Deadly Songkran play
A Buri Ram electrician who shot at two men on a motorcycle from the back of a pickup, killing one, says he mistook them for rivals.
Lahan Sai district police nabbed Apinan Paphuchakhan, 20, for killing Thanandorn "Poj" Sitho, 25, who had recently returned home after completing his military service.
Mr Apinan, son of the assistant village head, was in the back of a Toyota Revo pickup when he came across Thanandorn and a friend, Surachai "Pe" Muaklek, 23, on their motorcycle.
Thanandorn, who lives in the same village as the suspect but did not know him, was returning from his girlfriend's house on April 14.
Sitting in the back of the pickup, Mr Apinan shot the pair with a short shotgun at an intersection leading to Sawaeng Phatthana village on the Lahan Sai-Ban Kruat Road about 2.30am. Thanandorn was shot in the chest and Mr Surachai in the torso, leaving both seriously injured.
Despite their injuries, Thanandorn and Mr Surachai managed to ride their motorcycle to seek help from a nearby shop.
The owner of a local Isaan restaurant and nearby residents took them to Lahan Sai Hospital, but Thanandorn succumbed to his injuries.
Mr Surachai, in a critical condition, was transferred to Buriram Hospital for further treatment.
Under questioning, Mr Apinan said he and five friends were driving when they encountered the pair on the motorcycle.
He mistakenly believed they were rivals with whom they had previously had trouble, so pulled out the weapon and shot them before fleeing. He expressed regret upon learning the victims was not rivals at all.
Thanandorn's father, Samran Sitho, 60, said the victim was his only son who had recently returned home after completing military service. His son planned to look for work after the Songkran festival and had never been involved in any conflicts.
Tueng (no surname given), 48, the assistant village head and suspect Apinan's father, visited his son at the police station before going to pay respects to Thanandorn's family.
He expressed his sorrow over his son's actions, which resulted in the death of a fellow villager, and promised to support the victim's family as much as he could.
The atmosphere was filled with grief, with both fathers -- one mourning the loss of his only son and the other lamenting his son's actions -- embracing and crying together.
When Mr Apinan was nabbed at his house, police found the weapon and ammunition hidden in a Mitsubishi pickup truck. He bought the firearm and ammunition online.
Despite claiming he was sorry for the shooting, he had made no apparent effort to contact police. Speaking after his arrest, he said he did not know for sure who he was shooting and only realised the gravity of the situation when the police turned up.
Mr Apinan was charged with murder and firearms charges. He claimed he acted alone and the driver of the vehicle and the other passengers, totalling five people, were not complicit. Police are looking for them.
Thief outruns the law
Pheeraphon 'Oat' Jamphathong is climbing the fence.
An Udon Thani thief gave police a run for their money when he escaped while being taken to the Udon Thani provincial court, claiming later he was fleeing home to be with his mother.
Ban Dung district police were escorting suspect Pheeraphon "Oat" Jamphathong, 26, to be detained on drugs and theft charges when he took flight.
Police had removed his handcuffs, and Pheeraphon, an agile runner who easily outpaced the police, took the opportunity to flee from the court towards the Udon Thani Public Health Office.
He temporarily gave his pursuers the slip. Ban Dung police were forced to call the 191 radio centre and get Udon Thani city police involved in the hunt.
Reviewing CCTV images as they tried to track down the escapee, police searched routes out of town. They were aided by good citizens who provided tips that the suspect was heading towards Bus Station No. 1 in Udon Thani municipality.
When patrol police turned up at the spot and found Pheeraphon walking out of the station, he fled again.
Three or four officers gave chase, and near the Rungthavee intersection, Pheeraphon rapidly climbed over a fence into the Charoen Hotel.
Officers tried to intercept him in front of the hotel, but he escaped into a canal and then ran back onto the road towards the Ruamthavee intersection, where officers surrounded him.
A motorcycle taxi driver blocked his path and kicked the suspect as he ran across the road. He fell, and officers jumped on him.
