Crime
Prisoner escapes hospital, turns himself in hours later

A prisoner fled from the hospital in the eastern Prachin Buri province where he had been admitted for a hernia operation, but surrendered to authorities less than 3 hours later. Authorities in the Kabin Buri district office say 38 year old Marut Kongchan was serving a drug sentence at Krabin Buri Prison. He slipped out of Kabin Buri Hospital about 9am yesterday.
Marut reportedly hailed a ride to the district’s bus terminal, where he met a friend and borrowed money from him. From there he hired a vehicle to go and see another friend, 38 year old Chatchai Sapong, a former prison inmate in tambon Muang Kao.
Marut asked Chatchai to contact the Kabin Buri Prison and inform officials that he wanted to surrender. It’s not known why he turned himself in so quickly.
Around 11:20am, officers arrived at Chatchai’s house and took Marut back to prison. He is charged with escaping, and faces additional prison time as a result.
Marut has been sentenced to prison 4 times in the past, all for drug offences.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
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Thailand
Local Thai politician arrested after allegedly firing shots at a pub

A local politician allegedly shot 4 people at a pub in Nakhon Phanom. Witnesses told the Bangkok Post that the man started firing shots at throughout the pub because he was drunk and unhappy with the table service. Police arrested 58 year old Paisal Saengnarai, who is a kamnan, the governing official of a tambon or sub district.
Witnesses say the kamnan of tambon Na-ngua at the pub drinking with friends when he got unhappy with the waiter. He then walked out to his car, drove to the front of the pub, grabbed his 9mm CZ pistol and started firing random shots in the pub, witnesses said, according to the Bangkok Post.
8 to 9 shots were fired, hitting 4 customers at the pub. They were rushed to Ban Phaeng Hospital. Paisal was arrested on a firearms charge.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
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Crime
Funeral shooting adds to Thailand’s trend of politically-motivated violence

Last week, a mayoral candidate was shot and killed and 6 others were wounded, including 3 people who were running in local elections and a local kamnan, a government official of a tambon, or sub district. Police say they believe the shooting was politically motivated. Violence related to local politics has been a trend in Thailand over the past few decades.
The gunman, who police suspect is Wanchart Niamraksa, a member of the local provincial administration organisation, opened fire at a temple in Ratchaburi, a province west of Bangkok near the Myanmar border. Witnesses say the gunman fired shots from behind a Buddha image, shooting Yingpan Kanket, the kamnan of tambon Don Sai, was lighting candles and incense sticks to start the funeral. Yingpan is now in critical condition.
Varaporn Niamraksa, who was running for mayor in the March 28 municipal election, was shot and later died at the hospital. Wanchart’s wife was Varaporn’s main competitor in the mayoral election. He’s also Varaporn’s brother-in-law. Wanchart has since surrendered to police.
The gunman shot and wounded 5 others, including 3 who are all running for the municipal council of tambon Don Sai. Police say they plan to charge Wanchart with murder, attempted murder, illegally possessing firearms and ammunition and carrying them in public.
While the story was covered in Thai media, it wasn’t a major headline, according to a Thai reporter. He says there’s been a pattern of politically motivated violence in Thailand. Just this past January, police arrested a man for allegedly planning to kill a local election candidate in the southern province Nakhon Si Thammarat.
Local politics in Thailand were described as “bloody” after the passing of the 1997 Constitution, leading to what the media calls a “decade of decentralisation.”
More than 362 local politicians were murdered between 2000 and 2009, according to date reported by Thai media. There were around 100 other murder attempts on local politicians. Around 73% of the victims who were either killed or wounded were sub district administration organisation representatives. Most were shot.
The majority of cases were in Narathiwat, Pattani, Yala and Songkhla, province’s in Thailand’s deep south near the Malaysian border, plagued with violence for decades due to the religious separatist insurgency.
In recent years, there’s also been a number of reports involving violence among local politicians in Thailand. In 2019, an MP for the Isaan province Khon Kaen was sentenced to death for hiring 2 former police officers to kill the assistant chief of the Khon Kaen provincial administration.
SOURCES: Kyoto Review | Bangkok Post| Chiang Rai Times| Post Today
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Crime
2 Phuket Town nightclubs shut down after allegedly violating multiple laws

2 Phuket Town nightclubs are shutting down after allegedly violating multiple laws. The Maldives and H20 on Lim Sui Ju Road, on the south end of Phuket Town were ordered by the Phuket Governor to close immediately, with the Maldives being ordered to close for 5 years.
The order comes after the Phuket City Police inspected the Maldives club, arresting the manager for operating an entertainment venue without a permit, allowing people under 20 years old to work or “use services in the venue,” and for selling alcohol without a permit.
Governor Narong cited his authority under Section 4 of NCPO order 22/2558 to order the Maldives nightclub to be closed for 5 years, from March 5, 2021 to March 4, 2026.
The order also prohibits the operators from opening any other entertainment venues during the same period. The H20 nightclub was ordered to close by a provincial order after Phuket City Police say they inspected the venue and charged the operator for selling or providing shisha, or baraku, without permission.
The owner was also accused of operating an entertainment venue without a permit and violating the provincial order for enforcing Covid-19 safety measures. But it is unknown what penalties were handed down to the operator of the H20 nightclub, unlike the Maldives operator, who received a penalty.
Instead, the governor cited the Revolution Council announcement of 1959, to shut down the establishment for 30 days from March 5, 2021 to April 3, 2021. The orders noted that both operators of the clubs have the right to appeal the closures, having 15 days to file an appeal directly with the Phuket Governor.
Meanwhile, Phuket is set to open its doors to vaccinated, international tourists by October, pending the government’s approval. The local government’s initiative, named Phuket First October, proposes vaccinating a majority of its population over 18 years of age in time for the high season.
The move would allow thousands of vaccinated Europeans to enter Thailand, while locals would be protected from the virus symptoms.
SOURCE: The Phuket News
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