• 
• 

Published on December 20, 2007

The informant, who did not want to be named, acted on a wanted poster last year offering US$25,000 (Bt750,000) for information about a former US airman, Technical Sgt Saner Wonggoun, sought for the alleged slaying of his Thai wife in 1994.

He told The Nation he later received $15,000 from the amount offered after being told by US officials there were other informants who also gave tip-offs that led to the arrest of the suspect.

The informant said he was not being greedy or overly opportunistic, but could not help suspect the reward was shared by policemen who acted on his tip-off that vitally led to locating the suspect's whereabouts in Phitsanulok province.

"The policemen asked for a share of the bounty in a telephone conversation with me," he said.

But a US embassy official denied knowing that the police took a large chunk the reward, while her superior told the informant, in a conversation during a Bangkok rendezvous, to contact him if the police tried to ask for any of the money.

The official, who asked not to be identified, because the case involved confidential information and a sensitive issue, said it was the US Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) that analysed all tip-offs and recommended the bounty be split among all informants involved.

The informant said he never asked her who the other informants were, and why they did not show up at a ceremony last Friday in which three AFOSI agents presented him with a medal in gratitude for the "most useful" tip-off.

He could cope with not receiving the full reward, but felt "considerable disappointment".

"It's to me like winning a lottery, with the prize money deducted. At least I did not invest any money, but only my efforts," he said.

He felt he deserved the full $25,000, because it was the police's duty to pursue criminal suspects here, whether acting at the request of a foreign government, or not.

The informant was certain he had provided vital details about Saner who had maintained a very low profile after re-entering Thailand after allegedly killing his wife.

He said there was an element of risk in his coming forward with information about the accused, as he may face reprisal by the suspect's relatives or friends, or possible intimidation by police officers.

Yesterday, the Court of Appeals ruled against a request by Saner for the case to be tried in Thailand. Previously, a lower court gave the green light for him to be extradited to the US to stand trial for the alleged murder

The judges said Saner's dual citizenship did not favour him to unconditionally be tried only in Thailand. The US government had jurisdiction over the murder there and judicial authorities to hear the case, as per a 1929 law governing extradition between the two countries.

Thasong Asvasena,

 Kesinee Tangkhiew

 The Nation