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Man surrenders for killing eight


Songkhla - A man who shot dead a hospital director and seven others during a drinking party over the weekend surrendered Friday morning.

Vinus Chukamnerd, 52, had his wife contact police to take him into custody from a spot in front of a market in Krabi at 6 am.

He was taken to Songkhal to re-enact the crime.

Over 100 policemen were deployed to prevent the crowd from attacking him during the re-enactment.

After the re-enactment, Vinus told reporters that he became angry that the eight people, including Doctor Suthatip Thammachart, director of Namom Hospital in Songkhla, were making loud noises during drinking inside their house located next to Vinus' house.

He said he had earlier warned Suthatip's boy friend, Trirat Choto who was also killed, not to make noises during drinking because he could not sleep and he needed to wake up early to work in a rubber plantation.

He said Trirat's and friends had been drinking at a pavilion in their house's compound for several months.

Vinus said he met Trirat and asked him to not make noise but Trirat argued that he was drinking in his house.

"It's my house, and I can make noise and it's nobody's business," Vinus claimed Trirat replied, making him very angry.

"If you make noise again within these three days, I'll shoot you all dead," Vinus quoted himself as replying back.

He shot the eight with an automatic pistol at late Saturday night and fled to Krabi.

Songkhla police chief Pol Maj Gen Wirun Iampaijit said Vinus decided to surrender because he found it hard to continue on the run.

He said he bought the CZ 75B pistol from a man identified only as Ping five months ago.

His neighbours said Vinus has been practing shooting ever since. Most of his victims were shot at their head.

One of the victims was his own brother-in-law, Boontip Desro.

Vinus said he did not know that his brother-in-law was also drinking there and he was blinded by his rage so he shot all people there.

The Nation