Diving Instructor Found Brutally Murdered

[george]

PATTAYA: Woman killed

A 23-year-old female diving teacher was found dead inside her condominium early yesterday, with more than 20 stab wounds.

Police said Chompoonut Koyram - whose body has been sent for autopsy - was naked and there were traces of a fight in her room. Her live-in Belgian boyfriend, Sam van Trique, 24, has been detained for further questioning after he gave police confusing testimony.

Police believe Chompoonut might have been killed because of a relationship conflict or during a robbery.

--The Nation 2004-06-28

-------------

Diving instructor found brutally murdered

PATTAYA: -- A 23-year-old female diving instructor was found dead with more than 60 stab wounds in a Pattaya condominium on Friday night.

Pol Maj Chalermkiat Sirimak of tambon Dong Tan police station said he learned of the incident about 11pm and led a police team to a room on the 18th floor of Jomthien Complex Condotel.

Chompoonut Kobram, a native of Buri Ram, was found dead in the room with repeated stab wounds. She was believed to have been dead for a few hours. The room had been ransacked.

Police brought in Sam Van Greeck, 24, a Belgian boyfriend of Ms Chompoonut, for questioning. The man said he worked as a freelance guide and translator in Pattaya.

Mr Van Greeck told police he had known Chompoonut for several years. The woman was a diving instructor and owned a pizza shop on Karon beach in Phuket, and visited him from time to time, he said. Chompoonut arrived in Pattaya about 10 days ago and was scheduled to go back to Phuket yesterday.

The Belgian admitted he had quarrelled with Chompoonut early Friday night because he suspected she was seeing someone else. He told police he then left to go out drinking and returned late to the room, to find her dead.

Police found no trace of fighting on the man and released him after taking a sample of his hair for DNA tests.

--The Post 2004-06-27

[udon]

Another suicide in Pattaya?

20 stab wounds or 60?..... Geeeez.

A sad loss for her family & friends.

[Mr_Pedantic]

Pattaya must have one of the highest death rates in the world; In a country not at war.

[wcr]

Pattaya must have one of the highest death rates in the world; In a country not at war.

Do you write for a newspaper by any chance? I wouldn't be surprised with a statement like that.

What a load of crap. Pattaya is no worse than any other large town/city with a large transiant population.

[Orion76]

What a load of crap. Pattaya is no worse than any other large town/city with a large transiant population.

yes it is, Thailand is #3 in the world for homicide by firearm.

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/cri_mur_wit_fir_cap

pedantic's statement is accurate

[Begs]

Map & Graph: Crime: Total crimes (Top 100 Countries)

View this stat: Per capita Show map full screen

Country Description Amount

1. United States 23,677,800 (1999)

2. Germany 6,264,723 (2000)

3. United Kingdom 5,170,831 (2000)

4. France 3,771,849 (2000)

5. South Africa 3,422,743 (2000)

6. Russia 2,952,367 (2000)

7. Canada 2,476,520 (2000)

8. Japan 2,443,470 (2000)

9. Italy 2,205,782 (2000)

10. India 1,764,629 (1999)

11. Korea, South 1,543,219 (2000)

12. Chile 1,409,939 (2000)

13. Mexico 1,363,709 (2000)

14. Netherlands 1,305,635 (2000)

15. Poland 1,266,910 (2000)

16. Spain 923,271 (2000)

17. Thailand 565,108 (2000)

18. Ukraine 553,594 (2000)

Thailand has a lower crime rate than Japan eh, and i am in Japan. I will leave immediately and go back to UK..................Noooooooooooooo, i can't, look at the crime rate, i will go to USA..........Ummmmm, Not a Chance, ,,,,,,,,,,Thailand is looking pretty good to me. Stay away from Belgain Murderers in Pattaya is my advice.

[Begs]

What a load of crap. Pattaya is no worse than any other large town/city with a large transiant population.

yes it is, Thailand is #3 in the world for homicide by firearm.

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/cri_mur_wit_fir_cap

pedantic's statement is accurate

She was stabbed

[dotcom]

I wonder if copywriters at the BKK Post are recruited straight out of elementary school? The woman was either a) a freelance guide & translator or an entrepreneurial pizza parlor owner & dive instructor. What is clear is that no adults are checking any copy written by the tadpoles. Sad.

[Begs]

Pattaya must have one of the highest death rates in the world; In a country not at war.

Pattaya has quite a few farang suicides, but it is to be expected.

A fair few Farangs living in Pattaya have left behind a trail of debt in their own countries, they left wives and children, jobs, all in search of a dream. Then they realise that their 1 million baht is not so much money after all, they quickly turn to drink, they withdraw from society, they spend all day drinking and typing to ThaiVisa Forum complaining about how bad Thailand is, Suicide shortly follows.

