Thai villagers contradict story told after Calgarian killed

People in a northern Thai village are disputing a Canadian woman's version of what led to the death of Calgarian Leo Del Pinto.

Carly Reisig, who has been moved out of intensive care in a Chiang Mai hospital, said she and Del Pinto were walking in Pai, Thailand, onSunday when a man hit her on the forehead for no apparent reason.

Del Pinto, 25,shoved the man back in her defence and was fatally shot in the face and torso, said Reisig, who was then shot in the chest.

But Andrew Drummond, a journalist based in Bangkok, reports villagers have a different story.

"There are witnesses in Pai today saying, 'No, it wasn't the policeman who struck the first blow. It was Carly, that Carly and Leo were having a fight in the street and the policeman was summoned to calm them down and Carly attacked him.'

"Of course you have to take this all with a little bit of a pinch of salt. Nobody in Pai is going to give evidence against their local policeman," said Drummond, explaining thatresidentsare afraid of the local police.

A Thai police officer has been charged with premeditated murder in Del Pinto's death and with "intent to kill" in Reisig's shooting. Reports indicate he is free on bail.

Policehad earlier reported the pair had a fight while drinking at a bar. The fight escalated outside and turned physical when a police officer tried to intervene, according to Col. Sombat Panya of Pai district in northern Mae Hong Son.

Villagers told Drummond that Reisig, originally from Chilliwack, B.C., wasa troublemaker in Pai.

Drummondsaid that they alleged she had a month earlier hit a policeman in a bar after a fight, reportedly started by an Israeli tourist.

"[Villagers] said she was involved in a fight at a party somewhere else.

"It's difficult to find somebody to say something on her behalf in the village of Pai at the moment."

Meanwhile, Del Pinto's family said they expect to have his body back in Calgary by Saturday but they still have not received a formal written report on the shooting.