Thailand's Case of Elite Son's Having Committed Murder Obfuscated by Phairath Khampha 31 December 2001 Few fictional dramas could quite match the extraordinary real-life saga that gripped Bangkok in the recent months before the end of 2001. Its central players have a rich and powerful politician and his three errant, playboy sons, one of whom stands accused of murder. At least six witnesses, in the early hours of 29 October, clearly saw 20-year-old Duangchalerm Yoobamrang put a gun to the forehead of a plainclothes police sergeant and pull the trigger. The killing took place in a crowded Bangkok bar, a favourite hang-out for Duangchalerm, his two brothers and their equally well-connected but violentfriends. The shooting followed a brawl that erupted after one man trod on another's foot. And because of who did the killing the case, in corrupt Thailand, quickly became very obfuscated, clearly showing that the political and economic elite of Thailand can easily get away with pretty much anything, including murder. However, the public prosecutor indicted Duangchalerm. Four other suspects who were all with main suspect Duangchalerm when the shooting happened were also indicted on various related charges of collaborating in the killing and obstructing police. Violent escapades The newspaper headlines implicating the Yoobamrang brothers raised few eyebrows in Bangkok, where the colourful and often violent escapades of the city's youthful elite are familiar tabloid fare. Nor were many surprised when the suspect's father, well-known politician Chalerm Yoobamrang, leaped to his son's defence. The father had done much the same on each previous occasions when his boys became involved in fights, shootings or other incidents at bars and discotheques. The murder of a policeman, though, was somewhat different. Trail gone cold Duangchalerm - whose connections had helped him reach the rank of lieutenant in the Thai army's supreme command - went missing. His father produced a letter supposedly left by the fugitive, declaring his innocence. Two months on, the trail had gone cold. It appears the influential murderer was not abroad as originally supposed, but was actually hiding inside his family's sprawling Bangkok compound. And the police cannot get him because of who his father is. Justice in Thailand is different for people in different walks of life. The police appeared close to giving up hope of ever getting their man. Their efforts to persuade his father to hand over a gun that was the murder weapon collapsed when he said he was not in the mood to look for it. Chalerm questioned over gun Police questioned the influential Thai politician and his wife for two hours in connection with the murder of a police officer for which their son was witnessed by many to have carried out. Police issued an arrest warrant for Chalerm Yoobamrung's youngest son, former soldier Doungchalerm, a key suspect in the case who had been on the run since the shooting at the Twenty Club. Thai authorities were criticised for failing to catch Doungchalerm, who, along with his two older brothers, is a notorious troublemaker known for nightclub brawls and scuffles with the law. The case provoked outrage in Thailand, where both ordinary people and political commentators were infuriated at the prospect of the scion of an influential and feared family escaping justice again. It also helped to change a decades-old agreement between the defence and interior ministries that gave uniformed armed forces personnel immunity from arrest. Police had to tighten security for witnesses in the case after some, in typical Thai fashion, received threatening calls for giving statements against the murderer. Under Thai law, licensed gun-owners must notify the police within 15 days of a weapon going missing or face a fine of up to 1,000 baht. "I don't know whether [the guns] are lost or not, I was just unable to find them after I moved to a new house," Mr Chalerm said as he arrived at a Bangkok police station for questioning. Mr Chalerm insisted Doungchalerm was innocent and the victim of a conspiracy, but his stand cost him his job as deputy leader of Thailand's third largest coalition party, the New Aspiration Party. Lieutenant General Noppadol Sombunsap told reporters after the interrogation that police were confident they would wrap up the case against Doungchalerm by December 6, when they would submit their findings to the court. He added that Mr Chalerm had told police that he supposedly was trying to persuade Doungchalerm to surrender, indicating the politician knew of his son's whereabouts. Police arrested several suspects in the case, including Doungchalerm's brother Wanchalerm, while searching for Doungchalerm from Malaysia to Cambodia, with the help of Interpol. Chalerm not 'in mood' to find gun MP Chalerm Yoobamrung, a member of Thailand's economic and political elite, and his wife Lamnao gave statements to police on December 3, 2001 about a missing 6.35mm pistol, which investigators their fugitive son Duangchalerm used in the murder of a police officer on October 29. The murder was clearly witnessed by a number of witnesses, many of whom had already been threatened and intimidated by thugs in the pay of the criminal family. Emerging from a three-hour interrogation, Lamnao appeared shaken and was quickly escorted away while Chalerm told reporters that he was in "no mood" to locate the missing handgun registered under his name. "I told police that I still couldn't locate my gun but I was not implying that I had lost it," Chalerm said. In an interview before reporting to police, Chalerm said he and his wife were volunteering to give their statements after receiving a "police invitation", which he considered an honour. In regard to his missing gun, he said he did not consider it lost because he had yet to complete searching for it. "I am not completely sure that I have lost it," he said. "Anyway, this is not a serious violation as I would face a fine of no more than 1,000 baht (US$22) if I were to later report its loss." Before Chalerm and Lamnao reported for questioning, a group of angry people frustrated with the Duangchalerm case, obviously been obfuscated so that the MPs son could escape from this last family fiasco involving the law, called on police to press charges against Chalerm for attempting to conceal a murder weapon. Assistant national police chief Pol Lt Gen Nopadol Somboonsap said investigators on the Duangchalerm case would report to the Police Registration Division that Chalerm had still