"Thai airport blockaded after guard kills cabby"

Sunday, March 16, 2003

Phuket airport blockaded after guard kills cabby
Singapore - The Straits Times


PHUKET - An airport security guard shot the driver of an 'illegal' taxi at
Phuket International Airport, causing about 2,000 passengers to be stranded
for more than three hours after colleagues of the driver blockaded the
airport.

The incident started when security guard Pairoj Upatam, 40, had an argument
with Mr Vimol Jaenprai, 35, driver of a black taxi which is barred from the
airport by a monopoly agreement between the airport and the Phuket Limousine
& Business Service Cooperative Ltd.

During the argument, Pairoj pulled out his gun and shot Mr Vimol once in the
chest. The killing took place about 20 m from the main exit of the arrival
hall in full view of hundreds of tourists.

Colleagues pulled Pairoj into the terminal to save him from being lynched
and to prevent him from shooting anyone else.

The victim and the security guard had a longstanding dispute. The driver was
'arrested' by Pairoj last month for picking up airport passengers illegally.

Shortly after the shooting, about 200 black-taxi drivers and relatives of
the dead man demanded Pairoj's immediate arrest.

They also wanted to speak to the director of the Airports Authority of
Thailand for Phuket, Mr Boonchart Prompoon.

When this did not happen, they blocked all traffic in and out, resulting in
two flight delays.

Phuket Governor Pongpayome Vasaputi and provincial police commander Kongpol
Suwannaraks arrived to defuse the situation in talks with representatives of
the drivers.

Pairoj was then arrested.

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