Thirsty thieves

KANCHANABURI: A man noted for his integrity, Acting Royal Thai Police Commissioner General Seripisut Temiyavej has spent the best part of his life fighting the twin scourges of crime and corruption. In an ironic twist of fate, however, Thailand’s top cop recently found himself the victim of a horrific crime when thieves broke into his riverside holiday home in Kanchanaburi and stole his beer. Inspecting the home after the May 24 break-in, workers found that the general’s valuables had been left untouched. It appeared that all the thieves made off with was 10 cans of beer and a selection of snacks with which to enjoy them. The report did not specify the kind or quantity of the missing snacks. Lamkhuan Srichaisak, a domestic helper in charge of looking after the house while Gen Seripisut is not in residence, said that she went to bed in her quarters, about 70 meters from the main house, at 10 pm the night of the robbery. When she got up the following morning, the woman found that a back window had been smashed – and 10 cans of beer were missing. When news of the shocking crime reached Kanchanaburi’s finest, Provincial Police Commander Maj Gen Sombun Huapbangyang was soon on the scene – accompanied by a phalanx of other officers and a 20-strong forensic investigation team. Gen Sombun said that he thought the beer burglar could well have been a former employee and he had called all house staff in for questioning. The thief certainly was not after valuables, Gen Sombun added, as all the valuables were still there. Col Phutiphat Wongsanguansri, Superintendent of the Royal Thai Police Region 15 Forensics Division, said that he found two of the stolen beer cans discarded in a bush in front of the house. Both had been drained of their contents, he noted. There was no comment from Gen Seripisut, or Seri as he is known in the Thai press, as to how he felt at the loss of his beer and snacks.