Additional Charges Against Sacked Police Officer
The Crime Suppression Division (CSD) police have filed another charge against Pol Lt Col Withoon Rangsiwuthaporn, the former husband of accused serial poisoner Sararat “Aem” Rangsiwuthaporn. CSD deputy commander Pol Col Anek Taosuparp went to Region 7 Provincial Police headquarters in Nakhon Pathom and laid the additional charge against Pol Lt Col Withoon. He is accused of helping a suspect avoid penalty or receive a lighter penalty by concealing or taking away evidence of an alleged crime.
Pol Lt Col Withoon had previously been charged with receiving stolen property, forgery, and using forged official documents.
Investigation Leads to Additional Charges
The latest charge was filed after investigators from Ban Pong police station in Ratchaburi province found evidence that Pol Lt Col Withoon and Ms Sararat had visited his parents in Sukhothai province after the death of Siriporn “Koy” Khanwong on April 14. Ms Sararat took a brand-name bag and other property belonging to Siriporn with her to Sukhothai, intending to hide them. However, she later changed her mind and asked Pol Lt Col Withoon’s parents to send the items to his house in Nakhon Pathom.
Pol Lt Col Withoon then took the items to Tha Maka district in Kanchanaburi and gave them to Ms Sararat, instead of handing them over to the police investigating Siriporn’s death. Ms Sararat asked her sister-in-law to send the items to a woman called Ms Kaew in Cha-am district, Phetchaburi. After receiving the parcel, Ms Kaew suspected the items belonged to Siriporn and handed them over to the police for examination, leading to the additional charge against Pol Lt Col Withoon.
Aem Cyanide’s Growing List of Alleged Victims
Ms Sararat, also known as “Aem Cyanide,” was arrested on April 25 at the government complex on Chaeng Watthana Road in Bangkok, following a complaint filed by Siriporn’s mother and elder sister. Siriporn had died beside the Mae Klong River in Ban Pong district of Ratchaburi, where she had gone with Ms Sararat to release fish for merit-making on April 14. Cyanide was found in her body.
Since then, the list of Ms Sararat’s alleged victims has continued to grow, with many additional charges being filed against her.
Asean Heat Wave Blamed on Climate Inaction
An extreme heat wave that affected parts of Southeast Asia last month was primarily caused by human-induced climate change, according to analysis from a team of scientists.
39 Missing from Chinese Ship in Indian Ocean
A crew of 39 Chinese, Indonesian, and Filipino sailors are missing at sea after a Chinese fishing vessel capsized in the Indian Ocean, officials reported on Wednesday.
Indonesian Minister Held in Telecoms Graft Case
Indonesian authorities have arrested a senior minister for his alleged role in a corruption case stemming from a telecommunications project, causing the country more than $500 million in financial losses.
