Thai Man Being Sought For Murder Of Mexican Man In U S A

[CAD007]

correct links:

http://www.myanmar.gov.mm/myanmartimes/no1.../Timeouts/9.htm

http://www.ibiblio.org/obl/docs3/BPS96-02.pdf

http://www.ibiblio.org/obl/docs3/BPS96-05.pdf

http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/academic/politi...bnn0597n725.txt

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0JQ...294/ai_30003264

Sorry.

[CAD007]

May 8: Myanmar Nouveau Co. inaugurated a gemstone polishing

plant at 22 Pyay Road, 7th Mile, Mayangon Township, Yangon. It is a

profit-sharing joint venture between Union of Myanmar Economic

Holdings Ltd., represented by Managing Director Brig-Gen. Win Hlaing,

and Nouveau Marketing Co. Ltd. of Thailand, represented by Managing

Director Mr. Wichart Mektrakarn, to process precious stones from the

Mongshu Mine. The Joint-Venture agreement was signed Feb. 9, 1996,

with capital of K 50 million, 51% to UMEH and 49% to Nouveau

Marketing. (NLM 5/9)

[CAD007]

<H1 class=articleTitle>11:01 a.m.: Trial delayed in 'noodle factory' killing</H1>Rod LevequeArticle Created: 04/04/2008 10:51:40 AM PDT

var requestedWidth = 0; if(requestedWidth > 0){ document.getElementById('articleViewerGroup').style.width = requestedWidth + "px"; document.getElementById('articleViewerGroup').style.margin = "0px 0px 10px 10px"; } RANCHO CUCAMONGA - A trial has been delayed until later this month for a man accused of concealing the murder of an Ontario noodle factory worker.

Chansak "Buck" Plengsangtip was set to stand trial beginning on Monday on charges he was an accessory to the 1996 Murder of Luis Osvaldo Diego Garcia.

The prosecutor in the case, however, told Judge Steve Malone this morning that she is currently engaged in another trial and needs a few more weeks before she will be ready to move forward on Plengsangtip's case.

Malone rescheduled the trial for April 21 in West Valley Superior Court.

Garcia, an immigrant from Veracruz, Mexico, vanished in 1996 after demanding compensation for unpaid overtime from his employer, Rama Foods. His body was never found.

In 2003, prosecutors charged his boss, factory manager Woravit Mektrakarn, with murder. They believe Mektrakarn killed Garcia inside the Thai rice noodle factory, and then disposed of his remains.

Prosecutors believe Plengsangtip, a friend of Mektrakarn, was present at the time of the killing. They charged him as an accessory because they believe he has refused to reveal what he knows about the alleged killing.

He has denied the charge.

Ontario police, meanwhile, have obtained an international arrest warrant for Mektrakarn, who is believed to be living in Thailand. The lead investigator on the case, Byron Lee of the Ontario Police Department, posted a short video about the case on the Internet in hopes that

it might generate tips that could lead to Mektrakarn's arrest. The video is online at:

Rama foods still produces noodles, but is now under different ownership.

[sriracha john]

Trial nears for suspect in noodle factory killing

RANCHO CUCAMONGA - Jury selection is set to begin today in the trial of a man accused of covering up the killing of an immigrant noodle-factory worker. Chansak Plengsangtip is charged as an accessory to the murder of Luis Osvaldo Diego Garcia, who disappeared from the Ontario factory in 1996.

Garcia's body was never found.

Potential jurors have been summoned to West Valley Superior Court this morning for the start of what promises to be an intriguing and hard-fought case. Opening statements and testimony will likely begin next week.

Garcia, a Mexican immigrant, disappeared Nov. 23, 1996. He was last seen alive at the Rama Foods factory on Parco Street. Authorities believe Garcia, 24, demanded money from his boss, Woravit Mektrakarn, in exchange for keeping quiet about the abuse of immigrant workers at the factory.

They say they have evidence to suggest Mektrakarn killed Garcia when the worker stopped by the factory to collect.

Police claim Plengsangtip, 57, a one-time friend of Mektrakarn, was in the factory when Garcia was killed, and they say he knows what happened. Plengsangtip has denied any knowledge.

Whether true or not, it is that denial that has landed him in trouble with the law. Even if he did lie, it is generally not illegal for someone to fib to police about their involvement in a crime, and a person can't be held as accessory simply for failing to report an incident.

Prosecutors, however, claim Plengsangtip's alleged lies cross the line into criminal involvement. They say he not only denied his own role in the incident, but also tried to deceive detectives about who killed Garcia and how they did it.

