Brawling Soldiers Thrown Into Jail

[Boo Radley]

 

The army has jailed a group of soldiers for getting into a brawl with air force officers and given their leader additional duties cleaning and cooking for other inmates.

Maj Gen Kukiat Srinaka, commander of the 2nd Infantry Division, signed an order on Friday night to punish Lt Pichaya Boonserm, chief of the 30th Cavalry Battalion, and 10 subordinates. They were sent immediately from their base in Prachin Buri to a military prison in Sa Kaeo province, an army source said on Saturday.

Lt Pichaya was jailed for 30 days. He will no longer be eligible for promotion or a pension and has been ordered to clean the compound and cook for other soldiers while in prison.

His two assistants, SM 2 Komsan Teehakarn and Sgt Narong Srichainart, were jailed for 45 days and eight others for 30 days.

The brawl has become a major source of embarrassment for the army and its chief, Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha, who in his role as coup leader and prime minister has warned that he will not stand for bad behaviour of any kind from any citizens.

Lt Pichaya led the armed men who attacked five air force officers moonlighting as security guards at the Khlong Pleng nightclub in Klong Luang district of Pathum Thani province in the early hours of Wednesday.

The brawl began after one of the airmen tried to stop three soldiers in plainclothes from smoking inside the club on Tuesday night. They became angry and returned later with about 20 soldiers in uniform and armed with rifles.

The fight was reported to police at the Prathunam Chulabhorn station but they kept it quiet initially. However, security camera video from the nightclub made its way onto the internet and it wasn't long before Gen Prayuth lowered the boom. Only 11 of the estimated 20 participants were punished, however.

The battalion commander apologised to the air force for the incident.

AVM Porramet Ketkowit, head of the air force base at Don Mueang, also jailed the four airmen involved in the brawl for violating orders by working part-time outside office hours. The length of their terms was not known.

Meanwhile, a group of airmen posted pictures on their Facebook page challenging soldiers to visit the nightclub again. Group Capt Thein Thepanon, commander of the Air Military Police Department, ordered them delete the post and to stop making comments about the incident said a source.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/429572/brawling-soldiers-quickly-jailed 30 Aug 2014

 

CCTV footage of the incident:

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