John Denver classic provokes Thai karaoke gun massacre

A Thai rubber tapper who got rather tired of his neighbours' karaoke version of John Denver's Country Roads resolved the noise pollution problem by shooting eight of them dead, the Telegraph reports. Weenus Chumkamnerd, 52, blew away a respected female doctor and seven of her guests at a rowdy singalong in the town of Hat Yai …

[Anonymous Coward]

He should be invited to Thomson Holidays

I have had more than one package holiday where I would have gladly paid this chap's plane ticket to the same hotel. If possible booked into a room closest to the bar.

Mine is the kevlar coat please

[James Le Cuirot]

I must admit...

I recently watched an anime that strangely had this song as a recurring theme. It made me want to top myself.

[Stu]

Death by Karaoke

I totally understand. I can see it now, Weenus (lol) bursts into the room, then it goes all John Woo, "Diiie you muther....".

Awesome mental picture!

P.S. How can he have an eastern surname and be called Weenus!!!???

[Damien Cahill]

Maybe...

... they filled up his senses too much?

As its Cheltenham week, its the wet tweed one, ta.

[Anonymous Coward]

a bit harsh

Playing of John Denver songs should be punished only by long spells of confinement at hard labor.

[Anonymous Coward]

People try to get us down

Weenus?

There's an urban legend that John Denver was formerly a special forces sniper in Vietnam; perhaps his kill-hungry spirit has returned to Earth, not yet sated.

[Mike Timbers]

They had it coming...

From what I've seen on the Thai news stations, the local people are agricultural workers who go to bed and wake up with the sun. This doctor bought a house just for parties - she didn't live there - and these parties disturbed the neighbours' sleep which costs them money. The police wouldn't do anything because the doctor was "more important" than farmers. The killer had repeatedly complained about the noise and in a country where guns are not hard to get, you can justifiably argue that the dead had it coming.

[Rico Croup]

Sheesh!

Everyone's a critic!

[Bob]

@ Mike Timbers

So everyone who is a jackass deserves to die?

If only we could get that passed as law bullets would cost more per pound than gold! Perhaps it's time to buy shares in some munitions factories... *ponders*

[Mike Timbers]

everyone who is a jackass deserves to die?

It's one solution to over-population...

[John A Blackley]

@Mike Timbers

Good argument Mike. Just too much detail for my taste.

My own argument? They were singing a John Denver song. Kill 'em all.

[Anonymous Coward]

what, no "Thai take-out" jokes while you're at it?

I sense a strange ethnocentrism about this story and the comments. I doubt the smarmy jibes would be flowing so effortlessly if the massacre involved poms or yanks. I mean for f**k's sake, since when did killing 8 people become funny? Did the reg start handing out free labotomies and I somehow missed out? Christ knows I hate John Denver *and* Karaoke as much as the next guy, but it's no worse than the inescapable bollocks littering the collective airwaves and neighbourhoods of the majority-UK/US readership's home countries, and I for one would not be cracking Brittany Spears or Robbie Williams jokes should one of you choose to top 8 of your country(wo)men because of it.

[Anonymous Coward]

Not saying I would go this far,

but I can certainly see how it might happen. John Denver FFS what did they expect.

[Anonymous Coward]

You all are nuts.

Seems just about everyone agrees its a good idea to kill folks like this loon did? Man maybe its about time I join the Amish away from all you nutters!

[Anonymous Coward]

Kind Hearts and Coronets

"since when did killing 8 people become funny?"

It's funny if the eight people are Alec Guinness.

[John A Blackley]

@everyone who's 'appalled'

Take a pill, FFS. Some of us were kidding.

[Mike Timbers]

Some of us were kidding.

I wasn't. Publicly audible John-Denver-Karaoke clearly justifies mass homicide. It's lucky for my neighbours that guns are hard to get in blighty.

[Adrian Esdaile]

Boontip Desaro?

Boontip? Does he have a brother called Hotblack?

If so I can see why the neighbour might have been annoyed; if they were doing karaoke of any of Disaster Area's songs they would nearly be the loudest noise in the Universe!

Hey you hoopy frood, mine's the electronic sub-etha signalling device and the towel!

PS, yes, I know it's Desiato too, but I was watching HHGTTG last night!

[Anonymous Coward]

John Denver = Justifiable Homicide?

No, his "music" isn't that bad.

Now Tiny Tim, on the other hand, I'd be willing to pony up to the defendant's defense fund...

For the record, this was a Joke.

[Kevin]

Coincidence

Ironically, I just saw a little bit of a John Denver special last night, and I learned why he is so popular in SE Asia. The way it was said, "If there is one western song that everybody in China knows, it is "Take me home, country roads". Stems from a visit the Premier made to the US, ad the President took him to a John Denver concert. He was so impressed, he asked for 500 copies of the tape, and for a while it was the only western music allowed to play on radio stations. I know this incident wasn't China, but still. SE Asia, and very ironic that I just saw something about this very song.

[I. Aproveofitspendingonspecificprojects]

Noise abatement.

"since when did killing 8 people become funny?"

When the local plod have a failure to protect and there are one or two locals who have the balls to protest too much. That's when.

If it is true the victims were miscreants then the police were as much to blame as the noisy neighbours.

But I'd have been happy to settle for a spot of arson of the buying a second home in Wales in the good old days variety.

Failing that, shooting out the electricity cables should have done the trick, if that failed to convince an horses head in the bed. Then knee capping, then the ultimate noise abatement sanction.

It seems the victim is going to get done for a lack of foresight:

First, dispose of the evidence, then dispose of the witnesses.

It's amazing how a community can rally around a local hero. Especially one who wears a mask. Underpants over trousers -optional.

[Stuart]

But who's the boss?

The idea of killing people for mixing karaoke and John Denver, two concepts which separately are evil incarnate and together a horror beyond thought, put me in mind of a similar musical murder story from the giant penal colony on the wrong side of the Tasman. Apparently not liking Springsteen can be a terminal condition.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/4438227a12.html

[Tim]

Best. Name. EVER!

That made me piss myself. In the office. In front of my secretary. Carry on El Reg!

*falls off chair giggling*

[Ishkandar]

@Kevin

The distance from Beijing to Hatyai is about that from London to Kosovo. Not exactly next door, is it, you Albanian !!