One dead, two badly hurt in meth-fueled Phuket rampage

One man is dead and two of his friends are in hospital severely injured after one of them, in a jealous rage fueled by methamphetamine, wreaked havoc with a meat cleaver.

Some 30 police rushed to the incident yesterday evening (August 14) after the wife of one of the victims made an emergency call.

Arriving at the dwelling on Soi Suksan Khao Rang in Phuket Town, officers found a man and a woman lying on the floor with slash wounds from the cleaver.

Chalermpol Tasurawiros, 26, had multiple wounds on his chest and ribs, while Rariya Puttawong, 29, a singer at Pink Lady 2000 on Phang Nga Rd, had been slashed twice in the stomach.

While police kept their attacker, 25-year-old Niwat Phusangsri, at bay, the two were carried out and rushed to hospital, but Mr Chalermpol later died of his injuries.

Special Unit officers under Pol Lt Col Pravit Engchuan tried to grab Niwat, who was yelling and screaming, and waving the cleaver around, but he evaded them. He ran into another room and slammed the door.

Before police could get into the room he attempted to commit suicide by slashing his own throat and then by drinking highly toxic methomyl insecticide.

Police used a stun gun to get him under control before sending him in handcuffs to Vachira Phuket Hospital.

Mr Chalermpon’s wife Monnaya Janchawong, said that Niwat and her husband had been smoking crystal methamphtamine (ya ice) and Niwat decided that his girlfriend, Ms Rariya, and Mr Chalermpol were flirting.

He flew into a rage, grabbed the cleaver and slashed Ms Rariya twice. Chalermpol tried to stop Niwat, who turned on him and hacked at him with the cleaver.

Niwat, when he has sufficiently recovered from his attempted suicide, will be charged with the murder of Mr Chalermpol and the attempted murder of Ms Rariya.

Phuket News

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