Condo owner bemoans fate
The owner of a high-end condo says he feels he has suffered the most after his tenant and her lover were killed in his unit by the woman's jealous ex-husband, leaving a trail of damaged property which he has to pay to get fixed.
"Nong", as he is known in the media, took reporters last week to see his blood-stained, bullet-pocked unit in Rattanathibet Road of Muang district, Nonthaburi. He bought the 1.6 million, 24 sq m unit a year ago and it rented out in late January to Sunisa Thongkui, an insurance saleswoman, for 6,500 baht a month.
The condo was the scene of a double tragedy on March 18 when Chinnapat Pitithawornsap, 33, broke into the unit and killed his ex-wife Sunisa, also known as Rinlapath. He also shot and injured her new lover, Weerapong Pannarong, before finally turning the gun on himself.
He died alongside his former wife of 15 years whom he shot seven times, after forcing his way into the unit. Mr Weerapong, who was shot in the arm, managed to flee.
Mr Nong, who heard about the tragedy the next morning from the condo sales agent, said he couldn't believe the reports. He was forced to clean up the blood and make basic repairs after the cleaner, who was repelled by the sight, burst into tears and refused to enter the room.
The unit owner's grizzles about the damage left by the gruesome shootings have provided a bizarre backdrop to the tragedy.
Mr Nong, who wonders if anyone will want to rent or buy his unit again now that two people have died there, said he is the overlooked victim in the affair.
"I reckon I am the one most deserving of sympathy, followed by my former tenant (Sunisa), and the condo tradesman who opened the door for the killer," he told Amarin TV.
Sunisa was his first tenant at the unit. Before renting it out he fitted it out with a phone, bed, kitchen counter, washing machine, and water heater, spending another 100,000 baht.
Chinnapat's shooting frenzy damaged the door, the digital door lock, walls, the kitchen counter, and broke a window, he said. "I don't yet have a figure for the repairs, but I do think someone should be responsible. I am the losing party in all this, and will have to consult a lawyer," he grumbled.
"No one has asked how I am coping. Everyone is trying to avoid me. I asked the family of the dead woman if they wanted to help with the cost of the repairs, and they passed the buck to the shooter; his family blamed the man she had been seeing, but he is in hospital nursing his injuries, and I don't think he had much to do with it."
After forcing entry, Chinnapat argued briefly with the couple and started shooting them. CCTV footage shows an injured Mr Weerapong fleeing the room at 3.47am and heading towards the lift, to be followed by Chinnapat shortly after.
"A", a woman friend who accompanied the shooter to the unit, is also seen leaving the room as she pleads with him to stop. Finally, Chinnapat, who was unable to find Weerapong, returns to the room and takes his own life.
His body was found next to the bed with a bullet wound to the temple. Sunisa, whom he had thrown onto the bed, was shot seven times, including once to the face.
The protagonists work for an insurance company. Sunisa broke up with Chinnapat a few months ago, and started seeing Mr Weerapong. Chinnapat, with whom Sunisa has three daughters, could not accept her decision.
He told his friend A that night that he wanted to reason with Sunisa once again, and asked A to take him to the condo, as he was drunk. A said she did not notice that he was carrying a weapon; nor did the condo handyman who let him in.
The condo tradesman, Teng, admitted opening the door to Chinnapat and A. He said the couple approached him as he was starting his shift about 3am. Mr Chinnapat spun a tale about how he had forgotten his keycard.
"He claimed he had called his girlfriend (Sunisa) but she didn't pick up," Teng said.
A said that after reaching the 12th floor she left Chinnapat by the front door and headed for the lift when he heard the sound of gunfire. Chinnapat had punched in his security code, only to fly into a rage after finding Sunisa had changed it.
"I blocked my ears against the noise and raced back to find the three in a state of chaos," she said. She agreed to act as his escort because she, Chinnapat and Sunisa had once shared a place together, and were close.
Pol Col Mesanon Nakwan, chief at Rattanathibet station, said police found 12 spent bullet cartridges outside the room, another nine inside, and seven unused bullets in the shooter's pocket.
Chinnapat Pitithawornsap and Sunisa, also known as Rinlapath
He said Chinnapat and Sunisa never broke up fully because they had to keep in touch concerning their children. However, they argued constantly. "The incident was triggered by jealousy and the fact he was drunk," he said.
