Appeal for witnesses to attack on mayor

TUNG TONG: Police have made a fresh appeal for witnesses to the unsolved murder attempt on Patong Mayor Surasak Maneesri to come forward. But they believe that fear may be keeping witnesses quiet. Two months have passed since a gunman fired on the mayor’s Mercedes-Benz car at the traffic lights outside Tesco-Lotus. Three shots, fired at close range, went through the driver’s side window of the car, but missed both the Mayor and his girlfriend, Lalita Haimpat. The mayor has since offered a 100,000-baht reward to anyone who can name either the gunman who shot at his car or the person who ordered the shooting. Police believe there are three possible motives for the shooting: that it was political, or had to do with the mayor’s business interests, or was because of a personal dispute. Pol Maj Kittiphong Klaykaew of Tung Tong Police Station told the Gazette, “We are still investigating. There were other people at the intersection, but I believe that some witnesses don’t want to contact the police because they are scared. “I say to them, please help us to arrest these criminals.” One witness who did come forward said the gunman was on the back of a motorbike and that both he and the driver of the bike wore helmets, so that their faces could not be seen. Their motorbike, he said, had no registration plate. Anyone with information about the crime can contact Tung Tong Police Station on 076-321182 or 076-321516 at any time.