RELATIVES and a lawyer for Somkiat Srijan, the disabled bread-delivery man allegedly killed by youngsters in Bangkok on May 1, filed a petition to national police chief Pol General Chakthip Chaijinda yesterday to add the charge of premeditated murder against the seven suspects.

Somkiat’s mother Thongkham Srijan and nephew Methas Polprasert lodged the petition at the Royal Thai Police head office via the deputy commander of the Office of Legal Affairs and Litigation, Pol Maj General Sakda Wirisiriyanont. It requested that Chakthip have Chokchai Police consider adding the premeditated murder charge.

Lawyer Anantachai Chaiyadat, who accompanied the relatives, |said CCTV footage showed that |two of the seven suspects had |called and prepared weapons to |use against Somkiat. This pre-paredness, and the fact they had enough time to consider what they were about to do, suggested this |was murder by premeditation.

He said the family had no doubts about the police role – they wanted officers to include this charge and leave it to the court’s discretion.

Methas said he wanted justice for Somkiat and feared that, if the charge of premeditated murder wasn’t added, justice and evidence would be reduced as time passed, benefiting the culprits.

Deputy national police spokesman Kissana Phathan-charoen, meanwhile, insisted police would act against the suspects based on evidence, although several were sons of police. He said the case should become clearer next week.

Acting metropolitan police |chief Pol Lt-General Sanit Mahathaworn affirmed the investigation had been carried out thoroughly, based on evidence, and |followed accuracy rather than |sentiment.

He said “overcharging” the suspects could also land police in trouble if they violated section 157 of the criminal code (wrongfully exercising police functions to the injury of any person) or section 200 (exercising police functions maliciously to cause a person to be punished more heavily). If a charge of pre-|meditated murder was filed without sufficient evidence, as the family wished, it could adversely affect the case and cause damage to the accused. But he said police would continue to look for evidence for the charges petitioned.