Army issues rebuttal over killing of taxi driver
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The Army on Wednesday issued a statement rebutting its involvement in the killing of a taxi driver during the 2010 political mayhem.
In the statement, the Army said it wanted to clarify the prosecution’s testimony during the judicial inquest on the death of Channarong Pholsrila on May 15, 2010 in front of a petrol station on Ratchaprarop Road.
The statement outlined that the incident occurred after the Army deployed its forces in the livebullet zone on Rang Nam Road as part of the operations to encircle the red shirts’ Ratchaprasong rally.
However, an unidentified gunmen launched an attack, forcing the Army to retreat to Ratchaprarop 14 Road. This exchange of gunfire proved the existence of other armed men in the area, who were unrelated to the military.
During the gun battle, local residents alerted soldiers to the shooting and death of Channarong and another injured journalist.
The Army dispatched a medic team, accompanied by a news photographer, in a rescue operation.
Before reaching the scene to recover the body and evacuate the injured journalist, the medic team came under attack and the news photographer sustained gunshot wounds.
At the inquest, the witness testified that Channarong had been shot at by an assault rifle. However, the testimony made no mention of ballistic checks.
