Boonlua Chatree
A Thai construction foreman was arrested for allegedly shooting dead two
Cambodian laborers who supposedly had talked disrespectfully to his
crew.
Anantasith Saenpholmuang
reenacts his crime for police.
Anantasith Saenpholmuang, 29, was captured near
Underwater World Aug. 12. The Sukhothai native was found in possession
of a loaded handgun.
Houch Nhoem, 33, and “La,” 28, both were killed with .38-caliber handgun
shots to the chest and abdomen near the Peach Tower construction camp on
Pratamnak Soi 2 the same day.
Police said Anantasith confessed to killing the two men, but claimed it
was in self-defense after about 30 Thai and Cambodian construction
workers got into a drunken brawl.
Anantasith claimed that, on repeated occasions, the Cambodians would
drink and get rowdy, then begin insulting Thai workers who walked by or,
worse, made lewd remarks to the Thais’ families and children. When he
tried to talk to them about the complaints, the Khmers talked
disrespectfully and refused to apologize, he said.
Police said the foreman confessed to taking about 15 co-workers to the
Cambodians’ camp to “teach them a lesson,” but the fight got out of hand
and the Khmer workers turned the table on their Thai aggressors.
Anantasith said he ran from the group and fired back at the pursuing
gang.
The Cambodians’ anger was still on full display as police made
Anantasith reenact the crime Aug. 13, with several trying to attack the
suspect. Police held back the crowd.
About 40 Cambodian workers stopped work on the condominium project until
funeral services could take place and burial offerings were laid at the
scene of the shooting. Meanwhile, Region 2 police commanders ordered a
check of all the Khmer workers to determine if they were working legally
in the kingdom. Any found not to be would be deported.
Anantasith was charged with murder and possession of illegal weapons.
