Mistaken identity drama, bullets fly, smart with a gun

Mother knows best

A Ratchaburi man accused by his family of beating and robbing his own mother is ostensibly in the clear after his girlfriend belatedly admitted doing it with the help of her cousin.

Ban Pong police last week nabbed Warayut "Pond" Kamsai, 28, and his girlfriend La-ongdaow "Daow" Chanyid, 28, for the July 13 assault and robbery.

They were forced to partially backtrack on those arrests by week's end when Ms Daow admitted doing it, but insisted her boyfriend was in the clear. She says she carried out the attack with the help of her cousin, Saruda Jiamcharoen, who also admitted his role in the attack.

The victim, Maneerat Kamsai, 57, was initially adamant she recognised her son as one of the attackers, despite the fact she was wearing a blindfold. She assumed Ms Daow was his accomplice.

She based her suspicion on the smell of his shirt he supposedly wore during the attack. "I bought it for him and handwash it myself. Of course, I'd recognise the smell," she said.

Surprising her inside the house, the two intruders tied her hands and feet with a telephone cord, and hit her over the head with a large pestle, hoping to knock her out. Ms Maneerat struggled on, so the pair kept hitting her. At one point, one assailant also brought out a knife and stabbed her.

The victim begged for her life, and after taking her phone, 3,000 baht in cash, and jewellery worth 21,000 baht, the pair fled. Ms Maneerat staggered outside to seek help.

The victim said she woke up in hospital with head injuries hours later to find Mr Pond by her bedside wearing an earnest face and asking: "Who did this to you, Mum?" She scolded him, telling him he knew very well who did it.

Acting on his mother's behalf, Mr Pond's elder brother, Thawatchai, laid a complaint with a police blaming Mr Pond and Ms Daow.

Three days passed without police making any arrests so Mr Thawatchai asked celebrity Gun Jompalang, who helps crime victims, and a lawyer to step in.

On July 16, the same day Mr Thawatchai took Mr Gun and the lawyer to see police, officers secured a warrant to nab the suspects for assault causing serious injury and theft.

Arresting officers including commandos took the suspects to a police patrol house for initial questioning. A media circus which gathered outside followed Mr Thawatchai as he arrived to confront his brother.

A news clip showed him march to the room where the hapless Mr Pond was being held and punch him in the face before police could stop him.

Outside, the scene took on trappings of a lively domestic drama as Ms Daow's mother, who turned up to support her daughter, argued with Mr Thawatchai's girlfriend over Ms Daow's role in the attack.

Ms Daow's mother, unnamed in news reports, insisted Ms Daow was a good person who would not get involved in assault and robbery. Mr Thawatchai and his girlfriend shouted their displeasure.

Mr Thawatchai said Mr Pond would often visit their mother and ask for money. Out of love for her son, she'd try to help, but Mr Pond would spend the money on booze and drugs.

"He has started smashing stuff up at home over past two months, and things were so bad I was preparing to complain to the police, but my mother stopped me. Then the attack happened," he said.

Mr Pond's early concern for his mother vanished in the days following the attack, when he discovered Mr Thawatchai had gone to police. "Can I still regard her as a mother?" he asked on Facebook.

Ms Maneerat said the post put her in fear of her life.

By Thursday, the victim and her elder son were feeling red-faced after the truth finally came out.

Police inquiries had turned up CCTV vision of Ms Daow riding pillion on a motorcycle with Mr Saruda shortly before the attack. They say the pair were seen climbing in the victim's window where they hid as they waited for her to return home early on July 13, when they surprised her.

Confronted with this evidence, the pair admitted the attack, with Ms Daow saying it was revenge for her mother-in-law's sniping at her.

"She didn't approve of me because I have a child from an earlier relationship, and thought I was too good for her son," she told reporters. Mr Thawatchai, meanwhile, says he has apologised to his younger brother for punching him.

He says he will take Mr Pond for detox treatment to tackle his drug problem.

Police are still looking into the claim that Mr Pond knew nothing about the attack. Meanwhile, they have charged Mr Saruda as the co-attacker.

Choking on his 'khao tom'

A Trang man who came across an adversary at an eatery says he shot him before he could be stabbed.

Huay Yord police nabbed Noppadol Samathi, 33, for the fatal shooting of Charupong Thongthae, 32, outside a khao tom (rice soup) eatery on Phetkasem Road on July 14.

He turned up in a white Isuzu pickup with his girlfriend and three kids and was apparently intending to dine at the place. However, he also noticed that Charupong, with whom his younger brother was having problems, was eating outside with two other people.

Both men appeared to have noticed each other at the same time. When Charupong saw Mr Noppadol park his vehicle just down from his table, he leapt up and grabbed a knife from his motorcycle nearby.

When Mr Noppadol saw the knife he charged over and opened fire, hitting Charupong three times in the head.

A witness said the killer returned to the vehicle briefly before walking back to Charupong and shooting him again.

The three children Mr Noppadol brought him, aged 10-11, saw the shooting and ran from the vehicle into toilets nearby, followed by a woman from the same vehicle who went to retrieve them.

However, by the time they re-emerged, Mr Noppadol had fled in the pickup, stranding them there. He was to surrender later that night.

Mr Noppadol told police he was angry with the victim, who had turned up at his family home and shot at the occupants the week before.

Police found both Mr Noppadol and the victim had served time for drugs and knew each other inside.

The dispute appears to have stemmed from a dispute between the killer's younger brother and the victim. Loy, 23, his younger brother, said he was once close to Charupong's girlfriend, Nan.

He said he was still seeing Nan when Charupong poached her as his own. The two sides had since fallen out, with Nan insisting she was never romantically involved with Loy and daring him to pay a visit.

Loy, who admits he was seeing Nan as a girlfriend for just five days before they parted ways, took her up on the offer, shooting at her boyfriend's family home four or five times the week before.

Fortunately, he did not hit anyone. Later, he posted on social media gloating about his elder brother's role in the eatery shooting.

While Loy insists he did not tell his elder brother about the dispute, some reports suggest Mr Noppadol did indeed know.

When he shot Charupong at the eatery he was seeking revenge on his younger brother's behalf, the reports said. Police charged him with premeditated murder and firearms charges.

Lender turns gun on rival

A Chon Buri man who lent 100,000 baht to a man he ran into at an eatery was shot for his troubles when he dared ask for the return of the money.

Phanat Nikhom police nabbed Pairoj "Siang" Laksanawisetkul, 51, for beating to death Sithichok "Sun" Kunasarn, 56, at the Isan-style eatery on July 16.

Sun shot him after they started to argue over the unpaid loan, but Mr Siang fought back and overcame the debtor, who ended up worse for wear. Police say Mr Siang dropped into the eatery where he happened to find Sun dining with friends. He had loaned the older man 100,000 baht two years ago but Sun had yet to repay it.

When he walked over and asked when he could expect repayment, Sun flew into a rage. He pulled out a Colt Auto .380 handgun and shot Mr Siang in the stomach, the face, and his right hand. Four of the bullets glanced off his face. Despite his injuries, Mr Siang put up a struggle, and managed to wrest away the gun. He beat Sun over the head with the barrel of the weapon until he was dead.

Patrons dived for cover when the shots rang out. Witness Natchanan Thanwiwatkul said the victim was angry to be asked about the debt in front of friends and had no money anyway. They fought over the weapon, and six shots went off before Mr Siang subdued the shooter. Charges were pending.