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Phuket's Thalang Police Station is now the scene of a crimes investigation

Arrest the Lawbreakers, Interior Ministry Orders Phuket Governor After Riot

Monday, October 12, 2015
VIDEO The Battle for Phuket's Thalang Police Station

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1&v=P6ZURGrYyqY

PHUKET: The Permanent Secretary of the Interior Ministry today ordered the Governor of Phuket to investigate the weekend's riot and to arrest and charge people found to have committed crimes.

There is no justification for the destruction of Phuket's Thalang Police Station, the wounds inflicted on 14 officers, and the fatal turning back of an ambulance carrying an injured man to hospital.

The fact that the man in the ambulance died is a shocking outcome of the actions of a raging mob.

Volunteers were clearing up at the police station today but it will take more than sweeping away broken glass and burned metal to recondition Phuket's severely damaged reputation.

Drunks, hotheads and anarchists were at the weekend allowed to take control of a protest that should have been peaceful and measured, no matter how deep the grief felt by the two families after the tragic fatal motorcycle crash on Saturday.

Why didn't the authorities intervene as peacemakers as soon as possible and attempt to calm this difficult and obviously dangerous situation before it escalated out of control?

It's plain that no group of people has the right to halt traffic on a public road or to launch an attack on the local police station.

Even if grievances run deep, there are many legitimate courses of action that can be pursued.

The weekend protest brought shame on Phuket, and reflected poorly on Thailand's premier holiday island.

The safety of visitors and residents has to be a first priority. All roads must stay open to traffic, at all times.

Even on Sunday, some of the people of Baan Don, gathered more peacefully to listen to police, the army and the governor, seemed to not understand the difference between right and wrong.

The governor was asked to guarantee that there would be no recriminations because of the riot at Thalang Police Station. He said that was not possible. And he was quite right to say that.

Now he has been ordered to pursue the wrongdoers who inflicted the damage. We see nothing unreasonable in that request.

The arrests should be made as soon as sufficient evidence has been gathered.

Phuketwan urges the villagers of Baan Don, many of whom seem to be respectable and reasonable people, to accept the need for the arrests of suspects to be made immediately.

We also urge Baan Don to accept the ruling of the independent panel that has 30 days to investigate the deaths of the two young men and recommend action. Even if that panel's ruling does not reflect the views of the local people, it must be accepted.

The law-abiding citizens of Baan Don have the same need as everybody else to obey the rules, and to understand why rules need to be obeyed. Violence is, quite simply, not acceptable, and not negotiable.

Comments

Comments have been disabled for this article.

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I am in full support of the interior minister ordering the arrest of wrongdoers. IT is only the arrest that will deter people doing this in the future.

Posted by Ciaran on October 12, 2015 10:45

Editor Comment:

It's the permanent secretary, not the minister.

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(moderated)

Posted by Kurt on October 12, 2015 11:32

Editor Comment:

We don't rely on information published elsewhere and we won't reproduce information published elsewhere, Kurt, unless we have reason to believe it.

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Good article. These people shd be ashamed of themselves & shd bear the consequences of their actions where found to be perpetrators. The fact that someone unconnected with the situation has likely died as a consequence of this episode shd bring their shame home to them all, even the most unintelligent.
I'm not saying that the police were without blame either & the fact that the 4 connected with the chase have already been transferred off Phuket proves the police's initial fears of retribution were not without some basis.
Let's see the result of the investigation. I'm guessing that no apologies will be made by the authorities though we will have to wait & see.

Posted by Anonymous on October 12, 2015 13:42

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I think it may have been a good idea to let them think they had got away with it the go arrest them instead of usual pre-warning so they can run away and hide.

Posted by rich on October 12, 2015 13:43

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Mob rule and violence is never going to make things better.

Problem is that ever since people got away scot free after occupying the BKK airport in 2008, many have realized they can do just about whatever they want without consequences.

Like a child throwing the toys out of the pram when it doesn't get what it wants.

The torching of Central World, occupation of Phuket airport or storming the hotel in Pattaya during a meeting of foreign dignitaries are all examples of how things have deteriorated since then.

Whoever breaks the law must be held responsible. However this is one of the biggest failings of the Thai society. Justice is distributed in the most unequal way.

It's interesting how the demonstrators blame the police for being corrupt when they don't get their way but I wonder how many of them have paid the police to look the other way when they have either broken the law or wanted "Favors".

Corruption is a two way street.

I strongly support a full investigation which hopefully results in every law breaking individual being held responsible, regardless of their position or status.

I'm glad to see the Government appears to take a strong stance against this type of anarchy.

Posted by Herbert on October 12, 2015 14:18

Editor Comment:

The occupation of Phuket airport came before the occupation of the Bangkok airports, Herbert.

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To Editor.
That information was published in Bangkok Post as well in The Phuket News.
Indeed, you did not reproduce. It was a part of my comment.

Posted by Kurt on October 12, 2015 15:57

Editor Comment:

You wrote: ''The published 100,000 thb compensation for the families of the 2 boys ( on which drugs were found) is a good example of premature 'mediation'.''

The Bangkok Post reports: ''If the provincial committee ruled that the two young men killed in the incident were damaged parties, their relatives would be eligible for up to 100,000 baht compensation for each of the youths.''

Nothing premature about it. Nobody is reporting that a deal has already been done. Any report that said a deal has been done is obviously wrong. It would not be logical to have an independent panel of investigators and a deal already in place with the relatives.

The families also dispute that the drugs were ''found.''

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(moderated)

Posted by Kurt on October 12, 2015 19:40

Editor Comment:

No point in you quoting other publications here.

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Of course the leaders of this should face the full strength of the Law if not Anarchy will be in place.

Posted by Neill Campbell on October 12, 2015 20:32

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Money...money...two young people have died here Kurt and you focus on the money!

Posted by Money on October 12, 2015 23:13

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@ Money.
Sorry to say, but your reaction/comment is a bit out of place.
You have not red my comments and quotes of other newspapers here, because PW did moderate it.
(moderated)

Posted by Kurt on October 13, 2015 07:40

Editor Comment:

You don't seem to understand, Kurt that the information you quote from other sources is wrong. That's why you won't be posting it here. As you should have realised the other day, when you claimed that a deal had already been done with the families, other sources got it wrong. In quoting them here, you got it wrong. You won't be posted here again unless you add value. Infecting this site with false information is not adding value. Both of the sources you quoted have since revised their facts. It's about time you woke up.


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