A Thai man, who believed he had finally reconciled with a long-time rival and shared the news on social media, tragically died following a renewed dispute yesterday, June 22.
A motorist discovered a body at the side of Khaerai Road in Krathum Baen district, in the central province of Samut Sakhon, and notified Krathum Baen Police Station in the early hours of yesterday morning.
The deceased was later identified as 33 year old Auan, also known by his alias, Yee Tung Sing, which was the name of a recycling business he operated with his wife. Officers managed to identify him from the T-shirt he was wearing, as the alias was screened on it.
Auan sustained a head injury, and a broken glass bottle was found nearby. His motorcycle was parked on the opposite side of the road.
Police suspected that Auan was attacked and killed by his rival as he had recently posted a photograph of himself with his rival on Facebook. The caption read…
“Finally, a long-standing issue between us ended.”
In the image, Auan, wearing a green T-shirt, had his arm around his rival’s shoulder. The rival was smiling, seemingly confirming that their feud had been resolved. However, it remained unclear why Auan was later found dead.
Police summoned Auan’s 32 year old rival, Teetat, for questioning at around 9am yesterday. Teetat admitted to being the man in the photograph and confessed to killing Auan, though he claimed he had not intended to do so.
Teetat stated that he and Auan had spoken on the phone to resolve the conflict between their respective groups. They coincidentally met again at the scene of the incident along with their friends and agreed to make peace, prompting the commemorative photo.
According to Teetat, after their friends left, he and Auan remained alone and began arguing again. Teetat alleged that Auan struck him with a glass bottle during the confrontation.
He then pulled a gun from his bag to threaten Auan, but said Auan tried to seize it, causing the firearm to discharge accidentally. Teetat claimed he did not know where the bullet struck Auan, as he fled the scene immediately.
Teetat currently faces two charges under Thai law:
- Section 7 of the Act on Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives, Fireworks, and Imitation Firearms: Possession of a firearm without permission, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to 20,000 baht, or both.
- Section 8 of the same Act: Carrying a firearm in a public place without permission or necessity, punishable by up to five years in prison, a fine of up to 10,000 baht, or both.
As for the killing, investigators will determine whether to pursue a charge of intentional murder based on further evidence.
The story Thai man killed in renewed dispute shortly after making peace with rival as seen on Thaiger News.