Speaking to reporters, Pheeraphon, whose face is clad with fading tattoos, said he fled because he did not want to go to jail and was trying to find a way back home.
He was nabbed by Ban Dung police on April 15 after stealing a power drill, a grinding machine, a wrench, a chainsaw, and nine bottles of white spirit (fiery Thai alcohol), along with some cash from a local grocery store.
"Before my arrest, I was involved in a drug case with 30 pills and released a little over a year ago. This time, I stole white spirit and some tools from a resident in Ban Kho Kiew, and the police caught me again.
"I decided to escape to return home and find work. I live at home with my mother and was worried about her," he said in tears.
News reports say he has been arrested four times previously. After his latest hijinks, police charged him with escaping from custody and took him back to Udon Thani court for legal proceedings.
Restless spirit has a week to act
The strange burial site (concrete pipes) for Sutthanan 'Haem' Tuenjai whose grave was robbed.
The grave of a young Udon Thani man killed in a road accident over Songkran was robbed when he was barely in the ground.
While his mother is distraught, a local monk has offered comfort, saying the victim's spirit is bound to get revenge unless the money is returned.
A Facebook user named "Yodchai Service Air CCTV" posted a picture of the victim's desecrated grave with the cover removed.
The post read, "Can anyone provide information? A drug addict broke into the grave to steal money from the body in Phen district, Udon Thani. This is truly disgraceful".
Reporters visited the cemetery at Wat Pa Phra Na Hai where the body of Sutthanan "Haem" Tuenjai, 20, was buried.
They met Phra Ruangdej Neungkeaw, 56, and Phra Jaeng Othor, 77, also Sutthanan's grandfather, sitting in the monk's quarters.
The monks took reporters to the site of the desecrated grave, which was assembled from four connected cement pipes. The thief, who took a cash offering left inside the coffin, left Sutthanan's body partially exposed above the ground.
Phra Jaeng said his grandson died after crashing his motorcycle into the back of a pickup truck on April 14 and was brought to the temple for nightly prayers.
Relatives placed the body in the grave on April 15 because, according to local belief, those who die unnaturally must be buried or placed in a grave for three years before a proper funeral can be held.
If cremated immediately, it is believed that someone in the village or a relative may die.
However, hours after the body was placed in the grave and plastered over, a thief opened the grave cover, which they believed was still wet, and stole money which his relatives, friends, and villagers had placed in the coffin.
The thief is thought to have taken about 3,000 baht which was meant as a donation for the deceased to use in the afterlife.
Pen Tuenjai, 50, the young man's mother, and Pornputharn, aged 22, his sister, were among mourners at the cemetery.
Ms Pen said Sutthanan was the younger of her two children. After finishing junior high school, he opened a motorcycle repair shop at home.
On the evening of April 14, he went out to visit a friend in Ban Dung, about 20 kilometres away. He left home and, about 6km away, had his fatal accident.
Ms Pen said she took part in a ceremony to place his body in the grave.
Later, his father placed a wreath from the other party involved in the accident on the grave and discovered the cover was open.
Checking the coffin, they found the money had gone, leaving only a 20 baht note in the coffin and another 20 baht note in front of the grave. Upset, they covered the grave with fresh plaster to make sure it could not happen again.
Ms Pen said and her daughter visited the grave to tell Sutthanan they did not wish to seek revenge or complain to the police about the theft. They hoped he could rest in peace.
Phra Ruangdej Neungkeaw, one of the monks, said the thief will face the consequences for his misdeed even if he evades the law. He found out about the theft when he went to the victim's family home to offer prayers.
"Even if his mother wishes to take no action, the owner of the money may be restless and come back to reclaim it himself," he said.
"Anyone who does such a thing is committing a sin. Since the deceased died unnaturally, the spirit will linger here for another seven days," he added.
No word was to hand as to whether the thief, spooked by the thought of revenge from the afterlife, is having second thoughts.
