allan michaud

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One tourist murder suspect now arrested, another on the run



KOH TAO: -- The police have arrested a suspect in the murder of two British tourists in Koh Tao and are still hunting for a second suspect who has escaped into Bangkok.

Eighth Region Police Command commissioner Pol Lt-Gen Panya Mamen identified the first suspect as Mon.

He is the brother of a village headman in Koh Tao.

He was arrested after evidence which police collected were examined and proved he was involved, he said.

He also said another suspect is also a son of that village headman. But he has already to Bangkok.

He said both suspects were captured by CCTV cameras and the police have gathered enough evidence to implicate them in the murders.

He said the southern police were coordinating with the metropolitan police to hunt him down, and expected to apprehend him today.

The southern police chief also assured the public that there was no arrest of scapegoats in this murder case as it now is a focal attention of the world.

He also dismissed any suggestion of local mafias or influential people that could twist the investigation with promise that local influence would pose no obstacle to the police investigation.

Instead the police will eliminate all these mafias, he said.

Meanwhile a police source said the police are also looking into the cooperation of those who helped to arrange the suspect to escape. They also will be arrested.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/one-tourist-murder-suspect-now-arrested-another-run/


-- Thai PBS 2014-09-23

It does mention something about going after people that tried to help them, so maybe justice will be done and some of the local cops will end up being arrested.

I for one am stunned that this case seems to have been solved, normally these people are untouchable.

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This is all over Facebook. I don't understand why he didn't contact somebody off island if he has legit information!

Perhaps he knows the mafia controls the police.

But what do I know

I said off island. Maybe somebody like the top dog who was sent from BKK.

He has clearly spent some time in in the Land of the Crocodile Smile so like everyone else he should be aware that you cannot trust a policeman... anywhere. Having said that I don't understand why he would be so stupid as to run around making public statements that he knows who did it, while continuing to stay on the island. This seems a very bizarre incident and while I have no specific reason to doubt this man, I can't help wondering if this guy is trying to get his 15 minutes of fame.

I think most of us would rather see the army come in and keep an eye on the cops, but I guess they don't want the military running around a major tourist resort as that doesn't look good either.

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Same in the US. A degree in underwater basket weaving gets you nowhere. You could go to Thailand and teach English for 30k baht.

But a degree in any of the computer sciences will land a good job. So will medicine. There is a shortage of those people.

So a person needs to choose a specialty that's in demand and really learn it. I don't know if that can be done in Thailand. Many of those people studied overseas. Also Thailand isn't a country with much technology; they use what's developed in the West. They manufacture computer hard disks and smartphones but the jobs are factory jobs for Thais because they didn't develop and advance the technology. The same is true with autos and scooters. They are working for someone else who has the technology.

It might also help if so many people didn't buy their degree. I have lost count of the stories I have heard of Thai graduates not even having the most rudimentary knowledge of the subject they have a degree for. The best one I heard was an IT degree holder that couldn't open a Hotmail account. Degrees in the west maybe pretty worthless too, but at least there is a fair chance the person actually did the course and has some knowledge of the subject.

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Are we going to get this sensationalism news story reported every time there is a new suspect or piece of evidence?

In the defense of the BIB. They seem to be in a damned if they do, damned if they don,t predicament. No information and the hoards cry conspiricy. Too much in formation and the hoards cry "sensationalism".

And whose fault is that? If these muppets had dealt with this in a vaguely professional manner we would not be in this situation. Why keep telling the media you have suspects when you don't? You just have people you are accusing without evidence. As far as I can see the only 'evidence' so far is the DNA samples from the poor girl, and the weapon. The latest accusation is against this drugged up boatman and his friends, why don't they simply wait 24/36 hours until they have conducted DNA tests before saying we have a real suspect. The fact that every Thai cop and his dog seems to want to comment on this case is also not helping.

As far as I am concerned, after the initial mess they made of this dreadful event, the first people that should be tested are relatives of the local cops and the powerful families on the island. This debacle looks ominously like so many other cases that have conveniently never been solved by the wonderful RTP. These scumbags have their fingers in every illegal pie in Thailand so I have zero sympathy for them being at best incompetent, or worst hideously corrupt.

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Pol Maj-Gen Kiatpong Khaosam-ang, the Surat Thani police chief, said that the man who was seen in a video footage wearing just an underwear near the crime scene had been identified as a Thai national working at an entertainment venue on Koh Tao.

The man who was not identified said he wore only an underwear because he was given a rough wakeup to rush to the crime scene when it was reported that two tourists were murdered on the beach.

Now why would a person who it seems has no connection to the police farce force rush to a crime scene clad only in his underwear?

