Jailbreak attempt fails, guard hurt
A prison guard was injured by five inmates who unsuccessfully tried to break out from the Thungsong district prison in Nakhon Si Thammarat yesterday. One of the inmates was fatally shot.
During the unsuccessful jailbreak, Somboon Saengsridam was held hostage and stabbed at his right collarbone. He was taken to the Thungson hospital after the five inmates agreed to give up. Police said the guard was in a stable condition.
The five inmates were identified as Sririchai Phetdee, Suriya Chu-in, Surachet Sornmanee, Suriya Kraithavorn and Sahas Muenluang, who had been convicted on drug charges. Sirichai was shot while trying to climb the prison wall and he later died at the district hospital.
They agreed to release Somboon and surrender after Thungsong district police chief Pol Col Thammanoon Faiju let policemen surround the prison. The district police chief held talks with the five inmates until they agreed to surrender.
Thammanoon said the five inmates tried to flee over the wall but Somboon spotted them and fired at Sirichai – but the four other inmates overpowered him and took him hostage.
Corrections Department chief Pol Colonel Suchart Wongananchai said the five inmates would be chained as a temporary punishment. The injured guard was not in a serious condition.
