This is some bad and scary stuff. Pete
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A clandestine meeting deep in a forest with a heavily armed assassin reveals the life of a professional hitman
By: Maxmilian Wechsler
Published: 5/07/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: Spectrum
To say I was a little bit nervous would be an understatement. After all, I was going to be taken to a lonely shack in the middle of the jungle to interview a man who claims to have killed a dozen people and would be carrying a sack full of the weapons of his unseemly trade.
It took several weeks of contacting various people before the meeting with the "hitman" and his "broker" finally materialised. The venue was a forest somewhere in Phetchaburi province, 110 kilometers south of Bangkok. It was mind-numbingly hot.
The broker picked me up at a petrol station not far from Phetchaburi town and drove through a forest until the narrow road ended. We then walked for about 10 minutes before the broker suddenly stopped near a lone wooden shack. A few minutes later the gunman arrived on foot carrying a large, black rucksack.
Both the broker and the gunman said that they would answer all my questions but, unsurprisingly, would not disclose any personal information.
The gunman agreed to be photographed on the condition he could cover his head with a balaclava and I only photograph him from the waist up. After about 30 minutes of taking photos of the gunman and an hour interviewing both of them, I was relieved to come out of the jungle and return to Bangkok.
The gunman was sightly chubby with a moustache and quite long hair - that is, if he wasn't wearing a wig. He wore jeans, a black T-shirt, jacket and rubber slippers; obviously not the profile of an assassin you would expect to see in a Hollywood movie.
He was quiet most of the time, answering softly when asked questions by the broker, who speaks good English and did the translations. The only English words the gunman uttered were "Hello", "Goodbye", "Colt", "Glock" and "Heckler & Koch", referring to four of the fully loaded guns he had brought with him.
The black hood and gloves he wore to protect his identity are the same, or similar, to the apparel he wears while performing his job. He always wears dark sunglasses, but took them off for the photographs to avoid any reflection.
It was intriguing to see how obediently he followed the instructions to pose for the photos. Maybe this was my only chance to have any control over the situation.
But that's when the niceties ended. The way he described his job and some of his philosophies about killing would be considered deplorable by any reasonable person.
But this wasn't the time to argue or attempt to educate him. "I will kill anyone for money. I don't care who it is, whether a woman, man, child or foreigner. It is my job. It is my business. However, I haven't killed a foreigner yet because I haven't been given the assignment," he declared boldly.
He carried the four guns in the rucksack with each packed in the original box. Before the photo session, he removed all the magazines and bullets from the guns. Then he checked the chambers and placed the magazines back in the gun.
His movements were well-rehearsed and synchronised, indicating to me he was a professional. The way he posed and pointed guns at the camera was frightening, but also impressive in a perverse recognition of his craft.
"He loves his guns. He is an expert who knows how to handle and care for the guns," the broker said, as if he was boasting about a master tradesman.
The gunman said he is Buddhist, so the next question was obvious: How does his profession stand with Buddhist teachings that prohibit killing a living being?
"Buddhism is a 'soft' religion, not as strong as Islam or others, so I don't worry too much about it. I don't have to enter the monkhood," he said.
He said his preferred weapon was an 11mm Colt handgun because its high velocity means it has a lot of killing force.
''It is the most popular weapon for most of the gunmen. The bullet is big and the chance of killing the victim with one or two shots _ as I usually do _ is very high. I use hollow-point bullets because when they hit someone's body they will inflect a big wound. I don't have or use silencer.
''I have never declined a contract or missed the target. However, in case I miss or the target escapes, I forget the whole incident and quickly leave the area.''
When asked whether he would return the 50% deposit to the client in the eventuality that he missed one day, he only laughed. This was the first time I sensed any emotion on his otherwise stern face.
''I have one or two people follow the victim for a few days or even weeks to find out where he or she goes every day. Then we make a plan.
''I prefer to kill people at night. It is safer and easy to get away from the scene,'' he said about his method of operation.
''I use motorcycles and pick-up trucks to follow the victim. Whether I use one of the two as a getaway vehicle after the shooting depends on the circumstances. The motorcycle or pick-up has no number plate or a fake one. There are usually three or four people involved in one killing: The broker, the gunman, the driver or rider, and the other person helping with the surveillance.''
He claims to have killed about a dozen people. ''Everything was for money, but sometimes for other benefits and favours,'' he confessed.
I asked whether his family knew about his occupation.
''No, they don't know. I live alone. A gunman is a loner. This goes with the job. Most gunmen live alone. They are separated from their family.''
Since I had a professional on hand, I asked about the botched assassination attempt on People's Alliance for Democracy leader Sondhi Limthongkul on April 17.
''Whoever opened fire weren't professional gunmen,'' my professional gunman said. ''They only know how to use weapons indicating that they are (could be) police or military personnel
[active or retired]. They were obviously short of time and had to hurry, and that's why they sprayed the car with so many bullets. They shot at the vehicle's windshield, that's why they missed the occupants who obviously dived to the floor. They didn't shoot from the sides because they were most probably thinking they are armour-plated.''
As for the history of gunmen in Thailand, the broker said: ''This business hasn't been going for too long, but I can't tell you exactly for how many years. The gunman only kills with the gun, not with a bomb, hand grenade, axe or knife.
He said in his experience gunman were mainly from poor areas. They were typically bad guys or wannabe bad guys.
''They want to be a gangster, to be somebody. Most of them have no education and some start to kill when they are young and continue until retirement. It is easy for them to find a gun and they can learn to shoot in the forest. However, some policemen or military men also become gunmen,'' the broker said.
He said there are several hundred gunmen for hire across the country, with most of them living in Chon Buri, Phetchaburi and Uthai Thani provinces. ''I heard that some people manufacture guns in Uthai Thani province which are very cheap, but can kill. In other provinces, guns are imported from abroad.''
The broker said in his experience people usually hire a gunman because of a business, political or family conflict.
''The price for killing depends on who the target is. If it is a well known, rich person, politician or foreigner, the price will start from 80,000 baht to 1 million baht or higher. I will tell the customer to pay half of the amount in advance and the rest after the job is done. I want only cash, no cheques or credit cards,'' he said smiling.
So how do you find a broker?
''This is not very easy because they don't advertise in newspapers. You have to contact many, many people before you get one.''
Face to face with a hired killer
Face to face with a hired killer
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