THAILAND: DEATH PENALTY UPHELD FOR EX-MP

September 18, 2012: In Thailand, the Supreme Court upheld the Appeals Court's death sentence for former Democrat Party MP for Bangkok Sitthiporn Kham-art and his aide Ekasith Yusuk for the murder in 1997 of Pattama Fuengprayoon, the mother of former Democrat Party MP for Chanthaburi Khomkhai Polabutr.
In this case, four men were convicted of the murder of Pattama, who died when a bomb demolished her car, in September 1997 in Muang district of Chanthaburi province.  They are Sitthiporn, Ekasith, Prasong Saengchan, and Nikom Chitkul.
The Chanthaburi Court initially sentenced all four to death.  The death sentence on Prasong and Nikom was commuted to life because they confessed.
The Appeals Court upheld the lower court's verdict. Sitthiporn and Ekasith then appealed to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court today upheld the death sentence for both of them.
It was believed the real target of the attack was Sanit Fuengprayoon, Pattama's husband. The bomb was believed to have been attached underneath Mr Sanit's car on Sept 5, 1997, but it failed to explode.
The bomb exploded the next day when Pattama drove the car from her home in Tha Mai district, heading for  Rambhai Barni Rajabhat University in Muang district. (Sources: bangkokpost.com, 18/09/2012)