirmation of the target’s death.

Mr Songvit’s brother, meanwhile, had also been given a police guard. The gang were told to lie low and wait for another chance.

On Monday (February 23) police had the fixer, Harim Rakmit, in custody, along with all four men he had hired – Adisak Preekan, Kietkai Yimkeaw, Aimran Lannui and Worawut Piewdam.

The story was revealed yesterday (February 25) when Pol Maj Gen Patchara Boonyasit, Phuket’s police commender, presented Harim and his team to the press, and to the victim’s family.

Adisak, the leader of the hit team, apologised publicly to Mr Songvit’s brother and family, who graciously accepted the apology. Harim said nothing, keeping his face hidden with his hands.

All five members are charged with conspiracy to murder and with possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition.

Police explained investigators used CCTV footage to track the shooters back in time until one of the duo was seen getting out of a car. They identified the car and from this they were able to identify its driver, Adisak.

Gen Patchara said, “All the members of the team are from Krabi. We will arrest the man who ordered the hits very soon.”

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/team-of-5-arrested-after-botched-phuket-hit-51163.php

-- Phuket News 2015-02-26

[ChaangNoi]

The guy who hired and paid for the hits will be arrested or is that not a crime in Thailand?

[retell]

The guy that hired them will be arrested soon , what's that,? he gets a few days to get his things arranged and move to another country ?

Edited February 26, 2015 by retell

[siampolee]

The businessman looked at his options: B6.5 million to get the half-square-metre of land or B600,000 to get rid of Songvit and, as a precaution, his brother, who was also his heir. He hired a fixer who in turn hired four men to carry out the hits.

He hired a fixer who in turn hired four men to carry out the hits.

One can't find any half decent sub contractors anywhere these day can one?

[robertthebruce]

Shocking or what.. but to be honest after 5 years living in ''Thailand'' i am getting used to stuff like this..

Sad state of affairs for sure...

[LivinginKata]

Just the way some people sort out a business problem - plenty of other examples over the years here in Phuket.

[kkerry]

The businessman looked at his options: B6.5 million to get the half-square-metre of land or B600,000 to get rid of Songvit and, as a precaution, his brother, who was also his heir. He hired a fixer who in turn hired four men to carry out the hits.

He hired a fixer who in turn hired four men to carry out the hits.

One can't find any half decent sub contractors anywhere these day can one?

Seems to be the case, but the land owner was trying to extort him that's for sure... ฿6.5mil

[Sviss Geez]

The guy who hired and paid for the hits will be arrested or is that not a crime in Thailand?

It's all there if you just read the OP...

"Gen Patchara said...We will arrest the man who ordered the hits very soon.”

[angiolo]

A Thai would not do this.

[steelepulse]

If the dumbass wouldn't have built onto his neighbour's property, he wouldn't be looking at this enormous payout penalty. Amazing how they know who hired these thugs, yet he's not been named nor apprehended...............

[huanga]

A Thai would not do this.

Yes. A Thai will not do that. It would take 5 of them ( pack mentality) to do this and look how it turned out!

[Tatsujin]

The guy who hired and paid for the hits will be arrested or is that not a crime in Thailand?

Gen Patchara said, “All the members of the team are from Krabi. We will arrest the man who ordered the hits very soon.”

One would assume they know who he is, have all the evidence they need already including confessions, and the guy is simply lying low as tends to happen.

[Borzandy]

Thi is the real LOS

[Loles]

Dumb NUTS

[Suffinator]

Pure Thainess

[keestha]

Stuff like this, buildings encroaching on a neighboring plot of land, should be sorted out by the local OrBorTor.

[skildpadden]

Why won't they reveal the name of the man who ordered the hit?

[The Deerhunter]

Pure Thainess

There seems to be a lot of this sort of thing. A common way of sorting out difficult business situations. One man builds encroaching on another man's land. That man tries to extort an unreasonable amount of money so the builder of the offending structure decides to top the offended-land-owner-attempted-extortionist.

As it is so common, as Suffinator says, it could easily be described as Thainess. I for one find this difficult to understand this behaviour in a country of otherwise apparently devout Buddhists. We farangs are criticized for not understanding or appreciating "Thainess." I am not sure that I wish to understand or ever appreciate it. Rather than "Pure Thainess" could we perhaps describe it as "Impure Thainess" and thereby I manage to escape being criticized for failing to understand or appreciate it.

Edited February 26, 2015 by The Deerhunter

[bubblegum]

6.5 Mil???

[gyrosman]

Team, yes who runs first. Sorry, it reminds me of Polish jokes, how many to change a light bulb : 5, one for the light bulb and 4 to turn the table. So, 5 guys to wack 1 person, overkill or bad shots?

[Lupatria]

Slowly I begin considering that the wild west in comparison to Amazing Thailand was some kind of peaceful refuge with law abiding dwellers

[harleyclarkey]

The mentality of them..

The kind, friendly guy demands off his neighbour, with no doubt a warm embracing smile, the ridiculous sum of 6.5m baht for a postage size piece of dirt.

The neighbour gets just a tad upset and hires thugs to kill him.

Brains abound! But then none of us here are surprised.

[BigC]

Thi is the real LOS

It is the wild west here lol

[koo wallety tourist]

so he was quoted more than 300,000 baht for a 1 sq meter renovation.? > expensive. gotta be a face issue.

Edited February 26, 2015 by koo wallety tourist

[rethaier]

A Thai would not do this.

Isn't that line getting a bit passe?

[Luxfare]

6.5 million for half a square meter??? How much would it have cost just to change the building?? A couple of hundred grand no doubt.....so no, instead he hires arguably the most sorry looking hitmen in South East Asia to rub him out.

What did the business man expect for 300k ? Carlos the Jackal? You wouldn't get Mr Bean for 300k.

[kalbz]

Amazing Thailand

[jomcondo]

Another example of why you should never get involved with Thais & money

[FredNL]

At the end an article in the newspaper will say that it just was a misunderstanding.

[Showbags]

Thai bashing...should not be allowed...should be ashamed of yourselves....best not mention that movie based on this country