Royal Thai Army officer shoots dead junior soldier over alleged theft

A senior Royal Thai Army (RTA) officer shot dead a junior officer whom he suspected of stealing belongings from his residence in the central province of Lob Buri. The victim, 69 year old Sub Lieutenant Theerapong Ngernpan, was found dead near his house with gunshot wounds to his neck and left eye.

An investigation by officers from the Mueng Lob Buri Police Station discovered that the perpetrator was the victim’s neighbour and senior officer, 74 year old Prasong Saibuakaew. Prasong admitted to the murder, claiming that he had been in a decade-long conflict with Theerapong and that the victim had stolen assets from his house.

A security camera in Theerapong’s house captured the murder at 6.43am. The footage showed that the two soldiers got into a heated argument, resulting in Theerapong pouring water over Prasong.

In response, Prasong fired his gun. Theerapong tried to grab the gun from him, but unfortunately, he got shot and fell to the ground. Prasong then picked up his belongings and walked back to his house.

The victim’s wife, 63 year old Wipha Ngernpan, disclosed that her husband and Prasong had a conflict over a stolen asset. Prasong believed that Theerapong had stolen a spoon from his antique collection, which Theerapong denied. The murder was shocking for Wipha, as the two soldiers knew each other very well.

Prasong admitted to the murder and stated that he was willing to pay for his karma and let the case go through the legal process. The police investigated Prasong’s gun, a 9mm pistol, and discovered that he owned the gun legally. However, the charges issued against Prasong were not reported by the police.

According to Section 288 of the Criminal Law, Prasong could face the death penalty, life imprisonment, or imprisonment for 15 to 20 years for his actions.

A similar incident happened in this province in March. An RTA officer, 58 year old lieutenant colonel Prayut Chai-in, was arrested for murdering a delivery driver, 52 year old Akkaradate “Ek” Srisa-ard. The murderer revealed that he and the victim had a dispute over compensation for a car accident that occurred last year.

Prayut reported that his wife crashed a sedan into Ek’s pickup at a petrol station on December 15 of last year. Ek requested compensation from him and his wife, and they could not agree on the amount. Prayut also claimed that Ek always made a call to insult him on the phone.