Several judges have disagreed over whether that legal theory is valid. One West Valley Superior Court judge ruled that prosecutors had sufficient evidence to take Plengsangtip to trial. Another later dismissed the case, saying that even if Plengsangtip lied, it wasn't illegal.

A state appeals court disagreed and reversed the dismissal last year, setting the stage for trial. Now, it will be up to a jury to decide.

Meanwhile, San Bernardino County prosecutors have charged Mektrakarn with murder and have obtained an international arrest warrant for him.

Ontario police Detective Byron Lee said Mektrakarn is living in Thailand. Lee has worked for nearly four years to have Mektrakarn arrested and returned to the United States.

- Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

[sriracha john]

Trial begins in case involving disappearance of Ontario worker

RANCHO CUCAMONGA - A Granada Hills man went on trial today on a charge he lied to police in order to hamper their investigation into e disappearance of an Ontario noodle factory worker. Chansak Plengsangtip is charged as an accessory after the fact to the murder of 24-year-old Luis Osvaldo Diego Garcia, who vanished in 1996 and is presumed dead.

Garcia disappeared in the midst of a pay dispute with his bosses at Ontario-based Rama Foods. Authorities believe a factory manager, Woravit "Kim" Mektrakarn, killed Garcia inside the factory Nov. 23, 1996, and then disposed of his body.

They say evidence suggests that Plengsangtip, a friend of Mektrakarn, was also in the factory that day and knows what became of Garcia, but has refused to come clean about it to police. Plengsangtip denies the charge.

During opening statements of his trial today in West Valley Superior Court, a prosecutor told jurors that when a detective interviewed Plengsangtip in 2004, Plengsangtip claimed he saw nothing unusual at the factory and did not so much as see Garcia there that day.

Deputy District Attorney Debbie Ploghaus said that evidence in the trial, however, will prove that story to be false. She said several factory workers saw either Plengsangtip or his car at the plant when Garcia arrived. "He knew exactly what happened," Ploghaus told the jury. "He lied to protect himself and he lied to provide an alibi for Kim."

Meanwhile, Plengsangtip's attorney, David Lumb, told jurors the evidence will show that Plengsangtip has never been anything but honest and helpful with the police. He said Plengsangtip stopped by the factory, planning on taking a trip to Las Vegas with Mektrakarn. However, after growing tired of waiting for his friend, he scrapped his plans for the trip and returned home, having seen neither Garcia or anything unusual inside the factory's offices. "We believe the evidence will show that no such crime was committed," Lumb told the jury.

Garcia, a Mexican immigrant, worked for low wages at the factory on Parco Street and was not paid for the overtime he routinely worked. Fed up, he approached Mektrakarn and threatened to report the company's abuse of immigrant workers if he was not compensated.

Mektrakarn agreed to pay him $5,000. He went to the factory on the day of his disappearance to collect a portion of that payment. Nobody ever saw him again.

Police later found blood evidence to suggest Garcia was killed in a violent struggle in the factory's office.

After opening statements Monday, prosecutors called their first six witnesses, all of whom were either friends or co-workers of Garcia. Nearly all of them described strange happenings at the factory the evening Garcia disappeared. Two testified they saw either Plengsangtip or his car at the factory when Garcia arrived to pick up his money.

Rene Delgado, who was a cousin of Garcia and a trusted factory handyman, said he saw handcuffs, two large cooking pots, *hopefully this doesn't indicate Garcia's whereabouts* and a pair of police radios in one of the offices just minutes before Garcia arrived.

Those items had never been there before, he testified.

He said he left for home while Garcia was in the office with Mektrakarn and Plengsangtip.

Mektrakarn was not initially charged with Garcia's murder and he and his family fled the country shortly after the man's disappearance.

Police re-opened the investigation nearly eight years later, using newly obtained forensic evidence to build a case against Mektrakarn. It was then that they questioned Plengsangtip about his knowledge of Garcia's disappearance.

Mektrakarn was subsequently charged with murder. Police believe he is living in Thailand. They have obtained a warrant for his arrest, but Thai authorities have yet to act on it.

Testimony in Plengsangtip's trial is set to resume Tuesday.

- Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (USA 05/05/2008)

Edited May 6, 2008 by sriracha john

[sriracha john]

Fate of man in jurors' hands

Defendant awaits verdict on accessory-to-murder charge

RANCHO CUCAMONGA - Jurors are deliberating the fate of a man charged as an accessory to the murder of a missing immigrant noodle factory worker.

The panel began weighing the evidence against Chansak Plengsangtip on Tuesday afternoon after a morning in which attorneys made their closing arguments in his trial in West Valley Superior Court. Jurors broke for the day in the late afternoon and will resume today.

