Motorbike Taxi Driver Nabbed for Murder
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Volume 15 Issue 38 News Desk - Tel: 076-236555September 20 - 26, 2008 Daily news at www.phuketgazette.net 25 Baht The Gazette is published Coral Reef in association with Motorbike taxi driver Squadron nabbed for murder project INSIDE By Sompratch Saowakhon ‘ready to go’ PATONG: Low-season despera- By Stephen Fein tion for passengers took a deadly turn on the night of September PHUKET CITY: Following a 13, when a motorcycle taxi driver productive meeting at Phuket gunned down a rival from a com- Provincial Hall on the afternoon peting queue in Patong. of September 16, the “Coral The alleged killer, who Reef Squadron” project to cre- turned himself in the following ate an artificial reef off Bang Tao day, was no stranger to being Bay is ready to move forward handcuffed: he was out on bail and will kick off with a “Grand for the May 19 shooting murder Opening” event on November of another man inside a 7-Eleven 29, its organizers say. store on nearby Nanai Rd. Rainer Gottwald, who Pol Maj Gen Apirak Hong- heads the Thai Dive Association thong, the omnipresent Phuket (TDA) technical committee, de- Provincial Police Commander, scribed the recent meeting as INSIDE STORY: Agro-tourism “harmonious”. and homestays on nearby made his way to the murder islands are giving down-to-earth scene after Kathu Police Super- With help from the Royal tourists a chance to go native. intendent Col Grissak Song- Thai Navy, the sinking of the ves- See pages 4-5 moonnark informed him of the sels will begin in early to mid- shooting at 10 pm. November, with a hiatus in the News: Tourism Minister Also at the scene was One Two Go work on November 14-16 dur- calls for confidence; Chalong Kathu Police Investigations In- ing Royal Cremation ceremonies Circle circum-resized. spector Chalermchai Hern- for HRH Princess Galyani Vad- Page 3 sawas, who identified the victim hana. as 31-year-old Pornchai “Ko- Memorial Service The exact timing of the QUEER NEWS: The dangers of Cherd” Suwannakin. Rabbi Aharon Solomon reads a few verses of the Torah for the work will depend on weather swinging in Thailand. Mr Pornchai was shot at Jewish victims who died in the One Two Go crash on September conditions, he said. Page 6 least four times with a 9mm gun 16 last year. His words were heard by a handful of people who One of the four Douglas C- turned up to pay their respects at the informal one-year memorial GOOD LIVING: Fountain of as he stood next to his motorbike 47 Dakota Skytrain military youth at Evason. Page 11 in front of Bua Hotel on Phisit service held on Mai Khao Beach. transport aircraft used in the Gorani Rd. Two of the bullets A brief Buddhist ceremony with monks was also held before project will be specially deco- LOOKING BACK: Would you entered his skull, killing him in- Phuket resident Christy Sweet read a list of names of those who rated underwater and serve as a believe Phuket was nearly stantly. He was also hit twice in died in the crash then read a list of names of the survivors. focal point of the opening cer- sold to foreigners 200 years the back. Police collected four The service was held on the beach at the western end of the emonies, he added. ago? Page 28 bullet casings at the scene. His runway at Phuket International Airport, beside the tsunami Providing some submarine assailant, who was riding a mo- memorial stone and a spirit house posted in remembrance of Hanna “ground support” for the 10 air- STAMPS 6 ; AROUND THE N ATION torcycle, rode off quickly, wit- Backlund, the murdered Swedish backpacker. craft will be WWII era GMC 7; AROUND THE REGION 8; trucks, provided courtesy of the AROUND THE SOUTH 9; AROUND nesses said. THE ISLAND 10; PHUKET PEOPLE Rescue workers from the few days ago he parked to pick to police after an arrest warrant Royal Thai Army. 12 & 13; HAPPENINGS 14; Kusoldharm Foundation took Mr up a fare in an area claimed by a had been issued for him in con- One of the project organiz- HOROSCOPES 15; LIFESTYLE 16 Pornchai’s body, still clad in the rival taxi queue. That’s what led nection with the murder of mo- ers, For Sea Foundation Secre- & 17; BEHIND THE W HEEL 18; motorbike taxi drivers’ trademark to the dispute and subsequent torcycle taxi driver Satien Wong- tary Vittayen Muttamara, con- WHAT’S ON 19; BUSINESS & light-blue vest, to Patong Hospi- murder.” wai, aged 25. firmed that his group will orga- MONEY 20 & 21; SPA MAGIC tal. Questioning the victim’s Mr Satien, also described nize a benefit concert on Novem- 22; TAKE A BREAK 23 & 24; “We know the victim had