Vdo - A German Tourist Was Murdered In Khaolak, Phang Nga

[NBT TV Phuket]

Sad to report another death on Andaman coast:

http://thainews.prd.go.th/newsenglish/prev...hp?news_id=1109

A 21 year old German national – Sebastine Wolff’s body was found on a beach at Khao Lak in Thai Muang district of Phang-Nga. Police suspect that the man was killed at least 6 hours before the discovery of his body. The body was taken to Thai Muang Hospital to examine and determine the cause of death. A wound was found on his back of his head. Thai Muang police Superintendent Kulthon Chalaadphate said police had questioned his friend, Florian Zehentmair, who had a drink with him prior to his death, but the friend was still under influence of alcohol. The man and his friend checked in at a local hotel in Khaolak on Tuesday. Phang-Nga Governor Suriya Palusuk ordered police and officials to investigate the case efficiently and said that rules of justice must be strictly applied for all parties involved.

Andaman News NBT TV (VHF dial) at 8.30am & perhaps repeats on Phuket Cable TV channel 1 at 3.30pm, 7pm & 1am, broadcast to Phang Nga, Krabi & Phuket provinces & Mazz Radio FM108 at 7pm in Phuket, Thursday 14th May 2009 & http://thainews.prd.go.th/newsenglish/ & www.YouTube.com/AndamanNews Send comments to [email protected]

[bkkjingjoe]

Unbelievable....let's see how this one develops.

Looks like in this case the cause of death was murder. I truly hope police and investigators will get down to the truth soon.

My sincere condolences to the family and friends.

[Duangta]

Bangkok - Thai police launched an investigation Wednesday into the death of a 22-year-old German man whose body was found on Khao Lak beach, one of the resorts hardest hit by the 2004 tsunami. The body of Sebastian Wolff was found on the beach early Wednesday near the Barisa Resort bungalows where he was staying with his German friend Florian Zehentmair, 21, in Khao Lak, Phang Nga province, about 500 kilometres south of Bangkok.

"His face was badly bruised as if he had been in a fight," Phang Nga Police Major Pachasart Buageow said. "We have sent the body for an autopsy to determine the cause of death."

Wolff and Zehentmair had been drinking with some Thai youths on the beach Tuesday night.

"When we questioned Zehentmair about what happened he said he couldn't remember," Pachasart told the German Press Agency

Source: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/26...mans-death.html

[LeungKen]

See Krabi forum :-

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Vdo-German-T...Kh-t265073.html

[Tywais]

See Krabi forum :-

Topic merged

[Duangta]

When do we get a Khao Lak / Phangnga Forum then?.....

Krabi is another Province, as is Phuket.

Anyway, I asked Phuketwan to keep an eye on it.:

http://phuketwan.com/tourism/german-touris...h-friend-11112/

The main suspect by the police is the passed out friend as far as I get it, the Thai guys they have been drinking with are supposedly Katoey.

No news from Khao Lak so far, Thai Muang Police took over, Phangnga has sent a criminal investigation team.

[duchovny]

It's getting to the point where you have to be very careful in Thailand.

Land of Grimaces indeed.

[NBT TV Phuket]

item-1-- on VDO at http://thainews.prd.go.th/newsenglish/prev...hp?news_id=1112

or

A court has issued a warrant for a friend of the German whose body was found dead on Khao Lak beach while police insist that they will be transparent with the case investigation.

A court warrant was issued for a friend of 21 year old Sebastian Wolff whose body was found on Khao Lak beach, according to Thai Muang Police Superintendent Kulthon Chalaadphate. The man’s back of his neck & head was wounded. The superintendent stated that Thai eyewitnesses told police that in the evening the two men had drunk together and seemed to have had affairs on the beach. They went down to the sea to swim late at night. They suspect that the victim’s head might have hit with the rock and then he drowned. Forensic officers are working on the examination to identify if his death was caused by drowning or the hit. Witnesses also saw Wolff kissing another man which might have angered his partner Florian Zehentmair due to jealousy and led to the attack. Mr. Zehentmair is now being detained at Thai Muang police station and the court has issued a warrant for assault causing death. Police have been coordinating with the German Embassy and had sent them the police report and court warrant. Police insist that eyewitnesses clearly stated that the accused was the last person to be with Mr. Wolff.

