Shooting at Samut Sakhon prison in Thailand, 2 correctional officers dead

Two correctional officers – a married couple – were found dead at their residence inside Samut Sakhon Provincial Prison in central Thailand yesterday. Police suspect that the husband shot dead his wife before committing suicide.

At 5pm, officers at Mueang Samut Sakhon Police Station were informed of a shooting inside an officer’s residence inside the prison in Moo 2, Ban ya Phraek subdistrict, Mueang district.

Inside the two-storey house, officers found the bodies of 43 year old Chalermpol [surname withheld] and his wife 44 year old Warintara [surname withheld], who had both been shot in the head.

Near their bodies, police found a 9mm Glock 19 gun and two bullet casings.

Superintendent of Mueang Samut Sakhon Police Station, Pol. Col. Pichetphong Jangkaikom, reported that the deceased were husband and wife and worked as correctional officers at the prison.

The couple were together for four to five years, said the superintendent. He believes the shooting is a result of “family problems.”

Chalermpol and Warintara’s bodies were sent to the Forensic Institute to undergo autopsies before being returned to the deceased’s families for religious ceremonies to be carried out.

Police did not allow reporters near the scene.

The Commander of Samut Sakhon Provincial Prison, Chamnan Leksakul, said the prison is currently investigating the facts of the shooting and will make a public statement once the investigation is complete.

Over 10 years ago in March 2013, around 30 prisoners at Samut Sakhon prison protested after an inmate died of heart failure. The prisoners claimed that the inmate’s death was caused by the prison’s lack of medical care for inmates. About 400 police officers were deployed to prevent prison violence.

According to a study by Kasetkart University in 2020, Samut Sakhon Provincial Prison is home to 1,025 prisoners.

The recently published Thailand Annual Prison Report 2023, conducted by the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), revealed a glum insight into prison conditions in present-day Thailand.

The report said Thailand “made little progress in implementing lessons learned from the pandemic to improve detention conditions and guarantee the well-being of inmates in 2022.”

Secretary-General of FIDH, Adilur Rahman Khan, said…

“Former prisoners described the inhuman and degrading treatment to which no inmate should be subjected. While authorities have taken some positive steps to address some blatantly abusive situations, the overall picture of prison conditions remains bleak. The Thai government must increase its efforts to make prison conditions consistent with international standards and the country’s human rights obligations.”