Police on Koh Tao have arrested a 40-year-old man accused of fatally stabbing his former tattoo shop business partner after an argument at a rice-and-curry restaurant on the island. The victim, 63-year-old Koh Tao resident Sorchai, later died in hospital from multiple knife wounds. The attack was witnessed by local people and foreign tourists, police said. Koh Tao police superintendent Pol Col Sarayut Buriwachira disclosed details of the case on 4 September. The incident happened outside a restaurant on the road between Boon Sri Pier and Lomprayah Pier in Moo 2, Koh Tao subdistrict, Koh Pha-ngan district, Surat Thani. Argument linked to tattoo business Police and an investigation team led by Pol Maj Suttichai Phraephetthong arrived after receiving reports of a fight involving a knife. They found blood across the area outside the restaurant and Sorchai lying in a pool of blood. He had suffered stab wounds to his neck, shoulder and right chest. Officers rushed him to Koh Tao Hospital, but he later died from his injuries. Police identified the suspect as 40-year-old Koh Tao resident Jirasak, known as Golf. He had fled the scene before officers arrived. Initial inquiries found that the two men had once been close friends and partners in a tattoo shop business. Police said their relationship had deteriorated over an unresolved dispute about business interests. The pair reportedly met by chance at the restaurant and began arguing intensely about the tattoo shop. Jirasak is alleged to have taken a kitchen knife from inside the restaurant and stabbed Sorchai repeatedly until he collapsed on the road. Arrested while trying to leave the island After the attack, Jirasak allegedly ran towards a pier in an attempt to board a boat to Chumphon province. Koh Tao police tracked him down and arrested him at the pier before he could leave the island. He was handed to investigators and faces a charge of murder. The road where the killing occurred links two of Koh Tao's main ferry piers, an area regularly used by visitors travelling to and from the island. Foreign tourists were among those present during the attack, according to police. Pictures courtesy of Naewna Join the discussion? 6 September 2026
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