Andaman News NBT TV (VHF dial) at 8.30am & perhaps repeats on Phuket Cable TV channel 1 at 3.30pm, 7pm & 1am, broadcast to Phang Nga, Krabi & Phuket provinces & Mazz Radio FM108 at 7pm in Phuket, Friday 15th May 2009 & http://thainews.prd.go.th/newsenglish/

& www.YouTube.com/AndamanNews

[LeungKen]

My condolences to all family and friends of deceased.

Rest in Peace Sebastian Wolff

Respectfully

Ken

[Scott]

My deepest sympathies to the family and friends of the victim. It is a tragic loss.

If the police believe he hit his head on a rock, then I wonder why they would arrest his friend. Unfortunately, the police appear to be quite unprofessional in their approach to the case.

[beano2274]

seems like the Police are going down the "Lovers tiff" avenue of Investigation.

herzilches beileid

[truth]

the eyewittness, if there really is one, is a liar! florian and sebastian definitely are not gay and they would not have kissed other men, even if they drank more than they did ! this story is a cheap excuse, designed by the authorities, who are not willing to and are not interested in investigating the truth !!!

PLEASE STOP SPREADING LIES AND FIND THE MURDERER !!!

[jumnien]

Alcohol always seems to be involved in these cases... be careful!

[Shawnee]

I don't believe that Sebastian was murdered, because I know the Thai people who meet the both German at the beach and I believe them when they say they don't kill him. The story that the both people was a gay couple and that Sebastian kiss a Thai girl (not a ladyman !!! - there was no ladyman - only men and woman) is only a story by the police in Thai Muang. Nobody from the young Thais had say this. Only one girl say, that the both German was going by side and talk very loud (German people talk very loud when they are drunken and it's sound very loud).

I think it was an accident and Sebastian want to go swimming after midnight when they go away for talking. The sea is right now (rainy season) very strong with high waves and at night the Khao Lak Beach is very, very dark. There are many rocks under water that you can not see. Mabye he fall down in the waves and hit his hat on a stone. The other young man don't see this, wait for a while, forget Sebastian and go back. Don't forget - they are drunken young men.

Of course, the police have a own story, but I hope the truth will come out.

R.I.P.

[truth]

it would be the best for all involved, if the truth is, that it was an accident

but will the truth ever be found ?

so many questions

how reliable is the testimony of drunken wittnesses ?

wouldn't they have found water in his lungs, if Sebastian drowned ?

couldn't it be, the the injuries in his face are a sign for the "loss of face" symbolism ? couldn't it be, that he did or said something, that offended one of the thai guys, who also must have been drunken ?

...

what really annoys me is this gay-story, which is mentioned in all thai newspapers ... this has nothing to do with the truth, this is cheap and unfair journalism, this is prejudice, these are presumtions !

presumtions are human, but it is not human to kill other humans! it is not common in germany to kill other people, because of "loss of face" reasons and especially friends do not kill each other, even when arguing drunken ! you will not read this kind of stuff in german newspapers as often as in other countries. let me say it overall: this is not german temper ... and this is, what makes me presume, that he was murdered by a local

this is not the way i want to see it, as i had a very pleasant impression of thailand, when i was there a few years ago, however i remember, that most of the thai petty dealers had weapons in their drawers, which frightened me and i remember that we were blagged, which frightened me ever more and i remember, that the thai policemen said, that tourists are not welcome on their island

be that as it may ... i hope, that the truth will come out soon, i hope, that sebastian's familiy will not have to live with uncertainty about his death and i hope, that florian will be allowed to come home soon

I don't believe that Sebastian was murdered, because I know the Thai people who meet the both German at the beach and I believe them when they say they don't kill him. The story that the both people was a gay couple and that Sebastian kiss a Thai girl (not a ladyman !!! - there was no ladyman - only men and woman) is only a story by the police in Thai Muang. Nobody from the young Thais had say this. Only one girl say, that the both German was going by side and talk very loud (German people talk very loud when they are drunken and it's sound very loud).

