Col Prasan Harngotha Chief Karon Police confirmed to The Phuket News today (Feb 12) that his officers will seek arrest warrants to be issued for Paitoon Silapawisut and another man who police have so far identified only as “Mr Man” over the confrontation, which occurred on Jan 28.
Arrest warrants are to be sought for charges of carrying a firearm in public, having a firearm without a permit to carry, and joint attack on a person/s (affray), Col Prasan said.
“We will check whether these men have permits for their guns, but I believe they don’t have any,” he added.
“We will apply to the Phuket Provincial Court for the arrest warrants tomorrow (Feb 13),” Col Prasan confirmed.
Col Prasan explained that the violent confrontation, which occurred at 5:30pm on Jan 28, is just the latest in an ongoing dispute over land near Nui Beach.
“They had previously argued about a sala at the entrance to Nui Beach on their land,” Col Prasan said.
“At this stage we have yet to learn all the details about which land is being claimed by who. It is complicated, but we will take action of these (violent and gun) crimes.
“We need to question the suspects and the victims further,” he added.
The latest clash between the two warring parties was caught on dashcam video, and came to light after the video was shared on the Thai-language Facebook page “Spotlight Thailand”. (Click here.)
Karon Police posted their public response to the sharing of the video on their Facebook page yesterday. (Click here.)
Police explained that one man, Thawatchai Nakthong, was accused of setting fire to a sala alongside the road to Nui Beach.
The sala belonged to Sulaiman Boonteang.
Sulaiman arrived at scene with two friends: Suwa Pengurai and Dusit Salaiphet.
The three men approached Thawatchai, but then another vehicle turned up, out of which four men exited and a fight ensued.
Among the four men who got out of the car were Paitoon and “Mr Man”, as well as Phacharapon Jareudet and another man who police did not identify.
Paitoon and Mr Man were carrying guns, police noted.
In the ensuing attack, Mr Suwa and Mr Dusit were repeatedly kicked and punched, and at least one of them struck on the head with a handgun.
Mr Sulaiman was not injured in the attack, police reported.
After the fight the four suspects fled the scene in the car they had arrived in.
Col Prasan Harngotha told The Phuket News today (Feb 12), “We received a formal complaint of the attack at 10pm on Jan 28.
“Now we know which suspects used the firearms and the other two suspects who were not carrying guns,” he said, though declining to reveal the names of the two remaining unnamed suspects.
However, he added, that Mr Suwa and Mr Dusit have had their injuries documented by doctors and filed the medical reports with police.
Asked why the delay in taking action to follow up on the incident, Col Prasan said, “We needed time to collect information enough for arrest warrants.”