Alleged Bangkok protest gunman dies in custody

– Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community

PHUKET: A man accused of the murder of a protest leader during a rally against the Yingluck Shinawatra government early this year succumbed to illness while being held in detention last week, the Corrections Department announced on Saturday.

Sukrit Chaimongkol, who was remanded over charges that he fatally shot Sutin Taratin in Bang Na in Bangkok in January while the victim was leading a rally to try to stop advance voting at a polling station, died on Thursday evening.

“He had difficulty breathing at the Bangkok Remand Prison on Thursday afternoon and was thus rushed to the department’s hospital,” Corrections chief Wittaya Suriyawong said. “He succumbed at around 6pm though.”

Wittaya insisted yesterday that Sukrit was not physically assaulted and that his death was not related to any kind of physical attack.

“Since he was detained, he never had any conflict with his fellow inmates,” he said, adding that records also showed Sukrit had diabetes and asthma as chronic health problems. The Corrections boss said an autopsy would be conducted to determine the exact cause of Sukrit’s death. “We are sending his body to the Institute of Forensic Medicine,” he said.

Sukrit, 36, was arrested in July at a house in Phra Pradaeng in Samut Prakan. He denied shooting Sutin but allegedly admitted owning the pistol thought to have shot the protest leader and belonging to a rival group.

Sutin was shot on January 26, when protesters wanted “Reform before an Election” while the Yingluck administration was seeking to hold an election first.

— Phuket Gazette Editors