Swedish Expat Murdered At Luxury Villa In Phuket

[TinaKohChang]

@achzen!

i am against any violence and dont break any lawys ......but my friend glock 17 is waiting for scum like these guys.....this is a shame for Thailand and a shame for the Police to let gangs driving armed and dangerous around.

Protect yourself and buy a gun!!!!...legal...and if not posible ,buy it the other way..maybey stupid,but i could not come up whit a better idea.

@Kamluan: "... Protect yourself and buy a gun!!!!...legal...and if not posible ,buy it the other way..maybey stupid..." INDEEED, that is really a stupid comment!

it is a good comment , because it will geting more worse in phuket , all rich farangs have to die ,is a good tip for all farang live in phuket , for selfdefense you not go in jail !! chai mai ?

@aechzen: ฉันไม่คิดอย่างนั้น! I don't want to think about the outcomings if each and every moron would be allowed to use a gun for self-defense. Treat people like you want to be treated and there will be NO reason for self-defense. This is my opinion and I stick to it!

Edited August 2, 2011 by TinaKohChang

[katabeachbum]

wow wow wow, cha cha krap

This was a fight between 2 Swedish nationals, 25 and 26 years old. One died, probably from a knife wound. The other one, Tommy Viktor Soderlund fled on a stolen Fino bike, with an unidentified friend.

Tommy Viktor Soderlund is wanted by Police, and considered armed and dangerous. Police believes he is still in Phuket.

He is also charged for running an internett call center in Pattaya, and working In Thailand without a work permit

[webfact]

UPDATE

Phuket police extend manhunt for accomplice in slaying of Swede

Phuket City Police Deputy Superintendent Jumroon Playdoung going

through the list of potential accomplices.

Maksim Schantz's home in the quiet, upscale residential estate north

of Phuket Town.

PHUKET: -- Police have stressed to the Phuket Gazette that they have not identified the alleged accomplice of Tommy Viktor Soderlund, the man being sought for the murder of Swedish national Maksim Schantz last night.

Phuket City Police Deputy Superintendent Jumroon Playdoung told the Gazette that local media reports identifying a 36-year-old Swedish man as Soderlund’s accomplice in the brutal stabbing death are incorrect.

The Swede in question was arrested along with Soderland and five others in a raid on the Viking Internet shop in Pattaya in February this year.

The arrested Europeans allegedly used the internet cafe to make calls to victims in Norway and Sweden, duping them into wiring money to the gang’s bank accounts.

They allegedly swindled victims into wiring as much as 10 million baht, Gazette partner newspaper The Nation reported.

Arrested in the February raid were Norwegians Espen Forberg, 41, Sebastian Gjertsen, 21, Martin Grisvold Garathun, 21 and Marie Juhl Falchenberg, 20, along with Swedes Ulf Carl Johan Hellbacken, 36, Anders Erik Engzell, 30 and the prime suspect in yesterday’s murder, Tommy Viktor Soderlund.

Col Jumroon stressed that none of these men have been identified by anyone as a suspected accomplice to Soderland in the slaying.

Police are now on their way to show witnesses copies of the gang’s passport photos in the hope of someone recognizing the accomplice among them, Col Jumroon said.

-- Phuket Gazette 2011-08-02

[smileydude]

Yes and the lesson for today is

Assumption is:

1. The mother of all f@#K ups!

2. Assume means making an Ass out of U and Me

We're in danger of losing sight of the reality behind this thread - a young man has been murdered.

I admit that I too got involved in personal posts and apologise.

Let's get back to the point.

[katabeachbum]

So Tawp and Boater...if these guys got busted for working without a permit how is it they were not deported?

You pay a fine directly to the Police in the beginning of the investigation.

or you do like most Thais

post bail a few hundred k baht and wait for criminal court approx 2 years. Then you will be found guilty or not guilty.

[nicky1982]

I would think this is down to the phone scams in Pattaya... I bet this person who was knifed in the neck was the ringleader and promise them the world if they stayed on some of the people may have went home rightly so and the others probably stayed because he the ringleader promised them the world and when the people weren't seeing any money for months probably their emotions probably got the best of them … I've also looked on Google and seen the same passports from the phone scams been shown … I can also see the police catching them and if they do maybe they will need to bring some body bags with them …

Edited August 2, 2011 by nicky1982

[jamora]

... snip

I liked the statistic of 5 americans out of 100,000 being murrdered. I believe it was 5.93 out of 100,000 in Thailand.

