Politician murders politician? | Bangkok Post: learning

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Did the MP shoot the local govt official in the head 8 times in a gas station toilet? Did their hatred & sarcasm finally lead to murder?

Photo above of MP Khanchit Thapsuwan wanted in the murder of a local government official. More photos at scene of crime here.

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CRIME: Arrest warrant out for MP implicated in murder by Post Reporters

The Samut Sakhon Provincial Court has approved an arrest warrant for Democrat MP for Samut Sakhon's Constituency 1 Khanchit Thapsuwan, who is suspected of killing the president of the Samut Sakhon Provincial Administration Organisation on Sunday.

Mr Khanchit, 41, is wanted under the arrest warrant for premeditated murder. The court approved the warrant at 6pm yesterday.

Pol Lt Gen Hanphon Nitwiboon, the Provincial Police Region 7 commissioner, said police identified Mr Khanchit as the suspected gunman who allegedly shot dead Udon Kraiwatnussorn, 49.

After the court issues the arrest warrant for the politician, the police will seek permission from the House speaker to take legal action against the MP as he has legal immunity as a parliamentarian.

Mr Udon was shot in the head eight times with a .40 pistol in a toilet at the PTT petrol station opposite Big C Mahachai superstore in tambon Tha Sai, Samut Sakhon, at about 3pm on Sunday.

The police found 10 cases of .40 bullets near the shooting site.

Pol Lt Gen Hanphon said investigators already have sufficient evidence and witness testimonies against the suspect.

Police would be able to take legal action against him even though he is an influential politician, he said.

Mr Khanchit was elected to the House of Representatives in 2007 and 2011. He is a son of Anek Thapsuwan, a former Democrat MP and former minister.

However, the suspect reportedly left Samut Sakhon after the shooting and police have been hunting him since, Pol Lt Gen Hanphon said.

If we knew his hideout, we would immediately arrest him without heeding his social status.

'There are solid witness testimonies and evidence implicating him in the alleged offence," he said.

The victim and suspect were politicians in rival political camps. Udon was a politician in the ruling Pheu Thai Party, while the suspect is a member of the opposition Democrats. 

Whenever the two met, they were often heard making sarcastic remarks against each other. It could have led to an accumulation ill-feeling against the victim in the suspect's mind, said Pol Lt Gen Hanphon. 

Udon's driver, Thongphoon Phanarap, 38, told police that before the shooting Udon and he were travelling to a funeral at Ngornkai Temple in Samut Sakhon's Krathum Baen district.

Mr Thongphoon said Udon asked him to stop his black Toyota Fortuner car at the PTT petrol station so he could use the toilet.

He waited for Udon in the car. After a while, a Toyota Vigo pickup truck stopped next to his car. Later on, he heard several gunshots from the toilet and saw a tall man in black running away. The man got into the pick-up truck and drove away from the petrol station at a high speed.

Mr Thongphoon then rushed to the toilet to check on his boss. There, he found Udon's body, he told police.

(Source: Bangkok Post, CRIME, Arrest warrant out for MP implicated in murder, 27/12/2011, Post Reporters, link) 

murder - the crime of intentionally killing a person ฆาตกรรม (See Wikipedia)
premeditated - to think about it doing it; to make a plan to do it, before you do it
premeditated murder - to kill a person after planning to kill them (a more serious crime, then a "crime of passion" deciding to kill them in one moment driven by a strong emotion) (See Wikipedia)

arrest - การจับกุม
arrest warrant - an official order to arrest a person issued by a court and judge หมายจับ, หมายอาญาที่สั่งให้เจ้าหน้าที่จับกุมผู้ต้องหา หรือจำเลย

issue arrest warrant - when an "arrest warrant" is officially created by a court of law and handed over to police
arrest warrant out - arrest warrant has been issued
wanted under the arrest warrant for premeditated murder

legal immunity - a situation in which someone is not affected by something because they have a special position or job ได้รับการพิทักษ์ คุ้มกัน
parliamentarian - a member of parliament, MP
permission - allowing someone to do something การอนุญาต,การอนุมัติ,การยินยอม

After the court issues the arrest warrant for the politician, the police will seek permission from the House speaker to take legal action against the MP as he has legal immunity as a parliamentarian.

