PHUKET
CRIME
Friday, April 24, 2009
Mob leader slams Cherng Talay
Police
CHERNG TALAY, PHUKET: A member of the mob protesting
alleged police inaction in the murder of a 12-year-old
boy by an Internet cafe owner spoke with the Gazette
late yesterday afternoon about why the group continued
to block a stretch of Srisoonthorn Road through the
night – even after the victim’s family had disbanded
after meeting with the governor.
Identifying himself not as a leader of the the mob,
but as a “big brother” who had their respect, the
man said the protest is their way of venting pent-up
anger against the Cherng Talay Police for failing
to solve any in a string of five recent murders in
the Bang Tao area.
One of the victims, killed in a hail of machine gun
fire, was his nephew.
Police failed to inform him of any progress into the
investigation, he claimed.
The group was particularly incensed by the alleged
police reaction to a child who called from the internet
café after 12-year-old Amornthep “Gaga” Panya-sirikul
was shot in the head on Wednesday afternoon.
They allege the youth asked for assistance – only
to be hung up on by police who didn’t believe him.
The man went on to say that he felt sorry for the
public inconvenience caused, but that the group could
think of no other way to force the police to work
faster.
“We don’t want to make any more trouble for our country,
which is already suffering enough from mob action,
but what else can we do? Many times we cry out for
help and all they do is 'transfer' the officer in
charge. Then what? The transferred man goes to work
somewhere else, but the problems here remain the same.
“The police just hope that people will forget about
it [the crimes] someday, so they can get away with
it [their inaction]. I just want to ask tourists and
other people out there what they would do if they
were in our shoes... if something like this happened
to someone in their family. We have had enough of
it,” he said.
A promise by Gov Wichai yesterday to seek his own
transfer out of the province if the alleged shooter
of the boy is not apprehended was not enough, he said.
“Think about it. If he is transferred he’ll just go
and be governor somewhere else. What difference will
it make?” he said.
“Why didn’t they do something immediately after the
phone call? Can you tell me what kind of car can outrace
police radio signals? Even if the kid had been lying,
they could still have responded in a positive way,
perhaps using it as an excuse to get out of the office
and get some exercise… What would that cost them?
All of their expenses are covered: the car, the gasoline.
They should work for us, as we pay for all their costs
[with our taxes],” he said.
Meanwhile, the boys mother, also incensed with the
police response in the case, has told the Gazette
that if the police cannot arrest the suspect within
five days, she will lead a procession carrying her
son's coffin to the Cherng Talay Police. "We
will protest until every member of the force has been
transferred,” she said.
– Tipwarintron Tanaakarachod
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