Police: Two of Premchai's guns illegal

Police: Two of Premchai's guns illegal

Forty firearms are found at Mr Premchai's house in Bangkok on Feb 7. (Royal Thai Police photo)
Forty firearms are found at Mr Premchai's house in Bangkok on Feb 7. (Royal Thai Police photo)

Construction tycoon Premchai Karnasuta will likely face firearms charges after police found at least two of the weapons seized from his house earlier might be illegal.

Construction tycoon Premchai Karnasuta will face firearms charges after police found at least two of the weapons seized from his house earlier might be illegal.

Forensic police and Interior Ministry officials found on Tuesday one of the guns was a self-assembled air rifle, a type not allowed under the firearms act and a 1979 ministerial regulation. 

The other is a 25-bullet, 9mm automatic gun, prohibited under the 1979 ministerial regulation.

Authorities have yet to find documents for another eight firearms.

Police seized 43 firearms from Mr Premchai’s house on Soi Soonviijai in Bangkok on Feb 7. Most of them were long guns.

Also on Tuesday, Pol Maj Gen Krissana Sapdej, deputy commander of Provincial Police Region 7 who leads the investigation, said police had summonsed Mr Premchai and three others for further interrogation and to acknowledge a new charge against them at the Kanchanaburi provincial police headquarters.

The move came after forest officials filed charges of cruelty to animals against them under the 2014 animal cruelty law. They were earlier asked to come on Feb 15 but Mr Premchai’s lawyer informed police on that day they could not make it.

“If they fail to show up again, we’ll inform the court so it can take further action,” he said.

The president of SET-listed Italian-Thai Development Plc, together with three others, was caught with carcasses of animals of endangered species and several firearms in a prohibited area of the World Heritage Thungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary in Kanchanaburi province late on Feb 4. They were released on bail during the investigation and are due to appear in the Thong Pha Phum court on March 26.

Mr Premchai was charged with hunting animals of endangered species, hunting in prohibited areas and possession of firearms. He denied the charges. 

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