implicated in - involved in a crime or responsible for the crime
MP - an elected "Member of Parliament" 
MP implicated in murder  -

constituency - an small area in a country that elects a member of parliament (MP) to represent them in parliament
MP for Samut Sakhon's Constituency 1

suspected - thought to have done something wrong,  might have done something wrong but not yet proven เป็นที่สงสัย
Provincial Administration Organisation (PAO) -
suspected of killing the president of the Samut Sakhon Provincial Administration Organisation on Sunday

commissioner - a member of a commission, a group of people who make decisions in government
Provincial Police Region 7 commissioner

identified - named ระบุชื่อ
allegedly - claimed to have done something wrong, but not yet proven ที่กล่าวหา
police identified Mr Khanchit as the suspected gunman who allegedly shot dead Udon Kraiwatnussorn, 49

pistol - a small gun that you hold in one hand ปืนพก,ปืนสั้น
.40 pistol - a hand gun using .40 bullets
.40 bullets - a .40-inch (10.16 mm) diameter bullet (See Wikipedia)
caliber - the internal diameter of the barrel of a gun in relation to the diameter of the projectile used in it (See Wikipedia)
petrol station - a gas station (a place along the road you refill your car with gasoline at)

Mr Udon was shot in the head eight times with a .40 pistol in a toilet at the PTT petrol station opposite Big C Mahachai superstore in tambon Tha Sai, Samut Sakhon, at about 3pm on Sunday

site - a place where something happened สถานที่ สถานที่เกิดเหตุ ที่เกิดเหตุ
shooting site - the place where a person was shot with a gun
the police found 10 cases of .40 bullets near the shooting site

sufficient - enough พอเพียง
evidence - facts statements or objects that help to prove whether or not someone has committed a crime หลักฐาน หลักฐานประกอบการไต่สวนคดี หรือพิจารณาคดี
sufficient evidence - have enough statements and objects that show that a person did a crime (is guilty) 

witness - someone who sees a crime, accident or other event happen and tells a court or investigators what they know about a crime พยาน พยานในเหตุการณ์ ผู้ที่เห็นเหตุการณ์, พยาน
witness testimonies - people who saw a crime, describing the crime

suspect - a person who is thought to have committed a crime ผู้ต้องสงสัย

investigators already have sufficient evidence and witness testimonies against the suspect

influential - has a lot of power to make people agree with and do what you want; can control events and decisions because they are powerful; have power to make government make decisions that benefit them ที่มีอิทธิพลต่อ
influential politician - a powerful politician
police would be able to take legal action against him even though he is an influential politician

immediately - happening right after something else with no delay; right away ทันที
status - the situation at a particular time; the state of affairs at a particular time; the category or classification of a person, thing, or organization สถานะ
social status - someone's position in society; social position สถานะทางสังคม

heed - to pay attention to something and consider it as important when acting (example: If you do not heed the traffic when you cross the street, you will get run over by a car.)
without heeding - not paying attention to something; not treating it as important when acting
without heeding his social status

if we knew his hideout, we would immediately arrest him without heeding his social status

solid witness testimonies - witness testimonies that provide good evidence that someone did a crime (guilty of a crime, committed a crime)

alleged - claimed to be true although not yet proven ที่ถูกกล่าวหา
offence - a crime or illegal activity for which there is a punishment การกระทำผิดกฎหมายหรือข้อบังคับ
alleged offence - something that a person is believed to have done (but not proven yet)

there are solid witness testimonies and evidence implicating him in the alleged offence

victim - someone who ahs been harmed, injured or killed as the result of a crime เหยื่อผู้เคราะห์ร้าย
rival - a person you are competing against or opposing คู่แข่ง
the victim and suspect were politicians in rival political camps

ruling party - the party that won the elections and is now in power
the ruling Pheu Thai Party

opposition party - the political party that is not part of the government or a group which is against the government ฝ่ายค้าน ผู้ต่อต้าน
the opposition Democrats

sarcasm (noun) - การถากถาง, การพูดเหน็บแนม, การพูดเสียดสี,
sarcastic (adjective)
sarcastic remarks - things that a person says about another person that are sarcastic
making sarcastic remarks against each other

ill-feeling - having unfriendly thoughts about another person; hating another person
accumulation - a large amount of things collected together over a period of time การเก็บสะสม
accumulation of ill-feeling against the victim in the suspect's mind  

whenever the two met, they were often heard making sarcastic remarks against each other. It could have led to an accumulation of ill-feeling against the victim in the suspect's mind

funeral - a ceremony that takes place after someone dies, usually including a religious ceremony งานศพ ในที่นี้หมายถึง งารพระราชพิธีพระราชทานเพลิงพระศพ

rushed - go somewhere very quickly ด้วยความเร่งรีบ
Mr Thongphoon then rushed to the toilet to check on his boss. There, he found Udon's body.

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