The attorney for four Chinese nationals arrested during a raid on a Huay Yai online-gambling den where two police officers were shot is appealing revocation of their visas, claiming police misconduct.
Lawyer Anirut Kongsap alleged that police were not in proper uniform and failed to properly identify themselves in the May 19 raid on the luxury home outside Pattaya. His claims were backed up a Thai gardener present at the property who was not arrested.
Zhang Yang, 35, allegedly sprayed up to 40 rounds from a modified machine gun at officers as they climbed the steps in the three-story house near the Phoenix Golf Course where the Chinese man had barricaded himself after police arrived to serve a search warrant. Two police officers were injured, one critically.
Police alleged the house was being used as the base for an online-gambling operation. Four Chinese and two Burmese working on computers were arrested. Zhang, who was holding a passport from the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis, and the other Chinese nationals had their visas revoked by the Chonburi Immigration Office.
Zhang is behind bars at the Pattaya Remand Prison while the other Chinese are being held at Banglamung Police Station. Anirut said there are a number of problems with the raid, starting with CCTV cameras, which were all repositioned to point down, leaving no video evidence of the raid.
“Son”, the gardener, was brought before the media to say he saw officers rush in from the back of the property, not the front as claimed, and that none were in proper police uniforms. One officer told him to leave before they raided the house.
Anirut claims that suspects are entitled to seek bail while their cases are being investigated.
The attorney noted the case has drawn scrutiny in China and Zhang’s relatives have appealed the Chinese embassy to intervene and ensure fairness in the case.
 |
 |
 |
