Japanese Tourist Shot Dead In Chiang Rai By Thai Tour Guide

[sunholidaysun1]

Very sad news about what has happened. The tour guide WAS a nice guy , I have known him a long time .

Condolences to the Japanese Tourists and families .RIP.

[sydneyjed]

Or was the guide really a guide or a body guard??Sounds a bit fishy this story already...treking with 100/100$ notes with him and the announcement that he was infact Japanese Mafia...the other guy has already been waltzed off to hospital by villagers!More to this little story yet for sure..wether we get to hear it is another matter!

So the tour guide had the gun in order to 'defend tourists'! Is that normal practice for tour guides I wonder? As for the deceased being yakuza, I'd love to know how that conclusion was arrived at, perhaps he wrote it on his arrival/departure card under occupation.

[jdinasia]

I am always amazed and how quickly the police can find incriminating information on the VICTIM of a crime. Usually they couldn't find an elephant in Volkswagen. Sadly, the dead guy can't tell his side of the story.

Actually the "victim" -- which should actually just say "deceased" --- if as heavily inked as the pixillated picture looks, could reasonably be a mobster. It certainly appears as if theft wasn't a motive for the death, and "tourists" as a general rule don't wander around armed .....

I hope more comes out on this story, but realistically, how will it end? If the dead guy is mobbed up then the Japanese embassy will liely not be chasing after resolution and the guide's story may check out.

[kuffki]

Well speaking about "warm and friendly " thai hospitality, my building contractors advised me today that apparently they do not need to say please or thank you( when get money or want something) because this is Thailand and I am nothing but a foreighnet!

Naturally they they were asked to remove themselves from the premises in a specified set of time.

Of course threats did follow but unlucky for them and lucky for me my own staff( from south) really decent people explained to contractors in not so nice thai what happens in south to those who threaten and speak in this manner.

Back to topic- the scariest part of the story is according to the guide he shot them because they were complaining yet he never mentioned that he even apologized for being late.

I guess even Japanese are not good enough in some thai eyes.

[biplanebluey]

This news was all over Japanese media since yesterday, but none of it said the victim was a yakuza.

They had guns on them and $10,000 in cash. This Takushi guy is also meant to be the leader of the third largest 'gang' in Japan according to the article.

I wonder what their real reason was for going into the Jungle.

If what's said in the article he should be released without charge as it's a case of self defence.

Just a couple of Japanese tourists who want to go trekking,but first of all lets buy a gun,oh and we take a heap of money with us.Now we are late for our rendevous and i am pretty angry---think i will kill this useless tour guide-------then what?

Thinks me---the tour guide did the right thing----get the first shot in------safer that way--------and you get to tell your story---------simple explanation really-------what else in the news?

[animatic]

Treking to see 'hill tribes' in the Golden Triangle with a 9mmm and 10 grand in cash. Clearly looking to set up a heroin deal with a down payment.

I wouldn't have given good odds on the tour guide getting out of this trip alive if he hadn't fired back. I firmly suspect he didn't like these guys early on when he picked them up or booked the trip, and that's why he brought the gun of his own.

And yeah all those tats sure are a dead give away....

Lets see some shots of his finger joints. Any Missing?

And these guys seem to have had little tolerance for roughing it in any way.

Edited April 27, 2011 by animatic

[Mrjlh]

Questions to ask. How did he get the gun "into" Thailand in the first place? Bad airport screening at two separate locations? Or did he buy it once he got here? If that happen who's his contact?

[asiawatcher]

Karma leads to calmer. Just deserts if the murder is related and proven. Good one - Khun Apichart the Thai guide - he shot in self defense. Goes to show - having the end joint of the little finger missing - does not help in gun balance. No wonder he gave himself up though. Rightly or wrongly he believes in Thai Justice and in this case it may just work - he may go free.

[jdinasia]

Treking to see 'hill tribes' in the Golden Triangle with a 9mmm and 10 grand in cash. Clearly looking to set up a heroin deal with a down payment.

I wouldn't have given good odds on the tour guide getting out of this trip alive if he hadn't fired back. I firmly suspect he didn't like these guys early on when he picked them up or booked the trip, and that's why he brought the gun of his own.

And yeah all those tats sure are a dead give away....

Lets see some shots of his finger joints. Any Missing?

And these guys seem to have had little tolerance for roughing it in any way.

Point of order --- change "heroin" to a more generic "dugs" since the manufacture of Meth is prevalent in the area too (wither as pills -- yaabaa --- or as crystal meth -- yaa ice

How many murder cases in Thailand do you hear about where they found not only a gun with the victim and 300,000 Baht with the victim, but also that the killer turns himself in?

[Fookhaht]

So the tour guide had the gun in order to 'defend tourists'! Is that normal practice for tour guides I wonder? As for the deceased being yakuza, I'd love to know how that conclusion was arrived at, perhaps he wrote it on his arrival/departure card under occupation.

Pretty easy to identify a Yakuza if the Thai police checked with Japanese police (presumably through the embassy).

