Pubdate: Fri, 09 Jul 2004 Source: Bangkok Post (Thailand) Copyright: The Post Publishing Public Co., Ltd. 2004 Contact: http://www.bangkokpost.co.th/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/39 POLICE SHOOTING ON HOUSE TO BE PROBED AS NO DRUGS FOUND Owner Urged To File For Attempted Murder The Royal Thai Police Office has set up a fact-finding committee to look into why police opened fire on a house in Ayutthaya's Bang Sai district on Wednesday. Pol Gen Amnuay Phetsiri, deputy national police chief, said police thought the house was a drug storage point, but found nothing. A team of 50 Crime Suppression Division commandos, drugs and local police raided a house in tambon Chiang Rak Noi in Bang Sai district about 3am. Police say they forced their way in after the occupants refused them entry. They claim people inside the house opened fire, prompting them to return fire. However, the occupants claimed nobody inside the house opened fire. Only Nissai Satakurama, 75, and his wife Udom, 65 were found in the house. Mr Nissai suffered a cut from broken glass caused by the shooting. Pol Gen Amnuay said police were right to open fire on the house, and denied officers had overacted. Police would provide justice to the house owner and pay him for the damage. CSD commander Pol Maj-Gen Kosin Hinthao has also set up a committee to investigate. A source said many CSD police had criticised the work of a police team which worked for Yongyut Tiyapairat, the prime minister's secretary-general. The team had received information from a detective that a drugs gang kept drugs at the house and delivered the drugs to a market in Pathum Thani. Mr Yongyut's team asked the CSD to join the raid. Sathit Pitutecha, deputy Democrat spokesman, said the House committee on justice and human rights would be asked to look into the raid too. He would meet the damaged parties on July 12 and ask them to file a complaint against the police for attempted murder. The Democrat is also secretary to the House panel. Suriyasai Katasila, secretary-general of the Campaign for Popular Democracy, said Mr Yongyut had interfered in the work of police for political gain. Mr Yongyut earlier said he went to the house to witness the search, after getting word from police. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra denied the raid was based on complaints to Ban Phitsanulok, the PM's official residence. He said Deputy Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh was looking into the raid. Mr Yongyut was not wrong in going to the site as he simply witnessed the raid, not ordered it. He would ask his secretary-general to avoid getting involved in suppression operations as that was the job of police. Mr Yongyut had a duty to pass complaints and information to relevant agencies. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth