The Nation newspaper today, on page two, has an article about the Pattaya Post editor found dead in his car.  He was bound, and shot three times. Speculation in the article about a possible motive included extramarital affair, reporting on bars who remained open after hours, and some police officers demoted after a report on hotels offering prostitution services. The following short summary is all I can find of the article on The Nation's website:

Quote:

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GANGLAND MURDER: 'Pattaya Post' editor found shot in head

Santi’s reports on hotels providing sex services led to transfers of senior police. Chon Buri police are investigating the gangland-style murder of a journalist and local newspaper owner found shot dead in his BMW yesterday morning in Pattaya.

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I found the whole article;



GANGLAND MURDER: ‘Pattaya Post’ editor found shot in head

Published on November 03, 2005



Santi’s reports on hotels providing sex services led to transfers of senior police. Chon Buri police are investigating the gangland-style murder of a journalist and local newspaper owner found shot dead in his BMW yesterday morning in Pattaya.



Santi Lammaneenil, 38, was shot three times – in the forehead, under the chin and in the right temple. His hands were tied with a power cord from a mobile-phone battery charger. He had been dead about 10 hours before his body was found at 7am in Bang Lamung district, according to the initial autopsy report.



Lt-General Jongrak Juthanond, commander of Provincial Police Region 2, said someone might have wanted Santi killed because of his gambling debts, extramarital affair or his exposure of night entertainment venues in the beach resort town that operated beyond legal hours.



Up to three men might have abducted Santi, or tricked him into meeting them at the crime scene, Jongrak said.



The editor of the Pattaya Post newspaper for more than 10 years, Santi also freelanced for TV Channel 7, and Khao Sod and Khom Chad Luek newspapers. He was deputy chairman of the local press association and set to become its chairman.



A local veteran reporter, who identified himself as Dej, said Santi’s coverage over the past few months of certain hotels in Pattaya providing prostitutes had led to the immediate transfers of five senior police.



Santi’s car was parked with the engine still running when it was found near brush on Naklua Soi 16. The car’s interior had been ransacked and the rear windscreen had a bullet hole. His pistol was found in the car with two bullets fired.



Police quoted his widow, Sumalee Seedaeng, as saying Santi told her about specific information stored on his personal computer before he went missing on Monday. Police have not found any information leading to a possible motive.



Sumalee said a man with a large build had twice come to look for Santi at her house – the first time on the day Santi went missing and the second time the day after. Santi had frequently stayed overnight with his relatives over the past few months. Recently he asked her: “How could our family go on if I’m abducted and killed?”

I just went back, and there it is.  I found it by clicking on the same link I had used before and it wasn't there.  I think they just uploaded it:  www.nationmultimedia.com/...52085.html

Quote:

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Santi Lammaneenil, 38, was shot three times – in the forehead, under the chin and in the right temple

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Wow.  Try to imagine that scenario.  Someone relocating the gun twice to fire bullets from three different angles, when any one of them probably would have been fatal.

Pattaya City News w/ crime scene pictures

[posted at 1107am]: Today is not my day for clicking on news links.  That link in Silom's post above did not contain any pictures for me....



[posted at 751pm]:Now the pics are back.  They definitely weren't there when I looked this morning, but they had been prior to that for Silom.  <shrug>

Edited by: bkk gwm at: 3/11/05 7:53 am

more than the usual quick 'hit' which means it is probably organised crime which, of course could be anyone...as for only a couple of thousand baht you could get your enemy bumped off, if one were so inclined.



It does show how the idea of cleaning up crime in Thailand is an almost hopeless task and many frangs unfairly blame other farangs and their predilictions for corruption.  

The last I heard a few years ago (so allow for inflation if making a booking) the tariff for an assassination was Poor Thai B7-10,000, Thai Businessman B10-20,000 Farang B25,000+ ( presumably because the Embassies make a big fuss?). I think that may be why the Police find so many strange suicides as these do not require Embassy investigation.



Knocking off a business competitor is supposed to be quite common.



The favoured method is a motorbike drive by shooting.



I read of a prominent businessman who had a fleet of limousines and always went out with at least three in convoy and he chose which one to travel in at the last minute.



There is an excellent Thai film Bangkok Dangerous. It is about a mute hit man who gains compassion as he looses his life.



The rubbing out of a major newspaper Editor could be anything Politics? Business? Personal? Relationship? Will we ever know? Will Thailand sink even further down the list of Nations with free Press by Reporteurs sans Frontiers.