Police Officer Defends Himself After Journalist Injured in Confrontation

On August 9, a police deputy inspector named Worrawit (surname withheld), a deputy chief of the investigation unit at Ban Plai Police Station in Khon Kaen province, has given his account of an altercation with local journalist Triteep, known as "Mo," that occurred at the station's investigation room. According to Worrawit, he and his team had returned from fieldwork that afternoon and were eating and discussing cases when Triteep arrived around 6 to 7 p.m., sat nearby without being acknowledged, and remained silent for about 20 minutes before Worrawit casually asked why Triteep looked so thin and where he had been. Triteep allegedly took offense, responding defensively that if Worrawit suspected drug use, he could submit to a urine test—but only if Worrawit also did. When an armed officer present told Triteep to leave, Worrawit thought the matter was settled, but Triteep soon returned and challenged him to a one-on-one fight.

Worrawit stated that when Triteep approached him with a fighting posture, he stood and ran toward him, but insisted he did not punch—only grabbed, swung, and threw Triteep without looking back. He later learned that Triteep's head had hit the ground hard enough to require ambulance transport and 12 stitches to his right eyebrow. Worrawit denied carrying a weapon during the incident and maintained that his initial question was merely an observation, not an accusation of drug use. He called for a proper investigation that would include both parties and all witnesses, and specifically questioned the purpose of Triteep's visit to the station that day, noting it was supposedly a holiday for village headmen duties. Worrawit denied Triteep's claims of being choked, emphasized that his group had not touched or spoken to Triteep before that single question, and vowed to fight the case with facts and evidence rather than simply accept allegations.