Outsider arrested for attacking Prime Minister’s car

Police Colonel Teerapol Jindaloung, Chonburi deputy commander in chief, together with Police Lieutenant Colonel Sooktas Poompanmoung and Pattaya’s undercover police detained  Mr. Ronnachai, also known as Sing Kongrod, age 23, who lives in Tapanhin in the Pijit province, He was jailed for an attempted assault with a group of over 10 people, a very serious charge. He was the second assailant to be identified after a young protestor admitted at Pattaya Police station last week that his motorcycle was used to stop the Prime Minister's vehicle. That suspect has since fed Pattaya.

Police Colonel Jindaloung revealed that, “Mr. Ronnachai and his friends teamed up to try to stop the departure of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. The caravan was damaged when a motorcycle was jammed under the front of the GMC and a motorcycle helmet was used to crash the back window shattering the glass. The Prime Ministers’ guard was also injured and his driver was pulled from the vehicle until other red shirts stopped the attack."

The change of vehicles was not announced to Pattaya Police who was doing an excellent job of security outside the Royal Cliff. The attack occurred after the Prime Minister slipped into a second vehicle at the last minute while leaving the Royal Cliff and was seen by red shirts.  The vehicle was not bullet-proof and there was no police escort. Video and pictures taken by the local and international media was evidence used by the police to issue the arrest warrant.

Police Colonel Jindaloung further stated, “After the incident, Mr. Ronnachai escaped and our informants told us that he would soon come back to Pattaya and stay at the Gritchanikorn Apartment. We decided to check the location and to our surprise, he was there.”