A suspect has been summoned for questioning in Thailand’s north-eastern province of Nong Khai, just south of the Laos border. It’s believed he may be the man who shot and killed three people, and injured four others during a gold shop heist on January 9 in Lop Buri province.

The man, whose identity has not been disclosed, matches the suspect’s profile, being of a similar height and demeanour, and seen carrying a red shoulder bag, similar to the bag carried by the robber when he stormed the Aurora Gold Shop in the Robinsons Shopping Centre.

At a media briefing on current progress in the case, the national police chief said he was informed by his deputy that a man who resembled the gunman was being questioned in Nong Khai.

The robber, who wore a ski mask, army boots and camouflage clothing, was armed with a 9mm pistol, silencer and a long knife. There was numerous CCTV that captured the man during his brief rampage where he casually strolled into the shop and shot customers and staff. One of the people killed was a two year old boy who was shot in the head as we walking past the shop with his mother.

The Nong Khai police have called the man in for questioning and collected a DNA sample, according to National police chief, Pol Gen Chakthip Chaijinda, adding that if the results of the tests exclude the individual as a suspect, he will be released.

Police in charge of investigating the robbery-murder case have checked footage from about 1,000 CCTV cameras, installed on escape routes that could have been used by the fleeing gunman. They have not found any clues which could lead to an arrest.

SOURCE: Thai PBS World

288 bone fragments have been retrieved from a pond near the home of a man who was charged last week with murdering his girlfriend and concealing the corpse. Forensic police have now identified most of the bones as ‘human’. The bones are currently being examined at Siriroj Hospital. Up to 20 divers were involved in yesterday’s grisly search.

Divers found the bone fragments in the pond about five metres from the location where a human skeleton was found last Thursday. The skeleton was still wrapped in clothes and a bedsheet and buried under a large metal gage weighed down with dumbbells. Police further believe that there could be more bodies, up to three, in the pond and are organising to have it drained. The home is in Bang Khae district, south west of the main city area.

Police had been speaking to a number of witnesses this week leading up to the discovery.

40 year old Apichai Ongwisit was arrested earlier this month after police found the body of his 22 year old girlfriend, ‘Kik’, wrapped in a plastic bag and buried on his property.

Police identified the body at the time after they recognised a tattoo of a fish on her back.

According to the Bangkok Post, the case started six months ago when Apichai and Kik filed an official complaint with the police. The complaint asked police to track down suspects who had allegedly sexually assaulted the 22 year old Kik.

Shortly after Kik’s family reported the woman missing. Police were unable to make contact with Kik to take the investigation further. A 50 year old ‘Chalermchai’ was arrested early on who was able to provide valuable information to police over Kik’s disappearance.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post

A teacher, now identified as teaching in Ayutthaya, north of Bangkok at the Chiang Rak Noi School, met with the girl’s mother and police last night. Teacher Som Ruseeprasit was caught on video flogging a young female student whilst screaming appalling Thai swear words at the student. The girl was struck at least three times in the video although he admitted to striking her more than three times. He also confirmed to police that he had hit other students in the class. He was working as a PE teacher at the school.

The video was posted on the Education For Liberation of Siam Facebook page. The video has been removed from the page but showed the teacher beating the young student with a great deal of force with a cane, or long piece of slim wood.

The mother met with police and the teacher last night to register a formal complaint of violence and assault on her daughter by the teacher. Although the teacher apologised at the meeting the mother says she will continue with her assault complaint and expects the police to lay charges.

The words the teacher used whilst beating the student with a wooden cane were some of the worst words you could use in the Thai language, and translate as “asshole” and “bastard”, and worse. The teacher told police that he beat the student because she hadn’t cleaned the room properly.

In Thai law, it is illegal for a teacher to strike a student.

SOURCE: Matichon Online