Thai police admit they were involved in a shooting in which a schoolgirl was shot

[webfact]

Police admit they were involved in a shooting in which a schoolgirl was shot



BANGKOK: -- A stray bullet from a shooting incident between an anti-narcotic police squad and a narcotic trafficking gang struck a 14-year old schoolgirl travelling in her mother’s car in Bang Chan area on Wednesday evening.

Deputy national police chief Pol Gen Pongpat Pongcharoen led five members of the anti-narcotic police squad before the media at a press conference held Friday morning to admit their involvement in the shooting incident.

He said that the drug traffickers opened fire first after seeing the plainclothes policemen prompting the latter to return fire. The traffickers managed to escape, he added.

However, Pol Gen Pongpat said a panel would be set up to investigate the incident. As to who fired the shot which wounded the schoolgirl, Ms Anatta Songrat, he said that police would have to wait until the slug which was embedded in the victim could be plucked out and examined.

So far, no charges have been lodged against any of the narcotic police involved in the failed sting operation.

The victim is in stable condition in hospital.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/police-admit-they-were-involved-in-a-shooting-in-which-a-schoolgirl-was-shot


-- Thai PBS 2015-10-09

[ratcatcher]

I wish the young lady a speedy recovery. I am sure the police feel bad about this and I hope the girl is compensated properly. These incidents of 'collateral' damage can and do frequently occur when gunfights are in progress. (Or for that matter bombing raids).

[ldiablo]

Hahaha. Plucked out.

[z42]

So what of this '165-170 centimetres tall shooter with a tattoo on the left arm' I wonder. He just disappeared into thin air I take it. I wonder what these forensic tests will show. BS detector already on hand for the next episode of this sad and predictable story

[Bluespunk]

"He said that the drug traffickers opened fire first after seeing the plainclothes policemen prompting the latter to return fire"

They saw a plainclothes policeman?

Hmm, so how did they do that then?

[zaphod reborn]

I am sure the police feel bad about this and I hope the girl is compensated properly. These incidents of 'collateral' damage can and do frequently occur when gunfights are in progress. (Or for that matter bombing raids).

Doubtful that the police feel bad or that the girl's family will receive compensation. When there is no independent investigation of shootings involving police, there can be no review of whether the use of firearms was justified. This is particularly true in drug cases, because arresting drug offenders is an easy way for police to make it look like they are doing their jobs, and often receive higher compensation for doing as such.

The story of the police is highly suspect. They said the suspects opened fire after seeing "plainclothes policemen". If they were plainclothes, it is doubtful that the suspects would have opened fire on them. The more likely scenario is that the anti-narcotics unit found someone they wanted to plant drugs on, and, when the victims ran off, the police recklessly opened fire on them, and a stray round struck the poor girl. The fact that this firestorm apparently was perpetrated on a public roadway should raise red flags as to whether the police following proper procedures in using their firearms (as if any such standards exist in Thailand).

If this truly was a justified use of firearms by the police, collateral damage can occur, and an innocent can get injured or killed. I just don't buy that is what happened here. However, I am certain that, now they are looking into the matter, the RTP will conclude the shooting was justified and that the girl was just a victim of circumstance. Life remains cheap in Thailand, and the police continue to be rogues and renegades in the mix of things.

[ChrisY1]

Still the wild west.........cowboys everywhere and very little grey matter between the lot of them!

Edited October 9, 2015 by ChrisY1

[ratcatcher]

Still the wild west.........cowboys everywhere and very little grey matter between the lot of them!

No, not at all. The Wild West is the Excited States of America. Thailand OTOH is a member of the Wild East community. There are these kind of shootings in both Wild areas. And Yes that too.

[JAG]

"He said that the drug traffickers opened fire first after seeing the plainclothes policemen prompting the latter to return fire"

They saw a plainclothes policeman?

Hmm, so how did they do that then?

Very tight shirt and trousers?

[halloween]

"He said that the drug traffickers opened fire first after seeing the plainclothes policemen prompting the latter to return fire"

They saw a plainclothes policeman?

Hmm, so how did they do that then?

No they saw THE plainclothes policeMEN - which indicates more than one. If I make the assumption that plainclothes policemen moving to make an arrest would have guns in their hands, assuming that those armed men are plainclothes policemen is not a huge assumption to a drug dealer.

[Bluespunk]

"He said that the drug traffickers opened fire first after seeing the plainclothes policemen prompting the latter to return fire"

They saw a plainclothes policeman?

Hmm, so how did they do that then?

No they saw THE plainclothes policeMEN - which indicates more than one. If I make the assumption that plainclothes policemen moving to make an arrest would have guns in their hands, assuming that those armed men are plainclothes policemen is not a huge assumption to a drug dealer.

So the police had drawn there weapons is your scenario?

Fair enough, wonder if they made clear they were police?

Mind, given the number of drug dealers who end up dead in shoot outs with the BIB, that might actually cause the dealers to open fire.

No sympathy for drug dealers on my part but the police version of events seems too self serving and frankly, somewhat trite.

[jgriff]

In the BKK Post they had a group picture of 6 policemen standing around the girl lying in a bed in the hospital. They were all smiling like a chesire cat. Loks to me they really car about a photo opp more than a kid that's just been shot and by the police no less

[whatproblem]

When and if the traffickers are found ALL dtheir assets should be confiscated and given to the girl that was shot ,including those of the wife's that can't be proved to of been legally earned. The police have a hard job with the courts not helping them enough and the corupt police

Edited October 10, 2015 by whatproblem

[kannot]

I wish the young lady a speedy recovery. I am sure the police feel bad about this and I hope the girl is compensated properly. These incidents of 'collateral' damage can and do frequently occur when gunfights are in progress. (Or for that matter bombing raids).

