Police bank on clues from survivor in Krabi massacre

[webfact]

Police bank on clues from survivor in Krabi massacre

By KAMPANART LA-ONG, 
SITTICHAI SIKHAWAT, 
SURIYA PATATHAYO 
THE NATION 

 

 

KRABI: -- POLICE are preparing sketches of the gunmen behind the shocking massacre of a village head’s family in Krabi province. The sketches are being drawn based on descriptions provided by a survivor.

A female victim miraculously survived the attack because a bullet just scraped her right temple on Monday night. 

 

“She fainted during the shooting, which might have misled her attackers into believing that she was already dead. But after she regained consciousness and they left the scene, she alerted officials,” a source said yesterday. 

 

Worayuth Sunglung, a village head, and seven other family members were fatally shot in an execution-style attack inside their home in Krabi’s Ao Luk district on Monday night. Three other family members survived their gunshot wounds. Victims included women and children. 

 

After the crime was reported, national police Commissioner Pol General Chaktip Chaijinda not only ordered the Crimes Suppression Division (CSD) to act quickly, but also took a helicopter flight to Krabi to oversee the investigation. “Personally I believe the motive is a serious personal conflict,” he was quoted by AFP as saying. 

 

An ongoing police investigation suggests that there are several possible motives behind the massacre: Worayuth’s conflicts with the chief executive of a tambon administrative organisation; a dispute over the plan to set up a stone mill that has intensified during the past month; Worayuth’s lawsuit to force eight alleged encroachers off public land; drug issues; and Worayuth’s move to chase a misbehaving teacher out of his area. 

 

Police said the attackers must have carefully planned the massacre. 

 

According to the survivor with minor injuries, at least six armed attackers showed up in military-style camouflage and claimed that they needed to search the house. 

 

All family members were then detained for several hours. When Worayuth returned to the house that also serves as his office, he was handcuffed. Finally, he and all his family members were shot. Of them, three have survived. 

 

“The attackers have collected all bullet casings from the scenes of the crime. They have also taken away a hard disk linked to the CCTV system,” a police source said.

 

Captain Suwit Kaewpreecha, deputy inspector of Ao Luk Police Station in Krabi, was alerted to the massacre about 1.30am yesterday. 

Initially, five victims died at the scene and three others, including Worayuth, succumbed later at a hospital.

 

Police said the attackers used two vehicles, one of them being a Toyota Fortuner with a Songkhla licence plate. Following the crime, they took away Worayuth’s car and his four guns. 

 

Pol Colonel Krissana Pattanacharoen, a deputy spokesman for the National Police Office, said police had already interviewed several witnesses in the case. 

 

Krabi’s police chief Pol Maj-General Worawit Panprung said police would try to check recordings from CCTV cameras on main roads to determine if any of them had captured the suspects’ vehicles. 

 

A number of locals turned up at the funeral of Worayuth’s family members yesterday. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30320492

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-07-12

[ChrisY1]

Come on RTP.....my guess is that you already know the culprits....just do your job!

A hit this big would not be able to be kept 100% secretive...!

[outsider]

1 hour ago, ChrisY1 said:

Come on RTP.....my guess is that you already know the culprits....just do your job!

A hit this big would not be able to be kept 100% secretive...!

Most probably faffing about to buy time and come up with a (mostly laughable) story on who/what/why/how this happened, or looking for some viable scapegoats, or both, while the real culprits disappear into thin air, if they have not already done so. And that, is the brown clowns actually doing their jobs.

[shaurene]

If there has been a conflict about land/property going on a number of the villagers would know. It would not have been kept secret in a village, everyone knows what everyones problems are. 

Looks obvious there is a high money man/femal involved. 

Government should send down the top investigation squads like in he USA. FBI. They MUST NOT LET THE LOCAL BILL BE RESPONSIBLE INVESTING THIS. Great possibility some of them colecting monthly tips.