[sabaijai]

Map & Graph: Crime: Total crimes (Top 100 Countries)

View this stat: Per capita Show map full screen

Country Description Amount

1. United States 23,677,800 (1999)

2. Germany 6,264,723 (2000)

3. United Kingdom 5,170,831 (2000)

4. France 3,771,849 (2000)

5. South Africa 3,422,743 (2000)

6. Russia 2,952,367 (2000)

7. Canada 2,476,520 (2000)

8. Japan 2,443,470 (2000)

9. Italy 2,205,782 (2000)

10. India 1,764,629 (1999)

11. Korea, South 1,543,219 (2000)

12. Chile 1,409,939 (2000)

13. Mexico 1,363,709 (2000)

14. Netherlands 1,305,635 (2000)

15. Poland 1,266,910 (2000)

16. Spain 923,271 (2000)

17. Thailand 565,108 (2000)

18. Ukraine 553,594 (2000)

Thailand has a lower crime rate than Japan eh, and i am in Japan. I will leave immediately and go back to UK..................Noooooooooooooo, i can't, look at the crime rate, i will go to USA..........Ummmmm, Not a Chance, ,,,,,,,,,,Thailand is looking pretty good to me. Stay away from Belgain Murderers in Pattaya is my advice.

Comparative stats like these have very little reliability or validitysince there's no uniform reporting procedure for all countries.

[ando]

Map & Graph: Crime: Total crimes (Top 100 Countries)

View this stat: Per capita Show map full screen

Country Description Amount

1. United States 23,677,800 (1999)

2. Germany 6,264,723 (2000)

3. United Kingdom 5,170,831 (2000)

4. France 3,771,849 (2000)

5. South Africa 3,422,743 (2000)

6. Russia 2,952,367 (2000)

7. Canada 2,476,520 (2000)

8. Japan 2,443,470 (2000)

9. Italy 2,205,782 (2000)

10. India 1,764,629 (1999)

11. Korea, South 1,543,219 (2000)

12. Chile 1,409,939 (2000)

13. Mexico 1,363,709 (2000)

14. Netherlands 1,305,635 (2000)

15. Poland 1,266,910 (2000)

16. Spain 923,271 (2000)

17. Thailand 565,108 (2000)

18. Ukraine 553,594 (2000)

Thailand has a lower crime rate than Japan eh, and i am in Japan. I will leave immediately and go back to UK..................Noooooooooooooo, i can't, look at the crime rate, i will go to USA..........Ummmmm, Not a Chance, ,,,,,,,,,,Thailand is looking pretty good to me. Stay away from Belgain Murderers in Pattaya is my advice.

Thats TOTAL CRIME RATES you are looking at there. To get a better idea of the real incidence of crime you have to look at the PER CAPITA rate. Thailand has about twice the rate of murders than USA on a per capita basis.

[udon]

She was stabbed

err, that's what I tried to point out but some folks missed that point...... nice one begs

dotcom is rt on the money too

hey, you wanna buy dotcom.net its for sale! (plug)

[mbkudu]

Am I exaggerating or is someone murdered in Thailand nearly every few days; especially foreigners. Most of them seem to be while in police custody.

[DaveYo]

If you guys look at the top when this topic started, the guy was a freelance guide and a translator while the woman was a diving instructor and pizza owner.

I see here some of you is mixing the story up. Am I right or wrong

Daveyo

[c89109]

Posting the total crimes as an indicator of "anything" is naive. The countries on the top of the list have top notch technology for crime reporting. Do you think people in a 3rd world country can call 911 and have a crime report taken over the phone or have a police car dispatched to them like in America? This list shows those countries with high technology and big budgets to write paper and maintain statistics on crimes that have happened in local jurisdictions.

[Orion76]

Do you think people in a 3rd world country can call 911 and have a crime report taken over the phone or have a police car dispatched to them like in America?

In Thailand? Yeah!

Call the cops and they'll come haul everyone off to the police station to sort out what happened, might take them a while but in my experience they show up in about 30 minutes.

[Viper]

Murders do happen all over the world, and indeed all over Thailand, but it seems that I/we only here about murders and violence from Pattaya. Why? I visit good friends in Pattaya who have good jobs working in the oil industry, and all I hear from them is murder, and violent stories. May I add that Pattaya is the first and only place that where I have seen dead bodies, from gunshot wounds, and motorcycle accidents.

It has certainly made me a more cautious rider.

[FarangYaayYaaw]

Just to PROVE how bogus these statistics are, the previously referenced list that places Thailand as # 3 for firearm deaths:

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/cri_mur_wit_fir_cap

states that there are .31 gun homocides per 1,000 population. But at the same site, if you check for the TOTAl murder rate (by all causes):

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/cri_mur_cap

it says that there are only .07 murders per 1,000 people. Both of these figures can't be correct.

[edd]

I can understand about the murders and suicides in Pattaya

every time it is time for me and my wife to go back to the UK i feel like killing my self and because i bitch and complain so much about going back i think the wife would like to kill me

Still i get to come back again

I love the place

Edd

[kmanrox]

What a load of crap. Pattaya is no worse than any other large town/city with a large transiant population.

yes it is, Thailand is #3 in the world for homicide by firearm.

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/cri_mur_wit_fir_cap

pedantic's statement is accurate

haha Timon! how are ya?

[Foggy Bottom]

Pattaya must have one of the highest death rates in the world; In a country not at war.

Do you write for a newspaper by any chance? I wouldn't be surprised with a statement like that.

