Sutthi family voice doubts over suicide

Sutthi family voice doubts over suicide

The planned cremation of environmental activist Sutthi Atchasai has been postponed pending an autopsy and re-examination of evidence, after the family cast doubt over his alleged suicide.

Family members are questioning certain findings in the police report.

No autopsy was conducted because the family did not suspect foul play when he died on July 15. His mother had ruled out murder, believing her son had shot himself. Sutthi's family has postponed the cremation originally scheduled for yesterday until tomorrow.

Sutthi's body was yesterday taken from Wat Treemitpradittharam in Rayong to the Central Institute of Forensic Science (CIFS) in Bangkok for the autopsy. The examination, scheduled for today, will be led by pathologist Suranarong Srisuwan.

The family has also called for the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to investigate Sutthi's death.

The activist was found with a gunshot wound last Tuesday in his pickup truck in the garage of his home in Rayong's Muang district. A .38 revolver was found in his right hand. He was rushed to Rayong Hospital and pronounced dead on Wednesday morning.

A source close to the family said the cremation was postponed because the ballistics report threw up several questions that needed to be answered, the source said.

According to police, four shots were fired. One hit Sutthi in the right temple. The other three passed through the vehicle's windscreen and through the garage roof.

However, the family believes the trajectory of one of the shots that went through the roof indicated Sutthi may not have fired it from where he was found in his pickup truck.

They questioned why he fired three shots before shooting himself.

The family want police to trace where the revolver came from because they are not sure if it belonged to Sutthi, the source said. They also want gunshot residue tests conducted despite police saying they found residue traces on Sutthi's hand.

CIFS director-general Khunying Porntip Rojanasunan yesterday voiced concern that evidence might have been contaminated.

Many people appeared to have attended the incident which can make it more difficult for investigators to do a proper job. Important evidence such as gun residue might have been contaminated, the CIFS chief said.

NHRC chairman Niran Pitakwatchara said yesterday the commission had advised the family to seek an autopsy if they had suspicions about Sutthi's death.

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