NCJ Number
94988
Journal
Medicine Science and the Law Volume: 24 Issue: 3 Dated: (July 1984) Pages: 222-226
Date Published
1984
Length
5 pages
Annotation
Victim and offender profiles and precipitating incidents are reported for the 468 homicides in Bangkok, Thailand, from 1972 to 1981.
Abstract
Homicide accounted for 7.7 percent of the unnatural deaths during the reporting period. Ninety percent of the victims were male. The most common age group was 20-39 years, and the next most common 1O-19 years. Homicide cases involving victims over 60-years-old were rare. The incidence of homicide was highest between 7 and 10 p.m. and in the summer months. A total of 47 percent of the cases involved firearms; 39 percent involved knives. The majority of cases resulted from personal disputes and were not associated with heavy drinking. Other motivations included property disputes, sexual involvement, and political unrest. ln a total of 103 cases, the motivation was not known. Only three homicides involved issues of mental instability; however, not all offenders undergo psychiatric examination. Another common incident was ambush by a group of assailants, ending in the shooting or beating death of the victim. Ambushes can happen daily in the Provinces, and in many cases the attackers and their motives are unknown. The causes of death were mostly injuries to brain and chest. Tabular data and 10 references are provided.