Plengsangtip is charged with being an accessory to the murder of Luis Osvaldo Diego Garcia, who disappeared from the Rama Foods factory in Ontario in 1996 and is presumed dead.

Prosecutors believe Plengsangtip knows what happened to the worker from Mexico, but lied to police to protect his friend, Woravit "Kim" Mektrakarn, who is the suspected killer.

During closing arguments Tuesday, the prosecutor urged the jury to convict Plengsangtip. Deputy District Attorney Debbie Ploghaus argued that evidence had shown Mektrakarn, who was Garcia's boss at Rama Foods, murdered the worker over a pay dispute in the factory's office.

The evidence further showed that Plengsangtip was in the office visiting Mektrakarn when the killing occurred, she said. Yet when a detective questioned Plengsangtip about it, he claimed not to have seen Garcia that day and reported seeing nothing unusual during his visit to the factory.

"There's no way he could not have known what happened," Ploghaus told the jury.

Plengsangtip's attorney, David Lumb, urged an acquittal, telling jurors Plengsangtip was honest when he told police he knew nothing about Garcia's disappearance. He conceded Mektrakarn likely killed Garcia, but argued that prosecutors had failed to prove when, where and how the slaying occurred.

He said the killing did not happen in Plengsangtip's presence and accused police and prosecutors of pressuring the man to produce evidence against Mektrakarn that he cannot honestly produce. "They want him to say Kim Mektrakarn murdered Luis," Lumb told the jury. "But what if he cannot say that because he did not see anything? Is it fair to prosecute him anyway? The answer is no."

Garcia vanished Nov. 23, 1996, amid highly suspicious circumstances. He had grown tired of his employer forcing him to work unpaid overtime and had agreed to accept a payoff from Mektrakarn in exchange for not reporting the company's abuse of workers to the state labor board.

Garcia, 24, went to the factory on the day of his disappearance to collect a portion of that money. Several of his friends and co-workers saw him arrive and enter the office, but he was never seen or heard from again. Some of those same witnesses said Plengsangtip was in the office with Garcia and Mektrakarn.

In fact, Plengsangtip himself admitted to being there that day, but claimed to have seen nothing out of the ordinary.

Police, however, found evidence of Garcia's blood scattered throughout the office, suggesting he was killed inside during a violent struggle.

Mektrakarn is charged with Garcia's murder but remains a fugitive.

Police believe he is living in Thailand.

- The Sun (San Bernadino, California, USA) 13-05-08

[sriracha john]

The Thai accused of being an accessory to the Thai murderer is determined to be not guilty. The Thai murderer remains missing and presumably in Thailand....

Jury acquits in case of missing factory worker

RANCHO CUCAMONGA - A man was found not guilty Wednesday of being an accessory to the murder of a missing Ontario noodle factory worker.

An eight-man, four- woman jury deliberated about a day before acquitting Chansak "Buck" Plengsangtip, concluding his trial in West Valley Superior Court.

Plengsangtip of Granada Hills lowered his head and received a slap on the back from his attorney as a court clerk read the verdict. As the jurors left the courtroom a few minutes later, he bowed to the judge, shook the hands of the prosecutor and the lead detective and then burst into tears.

Plengsangtip declined to comment afterward, but his attorney, David Lumb, said justice was done.

"He is very relieved," Lumb said. "We think the jury did the right thing."

Plengsangtip, 57, was charged as an accessory to the murder of Luis Osvaldo Diego Garcia, a Mexican immigrant who disappeared from the Rama Foods factory in Ontario in 1996 and is presumed dead.

Authorities believe Garcia's boss, Woravit "Kim" Mektrakarn, killed him inside the factory's office over a pay dispute, and then disposed of the body.

They believed Plengsangtip was in the office visiting Mektrakarn when the killing occurred, but lied about his knowledge of it to police in order to protect his friend.

Plengsangtip admitted to being in the factory's office the day of Garcia's disappearance, but said he did not see Garcia or any unusual occurrences there.

Garcia vanished on Nov. 23, 1996, amid highly suspicious circumstances.

He had grown tired of his employer forcing him to work unpaid overtime, and had agreed to accept a payoff from Mektrakarn in exchange for not reporting the company's abuse of immigrant workers to the state labor board.

Garcia, 24, went to the factory on the day of his disappearance to collect a portion of that money. Several of his friends and co-workers saw him arrive and enter the office, but he was never seen or heard from again.

Some of those same witnesses said Plengsangtip was in the office at that time. Police found evidence of Garcia's blood scattered throughout the office, suggesting he was killed inside during a violent struggle.