The Yakuza register with the police in Japan, so most Yakuza members are well-known by the police. They're virtual card-carriers, supplied by the local police. The registration arrangement is a convenience for both parties. As long as the Yakuza register, pay taxes on their earnings (including the ubiquitous Pachinko Parlors which they own), and don't bother the common citizen, the police stay off their backs. What's in it for the police? No trouble & social "harmony" maintained. It's a live and let-live arrangement.

[meelousee]

Another tea strainer story for you to fall for

[ableguy]

I am always amazed and how quickly the police can find incriminating information on the VICTIM of a crime. Usually they couldn't find an elephant in Volkswagen. Sadly, the dead guy can't tell his side of the story.

Ifr the BIB reported finding ten grand, I wonder how much he was really carrying ? maybe a dope deal going down that went wrong ,

[thaikahuna]

This news was all over Japanese media since yesterday, but none of it said the victim was a yakuza.

They had guns on them and $10,000 in cash. This Takushi guy is also meant to be the leader of the third largest 'gang' in Japan according to the article.

I wonder what their real reason was for going into the Jungle.

If what's said in the article he should be released without charge as it's a case of self defence.

Regardless, this will go over like a turd in a punchbowl with the Japanese mob...if so affiliated.

[koto]

So the moral of the story is don't complain to your tour guide just smile and act like you are enjoying yourself. Complaint resolution Thai style.

No the moral sounds more like, don't draw and shot at a tour guide, regardless of words, remember sticks and stones might brake ones bones and guns could sure do some damage or something like that. If that's what happened.

[Joe Joe]

something very sashimi fishy going wrong here 10k a gun holster ,guns not the normal trekking pack stuff here (gps and chocolate bars ect) seen one of the cops in the pic he"s on the bus check points a lot going up to masai seen him on visa runs. So whats it all about?could be a contracted hit even or a deal gone wrong funny that one of the japs was wearing a gun on the trekk??? for shooting birds maybe? very strange but a drug encounter of some degree more likely maybe more will come out soon interesting.Self defence is plausable at this stage maybe when the wounded man tlaks if he talks we might find out. I didn't know you could pack iron on trekking tours unless your afraid the tour guides a loose canon.

One word comes to mind... opium. Lots of it.

The tour guide has his office just down the street from my home and my Thai girlfriend knows him as an OK person. The village where the shootout took place is known as a "drug village" and this would look to me like a drug deal gone wrong except for the fact that the Japanese gangster was to high up to be doing an underlings drug purchasing work. Big boys don't take chances and carry the drugs themselves. The money was just the way a hood like this carries his cash around. They don't like to use credit cards, travellers checks or ATM cards. Japanese hoods are known to have bad tempers and if this nut also needed to carry a gun on a trek then a hot argument with the guide could get the hood angry enough to pull his gun. He may have been on yaba too. One less rat in town. What's the problem?

[maithigh]

This news was all over Japanese media since yesterday, but none of it said the victim was a yakuza.

are'nt those yakuza tatoos on his body?

[anterian]

Don't like guns at all, but to be fair to the tour guide he was shot at first and the he retaliated. I think under Thai law and him being a Thai that he will get away with this one.

You could argue that the Japanese guys were carrying unlicensed fire arms in Thailand. Whereas the tour guide might have had a firearms license because it can be a bit dodgy in some of the trekking areas. It would be good to get some more information on this, but I doubt that we ever will.

Cheers, Rick

I agree with the above except for one thing, how does a top yakusa miss at virtually point blank range?

[bangkokrick]

Don't like guns at all, but to be fair to the tour guide he was shot at first and the he retaliated. I think under Thai law and him being a Thai that he will get away with this one.

You could argue that the Japanese guys were carrying unlicensed fire arms in Thailand. Whereas the tour guide might have had a firearms license because it can be a bit dodgy in some of the trekking areas. It would be good to get some more information on this, but I doubt that we ever will.

Cheers, Rick

I agree with the above except for one thing, how does a top yakusa miss at virtually point blank range?

Maybe he tried to pull the trigger with his little finger?

Cheers, Rick

[Chris Lawrence]

Very sad for all the families. Wonder what the surviving gentleman will have to say? Very strange chain of events leading up to the death of the tourist. The deceased must have really liked this part of the world to go on a tour, that turned out was not what he really bargained for?

[KeyserSoze01]

Very sad news about what has happened. The tour guide WAS a nice guy , I have known him a long time .

Condolences to the Japanese Tourists and families .RIP.

Right, nice enough to shoot a customer in the head due to complaining. What's the old saying, with friends like that, who needs enemies.

I just love the creative license that the Thai media takes in cases like this. Of course the Thai tour guide turned himself in as he knows that sweet FA is going to happen to him.

[Robroy]

"The suspect said he had to carry a gun to protect tourists."

Love that one.

[Alexpho]

Ahhh Yes, that is why I am partying compfly in neighboring Laos. No drama so far for years.

[rich54321]

A good marksman i feel - he shot both in the head and one in the back as well errrrrm! - a little hard to do if someone has drawn a weapon already and is shooting at you

very strange!!!!!! as usual on here!

