Crime Suppression Division police boarded a ferry to arrest a murder suspect who had been hiding on Koh Samui for 19 years, leaving him with only one year left before he can be freed.
Police from Division 6 of the Crime Suppression Division boarded a ferry across the sea to arrest Mr. Rattakorn, 47 years old, a suspect with an arrest warrant from the Phatthalung Provincial Court for premeditated murder, possession of a firearm and ammunition without permission, carrying a firearm in a city, village or public road without permission to carry a firearm, and without an urgent necessity appropriate to the circumstances.
After evading arrest for 19 years, there was only one year left before he would be free. The police found clues that Mr. Rattakorn had fled to work on Koh Samui, Surat Thani Province, so they made a plan to cross the seas to track him down and arrest him. They found him at a house on Koh Samui while he was out working. Initially, Mr. Rattakorn denied all charges, so he was taken to Muang Phatth
alung Police Station, the scene of the incident, for legal proceedings.
This case dates back to the end of 2005. Mr. Rattakorn and his friends went to an entertainment venue in Phatthalung town but had an argument with the other party in the shop. After the shop closed, Mr. Rattakorn and his friends drove a sedan to search for the other party who had an argument until they reached the front of Kanchanaphisek Public Park on Ramesuan Road. They noticed the other party standing in the area and used a gun to shoot the other party until he died. After the incident, they fled in different directions. Not long after, Mr. Rattakorn’s friends were tracked down and arrested by the authorities. Mr. Rattakorn continued to flee the charges and moved his residence to avoid arrest for 19 years.
After Mr. Rattakorn was taken in for questioning, he admitted that he had been avoiding arrest the entire time he knew about the arrest warrant. He thought he had fled to Koh Samui, an island in the middle of the ocean, and the pol
ice would not be able to find him. For the past 19 years, he had avoided showing himself at all costs, had not done any business with the government, and had not dared to renew his ID card even when he was hit by a car and injured, but he did not go to the hospital for treatment. During COVID, he did not go for a vaccination, and even on his father’s cremation day at his home province of Pattalung, he did not dare to go back to the funeral because he knew that the police were there to watch over him. He thought he would endure a little longer, as there was only one year left before the statute of limitations expired. However, in the end, the police tracked him down and arrested him on Koh Samui.
Source: Thai News Agency