Fruit Merchant Sprays More Than Just Tomato Juice

Photo Courtesy of Thairath

CHIANG RAI – A divorced fruit merchant, unable to overcome feelings of jealousy, tracked down his ex-wife and her new husband while they were shopping at the hill tribe’s market. Armed with a 9 mm, he waited opportunistically in a near by car park, for the chance to kill them.

The couple were shot dead on the way back to their vehicle, while the husband’s nephew was severely injured in the ambush. After the shooting, the culprit went home, wrote a suicide note, and put the gun to himself (picture in right hand corner).

The double homicide was unraveled at 13.30PM by a police Lieutenant Colonel, Deja Chaiaksorn who was stationed in Chiang Rai. He received a report that there was a shooting near the entrance road to KunKorn Waterfall.

At the entrance, a bronze Isuzu pick-up truck, plate number 6059 Chiang Rai, was spotted on the side of the road. Two bodies stained in blood were found near the vehicle. The male victim, Mr. Panyakorn Panya, 35 yrs old, was shot in the head and upper body. Nearby, the wife, Mrs. Nippaporn Panya, 33 yrs old, was shot on the right side of her face.

Forensic teams found eight bullet shells belonging to a 9 mm. at the crime scene.
The other victim, Mr. Charin Chaipanya, 19 yrs old, a nephew of the male victim, was shot in the left shoulder and faced a critical condition at Chiang Rai Phra Cha Nu Klor Hospital. Surgeons managed to remove the bullet from his body and is now in a stable condition.

The fruit merchant turned jealous-wife-killer, has since been identified as Banjong Norgaew, 39 yrs old. It is believed that after the shootings took place, he drove his blue Mitsubishi pick-up truck, plate number 3994 Pa Yao, to a convenient store and bought a bottle of beer. He later returned home and wrote a suicide note which said, “This home was built as a dream…Now it ends with a dream. – Banjong.” After that, he turned the same handgun used to commit the murders, on himself, firing three shots into his own chest and heart.

From police inquiries, it was discovered that the victims, including the culprit, were fruit and vegetable merchants at the Chok Jaroen market in Chiang Rai. Mr. Banjong Norgaew, who appeared to be well-off financially, was an ex-husband to Mrs. Nippaporn Panya. They lived together with two other children and divorced a year before the murders took place.

After separating, they each started new families, but Nippaporn married Mr. Panyakorn, a fruit merchant only a few stalls away in the same market.

It is believed that Mr. Banjong had previously threatened to kill the couple several times – and that jealousy had played a strong role in the killings.

Before the incident, Panyakorn, Nippaporn, and Charin (the nephew), drove out to a three-way intersection near the entrance to Kunkorn Waterfall, to buy tomatoes that the hill tribe bring down to sell from the mountains. The culprit somehow knew that the couple were there. He drove out and saw his ex-wife standing with her new husband next to their pick-up truck. He could not face what he saw. He drew his weapon. And the red stained gravel he left behind was no tomato juice.

In Courtesy of Thairath

Writer: Adrian Tse & Chet Chetchotisak

A Ninth Grader and a Pen Gun leaves Unsolved Murder

Photo Courtesy of Thairath Newspaper

BANGKOK - Marood Rakissara, a 14 yr old attending ninth grade at Janpradittharam High School was shot dead today; his father can be seen in the photo hasting towards his body. Police have found an important piece of evidence: a pen gun, discovered near the scene of the crime.

The ninth grader was discovered at 18.00 when Lieutenant Srongsak Petprakorp received a call at Bang Koon Tian station. He and emergency volunteers set off to the crime scene in Soi Teud Thai 67, Chumchon Pattana 7, Phasi Charoen district.

The murder took place deep in a forest about two kilometers from the front of the Soi. It was there, that the officers found the victim lying dead in a school uniform. The young victim sustained an exit wound to the left of his chest.

After the interrogation of the victim’s friends, it was found that before the killing took place, the victim and two friends paid a visit to another friend’s house situated in the Soi.

On the way back, the victim had stopped to urinate in a side bush where he was approached by two passing motorcycles. The first was a pink and white Yamaha Phino with two people on it; the driver was wearing a helmet and a dark colored jacket – the man sitting on the rear is said to have had a long mullet. The second bike was a dark blue Honda Sonic, with a single driver, also wearing a dark colored jacket.

When the two bikes reached the spot where Marood, the victim, was urinating, the man with the mullet drew a gun without warning. The victim was fiercely gunned down in close proximity, instantly collapsing. The two bikes left the Soi immediately after the killing.

The victim’s friends further stated that two or three days before the crime took place, their group started a fight with a group of kids from a school near the Tha Pra intersection.

While the kids from the other school boarded a public bus, the victim and his friends chased them and whipped them with belts. The victim’s friends suggested that this could be a motive for the killing of their friend.

The police, however, are not convinced. They suspect the victim had created conflict with people near the neighborhood of the murder, or that the killer is among the victims group of friends. The pen gun remains a mystery and has not yet been linked to the killing.

Note:

Soi (Thai: ซอย) is the term used in Thailand for a side-street branching off a major street (Thanon, Thai:ถนน).