What a load of crap. Pattaya is no worse than any other large town/city with a large transiant population.

Chiangmai is many times larger than Pattaya, and last year accomodated over 1,000,000 "transient visitors" according to TAT - we have nowhere near the "foreign community associated" rate of suspicious deaths that Pattaya has. Neither does Phuket from the figures I see reported.

Something much more than the "transient visitor" levels involved in that town's death rates.

........ and yes I am a journalist - dunno about the other poster though

[wcr]

Thai on Thai shootings are a problem here (well for the Thai's anyway). When you think of the number of farang living here both retired and working plus the high levels of tourists of course there will be deaths and murders. The high number of suspicious deaths equals about 4 over the last 12 months. Unfortuantly a few of our kind get involved in businesses that they shouldn't be involved in here and suffer the highest price!

[BlackJack]

the som tam lady said that any woman or man with 60 stab wounds is from jealous lover

or bad pizza

or failed student

my bet is on the jealous lover

[Nam Kao]

Is OJ Simpson in Pattaya by any chance?

[DaveYo]

No I hope not. But 60 stabs indicates a severe anger problem and definitely way over kill. One stab simply would suffice. Wouldn' you agree?? But then again we will never know the minds of such person.

Daveyo

[Freddie_fly]

Actually for the average person (I mean those without combat/military training) Stabbing someone to death is not that simple. Depending on the type of knife, the physique/alertness/etc of the victim. Then one stab generlly never does the job. There are many cases of people surviving multiple stab wounds. A good forensic scientist can determine how many of the stab wounds were committed after the victim had died. If there are many then this does generally point to a "punishment killing" rather than a regular Hit.

As the victim was a Thai national I expect the police will be slightly more diligent in pursuit of the case than if the victim were a foreigner. In my experience they tend to want to get rid of the case as quickly as possible when a Farang is involved, whether that is due to the larger red tape issue or a feeling that it must be buried quickly so we dont have negative foreign press, I leave to your own thoughts.

regards

Freddie

[penzman]

they withdraw from society, they spend all day drinking and typing to ThaiVisa Forum complaining about how bad Thailand is, Suicide shortly follows.

[mai_ra_bu_cheu]

they withdraw from society, they spend all day drinking and typing to ThaiVisa Forum complaining about how bad Thailand is, Suicide shortly follows.

Ha Ha

[george]

Update:

Belgian held in killing of diving instructor

PATTAYA: -- A Belgian man was arrested yesterday evening in connection with the murder of his Thai ex-girlfriend, police said.

Police apprehended Sam van Treeck, 24, at his condominium in Pattaya. He denied killing scuba-diving instructor Chompoonut Koyram, 23.

Chompoonut died of multiple stab wounds at her condominium in Pattaya on Saturday.

The victim's mother, Sa-nga Phanbuatong, said yesterday she believes the jealous ex-boyfriend killed her daughter. She said her daughter had told her van Treeck had asked her to get back together.

"Chompoonut turned him down as she was already in a new relationship," Sa-nga said.

"My daughter said he was very upset about the refusal and he had tried many times for a reconciliation," Sa-nga said.

Van Treeck was Chompoonut's first boyfriend and after they broke up she married a French man with whom she had a baby girl, Sa-nga said.

Chompoonut broke up with her French husband three years ago, and took her baby to her parents in Buri Ram, her mother said.

"She was with her new Canadian boyfriend Noah before she was killed," Sa-nga said.

"I think Sam van Treeck might be the person who killed my daughter out of jealousy and anger as my daughter did not want to get back together with him," said Sa-nga.

Sa-nga said she and her husband, Dim Kobrum, 50, were enraged at the lost of their girl and also at the fact their three-year-old granddaughter had been left an orphan.Police said yesterday they would have to wait seven days for the results of DNA testing on blood thought to belong to the murderer that was found on Chompoonut's body.

A tape from the condominium building's close-circuit television showed that van Treeck was with Chompoonut at the time of the murder, police said.

Van Treeck told police earlier that he was staying with Chompoonut, but was out of the room at the time of her death. He said someone might have taken the opportunity to kill her after he left the room, police said.

Police said they would take van Treeck to the condominium for a re-construction of the alleged murder.On Saturday, Chompoonut's naked body, which had received more than 20 stab wounds, was found in her condominium, police said. Chompoonut's body was sent for autopsy, police said, adding that they believed she might have been killed over a relationship conflict or during a robbery.

--The Nation 2004-06-28

[meemiathai]

I see quite a lot of half-dead or almost-dead farangs in Pattaya. So I guess to turn from half-dead into complete-dead is not that baffling, is it?

Why bother about statistics? Just ask yourselves if you feel unsafe walking in the streets of Thailand or Pattaya. I feel very safe walking there anytime of the day. But still I am always on full alert. I don't care how high the murder rate is as long as the killings do not involve people killing people for no reasons or for the reason to rob. Meaning that they are avoidable if you behave correctly.

About the high murder rate in Pattaya: not surprising at all. Look at it, it is mostly about women, drugs and nightlives. So much money involved, so much competition, so much complexities. Any similar places on earth would be the same!