Posted on 06/21/2002 12:39:32 PM PDT by JimSEA
Brother of man snatched from airport offers reward
Security forces blame each other for lapse
Amornrat Mahitthirook Manop Thip-osot
A five-million-baht ransom has been offered for the release of a Narathiwat provincial councillor abducted from Don Muang airport on Tuesday.
The offer came from Masakrue Dorlor, elder brother of Pakkrurorsee Dorlor, who was snatched in front of the domestic terminal by a group of about 10 men who drove off in three cars.
The incident has sparked an outcry about security at the airport.
ACM Therdsak Sajjarak, governor of the Airports Authority of Thailand, said the abduction occurred in an area under the responsibility of a private security contractor.
AAT was responsible only for security inside passenger terminals and the airport, he said.
Private firms were hired to secure areas in front of the terminals. Palang Ruam Co was responsible for the area outside the domestic terminal, ACM Therdsak said.
The company's security measures were lax and its guards were too slow in reporting the abduction, he said.
Transport Minister Wan Muhamad Nor Matha said any security contractors found to be ineffective should be replaced immediately without waiting for their contracts to expire.
Palang Ruam's contract is due to expire in August.
``The action was well planned. They seemed to know how many security guards would be on duty. From the [security] video tape, as many as three vehicles and more than 10 men were involved in the action, which went very fast,'' Mr Wan Nor said.
Mr Masakrue, meanwhile, said he believed influential people were behind the abduction of his younger brother, adding he was not certain his brother was still alive.
He also had no idea why his brother was kidnapped since the councillor did not seem to have any political or business conflict with anyone.
However, shortly before the abduction the Police Region 9 commander had called his brother to discuss recent murders of southern policemen, said Mr Masakrue.
Pol Col Krisana Siripiyawat, chief of Don Muang police, said police were making little progress in their investigation since they had yet to receive the security video record of the incident from AAT.
Security guards nearest the scene of the abduction were still too far away to see what the abductors looked like, Pol Col Krisana said.
Mr Pakkrurorsee arrived in Bangkok on Friday last week. He then went to Trat before returning to Bangkok and checking in at a hotel in the Saphan Khwai area.
Later he went to visit his nephew, who is serving time at Bangkok special prison for a drug offence.
The councillor was about to fly back to Narathiwat when he was abducted.
I'm sorry Mr Amornrat Mahitthirook Manop Thip-osot, but $8.50 just isn't enough.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.