Panthongtae “Oak” Shinawatra, son of former PM Thaksin Shinawatra, is a free man, after Thailand’s Attorney General decided to not appeal against his acquittal for alleged money laundering. He was charged by the Department of Special Investigations after 10 million baht was deposited into his bank account by an executive of the Krisdamahanakorn Group of real estate companies, which was granted a 10 billion baht loan by the state run Krung Thai Bank, despite the group’s poor financial standing.

The loan was later transferred to the accounts of companies affiliated with the Krisdamahanakorn Group and used to buy shares in Airports of Thailand Company, instead of being used to boost the financial status of Krisdamahanakorn Group.

The case dates back to 2004, when Thaksin was Thailand’s PM. Several executives of Krisdamahanakorn Group and Krung Thai Bank were given long prison terms in 2015, after being convicted of corruption and malfeasance by the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders.

After his acquittal, the public prosecutors decided to not appeal the verdict, thus clearing Panthongtae, but the DSI insisted on appealing to a higher court and the case went to the Attorney General, who has now brought this high-profile case to a close.

SOURCE: Thai PBS World

A murder suspect in Thailand’s southern Trang province committed suicide as police moved to arrest him yesterday. Authorities say he was one of three gunmen in the murder of a driver in neighbouring Phatttalung province last year.

40 year old Haron Usen was hiding out with his girlfriend in a house in tambon Bang Sak. Provincial and local police surrounded the house about 11am, armed with an arrest warrant issued by a Phatthalung court for collusion in murder.

Officers had Haron’s mother with them, hoping she could persuade him to surrender, but after a 3 hour standoff, the suspect still refused to give up, sending his girlfriend out of the house to safety instead.

Shortly afterward a gunshot rang out. Police say the suspect shot himself in the head with a hand .357 pistol. He died as a result of his wounds. Police also found a 9 millimetre pistol hidden under the bed. The body was taken to Kantang Hospital mortuary.

On September 5 last year, a group of armed men in a pickup truck opened fire at a car in Phatthalung’s Muang district at about 4:30am. The driver was killed and the 3 passengers fled unharmed.

Police identified Haron as one of the gunmen.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post

A motorbike driver attacked a taxi driver on Wednesday this week after an accident by taking off his helmet and repeatedly hitting the driver with it before stabbing him with a screwdriver.

A witness says the motorbike cut in front of the taxi on Phet Kasem Road, or Highway 4, in Bangkok, but the taxi couldn’t stop in time and ran into the motorbike, Thai media reports. When the taxi driver stepped out to look at the damage, the motorbike driver took off his helmet and attacked him. Then he took out a screwdriver and stabbed the taxi driver. When people ran up to help, the motorbike driver hopped on his bike and drove off.

The witness took photos of the accident and shared it on Facebook. Yesterday, the motorbike driver turned himself into the Phet Kasem Police and was charged with reckless driving and causing physical and mental harm.

SOURCE: Thai Residents