- Published: 15/10/2012 at 12:00 AM
- Writer: Post Reporters
Asawin Pakditalep, 26, was found dead after the shooting at Permsap housing estate on Bang Khae Soi 16.
A .38 pistol was found next to his body, which was riddled with bullets, police said.
The shooting followed a car chase that began at Bang Phli-Suksawat expressway toll gate on Rama II Road when undercover police from the Narcotics Suppression Bureau spotted a suspicious pickup truck belonging to the Ruam Katanyu Foundation.
Police were looking into a tip about a suspected drug trafficker disguising himself as a charity foundation worker and using the organisation's vehicle to deal drugs.
Police say the driver sped off when he noticed the officers. They fired at the tyres but the driver kept going.
Police followed the pickup truck to Kanchanaphisek Ring Road and the vehicle chase ended under a flyover bridge across Bang Pruek intersection, where the driver abandoned the vehicle.
The suspect fired at pursuing officers as he fled into Permsap housing estate on Bang Khae Soi 16, police said.
Police sealed off the area and blocked all exits. Officers searched vehicles leaving the housing estate.
When they were about to search a green taxi belonging to Suvarnabhumi taxi cooperatives they were met with gunshots. The suspect had hijacked the taxi to escape, police said, and Asawin was killed in the ensuing shoot-out.
The victim, who sustained more than 10 gunshot wounds, was identified as a contracted worker, hired as a driver, at Yannawa district office.
The taxi driver, identified as Nitiwit Thipcharoen, 32, fled the scene, possibly out of shock, police said, adding that Mr Nitiwit was unlikely to have any connections to the deceased suspect.
Police searched the abandoned pickup and found 2 kilogrammes of crystal methamphetamine in the backseat. Pol Maj Gen Surapol Tuanthong, deputy chief of the Narcotics Suppression Bureau, said police will search the suspect's apartment for more evidence.
Suchart Supawan, of the Ruam Katanyu Foundation, said the suspect had worked for the foundation. He had been warned against modifying the vehicle and using it without permission, he said.
The foundation had lost contact with the worker and suspended him from work for a year. Mr Suchart said the foundation had filed a complaint with police about the vehicle. He said the foundation would ask all its units to temporarily suspend work pending an investigation.
Meanwhile, a Mozambique woman, 37, was arrested at Phuket international airport on drug trafficking charges for possessing ice, or crystal methamphetamine, worth 21 million baht.
Hortencia Ferreira Novela arrived at Phuket airport on Saturday from Malaysia. A total of 6kg of crystal methamphetamines was found in her computer notebook suitcase. The suspect said she had been hired for 50,000 baht to deliver the drugs to customers in Patong Beach, authorities said.
Share your thoughts
- Discussion 1 : 12/12/2012 at 04:58 PM
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Thai police and military need much more training in the legal, ethical, and moral use of firearms as well as how to shoot them in a tactical situation. Private citizens who own firearms need training as well. Just owning a firearm does not make you safe, knowing how and when to use it does. Train as if your life depends on it for one day it may.
- Discussion 2 : 15/10/2012 at 05:49 PM
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D4; there is a big difference to the mass killing years ago, this guy resisted arrest and has been shot death because of firing at police officers; I haven’t seen any proof that all this people killed during the “war on drugs” did fire at police personnel or used violence against the authorities do you?
- Discussion 3 : 15/10/2012 at 04:28 PM
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Apart from the matters of fact: that criminalisation does not reduce drug use, is extremely expensive, helps no one but corrupt officials and mafia gangs; and that legalisation does not increase drug use or addiction rates, there is a serious moral question.
What makes it OK to ban anything and impose harsh penalties on those who break such laws?
I think teh only just criterion is directly actual harm to others, which is why cars, beer, icecream, cigarettes and red wine are not normally illegal, and exactly why it must be wrong in principle, as well as practice, to make drug use and dealing crimes. Current laws are grossly immoral.
What other criteria for criminalisation do those who favour current policy have? I can think of none that is adequate, or that will not also criminalise ice-cream, cars and red wine.
- Discussion 4 : 15/10/2012 at 02:54 PM
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I'm amazed to find out its possible to have a high speed chase in Bangkok these days. Was it early morning? It reads like an awful lot of gunfire, glad no bystander was hit.
- Discussion 5 : 15/10/2012 at 01:26 PM
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Well Felix, you seem to have a lot of support for your position, you already know mine. Suppose we reclassified drugs according to addiction, how many glasses of beer or whisky before you become an alcoholic addict, how many tokes of ice to become an addict, finally how easy to give up the "habit" in each case?
I think this approach would give a more realistic perspective.
- Discussion 6 : 15/10/2012 at 10:54 AM
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Using official vehicles, authentic or otherwise, to commit crime as in this particular case, had been going on for a long time.
- Discussion 7 : 15/10/2012 at 10:44 AM
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Police firing on the tyres of the car of a person SUSPECTED to be involved in drugs trade?! What's wrong with those guys? And since when does Thailand import methamphetamines from Malaysia?!
- Discussion 8 : 15/10/2012 at 09:43 AM
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Lets say that he law enforcement is able to zip about 10% of all drugs but is using 90% of a government funding for the anti-cause. Should it not the tactics be reconsidered ??
- Discussion 9 : 15/10/2012 at 09:11 AM
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I think the best way to view this is that a lot of amphetamines have been removed from the market. Hopefully !!!
- Discussion 10 : 15/10/2012 at 08:54 AM
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"The suspect said she had been hired for 50,000 baht to deliver the drugs to customers in Patong Beach, authorities said." The mind boggles at people who will risk their life for 50,000 baht. I could understand it for someone who is dirt poor, but not for people who are able to travel around the world.
- Discussion 11 : 15/10/2012 at 07:58 AM
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Too bad the guy died in a hail of bullets execution style, now we will never know how to fix the Bangkok traffic problems that were no bother to him.
- Discussion 12 : 15/10/2012 at 07:12 AM
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So was this another extra judicial killing of a drug dealer or was it Ok this time ? .... and for the rest felixqui already stated the obvious.
- Discussion 13 : 15/10/2012 at 06:32 AM
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buster re D1,
The shooting and violence are all results of criminalisation which turns the drug trade over to corrupt officials and mafia scum.
The drug related crime, the health and the social problems associated with drug use and addiction, such as alcohol, and yaa baa, are all made much worse by criminalisation. All the evidence and reason favour legalisation as the start of a sane solution to drug problems.
- Discussion 14 : 15/10/2012 at 06:13 AM
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The expected daily proof that current drug policy is an expensive failure that wastes tax money and scarce police resources with zero benefit to society or any individual, with the obvious exception of corrupt officials, mafia groups and those paid to waste time and money whilst harming society.
Is this persistence in pursuing a known failure in some way not insane?
- Discussion 15 : 15/10/2012 at 02:12 AM
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Several shots were fired at the UCA unit.
Again man and women put their lives on the line, a cab driver was taken at gun point, a high speed chase, in deed they found a trail of high speed (amphetamine) madness AFTER shot dead.
At the same time,to many comments appear claiming "party drug" and "legalize"
Next time you (these PRO_people) go to your next party, please wear bullet proof vests. COOL!
enjoy your party.
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