Perhaps there was something at the crime scene he needed to retrieve or remove or possibly it was a ''trick of light ''so to speak and he was actually running away from the crime scene.

'Curiouser and curiouser!' cried a senior police officer (he was so much surprised, that for the moment he quite forgot how to speak good English)

You seem to be making wild assumptions. Despite the incompetence of the RTP I feel sure they checked his story with his bosses so why would his statement not be true? Also the video should be time coded so it should be simple to find out if the alarm had already been raised.

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Only one speedboat driver, the last I read was that now the Police have determined that there were as many as three people who committed this crime.

To be fair they also said they are looking for 2 of his friends, so this may not be such a stupid lead.

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Especially if it turns out a Brit solved it when they couldn't

Again, see Kirsty Jones.

A most bizarre statement from TAT. I can only assume that was for the benefit of any Thai's that might be listening. They seem to be ignoring the scary numbers being read around the world by potential visitors to Thailand. 22 tourists murdered so far this year. 389 Brits dead in a year. Brit deaths and hospitalistions jump a startling 31% in a year. Other as yet solved cases like the more than decade old Kirsty Jones murder are also being brought up in the international media. The list goes on. I guarantee some potential tourists will be scared off by these stats, more than by this particular gruesome double murder.

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As I suggested on another thread they can discount those under 10 and those over 60. So now they can discount the farang and women of any age.

At the same time they need to trackdown every Asian male who left the island that day. And that won't be easy!

Can anyone tell me if Thai's have to provide ID, like farangs are supposed to, when registering at guesthouses/hotels? I think they are, in which case it may not be that hard. This is something that should have been done on day 1.

I am still of the opinion that the police know exactly who did it and it is a well connected local thug or visiting Hi So kids from Bangkok. The police actions have been nothing less than criminal IMO, they have gone out of their way to discount Thai's for a week and they have apparently not even tried to track down Thai's who were staying there at the time. While I know the RTP are pretty useless generally, I simply don't believe they are that incompetent.

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1) why is everyone hung up on the stained pants? The police packed the guys stuff, all his stuff, and took it away. there was no attempt to frame the victim and I dont know how anyone draws any conclusions on that aspect

2) the police apparently have a wealth of DNA samples now. this doesnt just go away.

3) they are narrowing the gap between the guy running away in the CCTV video, and the concealing of his identity, so, expect he will soon be turned in

4) the local business people are concerned enough to start a reward, and to speak out.

5) someone will be threatened to keep quiet, or be killed to stay quiet,

rape and murder is not petty theft,

the weight of the crime weighs more heavily each day, as, no matter what and who got caught up in the moment, or was unwittingly involved before the murder was committed,

rape is one thing,

rape and murder is more than 1 + 1 = 2

it is more like 1 + 1 = 1,000

there were two murders, they both fought,

when the police say a wealth of DNA has been collected,

I guarantee you there is at least one or more men walking around, or hiding, not showing up for work, with cuts on his face

this is far from cut and dry escape

there will be unexplainable absences from work

the people in the bar have a good idea who did it,

pressure grows in this case, not subsides

my humble review

But the island has still not been locked down right? So the perps are probably long gone.

how many ways off the island are there?

I am sure at this point, everyone is being looked at

You seem to have amazing faith in the Thai police/justice system. If it was, as I suspect, done by some well connected rich kids thinking they are above the law, this will not be solved.

This whole investigation is an utter farce… as expected sadly. First they rule out Thai’s, then go after Burmese, then Brits, now it’s Rohinga and even women are being looked at. Yet Thai males seem to be the last people they will consider.

Anyone know if Thai’s have to register with proof of ID when staying at guesthouses/hotels? If so, an obvious avenue of investigation would be to ask all guesthouses who left that morning and go and test them. There can’t be that many, especially as it’s low season and not a particularly big island either.

Have the police interviewed everyone that was in the bar that night? Particularly when rumors are going around of a drunk Thai youth harassing the girl in the bar and that the murdered man had stepped in to put a stop to the harassment. That massive loss of face would have been more than enough reason for many Thai’s to go off the rails. Thai’s don’t generally go to bars alone, so who was he with?

It might also be worth DNA testing male relatives of the local police and officials, although the chances of that happening are probably less than zero.

Castration would be too good for whoever did this.

Its only a matter of time before they are caught. Thats the way police work occurs everywhere in the world. Leads develop over time and are investigated. Guys brag to their buddies or girlfriends and when the friendships or relationships end then those secrets are exposed. Meanwhile, the police are collecting and processing evidence and keeping and exploring all avenues.

