Thai police capture notorious gunman at Surat Thani resort
Thai police successfully apprehended a notorious gunman with an extensive criminal history, in a resort in Chaiya district, Surat Thani province.
The 38 year old gunman, Thanawat, who reportedly has nine arrest warrants for various offences including murder and drug trafficking, was taken into custody without incident after being persuaded by his wife.
Police from multiple regions, including the Crime Suppression Division Region 9 and officers from Surat Thani, Trang, and Phatthalung provinces, coordinated the operation yesterday, April 22, at 3pm. They followed Thanawat from Trang province, where he was last seen, travelling with his wife to collect a drug-related debt.
A strategic plan was executed to surround the resort where he was staying, anticipating potential resistance due to his known possession of firearms.
Initially, Thanawat refused to surrender but eventually complied after nearly an hour of negotiation, largely influenced by his wife’s encouragement. He expressed that he would have resisted arrest if not for her intervention, citing a recent police operation against another gunman known as Bang Ae in Trang province on April 17 as a reason for his apprehension.
Upon searching the room, police discovered a ready-to-use M26 grenade, a .357 revolver with ammunition, a rifle, and a shotgun, all with ammunition. Thanawat was then taken for further interrogation to expand the investigation before being handed over to legal action.
Thanawat’s criminal record includes several serious offences. On July 26, 2023, he and five others attempted to collect a 3 million baht (US$89,760) debt, fatally shooting durian trader Thanongsak in front of his wife in Khanthuli subdistrict, Tha Chana district, Surat Thani province.
Another incident occurred on March 12, 2024, when he shot and killed 35 year old Sakulrat on a roadside in Wang Ang subdistrict, Cha-uat district, Nakhon Si Thammarat province. Thanawat survived an attack when rivals shot him in the mouth in Khao Phanom district, Krabi province, resulting in the loss of nine teeth.
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