Fifteen police officers who were at the house of Praween Chanklai, aka “Kamnan Nok”, on the night of September 6, when a highway police officer was shot dead and another injured by one of Praween’s bodyguards, will face malfeasance charges in accordance with Section 157 of the Criminal Code.
Pol Lt-Gen Jirabhop Bhuridej, commissioner of the Central Investigation Bureau, told the media at a news conference today (Tuesday) that the 15 officers did not take any action to help the two victims or to arrest the gunman.
“You are a police officer and, when a crime is taking place, your job is to arrest the suspect unless there is an overriding emergency situation that requires your attention, such as helping someone injured during the commission of the criminal act,” said the CIB commissioner.
He disclosed that there were altogether 29 officers at the house on that night for a dinner party, including the deceased, Pol Col Sivakorn, and Pol Lt-Col Wasin who was injured.
They were divided into four groups. The first group, comprising Sivakorn and Wasin. The second comprised six officers who helped take the dead and injured to a hospital. The third comprised six officers who allegedly aided in the escape of Praween and the gunman. The remaining 15 did nothing.
According to a police examination of the Praween’s construction business, Jirabhop said that, since 1997, Praween’s two construction firms have won bids for 1,314 out of a total of 1,527 construction projects, or 85%, mostly in Nakhon Pathom province.
The investigation into the construction businesses, to determine whether price collusion or intimidation was used to win them, is still underway by the CIB police, the Department of Special Investigation and other relevant state agencies, said the commissioner.
