British Prime Minister Makes Pledge In Unsolved Thailand Murder

[sriracha john]

MP's 'despair' over Thai murder

The MP of the family of a backpacker murdered in Thailand says he despairs whether police will ever commit enough resources to catch her killer. Kirsty Jones, 23, from Tredomen near Brecon in Powys, died at the start of a gap year exactly 10 years ago.

MP Roger Williams also claimed British police had not been allowed to play an active role unlike in the Madeleine McCann inquiry in Portugal.

Several people have been arrested, but there have been no convictions.

Miss Jones, a Liverpool University graduate, was found dead in a room at the £1-a-night Aree guest house in Chiang Mai on 10 August, 2003. She had been raped and strangled. She was three months into a two-year round-the-world trip.

The Royal Thai Police launched a third inquiry into her death in 2005, but in the past they have been criticised for their handling of the case.

Mr Williams, MP for Brecon and Radnorshire, said: "It's very interesting in the Madeleine case taking place in Portugal, that our police seem to be much more proactive than they've been allowed to be in Thailand.

"I'm not quite sure if that's because it is a EU country, but our police certainly haven't been allowed to take the initiative in Thailand.

"For instance, they've wanted more DNA checks on people living in the area in which Kirsty was murdered - that doesn't seem to have taken place."

He added: "I do despair at the present moment that the Thai police will ever commit enough resources and energy to get a result.

"I believe that it's quite possible to get a person charged and convicted of this terrible crime. "But the way the Thai police are approaching it at the moment, I don't think that is going to take place. "So, we need to really use all the resources we have got through our Foreign and Commonwealth Office, through our ambassador in Thailand and all the other resources that we've got, in order to stir the Royal Thai Police into action to ensure they undertake all the necessary investigations."

Dyfed-Powys Police became involved in the investigation in September 2001 after Kristy's family expressed frustration at the way Thai police were handling the hunt.

In 2003, the force was asked to interview a number of key witnesses in Britain, and international crime agency Interpol carried out a worldwide search of DNA databases.

The BBC Wales news website has tried to contact the Thai embassy for a response but have been unable to get one.

- BBC

[LaoPo]

It seems the dates are mixed up...

At first BBC reports about the murder/rape was committed on August 10, 2000 and now 2003 ?

LaoPo

[Sanpatong]

Interesting to see that BBC reporting is up to a similar standard as the Thai police.

[Austhaied]

MP's 'despair' over Thai murder

The MP of the family of a backpacker murdered in Thailand says he despairs whether police will ever commit enough resources to catch her killer. Kirsty Jones, 23, from Tredomen near Brecon in Powys, died at the start of a gap year exactly 10 years ago.

That would put us at 2010.

Seems the BBC have about as much focus reporting as the Thai investigation into Kirsty's death.

Real shame.

[Foggy Bottom]

MP's 'despair' over Thai murder

"I believe that it's quite possible to get a person charged and convicted of this terrible crime. "But the way the Thai police are approaching it at the moment, I don't think that is going to take place. "So, we need to really use all the resources we have got through our Foreign and Commonwealth Office, through our ambassador in Thailand and all the other resources that we've got, in order to stir the Royal Thai Police into action to ensure they undertake all the necessary investigations."

10 minutes I've been biting my tongue on this, but can't stop myself any longer ........

Retrospectively applying Thai-style laws for farangs, to Thais in the UK should shake things up a bit

- land ownership withdrawn, businesses subjected to maximum 49% ownership, dual pricing for National Parks, Cathedrals, Stately homes etc, 90-day address reporting in person to immigration, maximum 1 year visa regardless of marital or employment status, mega-fees for residency rights or naturalisation, new visa and work permit for every job change, border run to nearest edge-of-EU border every 30 days / 3 months as applicable. etc etc etc

Suddenly throw that lot at each of the estimated 100,000 Thais living in the UK, and you'll hear the bleating from there at the bottom of Chiang Dao cave ........ and the culprits will be arrested within 24 hours - guaranteed.

Gaz

[Austhaied]

MP's 'despair' over Thai murder

"I believe that it's quite possible to get a person charged and convicted of this terrible crime. "But the way the Thai police are approaching it at the moment, I don't think that is going to take place. "So, we need to really use all the resources we have got through our Foreign and Commonwealth Office, through our ambassador in Thailand and all the other resources that we've got, in order to stir the Royal Thai Police into action to ensure they undertake all the necessary investigations."

10 minutes I've been biting my tongue on this, but can't stop myself any longer ........

