Suspected double gang-related murder in Banglamung.
A suspected gang-related murder now from wasteland just off Highway 331 in Kow Mai Geow sub-district. On Thursday Morning passers-by made the gruesome discovery of the body of a heavily tattooed man in undergrowth. The Police were called and due to the seriousness of the case, Police Colonel Nopadon, the Chief of Banglamung Police was called in to oversee the case. He made an inspection of the young man thought to be aged around 25. He was not carrying any forms of ID but one of the victim’s tattoos showed the names, Udomruck, Tonglor, Kosit and Sompong. Another of the tattoo’s appeared to indicate the symbol of a Chinese Mafia Gang known as Yakoosa. The victim had been shot six times and a head injury was evident. Near the body was an area of burnt wasteland with evidence of human remains, suggesting that another person had been killed and burnt at the location. A local resident heard the shooting at around 3am on Thursday and a pick-up was seen leaving from the location at speed.This disturbing case is now being investigated with some urgency by Banglamung Police who are gathering clues in this suspected double murder case.
Wednesday 17th January 2007
Dramatic Shootout as Police chase two men, thought to be armed, in Jomtien.
We followed a group of Police Officers as they chased two men on a motorbike that were thought to be armed, in the early hours of Wednesday Morning which resulted in shots being fired as the pursuit came to an end. The case begins at a Thai-Esarn Restaurant in Soi Welcome Jomtien Hotel where Police received a report of threats being made to patrons by two men who were carrying guns. Police arrived and the two suspects fled. The chase culminated at the intersection on the Sukumvit Road with Soi Watboon in Jomtien. Our Journalist reported shots being fired as the chase came to an end and we saw one of the suspects had sustained a gun shot wound to his leg. Both men were taken into custody and one firearm was recovered which was in fact a cigarette lighter and not a real weapon. A full enquiry into the case is now taking place and the two men remain behind bars until a decision on how to proceed with the case is made by the Police.
Friday 19th January 2007
Car of local journalist shot at in front of his house in Soi Neun Pleub Wan.
Being a journalist here in Pattaya can be a risky business as demonstrated in this story from Soi Neun Pleub Wan. Khun Tanasap is the local journalist for TV Channel 3 and is the owner of a local Newspaper called “Kow Daert”. At around 5am on Friday, he was awoken by six gun shots just outside his house. He saw two masked men on a motorbike leaving the scene directly after the shooting. Police Sub-Lieutenant Prasit from Banglamung Police Station was called in to investigate the case and began by examining Khun Tanasap’s Black Toyota Vios and saw the shattered front passenger’s window and various other damage to the body-work of the car caused by the bullets. There is a difference of opinion as to possible motives for the incident. The Police believe it may be related to his Newspaper where he has criticized local entertainment venues in the past, however Khun Tanasap refutes these claims and cannot offer a possible motive for the shooting which he believes may be a random event. For now Khun Tanasap is assisting Police with their enquires but for now the case has reminded other journalists of previous cases where local journalists have been murdered because of their outspoken comments.
Thursday 11th January 2007
Two Frenchmen arrested after ATM card robbery in South Pattaya.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Sirichai from Pattaya Police Station received an urgent complaint from Mr. Karl Huber aged 59 from Germany on Thursday Afternoon. He stated that he had just been robbed by two foreign men as he withdrew money from a Krungthai Bank ATM Machine opposite the Lek Hotel on Pattaya Second Road. He explained that three men approached from behind and snatched Mr. Huber’s ATM card from the machine and ran away. Descriptions of the three men were given to Police who managed to locate two of them nearby. Mr. Nabil Hamdikene aged 32 and Mr. Haseem Hagrim aged 26, both French nationals, were taken to Pattaya Police Station and identified by the German victim. The stolen MasterCard was recovered from one of the suspects and a machine used to scan ATM card magnetic strips was found in a bag belonging to the other suspect. Both suspects were later taken to their Hotel rooms and we understand the investigation is ongoing at this time.