[meatboy]

surely the survivors have been flown out of the country.

police bank on clue's from a survivor, DONT BANK ON IT.

[Yann55]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

“Personally I believe the motive is a serious personal conflict,” he was quoted by AFP as saying. 

No kidding, Mr Pol Gen ... with such brilliant insight you have a glorious career ahead of you still.

 

'Village heads' are an interesting lot, in this country. I believe (or wish to believe) that a great majority of them are wise people who occupy this function because they are experienced, level-headed, and place collective interest above their own ...

 

Then there are those who serve as daily evidence to Lord Acton's famous statement : 'power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely'. Well, in a country where corruption is the rule, not the exception, the position of village head obviously yields great danger.

 

And when the end victims are kids, the tragedy is beyond words.

[wvavin]

It is all about the gun control of this country but the government chooses to believe everything is all right with private gun ownerships so be it!

[Khun Paul]

The only clues they will ever get, as their Forensic investigative skills are almost ZERO after hoirdes of Police and others have trampled all the evidence or removed it before anything else is done.

 

They often remind me of  Mr Plod of Toytown  catching Big Ears

 

[4MyEgo]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

“The attackers have collected all bullet casings from the scenes of the crime. They have also taken away a hard disk linked to the CCTV system,”

This is not a professional hit, as I would have imagined that the house would have been torched, one movie too many in my opinion, won't be long, there will be a big shoot out, and the suspects will be all dead, while the big honkies collect what they needed to collect.

[Crash999]

Follow the money. An attack like this is very expensive and extremely difficult to pull off without connections, probably to the Deep South. 

 

Anyone can find a hitman. Not just anyone can find an experienced team like this 

[Wake Up]

Hope the hitmen and their bosses get put away permanently. Takes a different mindset to shoot children in front of their parents. 

[jak2002003]

Maybe the police will come to the conclusion it was mass suicide? 

[DekDaeng]

15 minutes ago, jak2002003 said:

Maybe the police will come to the conclusion it was mass suicide? 

Or they could arrange for those Burms to be let out for that time - in the book, anyway.

 

It amazes me they never seem to look at phone records? Maybe they are worried what they might find?

[FitnessHealthTravel]

Dangerous job being the 'Village Head' these days.

[johnarth]

2 hours ago, shaurene said:

If there has been a conflict about land/property going on a number of the villagers would know. It would not have been kept secret in a village, everyone knows what everyones problems are. 

Looks obvious there is a high money man/femal involved. 

Government should send down the top investigation squads like in he USA. FBI. They MUST NOT LET THE LOCAL BILL BE RESPONSIBLE INVESTING THIS. Great possibility some of them colecting monthly tips.

so true the Thais well not get the right people in this, but be lucky if anybody else could now

[Monkeyrobot]

There not nice people down south. 

[The Dark Lord]

14 minutes ago, Monkeyrobot said:

There not nice people down south. 

They are not nice people, full stop ( period, for the yanks amongst us) 

[farcanell]

If I were that misbehaving school teacher, mentioned in the list of folk with motives..... I'd get the F outta Dodge asap!

[hotchilli]

2 hours ago, Crash999 said:

Follow the money. An attack like this is very expensive and extremely difficult to pull off without connections, probably to the Deep South. 

 

Anyone can find a hitman. Not just anyone can find an experienced team like this 

They most definitely were not an experienced team, leaving victims alive, leaving CCTV footage in a hard drive etc does not boast professionalism.

Just a bunch of thugs sent in to do a job, and a piss poor one at that.

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, shaurene said:

If there has been a conflict about land/property going on a number of the villagers would know. It would not have been kept secret in a village, everyone knows what everyones problems are. 

Looks obvious there is a high money man/femal involved. 

Government should send down the top investigation squads like in he USA. FBI. They MUST NOT LET THE LOCAL BILL BE RESPONSIBLE INVESTING THIS. Great possibility some of them colecting monthly tips.