Retrospectively applying Thai-style laws for farangs, to Thais in the UK should shake things up a bit

- land ownership withdrawn, businesses subjected to maximum 49% ownership, dual pricing for National Parks, Cathedrals, Stately homes etc, 90-day address reporting in person to immigration, maximum 1 year visa regardless of marital or employment status, mega-fees for residency rights or naturalisation, new visa and work permit for every job change, border run to nearest edge-of-EU border every 30 days / 3 months as applicable. etc etc etc

Suddenly throw that lot at each of the estimated 100,000 Thais living in the UK, and you'll hear the bleating from there at the bottom of Chiang Dao cave ........ and the culprits will be arrested within 24 hours - guaranteed.

Gaz

That's great, but how will that help find Kirsty's killer/killers ?? It will just make the Thai's involved even more reluctant to help.

[sriracha john]

Sue Jones, Kirsty's mother, travelled to Thailand and laid a wreath at the murder scene

Thai murder mother's justice hope

The mother of a 23-year-old backpacker who was murdered in Thailand seven years ago has said she is "positive" the killer will be brought to justice.

Kirsty Jones, from Tredomen, near Brecon, was raped and murdered at a Chiang Mai guesthouse in August 2000. Although several arrests have been made, no one has ever been convicted.

Her mother Sue said she believed state-of-the-art DNA testing technology in the UK could help detectives make a vital breakthrough in the case.

There was extensive publicity in the UK and Thailand following Miss Jones' death and The Royal Thai Police have since carried out three inquiries.

The Liverpool University graduate was just three months into a two-year round-the-world trip when she was murdered at a £1-a-night guesthouse in north Thailand.

Mrs Jones said she was hopeful the Royal Thai Police would agree to return some of her daughter's belongings to the UK for further forensic testing at some point this year.

She said: "DNA testing does move on so quickly. I know Kirsty's sarong was tested in this country, but that was a couple of years ago."

Mrs Jones admitted she had never expected her daughter's killer to still be at large seven years on, but she was reluctant to criticise the Thai authorities.

"The Royal Thai Police are doing all that they can do within their capabilities," she said.

"Their way of dealing with a case like this is different to how our police would deal with it.

"The hardest thing to deal with is the pace that they investigate, which is incredibly slow but they do a very thorough job. I remain positive."

Her comments come a day after the MP of the family expressed his concern at the lack of progress in the case.

Kirsty Jones was at the start of a gap year when she was murdered

Roger Williams, Liberal Democrat MP for Brecon and Radnorshire, said: "I do despair at the present moment that the Thai police will ever commit enough resources and energy to get a result.

"I believe that it's quite possible to get a person charged and convicted of this terrible crime.

"But the way the Thai police are approaching it at the moment, I don't think that is going to take place."

He also claimed that British police had not been able to play an active role, unlike in the inquiry into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann in Portugal.

The BBC Wales news website has tried to contact the Thai embassy for a response but has been unable to get one.

In September 2001, Kirsty's family expressed frustration at the way Thai police had carried out a worldwide search of DNA databases at which point Dyfed-Powys Police became involved.

Two years later, the force was asked to interview a number of key witnesses in Britain, and international crime agency Interpol carried out a worldwide search of DNA databases.

- BBC

[endure]

Tony Blair is no longer the British Prime Minister - thank the lord and pass the biscuits ...

[Tinkelbell]

The way MIB handles this case reminds me of the infamouse case of the three murders of Saudi Attaches in the late '80s. Every time when TL get a new govt, Saudi would sent a new team of investigation to work with the new govt. And each time TH govt would pledge to give fully cooperation.

But so far the Saudi haven't solve these murders mysteries, the cases just die off.........? ? ? ? ? ?

[sriracha john]

Thai police seek fresh evidence from England in Kirsty Jones case

Bangkok - Thai police still investigating the murder of Kirsty Jones in Chiang Mai seven years ago have asked British authorities for fresh forensic evidence, radio reports said Tuesday.

Department of Special Investigation (DSI) deputy director general Pinyo Thongthai told reporters that police will ask British authorities for fresh DNA and semen specimens related to Jones' murder and rape at the Aree Guest House in Chiang Mai, 560 kilometres north of Bangkok, in the year 2000.

The old evidence is now too old to be useful, Pinyo said.

"The DSI will not drop the case," said Pinyo, who was in Chiang Mai on the case. "We will pursue it to the limit."

Jones, a 23-year-old British tourist, was allegedly strangled and raped by a still unidentified assailant at the Aree Guest House, a backpackers' hangout.

Semen tests suggested the assailant was an Asian, but police fingered the British owner of the guest house as the prime suspect.

After spending some time in Thai prison for allowing his visa to expire, the British national was eventually allowed to return to England where he remains now.

The well-publicized case was handed over to the DSI in 2005.

"Our sympathies remain with the family of Kirsty Jones," said Daniel Painter, the press secretary at the British Embassy in Bangkok. "Our prime objective, and that of the Thai authorities, is to see the murderer brought to trial."

- DPA

[Sao Jiang Mai]

So sad, 7 years on and still nothing...I always think of Sue and her family in August. It is good though that the British police are so tenacious.