Wisut Tangwittayaporn
 |
Wisut "Ae" Tangwittayaporn | |
|---|---|
| Born | ca. 1968 (aged 44) |
| Died | January 12, 2012 Phuket, Thailand |
| Nationality | Thai |
| Citizenship | Thai |
| Occupation(s) | Reporter Owner of Inside Phuket |
| Political party | United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship |
| Spouse | Jiraporn Hosakul |
Wisut "Ae" Tangwittayaporn, also known as Ae Inside, was a journalist and editor for his newspaper Phuket News in Phuket, Thailand. He was most notable for being a journalist who reported on controversial land claims as well as being a political activist. He was assassinated by professional gunmen in rush hour traffic on January 12, 2012.
Personal
Wisut Tangwittayaporn was the secretary of the red shirt political group, a group that opposed the military coup that overthrew Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, and led a local community group that opposed the private use of Freedom Beach. [1]
Career
Wisut Tangwittayaporn was a journalist and owned the newspaper Inside Phuket.[2] Wisut covered some controversial stories including controverial land claims in Freedom Beach and other areas in Phuket and an exposé on illegalities within the system of the transfer and promotion of government officers.[3]
Death
Wisut was killed on January 12, 2012 by two gunmen on a motorcycle. The gunmen pulled in front of Wisut and shot him four times before riding off and he died in Vachira Phuket Hospital. Wisut's wife, Jiraporn "Ji" Hosakul, survived the attack unharmed and was able to describe the gunmen and vehicle to police.[4]
Noppadol "Pae" Praisri was arrested and confessed to being the driver of the motorcycle and was paid 50,000 baht and accused Tossapon "Sanya" Keawket of being the gunman.[5] Tossapon was arrested and confessed to being the shooter a year after the murder and was paid 13,000 baht.[6]
Noppadol implicated Somkuan "Boy" Deepan as the person who arranged the shooting and paid for it but Somkuan remains uncaught today.[7] The main suspect for ordering the murder was the deputy director of the Phuket Chamber of Commerce, Ausadakorn "Pord" Sidorkbaow. Ausadakorn was allegedly friends with Somkuan and was mentioned in a column written by Wisut but without the confession of Somkuan he was granted bail and never convicted.[8]
Context
At the time of Wisut's death Thailand lacked a lot of freedom of speech as several journalists were imprisoned for insulting the monarchy. [9] There were several other murders related to the real estate industry in the province around the time of Wisut's death as well. [10]
Impact
After Wisut's death Pheu Thai Party officials investigated the land at Freedom Beach he reported on. [11]
Reactions
The murder of Wisut Tangwittayaporn was condemned by the UNESCO Director-General, Irina Bokova, who called for an investigation and labeled it violation of the human right of expression. [12] The Governor of Phuket at the time, Tri Augkaradacha, took personal interest in the investigation. The investigation was given high priority by the local police force with at least 5 teams of police officers involved in the case. Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page).
References
- ^ "Newspaper reporter shot, killed in Thailand". CPJ.
- ^ "Newspaper reporter shot, killed in Thailand". CPJ.
- ^ "'Ae Inside' murder: Phuket police refute need for outside help". Phuket Gazette.
- ^ "Phuket Assassins Strike: Journalist Shot Dead". Phuket Gazette.
- ^ "Gunman's driver reenacts hit on Ae Inside". Phuket News.
- ^ "Phuket Journalist's Killing: One Year On, Arrested Assassin Confesses". Phuket Wan.
- ^ "Phuket Police name 'mastermind' suspect behind 'Ae Inside' murder". Phuket Gazette.
- ^ "Alleged Mr Big Gives Up, Granted Bail". Phuket Wan.
- ^ "THAILAND". Reporters Without Borders. March 12, 2012. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
- ^ "Freedom's just another word". July 5, 2012. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
- ^ "Phuket Journo's Killers Linked to Beach Property Corruption, Say Police". Phuket Wan. January 12, 2012. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
- ^ "Director-General condemns murder of Thai newspaper owner and editor Wisut Tangwitthayaporn". UNESCO. January 20, 2012. Retrieved November 9, 2015.