failed to locate his pistol. Regarding the pistol owned by Wanchalerm, Chalerm's other son, who also was facing charges relating to the bar brawl that triggered the murder, Nopadol said police planned to revoke his gun licence because of his record of violent behaviour. Deputy Prime Minister Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh said Chalerm reported to police in his private capacity and claimed no link to the New Aspiration Party. Prosecutors, meanwhile, were prepared to evaluate the Duangchalerm case if investigators submitted their report on December 6 as planned, Watcharin Panurat, secretary to the chief criminal prosecutor, said. Watcharin said that the prosecution review would focus on the statements of eyewitnesses who say they saw Duangchalerm shoot Senior Sergeant Major Suwichai Rotwimud in the head. The missing murder weapon, if found, could tighten the case against Duangchalerm, he said. However, in light of the damning testimonies by witnesses, it was unlikely to sway the verdict either way. Request for pistol The Office of National Police's Registry Division on December 4 sent a letter to veteran MP Chalerm Yoobamrung and his wife asking them to produce their 6.35-mm pistol within seven to 10 days. The team in charge of investigating the murder of Police Senior Sgt Maj Suwichai Rodwimud requested the Registry Division to examine the whereabouts of the 6.35mm pistol belonging to Chalerm and his wife Lamnao. At the same time, a police source said the investigation team would ask the Registry Division to revoke Pol Sub-Lt Wanchalerm's licences to carry firearms. Wanchalerm owned two 9-mm pistols and a shotgun. However, Pol Colonel Adisorn Jongkitsuksi, deputy commander of the Registry Division, said his division could revoke the licences only after the trial against Wanchalerm was finalised. Yubamrung Brothers: Draft papers were fake A joint police-military committee concluded that the Sor Dor 43 draft forms used by Arthan and Wanchalerm Yoobamrung, sons of veteran MP Chalerm, in their police service applications were fake. As Wanchalerm is less than 29 years old he would now be called to undergo the draft process, said Maj General Saksin Thippayakaset, director-general of the Army Reserve Affairs Department. The Sor Dor 43 is a certificate, issued by a Thai army draft official, showing that the holder had undergone compulsory military draft procedures. The sons of most of Thailand's economic and political elite arrange through corrupt means to have certificates issues that expempts them from military service. According to Saksin, the draft official for Bangkok's Bang Khunthien district had not issued the Sor Dor 43 forms to Arthan and Wanchalerm. Therefore, the committee concluded that the two had used fake draft certificates and so were still liable to undergo the draft process. Arthan would not have to undergo the process because he was now over 29 years old, the maximum age for national service. Wanchalerm was still eligible to be drafted, however, said Saksin. Meanwhile, Pol Maj General Theerajit Uttama, deputy commissioner of the Central Investigation Bureau, said identity numbers on the Sor Dor 43 forms held by Arthan and Wanchalerm were not the same as those used by Bang Khunthien drafting officials. Nevertheless, he said only the police investigator in charge and the Police Commission had the authority to rule whether or not the Sor Dor 43 forms were fake. Meanwhile, Wanchalerm and Pol Major Sarawut Sakulmeerit, both on bail, attended a court hearing on December 6 relating to charges that they colluded in the murder of Pol Senior SgtMajor Suwichai Rodwimud on October 29 at Twenty Pub. Wanchalerm said he was very concerned about the well-being of his younger brother Duangchalerm, who is on the run after being accused of shooting Suwichai. "I want him [Duangchalerm]to know that I miss him so much. Everybody in our family is worried about him," he said. Witnesses recalled The public prosecutor on December 13 ordered police investigators to reinterview 10 witnesses in the murder case involving Duangchalerm Yoobamrung, son of veteran MP Chalerm. Suwet Chitimahawong, leader of the public prosecution team in charge of the case, said he ordered the interviews because the previous testimony of the 10 witnesses needed clarification. According to Suwet, a team of five public prosecutors was working on this case. The team had so far reviewed the testimonies of about 200 witnesses. Duangchalerm witness threats Police had to tighten security for witnesses in the Duangchalerm Yoobamrung case after some received threatening calls for giving statements against the murder suspect. Assistant national police chief Lt-General Noppadol Somboonsap said more measures had been deemed necessary as someone had been able to discover the witnesses' telephone numbers even though they were at safe houses under police protection. This suggested that corrupt police officers were helping the Chalerm family in return for obviously hefty consideration. Part of how the Thai police and justice systems work. As of the middle of December, Noppadol said the manhunt for Duangchalerm had not been relaxed as speculated and urged members of the public to help in locating him. Chief criminal prosecutor Wiwat Duangchan said prosecutors were speeding up their review of the police report but would not be able to complete it for December 17 as previously scheduled. Prosecutors had yet to interview a few more key witnesses before deciding whether to try Duangchalerm, Wiwat said. Reacting to speculation over the missing murder weapon, Wiwat said the discovery of the 6.35mm pistol might be helpful but not a decisive factor in the case. Fugitive son indicted for murder The public prosecutor on December 28 indicted Duangchalerm on first degree murder charges in the shooting death of the police officer, an official said. Four other suspects who were all with main suspect Duangchalerm when the shooting happened were also indicted on various related charges of collaborating in the killing and obstructing police. Under Thai law, the charge carries a maximum death penalty. Mr Chavalit said Supoj Saeng-anan and Krisapat Chatulanont were indicted on a charge of collaborating in the murder. Wanchalerm Yoobamrung, who is Duangchalerm's elder brother, and Police Major Sarawut Sakulmeerit, were indicted on charges of obstructing police and helping the key suspect escape, Mr Chavalit said. Mr Chavalit said the indictments would be formally presented to the court later on the same day.