Homicide : A Report of 4,122 Cases from Bangkok and Provinces
VIRATT PANICHABHONGSE, M.D.*,
THAWATCHAI WATANAKAJORN, M.D.*,
VICHIT SMATIVAT, M.D.**,
VIRA KASANTIKUL, M.D.***
Affiliation : * Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University,
* * The Institute of Forensic Medicine, Police Department, Bangkok 10330,
** * Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok I 0330, Thailand.
AbstractA retrospective review of 4,122 homicides was carried out between 1991 and 1995.
About 47 per cent of cases occurred in the Bangkok Metropolitan area (BKK) and 53 per cent in
the nearby provinces. A steady increase in the murder rate was noted in the latter. BKK was
the place where most killings occurred, but was probably related to the high number of extra-
judicial executions. Of the victims, 86 per cent were men and 14 per cent were women. The
incidence peaked in the 3rd decade of life but there was also a rising trend among teenagers. Three
major causes of death were firearms, sharp-force, and blunt-force in combination accounting
for 92 per cent of the deaths. Firearms alone were used in about half of all murder cases. An ana-
lysis of organ injuries in relation to the types of weapons used was also presented. The data indi-
cate the necessity to limit access to firearms.
Keywords : Homicide, Firearms, Sharp-force, Blunt-force, Extrajudicial Execution
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