Traffic cop held for bus concession murders

Rescue workers remove the two bodies from the Thian Thong Transport building in Muang district of Samut Prakan after the double murder on Thursday night. (Photo by Sutthiwit Chayutworakan)

A Bangkok traffic policeman who was running a bus service on the side has surrendered to Samut Prakan police and admitted shooting dead the two men running the company he owed an unpaid concession fee of 250,000 baht.

Pol Snr Sgt Maj Damrongrit Jitthai, 51, based at Prawet police station, turned himself in to Samut Prakan police on Thursday night, several hours after allegedly shooting dead the manager and bus supervisor of the company he bought the concession from in Muang district of Samut Prakan.

Police were informed of the murder at Thian Thong Transport Co on Soi Nitra Sawan in tambon Pak Nam shortly after 5pm on Thursday.

The bodies of Sirisak Thiansuwan, 41-year-old manager of the company, and Wanchai Arunsintara, the 56-year-old supervisor, were on the first floor of the three-storey of the building. Each was shot twice in the head. Sirisak was a son of former Samut Prakan councillor Samak Thiansuwan, 84.

Sirisak's elder sister Mallika Thiansuwan told investigators that Pol Snr Sgt Maj Damrongrit had asked to operate 20 buses under a concession from the company on the Pak Nam-Sri Iam-Ram 2 route last September. He was allowed to participate, but had still not paid the 250,000 baht fee.

Ms Mallika said that on Thursday she and her brother went to see the policeman at the Rama 2 bus terminal to again demand the payment due. They gave him an ultimatum - if he did not pay, they would take over his bus service. The traffic policeman was told to go to the company's office building to discuss details.

Pol Snr Sgt Maj Damrongrit later arrived at the company for talks and the negotiation atmosphere seemed fine, Ms Mallika said.

She left the office about 5pm, leaving Sirisak and Wanchai with the policeman. A few minutes later an employee informed her of the shooting, she said.

Pol Maj Gen Thammanoon Traitippong, commander of Samut Prakan police, said it appeared the two sides had failed to come to an agreement on terms.

Pol Snr Sgt Maj Damrongrit was held overnight at Samut Prakan station.

Questioning resumed on Friday. After being brought out of his cell, the policeman said he had withdrawn 250,000 baht to pay the debt. However, the two men refused, as always, to allow him to be a business partner and to control his own bus fleet at the Ram 2 terminal, in place of Wanchai.

He also said that last year the company had invited him to operate his bus fleet on its route because it had too few buses of its own.