Prosecutors, however, couldn't say precisely when or how he was killed. That made it difficult for them to prove to jurors exactly what Plengsangtip might have seen during his brief visit that day.

- Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (USA) - 05/14/2008

[CAD007]

Mr. Plengsantip was acquitted as an accessory to murder. His attorney's did a good job, and based on how the evidence was presented to the jury, I understand why they came to their decision. The jury agreed that Luis Garcia was killed by Woravit Mektrakarn. Actions and ties to Plengsangtip were less clear to them. A lot of good things came out of this trial, in regards to the primary murder investigation.

The case continues to be investigated, and will proceed as further evidence is uncovered. This acquittal does not preclude future murder charges from being filed against Mr. Plengsangtip should the evidence warrant it. We are continuing our efforts to locate and arrest Woravit Mektrakarn and to locate the remains of the victim.

Thanks to everyone for the continued support, interest, and discussion of the investigation.

[Arkady]

I have been away from this thread for a while and have just seen that Plengsantip was acquitted as an accessory. Not a big surprise I suppose wihout a body or more details of the murder.

It is unfortunate to have to target Worawit Mektrakan through his high profile brother (e.g. the Apple example above) who might genuinely be unaware of his whereabouts but the police have a duty to leave no stone unturned to bring the murderer to justice. It is also probable that family members, although not necessarily the one in question, are supporting the suspect and enabling him to remain a fugitive. At any rate Wichian should have nothing to fear, if he is not harbouring the fugitive. Chuan Leekpai had no problem being prime minister of Thailand for two separate terms despite the fact that his political enemies frequently tried to use against him that his elder brother, who, if he is still alive, is a fugitive from justice, having robbed the branch of Thai Farmers Bank where he was the manager. Chuan was always convincing in his own defence and no one genuinely suspected him of having anything to do with the crime or harbouring his brother and nothing ever came of the accusations.

Since my last visit here Thaksin and his wife, who has been convicted of tax fraud, have been allowed to slip away from the Thai justice system and we will soon witness deliberately inept but costly attempts from the Thai authorities to get them back to stand trial for corruption. Also a former government minister in many past administrations, Watana Asavahame, who was allegedly a big time gangster and operater of illegal casinos in his home province of Samut Prakarn has fled to Cambodia to avoid being imprisoned as a result of a major corruption case. He also owns hotels and casinos in Cambodia and his whereabouts seem to be common knowledge but there has been no attempt by the Thai authorities to have him extradited to serve the prison term that the court was expected to hand down. I mention these cases to emphasise the Thai cultural value that rule of law does not apply to people with wealth and influence. The Thai authorities would also see no moral issues in procastinating over an extradition request for a murder suspect who is even from just a moderately well connected and affluent background, like Worawit, if it is worth their while, so long as the murder victim was not a well connected Thai! Therefore the US authorities are facing a truly uphill struggle to get their man and they need to use any tactic at their disposal and to have very good luck too for any chance of success.

Perhaps contacting US managers of public pension funds that own shares in Advance Info to express concern on moral grounds and publicising the issue in the financial press would be effective. An example might be CALPERS the California Public Employees Retirement Service or CREF the national teachers' penson fund. These firms employ so many external managers that at least one of them is bound to own Advance which is a blue chip stock widely owned by foreign institutions. I remember that a woman sued a state pension fund from somewhere in the midwest for losing money by investing in Thai shares that collapsed after the Asian crisis. It was a ridiculous case but got a lot of publicity in the financial press. Just a thought.

[CAD007]

Perhaps contacting US managers of public pension funds that own shares in Advance Info to express concern on moral grounds and publicising the issue in the financial press would be effective. An example might be CALPERS the California Public Employees Retirement Service or CREF the national teachers' penson fund. These firms employ so many external managers that at least one of them is bound to own Advance which is a blue chip stock widely owned by foreign institutions. I remember that a woman sued a state pension fund from somewhere in the midwest for losing money by investing in Thai shares that collapsed after the Asian crisis. It was a ridiculous case but got a lot of publicity in the financial press. Just a thought.

Good to hear from you, Arkady, and thank you for checking the thread. It is as you say. There were some issues in the preparation and presentation of the case, but that is irrelevent at this point. And as a believer in the American Justice System, I must respect the jury's decision. I can also understand the path that took them to that decision. Also, the primary suspect is Mektrakarn, not Plengsangtip, and he has yet to stand trial.

Support from official Thai Government sources waxes and wanes, depending on their priorities. With the issues facing the Thai Government at this point, arresting Woravit Mektrakarn is probably not high on their list.

