Police chief vows no harm to fugitive crime boss if he surrenders
Police will guarantee the safety of fugitive crime boss Chavalit Thongduang, 37, who escaped from official custody in Nakhon Si Thammarat province last month, if he decides to turn himself in, National Police chief Pol General Torsak Sukwimol said on Thursday.
Torsak denied reports that officials had killed Chavalit on Wednesday during a gunfight when police raided his hideout atop a mountain in Trang, a southern province adjacent to Nakhon Si Thammarat.
Torsak confirmed that there was a gun fight between Chavalit and officials pursuing him on Wednesday, but the convict had managed to escape again.
“The police have no policy of killing a fugitive,” said Torsak in an assurance to the relatives of the fugitive. “However, his sentence will be added up every time he resists arrest.”
Torsak said he believed Chavalit was still hiding in Trang and urged his relatives to convince him to turn himself in if he had made contact with them.
Chavalit, who has been convicted of multiple serious crimes, including robbery and illegal firearm possession, had managed to escape in the early hours of October 22 when he faked an illness and got himself admitted to Nakhon Si Thammarat Hospital.
Chavalit is serving a jail term of 20 years and three months until May 6, 2043.
The Corrections Department has offered a reward of 100,000 baht to anyone providing information leading to his arrest.