Oh yes Im sure they will compensate

Struck by police bullet 50.000 baht

Catch a bomber 3 million baht

[IamNoone88]

The main point of this article is the RTP admitting a mistake and coming clean. This rarely happens and I hope happens more often. The public would be more forgiving of a Police force that tells the truth and admits mistakes. Wishing the kid a speedy recovery.

[konying]

I do not see how whose slug hit her makes any difference.

Police was involved in shooting, innocent bystander was injured.

Police is liable to compensate

[DLock]

That guy third from left knows he did it.

Looks just like my dog when my Lime Pie goes missing from the kitchen bench and I ask him if he ate it.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

And the alleged bad guys got away... again?

How convenient. Not only does this little caper end up in the shooting of an innocent civilian, but the cops can't even catch the guys they were after.

[digibum]

In the BKK Post they had a group picture of 6 policemen standing around the girl lying in a bed in the hospital. They were all smiling like a chesire cat. Loks to me they really car about a photo opp more than a kid that's just been shot and by the police no less

In only 12 posts you've become so cynical? :-)

How about once the news got out their commander ordered them down to the hospital so the press could photograph them "caring" about the little girl and they did what might come naturally for some people when cameras are thrust in their face and they smiled in the hopes that they would come off as friendly looking?

Also, keep in mind that the news outlet picks the photo they publish. The BKK Post editor may have thought that the picture captured caring police officers and ran with that photo instead of the photo where they were looking concerned and might have seemed cold and uncaring.

I'm far from being a police apologist and I'm as quick as the next guy to be cynical about what happens in Thailand but I really, really have a hard time believing that anybody, especially a cop, wouldn't care about shooting a kid, even accidentally.

[godden]

I'm sure the young lady feels plucked.

[mike324]

I'm guessing they were able to identify the police because the were in a group and stuck out like a sore thumb on the street which looked quite unsual, hence made them highly suspicious, especially when they were all looking at the drug traffickers way. Not too hard to ID something that out of the ordinary, just like if you were walking on a street and someone stared or looked at your longer than a blink of an eye, you will began to suspect that person is a little off for looking at you that way.

[NongKhaiKid]

Interesting to know where the unfortunate girl was in relation to the location of the gunfight.

Was it a stray round, a ricochet or out and out recklessness?

[Bignose]

The cynical negativity shown in the majority of TV posts used to be annoying, now I find it mildly amusing. I suppose I am just becoming used to reading the thoughts of the bored, the unloved, and those who now are without purpose.

It's true that this is a major and serious event that must be investigated, that an innocent bystander can be so seriously injured is a worry to us all, but as someone has stated previously the RTP have immediately acknowleged what took place and are treating it with the importance it deserves.

What more do you want?

We all know the problems that existed within the law enforcement agencies in the past, are there any out there who can honestly say nothing has changed?

IMHO major changes have been instigated, accountability is being introduced, there is an attempt being made to bring transparency into how these agencies work. Like all major change though it will take time, many of the endemic problems may well require generational effort to ensure the results are permanant.

If you can bridle your negativity for just a short time, you may be able to see that some small progress is indeed being made, you never know it might just cheer you up!!!

[arrowsdawdle]

"He said that the drug traffickers opened fire first after seeing the plainclothes policemen prompting the latter to return fire"

They saw a plainclothes policeman?

Hmm, so how did they do that then?

Maybe the plainclothes policemen demanded tea money to go away.

[Somtamnication]

Very careless if it was a police bullet. Thank God she did not die from this idiocy.

[cyberfarang]

My crystal ball tells me that the investigation is a foregone conclusion. It will show that it was not a police bullet that hit the girl.

[fred Kubasa]

Yeah the "traffickers" did escape but at least they shot someone !

[louse1953]

I am sure the police feel bad about this and I hope the girl is compensated properly. These incidents of 'collateral' damage can and do frequently occur when gunfights are in progress. (Or for that matter bombing raids).

Doubtful that the police feel bad or that the girl's family will receive compensation. When there is no independent investigation of shootings involving police, there can be no review of whether the use of firearms was justified. This is particularly true in drug cases, because arresting drug offenders is an easy way for police to make it look like they are doing their jobs, and often receive higher compensation for doing as such.

The story of the police is highly suspect. They said the suspects opened fire after seeing "plainclothes policemen". If they were plainclothes, it is doubtful that the suspects would have opened fire on them. The more likely scenario is that the anti-narcotics unit found someone they wanted to plant drugs on, and, when the victims ran off, the police recklessly opened fire on them, and a stray round struck the poor girl. The fact that this firestorm apparently was perpetrated on a public roadway should raise red flags as to whether the police following proper procedures in using their firearms (as if any such standards exist in Thailand).

If this truly was a justified use of firearms by the police, collateral damage can occur, and an innocent can get injured or killed. I just don't buy that is what happened here. However, I am certain that, now they are looking into the matter, the RTP will conclude the shooting was justified and that the girl was just a victim of circumstance. Life remains cheap in Thailand, and the police continue to be rogues and renegades in the mix of things.

You'd make a good lawyer for defence.Every story involving police,you have a fanciful story from your vivid imagination.

[MockingJay]

RTP - hub of incompetence and bad publicity...

[mikiea]

i will pray to my god to send this poor soul the finest lit agitator in the country to sue the overly tight pants offa the police dept . , they are a collective of Barny Fifes . they need to replace the 9 mm's with sling shots or bb guns ...ehhhh.... that will not work they would be shooting each other's eyes out .