If you read the post :

After the crime was reported, national police Commissioner Pol General Chaktip Chaijinda not only ordered the Crimes Suppression Division (CSD) to act quickly, but also took a helicopter flight to Krabi to oversee the investigation

he has not left the investigation in the hands of local police only !

[Grumpy Duck]

2 hours ago, jak2002003 said:

Maybe the police will come to the conclusion it was mass suicide? 

I doubt it Thais don't commit suicide, only farangs

[Elkski]

The article States the house CCTV system hard drive is gone.  Where did some of you guys learn to Read?

does seem like pros would have checked for a pulse before leaving.  This just set back that airport idea another decade

[ALLSEEINGEYE]

4 hours ago, FitnessHealthTravel said:

Dangerous job being the 'Village Head' these days.

Youlive by the sword you die by the sword. Just sick that the innocent family has to pay the price.

[webfact]

Krabi Family Massacre: Victim Linked To Land Dispute Lawsuits

By Teeranai Charuvastra, Staff Reporter

 

  

Investigators comb the residence of murdered village administrator Worayuth Sanlang in Krabi province Tuesday

 

KRABI — An official who was murdered alongside his entire family Monday was at the forefront of efforts to crack down on land encroachment, a relative said.

 

Gunmen in army fatigues shot and killed Worayuth Sanlang, 46, and seven of his family members – including his three young children – at their home in Krabi on Monday night. Central police have taken over the case, but police commanders on Tuesday refused to disclose details of their investigation to the media, including the possible motive behind the killings.

 

Full story: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/crimecourtscalamity/2017/07/12/krabi-family-massacre-victim-linked-land-dispute-lawsuits/

 

-- © Copyright Khaosod English 2017-07-12

[sweatalot]

" An official who was murdered alongside his entire family Monday was at the forefront of efforts to crack down on land encroachment"

 

 

If that's true the government should put on their iron gloves against land encroachers and better engage the military, not the police

[amdy2206]

Why not call in help from overseas??? They are more capable and able to solve things like this - except Thai won't admit they cant cope. They may lose face!!! Although they have lost so much face recently, a little more won't make any difference. But maybe with help they will bring the main people to justice. Although they wont admit the 'Mafia' exists, mainly as most of the so called elute are involved in it.

[TheGhostWithin]

And now they have released a sketch of the offender, asking for public assistance in identifying the offender. Good relationships with the public build rapport, which leads to people coming forward. Certain Police districts and provincial divisions constantly being seen as to not "do right by the people, for the people" has built a strong distrust in large parts of the country against the Police based on questionable judgement or insufficient lack of reasonable action in the past. I would say that actions by the provincial Police where this activity took place is one of the provinces where distrust of the Police is strong.

 

It appears, my friends, the Thai Police have an image problem they need to fix. Only then and with constant external review (we have it in New Zealand, it is called the independent Police conduct Authority, to ensure actions are justified, fair and reasonable) will the entire public literally buy in that Police are a useful and productive device within the community.

[hotchilli]

12 hours ago, amdy2206 said:

Why not call in help from overseas??? They are more capable and able to solve things like this - except Thai won't admit they cant cope. They may lose face!!! Although they have lost so much face recently, a little more won't make any difference. But maybe with help they will bring the main people to justice. Although they wont admit the 'Mafia' exists, mainly as most of the so called elute are involved in it.

This is a domestic crime... why would Thailand call in help from overseas?

How many other countries call in international assistance in solving a local murder?

[Xaos]

22 hours ago, johnarth said:

so true the Thais well not get the right people in this, but be lucky if anybody else could now

right ppl are wearing uniforms thats for sure

[Retiredandhappyhere]

2 hours ago, hotchilli said:

This is a domestic crime... why would Thailand call in help from overseas?

How many other countries call in international assistance in solving a local murder?

You are right, as no other countries would call for international assistance in solving a local murder, but then most other countries do have a capable police force.