Chaiya: Police have successfully surrounded and arrested the number one gunman with the most notorious history in Region 9, identified as Mr. Thanawat, who had nine arrest warrants against him for various serious crimes, including murder, debt collection, shooting at a house, and drug dealing.

According to Thai News Agency, the arrest took place at a resort in Chaiya District, Surat Thani Province, where Mr. Thanawat was staying with his wife. The operation was a coordinated effort involving the task force to suppress influential people and hired guns, along with investigation units from the Investigation Division of the Provincial Police Region 9, Surat Thani Police, Chaiya Police Station, Trang Provincial Police, and Phatthalung Provincial Police. The authorities had been tracking Mr. Thanawat from Trang Province after he drove to the resort to collect money for drugs from a local dealer.

The arresting team was fully armed and prepared due to the suspect’s known habit of carrying a gun at all times. The siege lasted nearly an hour, during which police managed to persuade Mr. Thanawat to surrender without any violent confrontation. His wife played a crucial role in convincing him to give himself up peacefully. Upon searching the room, officers found an M26 grenade, a .357 revolver with ammunition, a rifle, and a shotgun with ammunition. Mr. Thanawat admitted that he would have resisted violently if not for his wife’s intervention. He was subsequently taken to Chaiya Police Station for processing.

Mr. Thanawat’s criminal activities spanned four provinces: Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Trang, and Phatthalung. Among his numerous crimes, a notable incident occurred on July 26, 2023, when he led a group of six individuals to collect a 3 million baht debt, resulting in the fatal shooting of a durian vendor in front of his wife in Surat Thani Province.

In another case on March 12, 2024, Ms. Sakunrat was brutally shot and killed on the side of Wang Ang-Ban Phrao road in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province. Additionally, she had previously survived an attack in Khao Phanom District, Krabi Province, where she was shot in the mouth by a rival, losing nine teeth.