Hundreds of red shirts on Thursday mourned the loss of a renowned pro-government poet and demanded police bring his assailants to justice as quickly as possible.
Bathing rites are performed at the funeral of Kamol Duangphasuk Thursday. (Photo by THITI WANNAMONTHA)
The red shirts called for justice at bathing rites for Kamol Duangphasuk, 45, known by the pseudonym Mai Nueng Kor Kunthee, at Wat Samian Nari in Bangkok's Chatuchak district.
The cremation ceremony will take place on Monday.
Key red shirts in attendance were Jatuporn Prompan, chairman of the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD); Tida Tawornseth, ex-chairwoman of the UDD; Pongthep Thepkanchana, caretaker deputy premier; Suda Rangkupan, also known as Acharn Wan, founder of the red-shirt ally Declaration of Street Justice; and Suporn Atthawong, founder of the pro-government Democracy Protection Volunteers Group.
Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra sent a wreath to the temple.
Kamol's wife Rujira Jarupan and their sons, aged 9 and 11, appeared at the bathing rites, but Mrs Rujira declined to comment on a possible motive for her husband's killing.
Kamol was shot dead in the car park of the Khrok Mai Thai Lao restaurant on Soi Lat Pla Khao 24 in Lat Phrao district about 2pm on Wednesday.
A source said Kamol went to the restaurant to discuss with friends his plan to set up a radio station to promote his ideology.
The police autopsy found a bullet had entered Kamol's chest, piercing his heart and lungs, which caused his death.
"We urge police to arrest the murderer as quickly as possible. The killing of Mai Nueng is considered a form of cruel threat," said Ms Suda, who represented red-shirt mourners at the temple.
Ms Suda said that, despite the death of Kamol, as a red-shirt leader she would continue her campaign for the release of red-shirt political prisoners and those charged with violation of Section 112 of the Criminal Code, better known as as the lese majeste law.
However, she vowed to be more careful in future.
"I'm optimistic that Mai Nueng was unlikely to have had a personal conflict with anyone. He was just a poet. I suspect his death was politically motivated,'' said Mr Suporn, who is also deputy secretary-general to the prime minister.
Mr Suporn also urged police to bring swift justice for Kamol and his family members by arresting anyone who is suspected of having links to the murder.
He said Thaksin had told him to warn red-shirt supporters to be more careful during the country's ongoing political conflict.
Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch in New York yesterday issued a statement calling on Thai authorities to investigate Kamol's murder.
“The brutal and outrageous killing ... can only worsen the political situation in Thailand,” its Asia director Brad Adams said.