I do hope you are being sarcastic because otherwise you are just being plain dumb. The fact this happened at all quite possibly indicates the perp's feel safe as they are well connected. I notice the police have not yet even mentioned the local rumors of a drunk Thai youth harassing the girl a few hours earlier and that the UK boy helped to get rid of him. If this is true then there is a chance the locals in the bar will know who he is, or if he is not local then at least where he was staying. This would have been a massive loss of face and more than enough for many Thai's to flip out.

TIT. As with so many murders before they have no intention of finding out that it was a Thai. Sadly I have a feeling this will remain unsolved.

RIP and condolences to the families of the victims.

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Where were they sent from? Dubai?

The key words here are "at Suvarnabhumi Airport's Domestic Cargo Terminal". Although I would not be surprised if the Big T is involved somewhere along the line. Begs the question about security at the other end, where did they arrive from?

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General Prayuth, there MIGHT be a time for those reflections/observations. However, now is the time for expressing regret/sympathy/horror rather than some lame, half-arsed "blame the victim" approach. Not nice.

Spot on, now is most defiantly not the time for these comments.

Having said that I traveled in India a lot during the 90's and remember signs in Bombay offering tours to see "the white whores of Goa", in reference to the bikini clad westerners. It was quite amusing (also worrying) watching Indian men strolling along beaches and staring at western girls, sometimes in suits and ties.

Having scantily clad young women running around when the local population are basically sexually repressed is a recipe for disaster. I was on a quiet beach in Kerala and remember having a go at some dumb woman who was going topless. The local community was Muslim so this was just asking for trouble, not to mention being offensive to them.

Tourists can be incredibly dumb, but shagging in a quiet corner of a beach at 4am does not warrant being brutally murdered and or raped. The general really should learn to engage his brain before opening his mouth.

What I find so worrying is how the police seem intent on finding a foreigner, when in reality this was just as likely to have been done by a group of drunken Thai's. As cover ups seem to be a national past time, I am starting have doubts they will find anyone. Thankfully DNA should ensure they can't easily stitch someone up in this case. As others have said, the DNA should at least give an indication of the person or persons ethnicity.

"their presence atop the mountainous area indicates that the ecosystem within the province is still rich with natural resources and teeming with life."

Possibly.

Or maybe someone released them there, and maybe they are hybrids. In any case I would not believe this until they have conducted DNA tests.

Wild Siamese crocs are as common as rocking horse crap, so I hope it is true.

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Very happy the police somehow were smart enough to hold the friends before they left!

It definitely looked like a crime of passion. Also it appears that both victims don't have any defensive wounds. So either they were passed out or it was someone that knew them. Where he got the hoe from or how he could use it so skillfully is still a question in my mind.

Glad the little Myanmar workers didn't get blamed for this. I bet they are still traumatized.! I hope this guy spends the rest of his pathetic life in a thai prison. !

I'm glad you have that all sorted out. Unfortunately, we are not in possession of all the facts and we are all guessing here. From what I have read can only I assume the couple were shagging in a quite corner of the beach and someone or some people were drunk/on drugs and felt horny. As an unskilled hoeman I am not sure just how much 'skill' it requires to sneak up on an intoxicated couple shagging and bash them over the head. Not a great deal I am guessing.

All the reports are so confused nothing is clear yet, so I see no reason to suspect or rule out any particular person or nationality at this point. DNA will soon sort out the bloodied shorts issue, no matter where they were actually found, but given the BIB's record of attempted stitch ups for murders, and the Thai media's record on reporting facts, I am not passing a verdict on this guy yet.

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Terrible Terrible crime....

I am a little bemused by some of the comments here. To put in perspective, we currently have a govt, who's stated #1 objective is to get on top of corruption... And they appear to be all powerful at the moment... To me it appears, the vast majority of TV posters support that Govt.... Yet, many posters are talking about police corruption.... seriously? You can't have it both ways...


I think in this case, if we think logically, the fact that there was no robbery of phones or cash, kinda, to me anyway, points the finger of blame away from a local or a poor construction worker... There would be no motive whatsoever. I have thought, because of the lack of a robbery, that a farang was more than likely involved.... I thought maybe jilted lover... Tho, the revelations this afternoon are quite bizarre... maybe the person in custody is nuts? who knows? DNA will prove one way or the other if he has any involvement in this horrible crime... poor bloody kids...

Not sure what your first paragraph has to do with anything really, but regarding Thai's having no motive I think you are very wrong. The girl was probably raped and Thai's really go for blondes in a big way. A horny drunk Thai is just as likely as any other scenario right now.

