Police officers beat gambler to death in public

Police officers have beaten a gambler to death in the middle of a residential area. The officers disappeared after the killing, according to a witness.
 
On 3 November 2016, police officers from Sutthisan Police Station raided an illegal gambling house in Bangkok and beat Don Daengchantip, 34, to death, reported Manager Online.
 
The gambling house is located in a high density area of Rungrueang. The incident was witnessed by residents.
 
Witness Wichan Khwanmueang, 45, told the media that he and Don were playing hi-lo with their friends before around seven officers raided the house. Wichan knew the officers are from Sutthisan Police Station since some of them are his friends.
 
Don tried to run away but the officers caught him, so he swung his fist into an officer’s face. The other officers then beat him so violently he collapsed. The authorities also stamped on Don’s body until he blacked out. 
 
After blacking out, Don began choking but the police thought that he was pretending and put him in handcuffs. Residents then came to help Don but he remained unconscious so they called an Emergency Response Team who spent half an hour in a vain attempt to save Don’s life. 
 
According to Wichan, after Don was declared dead, the officers who beat him disappeared from the crime scene.    
 
Every year several people in Thailand, including suspects and conscripts, are victims of extrajudicial killing, ill-treatment and torture by the authorities. However, few officers have ever been prosecuted. The government prefers to dismiss torture allegations or pay compensation to the victim’s family.  
 
 
Another group of police officers investigates Don’s body (Photo from Manager Online)
 

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