UPDATE: Senator shot cousin at dinner

Published: 13 Aug 2012 at 17.01
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BANGKOK - A Thai senator accidentally shot his cousin dead as he tried to put away the 9mm sub-machine gun that he had placed on the table during a family meal, police said on Monday.

Boonsong Kowawisarat fatally injured Chanakarn Detkard, 46, when he mistakenly fired the Uzi in a private dining area of the Garden Resort, in Phrae province, northern Thailand, on Sunday evening.

Chanakarn, who worked as a secretary to the senator, suffered a bullet wound to the stomach and died on the way to hospital, according to local police, who said about five family members were at the hotel dinner.

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ricardofel
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Discussion 12 : 14 Aug 2012 at 21.0312
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Great reporting BP....CNN says he shot his wife...come on BP do your job-investigate, you do know what that means right?!!!! Dysfunctional Thailand...20,000 baht fine...what a joke. No wonder you will continue to be a joke to the rest of the civilized world.
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spiceman
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Discussion 11 : 14 Aug 2012 at 07.1311
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Khun Franklin #3, one of the gun's safety rule is to never put your finger inside the trigger guard, until the moment of firing. However, I've seen a few people who have never had any gun's safety training grabbing a (unloaded) gun with the finger placed on the trigger inside the trigger guard. So, I wonder whether this senator has ever had a gun's safety training. The other important gun's safety rules are to treat all guns as though they are load at all time, and to never point it at anybody you don't intend to shoot.
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jacksprat
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Discussion 10 : 13 Aug 2012 at 22.5010
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Rather obviously the senator has some enemies and is worried about a visit by a hitman. Why else would he place a loaded weapon on the dinner table? However, I seriously doubt that is legal for anyone to own and carry an Uzi in Thailand, no matter who they are. Policemen are not even supposed to carry their pistol when off duty. Be interesting to know where he got an Uzi.
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pointoffew
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Discussion 9 : 13 Aug 2012 at 22.249
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Within a few hours, almost the entire story is changed... Doesn't bode well for the truth to come out.
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englishbob
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Discussion 8 : 13 Aug 2012 at 21.218
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There are too many holes to start making judgements yet.

Was the gun legally owned? Had he reason to fear for his life? What was the day to day relationship between the two? Had the two been arguing? Had he been drinking?

It might well be a tragic accident, but there are plenty of questions to be answered.
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elvis
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Discussion 7 : 13 Aug 2012 at 21.037
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Maybe it's just me, but I feel that anyone carrying a loaded Uzi to dinner is mafia.
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bigpicture
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Discussion 6 : 13 Aug 2012 at 20.576
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As mentioned 20,000 baht fine. Currently that is roughly 660 dollars fine. That is a huge deterrent in itself? Here is the part that absolutely makes me wonder what was going on that night.
“From our initial inquiry, the secretary’s family will not sue because they were relatives and it was an accident – he didn’t mean to do it,” a local police officer said."
Sue? The senator brought an Uzi to the dinner table!!!
BP you have not followed up on the cops being bailed despite many requests to do so. May be this is a little bit less strenuous for someone to dare to get their hands dirty in a followup.
If this comment gets in then there may be a bit of renewed faith in what reporting is all about.

IMPOO
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nns
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Discussion 5 : 13 Aug 2012 at 20.355
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News report needs to start using the terms 'alleged/allegedly' instead of stating things as matters of proven facts when they aren't.
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Sparkler
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Discussion 4 : 13 Aug 2012 at 20.354
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10 years and 20,000 baht? who came up with that? The crime vs. measure of punishment must be dating back about 50 years or so.
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franklin
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Discussion 3 : 13 Aug 2012 at 20.343
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All guns have a 'trigger-guard'. A person must place his finger inside the guard to pull the trigger. An Uzi clearly has a protruding clip indicating it is in the gun. How this guy managed to accidentally kill his female secretary/cousin is beyond me and stinks of stupidity and then some. I wonder if the cousin losing her life will be more important than the “senator” losing face?
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UPDATE: Senator shot cousin at dinner

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