Songkran event: Fatal shooting, journalist threatened with death (video)
A Songkran Festival event at Tawanna Shopping Centre in the Bang Kapi area of Bangkok has been cancelled following a fatal shooting on Saturday night. A Thai journalist team was reportedly threatened with death by one of the event organisers.
The Facebook page Jmoi V+ (เจ๊มอย v+) shared a video of the altercation on Saturday, April 5, between two groups of attendees at the Khot Pieak Songkran Festival 2025 (โคxต เปียก) in the Bang Kapi area. The footage showed a fight breaking out, followed by multiple gunshots.
Other attendees uninvolved in the altercation screamed and fled the scene for their safety.
The victim, identified as 36 year old Jaturawit, also known as “Top Latkrabang,” was the owner of a bar in the Romklao area of Bangkok. He suffered two gunshot wounds to the chest and body and died at the scene.
The gunman was identified as 27 year old Kittiphum. He was arrested shortly after the incident and taken to Lat Phrao Police Station. The .38 calibre gun used in the killing was confiscated.
Channel 8 later reported that the shooting stemmed from an ongoing conflict between the female friends of the two parties. The two men had attempted to resolve the issue on behalf of their friends but became embroiled in a heated argument, which escalated into the fatal shooting.
During questioning, Kittiphum claimed that Jaturawit initiated the fight by punching him and his friend, Sarawut. He said he was then struck on the head with a hard object, prompting him to rush to his car to retrieve a gun. He stated that he initially fired into the sky.
However, Kittiphum failed to explain how Jaturawit was struck by the bullet if he had only fired upwards. He admitted to buying the firearm online for 20,000 baht.
Kittiphum faces two charges including:
- Section 8 of the Act on Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives, Fireworks, and Imitation Firearms: carrying a firearm in a public place without a licence. The penalty is up to five years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to 10,000 baht, or both.
- Section 290 of the Criminal Code: physically assaulting another person resulting in death. This carries a penalty of three to 15 years’ imprisonment.
The event organiser later posted an official announcement on the event’s Facebook page stating that the final day of the festival, Sunday, April 6, would be cancelled. Attendees who had purchased tickets would receive a refund within three days of the cancellation.
The fatal shooting attracted significant public attention, prompting multiple news agencies to visit the scene to report on the incident. A female journalist from Amarin TV, Darawan “Doughnut” Khantiwong, and her team also visited the site on Sunday.
However, instead of gathering further information, Doughnut and her team were allegedly threatened with death by one of the event organisers, 56 year old Palakorn “Moo” Limdun.
Photo of Palakorn via MGR OnlineDoughnut explained that Palakorn’s son accused a member of her team of secretly taking photographs without permission. To avoid further conflict, the team deleted all photos.
Despite this, Palakorn allegedly issued a death threat. Doughnut stated that he was overheard speaking on the phone and threatening to shoot the entire journalist team.
According to Doughnut, officers from Lat Phrao Police Station intervened, allowing her and her team to leave the area safely. However, she said they still felt unsafe due to Palakorn’s close ties to the police as he previously served as a member of the Police Administration Inspection and Monitoring Committee.
Palakorn gave a media interview today, Monday, April 7, to deny the allegations. He claimed he was speaking with relatives on the phone and had not intended to threaten any journalists. Instead, he said he was contemplating suicide along with his family due to severe emotional distress and financial losses from the cancelled event.
He insisted that the journalist team had taken photographs of him and his son without consent and said he would pursue legal action against them. Doughnut also vowed to take legal action against Palakorn and others involved in the incident.
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