[remih06]

Amazing Thailand. The tourist is complaining a lot , so it is ok to shoot him. Shows the arrogance of Thais, that they think they can shoot someone and get away with it. However in this case, a bit of bad luck that the guy was Yakuza..... :-) My advice to this guy would be to shave his head, change his name, go to a far away temple, and become a monk for about 10 years. Also his family should do the same thing.......As Tokay said, this is not going to go down well for this guy....

So a bit of advice for other tour guides. If you see a Japanese tourist covered in tattoos, and if he is missing a little finger, be very polite to him.....

Did you actually read the full article? 70% of the people posting negative feelings towards Thai's are too ignorant to even read the article!!

[jdinasia]

Very sad news about what has happened. The tour guide WAS a nice guy , I have known him a long time .

Condolences to the Japanese Tourists and families .RIP.

Right, nice enough to shoot a customer in the head due to complaining. What's the old saying, with friends like that, who needs enemies.

I just love the creative license that the Thai media takes in cases like this. Of course the Thai tour guide turned himself in as he knows that sweet FA is going to happen to him.

Which of course fails to take into account that if he thought that, he would have taken the $$

[tlang33]

it seems everybody is thinking that this tour guide was just an innocent tour guide.

but how many innocent tour guides carry guns and then shoot their customer?

i'm not sure why more people don't come to the conclusion that this tour guide

was hired/foced to take these fellas in the woods and dispose of their bodies.

i just can't explain why he turned himself in. but i'm 100% sure this was no

unfortunate coincidence.

[BOS2BKK]

A silly excuse for killing someone. But how can they prove the guy was yakuza?

If you read the article first you would see it was reported to them by the Japanese Embassy.

Anyone who thinks there is not ALOT more to this story than is reported is kidding themselves. If the tour guide and the BIB left behind 10K in cash, how much was there before??? And the dead tourist was wearing a holster? Come on. This is too fishy, even for Thailand.

There is always the possibility this could be just what it is though too...Japanese men can be vile towards Thais, and Gangsters carrying guns to boot. I can see this guy pissing them off early, the whole situation going to hell and the Guide fearing for his life. I was once followed out of a bar, unbeknownst to my drunk ass, by a Russian mobster with a drawn gun. I offended him by dropping my beer bottle and it breaking on his shoes (I was pretty drunk) and seeing the bouncer headed my way I left before he had a chance to throw me out. Had I not walked out the door, and right into the next bar I may have wound up dead. I only found out about my brush with death when I arrived home a few hours later to find all my friends sitting vigil in our hotel, thinking I was face down in a dumpster somewhere.

My point it this. Gangsters are gangsters. The mentality pervades regardless of culture. These people consider themselves above the law to begin with, and then they mistake the Thai "mai pen rai" attitude as a license to do as they please.

[sydneyjed]

Wasn't an earlier posting saying that the village they went to was a well known drug location...They certainly don't fit the picture of a normal tourist excursion day out to visit a hill tribe or in this case a mountain buddist temple?Something's happened to cause this and I don't think it's because he forgot to bring the packed lunch somehow!!

it seems everybody is thinking that this tour guide was just an innocent tour guide.

but how many innocent tour guides carry guns and then shoot their customer?

i'm not sure why more people don't come to the conclusion that this tour guide

was hired/foced to take these fellas in the woods and dispose of their bodies.

i just can't explain why he turned himself in. but i'm 100% sure this was no

unfortunate coincidence.

[prvtdetdave]

Gangsters? Guns? Cash? Golden Tri- angle?

Remember 10,000usd buys a huge amount of wholesale or direct from the manufacturer.

High drug trafficking transport area ( Much like the Vietcong used ).

Meaning many diifferent trials to move goods through dense jungle to evade and abate detection.

[EyesWideOpen]

Amazing Thailand. The tourist is complaining a lot , so it is ok to shoot him. Shows the arrogance of Thais, that they think they can shoot someone and get away with it. However in this case, a bit of bad luck that the guy was Yakuza..... :-) My advice to this guy would be to shave his head, change his name, go to a far away temple, and become a monk for about 10 years. Also his family should do the same thing.......As Tokay said, this is not going to go down well for this guy....

So a bit of advice for other tour guides. If you see a Japanese tourist covered in tattoos, and if he is missing a little finger, be very polite to him.....

Did you actually read the full article? 70% of the people posting negative feelings towards Thai's are too ignorant to even read the article!!

I am not really sure a high IQ is needed to read a newspaper article, but in fact I have read it. None it makes any sense at all, but the facts still remain. A Thai guide takes out two tourists, and now one is dead and one is wounded. And the reason given by the guide was that the tourists pissed him off. Hey maybe Thais really are the master race, if a simple Thai tour guide can take on two hardcore mobsters in a gun battle and win. Or the guide figured out they had a lot of money on them, shot them both in the back of head, and shot the dead one one more time in the face to make it look like a gun battle...Or.....Or..... Like ALL these stories, the truth will never be known. All we get is a poorly written account of the story in the newspaper, so then it is fun to try to fill in the blanks using deductive reasoning. Next month is will all be forgotten, and the new story will be a farang that killed himself in Pattaya by falling on his glass coffee table....But I suspect this story will not be forgotten by his associates in Japan.