Your idea of working through the insurance companies is interesting, and I will have to explore that with some contacts that I have.

We have entered Luis Garcia's DNA profile into the nationwide computer database, and are checking against all reports of recovered remains. Hopefully we will get a hit. I was able to meet with Luis family and share some time with them. Hopefully they know we are doing our best and continue to work hard on Luis case.

[wintermute]

Just a warning guys. Going around shooting off e-mails about high profile people in the middle of business deals accusing them of having something to do with a murder is a good way to get your case stonewalled inside Thailand. Unless you have REAL proof (aside from a last name that anyone could have) you really need to lay off this tactic unless you really want to piss some people off.

[Arkady]

Your point is well made Wintermute and I doubt that CAD007 was very happy about taking that long shot line of enquiry either, as the gentleman in question seems to be a hardworking and highly respected businessman. Anyway it sounds as if the case is already stonewalled in Thailand and Thai last names are not as common as Smith and Jones in Anglo-Saxon countries.

Your misgivings over some of his methodology are understandable but I think you have to respect CAD007 in continuing his efforts to try to bring the suspect to trial in the US and see justice done in a case where the victim was just a poor immigrant. Hopefully he will be able to find the victim's remains and get harder evidence to convince the Thai authorities in future.

[CAD007]

I appreciate your concern, Wintermute. As an investigator, I would not accuse anyone of wrongdoing by association, but cannot ignore the association if based on reliable information. I would not infer association unless I had reliable coorboration. If there is access to public birth records or family records in Thailand, I welcome anyone to check. I do not know if my information is considered public information in Thailand, and I do not want to break any Thai laws regarding privacy or defamation, so I have not posted the information. It comes from an utmost and highly reliable source. This is out of my respect for Thai rule of law and culture. If someone has influence or position, I hope that they would use that influence to promote the pursuit of justice and to promote a world where the rule of law governs civilized men.

Edited September 12, 2008 by CAD007

[Jimjim]

So according to what I read above it's clear that the current (still?) president of AIS was the owner of Rama Foods at the time of the murder, and while that does not implicate him, it shows that Woravit is very likely a relative.

Edit: I guess "Wichart" and not "Wichian" was the owner of Rama Foods. Don't know if there's any relation.

Edited September 12, 2008 by Jimjim

[CAD007]

Wichart Mektrakarn was the President and owner of RAMA FOODS at the time of the Luis Garcia murder. Wichart Mektrakarn is the brother of Woravit Mektrakarn. Wichart was not believed to be at RAMA FOODS at the time of the murder, and was possibly in Thailand. Wichart or his agents sold RAMA FOODS quickly after the murder. He has never contacted police regarding the incident at his factory. I compared Wichart Mektrakarns photo from official US sources with photos from official Myanmar sources. It is the same person.

Woravit Mektrakarn, manager of RAMA FOODS, was arrested, briefly detained, then released by the Prosecutors office at the time. Several years later, after additional investigation the murder charge was filed by the Prosecutor's Office. Woravit Mektrakarn is the suspected murderer, who has an active arrest warrant for murder in the USA and a Provisional Arrest Warrant for the murder in Thailand. Woravit and his family members, and other relatives abandoned his home and fled to Thailand upon his release.

The name Wichian Mektrakarn came up as a relative of Woravit Mektrakarn during a cooperative effort between multi-national investigators from different agencies attempting to locate the fugitive. Documentation, including photographs were provided from the source. I found further documentation of association between the subjects through US financial data/credit sources and property checks. For over a year, the name Wichian Mektrakarn, had no significance to me. Just another strange sounding name. Then I ran across a story about the AIS Apple Iphone deal, and looked into Wichian's professional history. Wichian Mektrakarn had no official association with RAMA FOODS, and is not considered to be involved in the murder of Luis Garcia, at this time.

Hopefully, someone can be of help in having Woravit arrested, or recovering the remains of Luis Garcia for the Diego-Garcia family.

[sriracha john]

Wichian Mektrakarn

President, Advanced Info Service (AIS)

AIS is Thailand's largest mobile phone operator with 23 million customers as of 2007

Edited September 12, 2008 by sriracha john

[CAD007]

Wichian Mektrakarn

President, Advanced Info Service (AIS)

AIS is Thailand's largest mobile phone operator with 23 million customers as of 2007

Hmmm. If each customer donated just 1 satang via their phone bill, it would make for a substantial reward fund for Woravit Mektrakarn's capture, and be a great promotion for AIS for furthering the cause of justice and international human rights.