Writer: Adrian Tse & Chet Chetchotisak

Designer Stabbed His Love To Death

Photo courtesy of SiangTai Daily Newspaper

PHUKET - A half Nepalese, half Malaysian woman was killed yesterday by her interior designer boyfriend, after efforts to rekindle the relationship failed. The victim denied the boyfriend – and said she was seeing a Norwegian expat, who had recently proposed to her. The quick-tempered designer reached for a fruit knife, stabbing her nine times.

Police officer, Mr. Chayapon Tammasurin, stationed in Kratu province, Phuket, was first on the scene after responding to a call from Mr. Ekachai KlaiMake, the 41 yr old owner of Smiley Restaurant.

A crowd of onlookers quickly gathered outside the restaurant as police cars arrived at the scene. Inside, a body lying in a pool of blood could be seen.

The victim was the manager of the diner and had worked there for three years, sources say – and has since been indentified as Miss Nupia Ton, a 28 yr old Nepalese, holding a certified Burmese working permit.

The victim was sent to Mueng Pa Tong hospital, where doctors were unable to revive her.

‘Miss Nupia was a fine young woman – very responsible,’ says Mr. Ekachai, ‘I still can’t believe this has happened in my very own Smiley Restaurant.’ Mr. Ekachai stated that Miss Nupia’s had a partner named Mr. Punya (unknown last name) and that he was an interior designer who worked on holiday homes catering to foreigners, as well as local nightclubs.

The culprit and the victim had apparently lived together for a year before separating, as Mr. Punya developed a habit for late night drinking and not returning home.

The latest incident involved a Norwegian man who had been a customer at the Smiley Restaurant. The foreigner took a liking to Miss Nupia and proposed to her shortly after.

On the day of the crime, Mr. Punya came to the restaurant begging Miss Nupia for forgiveness, say staff from the Smiley Restaurant. He was heard saying, ‘I’ll be a good boy, I am done with alcohol. I promise,’ and was seen bending over for a smack on the rear. He had also asked Mr. Ekachai to be a witness to the promise. ‘Mr. Punya looked distressed,’ he recalls, ‘but it was family business and had nothing to do with me.’

Mr. Ekachai went to the front of the restaurant to babysit his child, as the couple continued their conversation when customers suddenly fled from the diner in horror. Mr. Ekachai went back in and saw that Mr. Punya had got the victim into a headlock and was stabbing repeatedly at her chest. As the victim fell to floor, Mr. Punya continued to knife her on the ground. The wound count stood at nine stabs to the chest and upper thigh.

The culprit quickly escaped through the back of the restaurant – and police have since discovered that he has fled town with friends. The culprit, who’s last name has not yet been disclosed, is under pursuit from police.

‘I may have to close down the Smiley Restaurant,’ says Mr. Ekachai, ‘I just don’t think it will ever be the same.’

Writer: Adrian Tse & Chet Chetchotisak

Bathroom Lights Cut-Off Leads to Gunfire

THAILAND - The dead body in the image is Mr. Piyarit Phongam, 24 yrs old, a nephew of the well-known comedian, “Tep Phongam” who was shot dead last night by Mr. Chalor Jantapow (Image in the Right Corner).

The homicide took place at “Mum Mum,” an all-night congee house, in Grand Market, Uthai province, Pranakornsreeayudthaya City. It is believed the culprit became incensed when the victim accidentally switched off the lights in the restroom he was using. The perpetrator, yelling and screaming, fumbled for toilet paper in the dark; witnesses outside heard someone howling, “I am taking a shit, a big shit!”

At 5:00 AM, Puttipong Intara, an investigative officer, went to the crime scene after responding to a call about the shoot out. On arrival, the tables and chairs at the restaurant were in disarray, with fresh blood splattered around the restaurant - a bullet head of an unspecified size was found on the floor near by.

The victim was sent to Ratchathani Hospital where it was discovered that he was shot twice. One bullet had pierced through the right arm and into the lungs; the other was found in the back of the neck. Mr. Piyarit Phongam could not sustain the injuries and died shortly after.

Miss Rungnapa Meesukon, 26 yrs old, the victim’s wife, said the victim was the nephew of the famous comedian Tep Phongam, who came to work as a water-usage fee collector in Uthai Province, Pranakornsreeayudthaya City.

During the incident, the victim and his wife went to have congee at Mum Mum, when the victim went to the toilet and accidentally switched off the lights in the bathroom. This was found to be the motive behind the culprit’s shooting. The culprit later followed the victim back to his table where an argument took place. The victim had tried to placate the culprit, and it was then that he was shot.

Police officers later received a phone call from the culprit, Mr. Chalor Jantapow, 39 yrs old, confessing he had committed murder. When the police officers arrived at the culprit’s house, Mr. Chalor was sitting on his armchair with a .38 handgun waiting to be arrested. When interrogated, Chalor said that he thought the victim was going to raise his leg to kick him, so he got his gun out and shot the victim twice. He insisted it was self-defence.

In Courtesy of Thairath & Kow Sod Newspapers.

Writer: Adrian Tse & Chet Chetchotisak