From: ssg9328@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Samart Srijumnong)
Subject: Probe being conducted on Soldiers beating Police (fwd)
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Tue, 24 Nov 1992 03:19:57 GMT
Keywords: Thailand

From kamol@ipied.tu.ac.th Mon Nov 23 20:59:41 1992
Received: from chulkn.chula.ac.th by uxa.cso.uiuc.edu with SMTP id AA17252
  (5.67a/IDA-1.5 for <ssg9328@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu>); Mon, 23 Nov 1992 20:59:24 -0600
Received: by chulkn.chula.ac.th (5.57/Ultrix3.0-C)
	id AA24629; Tue, 24 Nov 92 09:56:44 +0700
Received: by ipied.tu.ac.th.tu.ac.th (4.1)
      id AA27182; Mon, 23 Nov 92 22:54:22+0700
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 92 22:54:22+0700
From: Kamol Hengkietisak <kamol@ipied.tu.ac.th>
Message-Id: <9211231554.AA27182@ipied.tu.ac.th.tu.ac.th>
To: post-thai@ipied.tu.ac.th
Subject: Bangkok Post Nov 24: Probe being conducted on Soldiers beating Police
Cc: trin@ipied.tu.ac.th
Status: R


INTERIOR Minister Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh yesterday pledged that 
strict legal action would be taken against 50 soldiers who injured 
15 policemen during an attack on a police station in Ranong 
Province on Sunday.
 
Addressing a ministry Press Conference, Gen Chavalit said the 
attack was not motivated by a conflict between the police and army 
units as it was merely a personal undertaking by a handful of 
soldiers.
 
"No attempt, therefore, should be made to protect the wrongdoers," 
Gen Chavalit said, adding that those involved in the attack must 
be punished and tried in the military court.
 
Early on Sunday a platoon of the 25th Infantry Battalion stormed 
the Muang District police station in Ranong after police refused 
to accept a complaint from an Army officer who lost a gold 
necklace in a local bar following a fight with a policeman.
 
Some 50 soldiers, allegedly led by Lt Piroon Bunnag, sprayed the 
station with machine-gun fire and broke window panes and doors. 
The soldiers, who were allegedly drunk, also assaulted duty police 
officers as well as the station chief during the 30-minute attack.
 
Gen Chavalit last night visited six of the injured policemen at 
the Police Hospital where they have been airlifted for medical 
treatment.
 
Supreme Commander ACM Voranart Aphicharee, pledging punitive 
action against the soldiers, said an investigation would be 
ordered to find out how official weapons had been taken from their 
barracks.
 
"Several people will be affected by the investigation as this 
cannot have been committed by any one person acting alone," ACM 
Voranart said.
 
Army Chief Gen Vimol Wongwanich said he could not say whether the 
soldiers had used the weapons to attack the police station as he 
is still waiting for a report on the incident.
 
However, he said he believed that there must be a reason for the 
incident and would like to wait for the result of the 
investigation before commenting further.
 
Gen Vimol later told reporters that the Army has set up a 
committee to conduct an investigation into the incident.
 
The army chief appeared irritated when asked by a reporter if the 
soldiers' attack on the police station would furthertarnish the 
reputation of the army which, the reporter said, is already viewed 
by the public as a type of mafia that likes to use force against 
other people.
 
Local police and army commanders agreed yesterday to formally 
charge the 50 soldiers over the incident.
 
Deputy Police Department Chief Manas Krutchaiyant said Lt Piroon 
and his subordinates would be charged with attempted murder of 
officials on duty, robbery, trespassing on a government office, 
destroying government property, possession of firearms, carrying 
firearms in public without permission, gathering more than 10 
people to cause a riot and assault.
 
Ranong police said yesterday that they refused to accept the 
complaint from Lt Piroon because the officer appeared to be drunk.
 
Pol Sub-Lt Somkiat Kanchanaporn,  a deputy investigation 
inspector, said he told Lt Piroon to come back the next morning 
when he was sober to file the complaint.
 
The police officer said he was held at gunpoint and was brutally 
beaten with a rifle butt by Lt Piroon.
 
A few other policemen on duty at the police station were also 
assaulted in a similar manner.
 
The platoon later left the police station with some police weapons 
and communications equipment after damaging the station.
 
Some of the stolen weapons have been retrieved and returned to the 
police, he said.
 
Six of the 15 injured policemen were airlifted to Bangkok to 
undergo medical treatment at the Police Hospital.
 
Police Chief Gen Sawat Amornvivat was on hand to receive the six 
policemen who were flown by helicopter from Don Muang airport to 
the hospital.
 
The six officers are Pol Capt Surasak Thongnok, Pol Capt Sorasak 
Mankasem, Pol Sub-Lt Somkiat Kanchanaporn, Pol Lce/Cpl Thirawat 
Ruengnarong, Pvt Prakit Nopparat and Pvt Suthichai Waengsopha.
 
Pol-Gen Sawat called on the army to tighten its control on its 
arms stockpiles to prevent illegal access by army officers.
 
"The incident was a serious one and not the first. I believe that 
the responsible authorities will need to review the measures used 
to control the storage of these war weapons as we are not at war," 
Pol Gen Sawat said.
 
The commander of Provincial Police Area 10, Pol Maj-Gen Kitti 
Sinthusuwan said a committee has been set up to investigate the 
incident. The committee, headed by Pol Maj-Gen Kitti and his 
deputy, would consist of a deputy provincial governor or an 
assistant governor and a Ranong superintendent.
 
Acting commander of the 25th Infantry Battalion, Maj Sawek 
Narksawat yesterday called on Ranong Governor Chamnong Chalermchat 
to explain the incident.
 
He said Lt Piroon and 32 soldiers have been detained inside the 
battalion compound where they will be interrogated by the chief 
military investigator from the Chumphon Provincial Military 
Circle, Maj Pirai Praophan.
 
The interrogation will be conducted by a panel of military and 
police officers.
 
However, Maj Sawek said police could ask the army to send Lt 
Piroon for questioning whenever they wanted.


Newsgroups: soc.culture.thai