I think it was an accident and Sebastian want to go swimming after midnight when they go away for talking. The sea is right now (rainy season) very strong with high waves and at night the Khao Lak Beach is very, very dark. There are many rocks under water that you can not see. Mabye he fall down in the waves and hit his hat on a stone. The other young man don't see this, wait for a while, forget Sebastian and go back. Don't forget - they are drunken young men.

Of course, the police have a own story, but I hope the truth will come out.

R.I.P.

[sbk]

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

German manslaughter suspect gets bail, whereabouts unknown

PHUKET CITY: German tourist Florian Zehentmair, charged with the manslaughter of his friend Sebastian Wolff in Khao Lak, has been released on bail.

Police do not know where he is staying.

In another development in the case, preliminary investigation into the cause of death by the police forensics institute in Surat Thani has determined the cause of Mr Wolff’s death to be drowning.

Kulthon Chalaadphate, Superintendent of the Thai Muang Police District that covers Khao Lak, said police questioned witnesses who said they saw the two men arguing in the early morning hours of May 13.

Mr Zehentmair later left the beach and returned alone to the room he had earlier checked into with Mr Wolff.

For the original story, click here.

With a court-issued arrest warrant, police arrested Mr Zehentmair after the discovery of Mr Wolff’s body on the beach.

Mr Zehentmair was questioned at Thai Muang Police Station, where he denied the charges.

Mr Zehentmair managed to post Bt175,000 in cash as bail and was released the same day.

To prevent the suspect from fleeing the country, police seized his passport.

Citing irregularities with the passport photo, police now suspect the passport might be fake, Col Kulthon revealed.

Police are now unaware of where Mr Zehentmair is staying and say he will have to report to authorities after the forensics institute releases its findings in an official report.

“We believe he is still in Thailand because he doesn’t have a passport and therefore cannot travel abroad,” Col Kulthon said.

The police have already charged Mr Zehentmair with causing bodily harm resulting in the death of another.

The case will be forwarded to the provincial prosecutor’s office after police receive the forensics report. If found guilty, Mr Zehentmair faces a prison sentence of at least 10 years, Col Kulthon said.

The German Embassy is also following the case, he added.

Col Kulthon still maintains that the cause of the alleged attack was romantic jealousy, after Mr Wolff kissed a male Thai teenager who was part of a group the pair met on the beach that night.

"Mr Zehentmair and Mr Wolff were lovers who came to Khao Lak on vacation together," he said.

However, an anonymous source in Munich has contacted the Phuket Gazette denying that the men were romantically involved, saying they were just best friends.

– Kamol Pirat

-- Phuket Gazette 2009/05/26

[brahmburgers]

the eyewittness, if there really is one, is a liar! florian and sebastian definitely are not gay and they would not have kissed other men, even if they drank more than they did ! this story is a cheap excuse, designed by the authorities, who are not willing to and are not interested in investigating the truth !!!

PLEASE STOP SPREADING LIES AND FIND THE MURDERER !!!

this is an odd case. There have been 3 proposed scenarios for how the young man died.

>>> fit of jealousy by the one boy who supposedly saw his 'friend' kissing a Thai guy. (the most implausible scenario)

>>> hit head on rock while at the beach/in the water at night, drowned. (plausible, though it could only have happened if there was one blow to the head, not multiple. What did forensics come up with in that regard?)

>>> killed by katoy (plausible. Katoy at beach resorts can get violent and have been known to fly in to rages over the smallest slight and/or loss of face). When katoy, farang, alcohol and money mix, ....it can readily be a volatile outcome.

All in all, we can expect typical shoddy/incomplete investigation by Thai authorities.

They got their big money (Bt.175,000) and that's what's most important to them.

As far as they're concerned, 'case closed.'