a friends from the same queue, as a friendly man, was shot twice ber 28, the day before the “Grand OFF THE SHELF, THAI 101 25; problem with a member of a ri- police were told that the killer in the back and once in the neck Opening” with top national acts EDITORIAL & LETTERS 26; val motorcycle taxi queue,” said was none other 31-year-old with a 9mm gun inside the 7- “on the same scale as Tata GOVERNOR’S L ETTER 27; ENVI- Lt Col Chalermchai. “We learned Chainart Yuyen. Eleven near the intersection of Young” scheduled to perform. RONMENT 29; PROPERTY 33-38; by questioning people in the area Earlier this year, on May Nanai Rd and Sainamyen Rd at A major impediment to the CLASSIFIEDS 39-51. that he was a kind fellow, but a 18, Chainart turned himself over Continued on page 2 Continued on page 2 2 PHUKET GAZETTE NEWS September 20 - 26, 2008 From page 1 Patong taxi toll: Heartbroken man suicides by drinking pesticide By Sompratch Saowakhon Kusoldharm Foundation had to remove a win- The apartment owner told police that Two shootings in dow pane to gain entry into the room, which she felt sorry for Mr Narong after he was PHUKET CITY: In what appears to be yet was locked from the inside. left heartbroken and penniless and let him stay four months another case of suicide, the decomposing Once inside, they found Mr Narong’s free of charge, encouraging him to try and corpse of a Thai-American man was found corpse lying face up on the bed, next to which save up enough money so he could return to about 2 am on May 16. on September 14 in a small apartment on were found a bottle of insecticide and a small America. Chainart, who met Patong Phang Nga Rd, where he took his own life bottle of SangSom whiskey. But Mr Narong never recovered from Mayor Pian Keesin before hand- by drinking insecticide. The apartment’s owner, who identified the heartbreak and remained despondent, she ing himself over to police in May, Phuket City Police Investigations In- herself as a close friend of the deceased, said was quoted as saying. denied any involvement in that spector Pitakpol Sompong identified the de- Mr Narong had been living in the room free- Mr Narong’s body was taken to Vachira murder. ceased as 60-year-old Narong Yingyong- of-charge since August 20. Phuket Hospital pending identification by his After his relatives posted rattana, who was born in Thailand but held a From the state of decomposition, Lt Col relatives in Thailand, who have already been bail, he returned to work in the US passport after having lived and worked in Pitakpol estimated that Mr Narong died no contacted. same area, which is home to the US for many years. fewer than three days before his body was It would be up to the relatives to re- thousands of nightlife industry At about 2 pm, the owner of Nanachart discovered. quest a complete autopsy confirming the workers who use motorcycle Mansion on Phang Nga Rd Soi 2 called the “I found a suicide note in which Mr cause of death, he said. taxis to get to and from work in 191 emergency number to report a death in Narong apologized to his close friends, but However, there were no signs of injury the Soi Bangla area. Room 211, on the second floor of the four- said he could no longer endure the heartbreak or foul play to suggest that Mr Narong’s death The same scenario was story apartment block. he had felt after being jilted by his lover,” he was anything other than a suicide, Lt Col played out again on September Police and rescue workers from the said. Pitakpol said. 15, when Chainart, again accom- panied by relatives, turned him- self over directly to Maj Gen Apirak, Phuket’s top cop. Lt Col Chalermchai de- Weerasak visits in bid to Patong clined to say exactly where or when the handover took place, but said that the suspect had con- steps up fessed to involvement in both restore tourist confidence cases and has been charged with By Sompratch Saowakhon a second case of premeditated surf safety murder. PHUKET: Tourism and Sports “He is still in a cell at Kathu Minister Weerasak Kowsurat PATONG: Strong waves creat- Police Station. We are preparing arrived in Phuket on September ing dangerous swimming condi- his case file and will turn him over 10 with New Zealand Ambassa- tions in Patong has prompted of- to the Phuket Provincial Court dor to Thailand Brook Barrington ficers from Patong Municipality soon,” he said. and an entourage of foreign me- to volunteer to keep watch along “We will not allow his re- dia in a bid to restore tourist con- Patong Beach for any tourists lease on bail under any circum- fidence in Phuket after a People’s who may get into difficulty.