Speaking from Chinnapat's funeral at Thepnaree temple in Bang Phlat, his father, "Chai", said he had no warning of what his son was planning. "They loved each other, even though they argued. I didn't interfere, but told them to sort out their own problems," he said.
Mr Chai said he would look after the couple's three children, as he had in the past. "The kids are closer to me than they are their own parents," he said.
Amarin TV also talked to a security guard at Chinnapat's housing village in Bang Yai, who said he could fly into a rage when drunk. "When sober, he is quiet and behaves like anyone else. When drunk, he is scary. Once he drove through the wooden barrier because I didn't open it in time," he said.
The final word goes to Mr Nong, who, far from dwelling on the victims' past or the shattered lives they leave behind, is still worried about his condo unit.
He left a message for anyone else thinking of shooting up someone else's home: "Before you think of killing yourself, in that small space of time you have before you create a scene, please reflect on whether anyone will end up in bother.
"At the mere squeeze of a trigger, you can leave damage which goes on for much longer. I speak as the owner of the place, who no one is interested in [helping]," he said.
Burglar chooses wrong victim
A burglar who decided to catch some shut-eye in a would-be victim's home chose the wrong place to get some kip.
Athit Kinkhuntot is caught while sleeping in the house that he broke into.
Pol Sen Sgt Maj Sakda Jiamprasert, from Wichian Buri police in Phetchabun, said he found the burglar, Athit Kinkhuntot, 22, sound asleep in his daughter's downstairs bedroom on Monday.
He had risen for the day when he noticed the air con was going in his daughter's room, which he thought was odd, as his daughter had moved to Bangkok to study and her bedroom had not been occupied for some time.
He took a look through the window outside and saw the young man asleep under her duvet.
When he called out, the burglar failed to rise from his sleep, so the policeman called on his colleagues for help.
A video clip shows police bellowing at him. After many attempts to wake him, a bare-chested Mr Athit finally opens his eyes and sees the police there. He looks confused, evidently having forgotten that he broke into the place.
The policemen persuade him to open the door. As one officer subdues him on the ground, others conduct a quick search. He brought with him a handyman's kit, no doubt useful for breaking into homes.
Mr Athit told police he had done the rounds of the neighbourhood the night before, trying to break into several places, without luck.
Pol Sen Sgt Maj Sakda's place was the first house where he managed to gain entry through the downstairs bedroom. He felt sleepy so decided to take a quick nap. He turned on the air con and fell into a deep sleep, failing to rise before the home's owner noticed he was there.
Pol Sen Sgt Maj Sakda, who was working the night of the break-in, said neighbours opposite had complained that a suspected burglar had broken their window, but a search by the police failed to find him.
The next morning he found a motorcycle fitting the description of the burglar's, and a pair of shoes left outside his house. "In my 30 years in the force, I have never seen anything like it. I am not sure whether to feel angry or laugh," he told the media, reflecting on the hapless burglar's fate. He was charged with breaking and entering.
Thief succumbs to greed
Police pulled off an easy arrest last week, barely breaking a sweat as they lured a wanted thief to come out of hiding with the offer of a free motorcycle.
Arunsak Kaewnopparat
Media reports commended the ingenuity of a team from the Border Patrol Police Division 43, Office of the Narcotics Control Board, and Hat Yai police, who on Monday lured Arunsak Kaewnopparat, 26, into a cunning trap by appealing to his greed.
Mr Arunsak was wanted for stealing from a department store the year before. The shop owner complained to police, who obtained an arrest warrant. However, Mr Arunsak was to go into hiding for 10 months.
As part of their plot to catch him, the police had someone contact his younger sister to say Mr Arunsak had won a motorcycle in a promotion held by the district office. However, he would have to turn up and claim it himself by Monday, or he would forfeit the prize. They also asked him to bring his ID card.
Mr Arunsak's youngser sister did as the police supected, and let him know a prize awaited him if he was game enough to show up.
When Mr Arunsak duly appeared to claim the bike, police were sitting at the district office waiting to arrest him. It is not known what prompted the police to pursue this particular target.
In response, netizens remarked on how police were able to lure their prey so easily by appealing to his baser instincts.
Some jokingly warned their offspring to take a lesson from the saga. "Remember this, son...if someone calls offering free goods, only annihilation will follow," wrote one, adding the hashtag: "There is nothing truly free in this world."
