BANGKOK, Thailand – Police have detained and taken a homeless man to court after he allegedly assaulted a friend and threw him into a pond at Benjasiri Park, causing him to drown, August 22. Police from Thong Lor Police Station took Thaweesak Phanngam into custody on charges of intentional murder. He was arrested at about 5 a.m. on Ratchadamri Road after the incident late the previous night.
Speaking to reporters before being taken to the Bangkok South Criminal Court, Thaweesak initially declined to comment. He later claimed the victim had become violent and that he threw him into the pond in an attempt to restrain him. “I don’t know what he was stressed about, but he was like this. When he became agitated, he didn’t know what he was doing,” he told reporters. Police said preliminary questioning found that the two men had been staying around the park for about three to four weeks before becoming friends. They sometimes went begging together.
The men generally did not drink alcohol inside the park because security officials prohibited it. They would instead drink outside the park or elsewhere before returning to sleep nearby. Police said the two men had argued before the fatal incident. Investigators have opposed bail and submitted the suspect to the Bangkok South Criminal Court for detention. No relatives had contacted police to seek bail on his behalf. Authorities are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death and the events leading up to the drowning. (TNA)
