In Thailand,where 3,826 murders were recorded in the first eight months of last year, victims of dark influences often are wealthy and successful. With land prices soaring by 100% a year in some areas, the real-estate business is one of the country's most deadly. Real-estate developer Yongkiate ,58,was on his way to the golf course for an early morning tee-off when a gunman on a motorcycle pulled up alongside his Mercedes-Benz and pumped five . 45-calibre bullets into his head, neck and back. Mr. Yongkiate reportedly had conflicts with competitors over a major commercial complex project in eastern Thailand. But police believe an other disagreement over a restaurant deal also could have triggered the slaying. In April, another real-estate tycoon involved in the same project, Pipat Rojavanijakorn, was hit by more than 100 bullets fired by a group of professional gunmen who also killed his police bodyguard and his driver. The slaying took place after Mr. Pipat won financial support for the project. Police speculated that another influential businessman ordered the killing to halt the project. Five policemen were among the seven suspects arrested, but the mastermind behind the killing has yet to be named .Police admit that those behind such killings are rarely brought to court, in part because they hire policemen or former soldiers to carry out the slayings. often a murder is ordered through a series sub-contractors so those who pull the triggers do