Thai Reporter Shot Dead in his Own Home

**zehner** · 5th August 2008 11:40

Thai reporter shot dead in his own home

Thai Journalists Association (TJA)
04 August 2008
News

A reporter for a local Thai-language daily and TV station
was shot dead inside his own house on August 1 in Nakorn
Ratchasima province.

Police identified the victim as Athiwat Chaiyanurat, a
reporter for"Matichon" newspaper and stringer for the
army-owned Channel 7.

In a statement, the Thai Journalists Association (TJA), a
SEAPA partner, condemned the killing of Athiwat as
"a reckless and barbaric act."

A police chief investigator of Division 8 of the Provincial
Police Command responsible for Nakorn Sri Thammarat said
the killing took place in the victim's house in Tambon
Chaiyamontri, Muang District around 8 PM (local time) while
he was in the kitchen cooking for his wife and son. Police
said two bullets hit the victim on the back. Two more shots
were fired on his head. Col. Ranapong Saikaew, deputy
commissioner of Division 8, said the killer must have
slipped earlier inside the house undetected.

According to Ranapong, the victim's wife and son had just
phoned him 10 minutes before they walked home to find his
dead body.

Preliminary investigation suggested the killing was linked to
Athiwat's work as a journalist. Earlier, he reported about the
alleged corruption within the local administration. He had
also reported a police manhunt for a hit man who had been
in the district prior to the local election. His report
about the assassin reportedly angered a senior civil servant
who allegedly provided protection for the hit man. The
reporter had received death threats before and exercised
caution whenever he was traveling.

"The fact that the killing took place inside the reporter's
house indicates that it is not only premeditated but also
masterminded by influential figures," said the TJA statement.

"It challenges authorities' responsibility in protecting and
keeping public peace and order," it added.

More important, the TJA said that the killing was obviously
"aimed at silencing the media and discouraging them from
reporting facts."

The TJA in its statement urged the National Police
Commissioner to take quick action in arresting and bringing
the killer to justice so that Athiwat's murder shall not be
taken as a precedent in threatening the media.

The journalists' group also urged the police to regularly
report the progress in the investigation to the public so
as to restore public confidence .

Thai reporter shot dead in his own home « News « www.prachatai.com/english

**happychappy** · 5th August 2008 12:01

That's cuntish that, killed for being good at your job, Our next door neighbour, was murdered a few years ago, the first attempt did not succeed, couple of shots to the torso, took him a year or so for a complete recovery, then they came back again and finished him off on the second attempt, his crime, he shopped somebody who had the contract for tarmaccing the old roads, and was ripping the local authorities off.
This man was the local admin of our village, once again somebody doing their job.

**kiwiling** · 5th August 2008 12:15

Another good post z...are you trying to tell me not to come back?

**zehner** · 5th August 2008 12:39

just reporting the real world....there's so much stuff happening here that we would never hear about otherwise

**jonny danger** · 5th August 2008 13:38

NST: NO NO I won't go! Imagine the shit that doesn't get reported. The Mafia province.

**zehner** · 7th August 2008 09:27

World media body demands probe of Thai murder

New York - The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists called Wednesday for an independent investigation of the killing of reporter Athiwat Chaiyanurat last week.

Athiwat's murder by a gunman in his home town of Chaiyamontri in Nakhon Sri Thammarat province, was believed connected to his job. He worked as a reporter for Matichon newspaper, and also was a free-lance contributor to army-owned Channel 7 TV.

The killer shot the reporter twice, in the back and head, at around 8pm last Friday, while he was cooking in his kitchen at home.

Athiwat's wife and son were outside of the house at the time of his murder and it wasn't immediately clear if there were any witnesses to the crime

The Thai Journalists Association (TJA) said in a statement that Athiwat had previously received death threats and that his murder was likely related to his work as a journalist. His home province is a hotbed of drug trafficking, with a high rate of general crime.

"We join with the TJA in calling on Thailand's national authorities to quickly bring the perpetrators of this heinous crime to justice," said Joel Simon, CPJ's executive director. "Speedy prosecutions would send a strong message across the country that attacks on journalists will not be tolerated." (BangkokPost.com, from CPJ press release)

Bangkok Post | Breaking News | World media body demands probe of Thai murder