Chuwit chides supporters of ‘self-defence’ shooter
Outspoken politician Chuwit Kamolvisit, who was jailed for the demolition of bars on Sukhumvit Road in 2003 and released by royal pardon last year, urged on Thursday that society should not celebrate Suthep Poshsomboon’s shooting of a Mathayom 4 schoolboy.
Suthep, a 50-year-old engineer, said he shot the teenager in self defence after he was attacked by a group of teenagers over a parking conflict in Chon Buri province on Saturday.
Chuwit said in a Facebook post that Suthep would be prosecuted in court for the shooting, asking if the public would demonstrate responsible behaviour if the engineer is jailed.
“We don’t live in an era of cowboys when people just use guns to settle arguments. When a man commits a wrongdoing, he must be punished,” Chuwit wrote. “He shot someone dead, he will face prosecution. If you point a gun, an action for which you can foresee the outcome, it could even lead to a premeditated murder charge.”
He added that public opinion did not necessarily reflect reality.
The fatal dispute between Suthep and a group of teenagers has received a great deal of attention on social media, with camera footage of the incident circulating online, while both sides give differing accounts of what happened.
The teenagers claimed Suthep chased them so they stopped their van to “negotiate” before he shot at them. Suthep said he fired in self defence after the teenagers chased him and surrounded his car, which carried Suthep’s wife, elderly mother and a teenage nephew.
Suthep was charged with the lethal use of a firearm and murder, and subsequently granted bail.
Many social media users have expressed sympathy with Suthep.