Under interrogation by the Crime Suppression Division in Bangkok, Praween Chankhlai, a powerful local leader better known as Kamnan Nok, faced the music on Friday. (See police photo attached).
Anutin Charnvirakul, the Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister, announced on Friday that he has directed his deputy, Chada Thaiset, and provincial governors nationwide to compile data on and blacklist local leaders involved in mafia-like organizations. His move came in the aftermath of a violent event that led to the tragic death of a highway patrol officer and left another seriously wounded at a dinner party hosted by Kamnan Nok in Nakhon Pathom’s Muang district on Wednesday evening, attended by a minimum of 25 police officials.
The slain officer, Pol Maj Siwakorn Saibua, led Highway Police Station 1 of the Highway Police Sub-division 2. His deputy, Pol Lt Col Wasin Wanpee also sustained significant injuries in the shootout. The alleged shooter, Thananchai Manmak, who was the subject of an active court warrant for purportedly shooting Pol Maj Siwakorn and injuring Pol Lt Col Wasin, was eliminated during a shootout with police officers in Tha Rua district, in Kanchanaburi province, early Friday morning.
Praween Chankhlai, notably known as Kamnan Nok, voluntarily surrendered to Nakhon Pathom police force on Thursday afternoon, soon after an arrest warrant was issued against him. Eyewitness accounts suggest that fracas arose out of Mr Praween’s discontent when a request for his policeman nephew’s transfer was declined, stated Pol Lt Gen Jirabhop Bhuridej, the Central Investigation Bureau’s commissioner.
Kamnan Nok has now been suspended from his administrative duties amid investigations into his alleged role in the shooting, revealed Mr Anutin, quoting a report lodged by the Nakhon Pathom governor. The Interior Minister stressed the need to scrutinize and ban local leaders with a notorious history of involvement with mafia gangs, adding that these individuals should neither have a place in the community nor be allowed to continue causing harm and loss of life.
“The incident in Nakhon Pathom is a stark reminder of why ‘ill-famed’ local leaders should be ostracized for the public’s safety,” Mr Anutin added. He also invoked strident measures to regulate gun ownership, emphasizing that a license does not guarantee one the freedom to publicly carry firearms according to whims and fancies. Strict limitations must be adhered to by gun license holders, he stressed.
Meanwhile, Pol Gen Damrongsak Kittiprapas has ordered the reassignment of the 25 police officials in attendance at the ill-fated Nakhon Pathom party to non-operational roles at the Royal Thai Police Operation Centre, pending an inquiry into their presence at the gathering. The Metropolitan Police Bureau also initiated a separate probe to establish why an armed man was not apprehended at the scene despite the presence of a large contingent of police officials.
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has pledged to ensure justice for the fallen highway patrol officer, expressing profound shock at the circumstances surrounding the policeman’s demise at the hands of organized criminals who sought to meddle with the local police reshuffle. As for the speculations of corruption in the police force in relation to the Nakhon Pathom incident, Mr Srettha stated that Pol Gen Torsak Sukvimol, the deputy national police chief, is already grilling the police officers who attended the ill-starred dinner party.
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