PHUKET
CRIME
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Man killed in Samkong shooting
PHUKET CITY: Police are investigating the murder of
a man killed by two shotgun blasts near his shack
in Samkong early yesterday morning.
Pol Maj Pitakpol Sompong of the Phuket City Police
told the Gazette that the wife of 40-year-old Rungroj
Saekui reported finding her husband dead outside their
unnumbered shack off Soi Samkong 1 at about 2 am yesterday.
The wife, whose name was not disclosed, told police
she felt ill and went to sleep at about 8 pm the night
before, just as her husband was going out to look
after his chickens as usual.
She told police she thought she heard what sounded
like gunfire about 10 minutes later, but didn’t go
out to investigate.
When she awoke at about 2 am and wondered why her
husband was not by her side, she went out to find
him dead and screamed for help, police reported her
as saying.
When police arrived at the scene, which is inaccessible
by car, they found Khun Rungroj dead of two shotgun
blasts to the pelvis. Kusoldharm Foundation rescue
workers took the body to Vachira Phuket Hospital for
examination and two 12-gauge shells were recovered
as evidence, he said.
Police have dismissed initial speculation that the
murder may have been motivated by a land dispute.
They questioned landowner Kanchana Na Ranong, who
told them her family had given Rungroj permission
to occupy the land back in 1983 and that he had lived
there ever since without incident, he said.
The Na Ranongs are a family of wealthy Phuket landowners
whose business interests include ownership of the
Pearl Group of Companies and its flagship resort the
Indigo Pearl in Nai Yang.
“I don’t think the killer was a professional. I suspect
the victim knew his assailant and was probably having
a conversation with him when the shots were fired
from a distance of less than two meters,” Maj Pitakpol
said.
The victim was known to enjoy drinking whiskey at
his doorway, but had given up alcohol for the three-month
Buddhist Lent that began in mid-July, he said.
The victim’s wife told police her husband never had
any problems with anybody, he added.
Police are still questioning other suspects in the
case, he said.
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