2 Thai teens surrender after brutal attack on homeless man in Isaan (video)
Two of the three Thai teenagers involved in the brutal attack on a homeless man in the Isaan province of Nakhon Ratchasima surrendered to the police yesterday. They claimed that another friend ordered them to commit the crime.
Locals in the Pak Chong district of Nakhon Ratchasima, along with rescuers from the Sawang Dhammastan Foundation, rushed the homeless man, 60 year old Kriangsak, to Pak Chong Nana Hospital on Sunday, October 27. He suffered severe injuries to his head and ribcage and bore bruises across his body.
Kriangsak told locals and rescuers that two teenagers asked him for 60 baht in cash but when he could not provide it, they beat him up on two occasions on October 25 and 27.
People in the area checked the security cameras and found three teenage boys involved in the brutal attack. The footage showed Kriangsak sleeping on the ground when three teenagers approached him. The attackers hit him with sticks and repeatedly kicked him.
After the incident attracted the attention of locals and netizens, the two attackers, 13 year old Kong and 14 year old Bom, turned themselves in at Pak Chong Police Station yesterday, October 28.
Kong and Bom told police that they were threatened by an unidentified person who said that he would beat them up in the same manner they had attacked the homeless man. Frightened, they decided to surrender themselves to the police.
Suspect still at large
The teenage suspects claimed that another friend, who was the leader of their group, ordered them to attack the homeless man. They attempted to contact the friend to accompany them to the police station but he did not answer their calls.
Channel 7 reported that these two teenagers had been arrested for theft previously. Some netizens pointed out that the clothes they wore on the day of the incident were similar to those worn by the suspects in a previous crime.
The police will conduct further investigations into these suspicions and will issue additional charges if the teenagers are found guilty.
Concerning the third teenager who remains at large, the police plan to issue a summons initially. Should he fail to present himself at the police station, an arrest warrant will follow.
In a recent update on Kriangsak’s condition, it was reported that the homeless man required four stitches for a head wound. Additionally, he suffered broken ribs and an air leak in his right lung.
This incident is disturbingly similar to a tragic case from January this year, when five teenagers, aged between 13 and 16, fatally attacked a 47 year old homeless woman, Buaphan “Kob” Tansu, in the Isaan province of Sa Kaeo.
The police faced criticism for initially arresting the wrong person, accusing Buaphan’s husband, Panya Kongsaendam, of the murder. Panya claimed that officers had tortured him into confessing to the crime, despite his innocence.