As for the apparent suggestions this English kid did it, I have serious doubts given the BIB's amazing history and how utterly &lt;deleted&gt; Thai reporting is

"We have to look into the behaviour of the other party too because this kind of incident should not happen to anybody and it has affected our image," he told reporters, referring to the two tourists.

Speaking later, Prayut said Thais must tell "tourists when the safe times are to be outside, we have to help them understand."

These comments utterly beggar belief. &lt;deleted&gt;? This is huge global news right now and Thailand is busy showing what Thainess really means.

With all the shocking figures being thrown around; 2,400/1 chance of a Brit dying, 389 Brits dead in a year, 22 foreigners murdered so far this year (and pretty much everyone on TV would consider that the tip of the iceberg given the accident rate) 31% rise in Brits being hospitalised and a 31% increase in Brits murdered.

Seemingly going after foreign suspects before considering Thai's is yet another wonderful example of Thainess.

I would like to ask if Prayut might let us know what times are safe to be outside in Thailand?

From a UK govt report from 2013. Among the 'Key Findings' was this little gem.

"Thailand has seen a significant increase in hospitalisations (31%) and deaths (31%), despite fewer cases worldwide."

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-figures-reveal-fco-assisted-over-19000-brits-last-year

Thailand is a VERY violent place. Despite a lot of retirees, odd's of 2,400/1 that you could die while in Thailand are not good IMO.

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Could be any national but it is striking only foreigners are current suspects. Far too much "its them" since this tragedy happened

No point blaming foreign workers from Myanmar or anywhere else and trying to pass off its not Thailand's responsibility, even if it does turn out to be a non Thai the Thais employ them, they don't care what background or history people have as long as they come cheap. Ultimately Thailand is responsible for tourists safety in Thailand, and they totally failed these two people.

This is an extremely high profile incident in the UK and The British government will no doubt be taking a keen interest and quite possibly will want to substantiate any DNA matched to any suspects before its rushed through any courts. I don't think this time a half baked rush job on any patsy will cut it or be accepted by HM Gov and nor should it.

I think you are being generous to the UK govt, I don't think they give a toss.

With 389 Brits dead in a year you have to wonder what is going on. How does this figure and particularly the odds of 2,400/1 that you will die while in Thailand hold up against UK visitors to other countries? How many are OAP's kicking the bucket? Far too many foreigners seem to fall off balconies for my liking.

I love the police comment. ...and mobilised both Koh Tao and Koh Phangan residents to help police," Panya said. So you organised a mob!

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What on Earth is he rambling on about?

Does he mean computerization?

It could just be a case of pathetic reporting but it does sound like he has no idea what he is talking about. If Thailand does have good and talented people it is about time they started being leaders instead of these same tired old political dinosaurs.

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THREE points I'd like to make.

1) In Vietnam, motorbikes are impounded for 48hrs if the drivers have no helmet. The bikes are released after a fine has been paid and they have a helmet with them

2) Ever noticed how often motorcyclists turn and look backwards, rather than use their mirrors. It only takes 2 seconds for someone in front to stop and pow!

3) What is is about NOT looking to the right before entering an intersection. Trust in a lucky charm maybe? Avoiding eye contact? alt=w00t.gif>

No 2. I always look over my shoulder after checking my mirror and signal before I change direction etc. maybe that can be seen as looking backwards.

Regarding number 2. I have been riding bikes almost every day for the past 32 years, all over the world. I was trained in the UK and one thing that is encouraged is what is called the "lifesaver". This encourages riders to quickly check over their shoulder before turning, rather than relying entirely on your mirrors, which on occasions can have blind spots. Also if you are following someone and intend to look over your shoulder you should have ensured there was plenty of time to stop before taking a quick look. Your point is silly.

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Anyway 90% of helmets on sale in Thailand are just useless when riding a motorbike. They look more as bicycle helmets

Many look like kids baseball helmets, just hilarious.

This is down to one thing, police enforcement of the law. All very simple really, if the police stop everyone without a helmet and fine them 1,000 baht each time they will stop. Having a campaign with no real enforcement is a waste of time. By real I mean continuing enforcement, not just a few days then back to normal.

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Since we are in a military rule right now they should offer these men a life in prison for their info or a firing squad if they dont talk. They have already as much as admitted their guilt in their demands. So a firing squad would not be out of order

Sent from my GT-S5310 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Try reading the entire article. The ones shown here are not the same that the politician is claiming approached him. Convienient to say the least. So all we have is hearsay.

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Yesterday, the Thai press reported that he was immediately taken to Siriraj, which "is set up for Ebola." Today they are reporting Rajvithi.

As usual the Thai media is a joke. I am glad to see the authorities are taking Ebola seriously though.