Armed with those statistics I would still feel safer walking down any street in major cities here in Thailand than in America.

... snip

I wouldn't be too confident just yet - according to Nationmaster (admittedly it is taking figures from Wiki for this one) Thailand is ranked 3rd in the world for Firearm Homicide Rates with 33 per 100,000 ppl against 3.6 for USA.

http://www.nationmas...per-100-000-pop

Not sure why this is totally out of whack with the previous stats but could be they are talking about conviction rates rather than actual murderers.

The quoted statistics says very little about Thailand's world ranking since there are only 32 countries on the list, most of which are fairly developed nations. It is also hard to compare Thailand and USA on these figures, since Thailand have four provinces which are nearly war zones.

It could be interesting to see some comparison between Bangkok and New York for example, or Thailand minus the four southern provinces and USA.

[dumpling]

Really Thai Visa - where are the mods?

How many racists comments go unpunished on these boards.

"These" people are psychopaths

This illustrates just how helpful Thai's are not in these situations.

I always know that Thai are the beasts.

do you clowns really think this does not happen in London and New York. Do you think greater numbers never pick on smaller numbers in these places.

Yes it does but this is a "Thai forum" so all comments are valid.

[ozzieovaseas]

... in a place like Pattaya...

Read again (even just the title of the OP).

OOpps..got my P's mixed up..how embarrassing

[Boater]

UPDATE

Phuket police extend manhunt for accomplice in slaying of Swede

Phuket City Police Deputy Superintendent Jumroon Playdoung going

through the list of potential accomplices.

Maksim Schantz's home in the quiet, upscale residential estate north

of Phuket Town.

PHUKET: -- Police have stressed to the Phuket Gazette that they have not identified the alleged accomplice of Tommy Viktor Soderlund, the man being sought for the murder of Swedish national Maksim Schantz last night.

Phuket City Police Deputy Superintendent Jumroon Playdoung told the Gazette that local media reports identifying a 36-year-old Swedish man as Soderlund’s accomplice in the brutal stabbing death are incorrect.

The Swede in question was arrested along with Soderland and five others in a raid on the Viking Internet shop in Pattaya in February this year.

The arrested Europeans allegedly used the internet cafe to make calls to victims in Norway and Sweden, duping them into wiring money to the gang’s bank accounts.

They allegedly swindled victims into wiring as much as 10 million baht, Gazette partner newspaper The Nation reported.

Arrested in the February raid were Norwegians Espen Forberg, 41, Sebastian Gjertsen, 21, Martin Grisvold Garathun, 21 and Marie Juhl Falchenberg, 20, along with Swedes Ulf Carl Johan Hellbacken, 36, Anders Erik Engzell, 30 and the prime suspect in yesterday’s murder, Tommy Viktor Soderlund.

Col Jumroon stressed that none of these men have been identified by anyone as a suspected accomplice to Soderland in the slaying.

Police are now on their way to show witnesses copies of the gang’s passport photos in the hope of someone recognizing the accomplice among them, Col Jumroon said.

-- Phuket Gazette 2011-08-02

the two swedes have now been caught

[nicky1982]

it seems they have been nabbed and it seems they were former business partners ,,,

[softgeorge]

Tragic story my condolences to the family. I hope they catch the offender, possibly a fellow countryman and I hope he gets the full force of the Thai law and spends the rest of his life in the BKK Hilton.

[softgeorge]

it seems they have been nabbed and it seems they were former business partners ,,,

That is great news (they were caught)

[tartempion]

In a normal life / environment it's unlikely you'll have problem with Thai people.

As long as you tread carefully and watch where you set your feet, and that's not normal walking I tell you

As for the complaint of racist comments, we are all racists.

Multiculturism does not work, top politicians begin to accept reality (see Merkel)

I live here and I do accept "they" do not (need to) like me.

Neither do I like to live in a muslim country/culture, therefore I left Europe.

And I do associate muslims with Arabs.

[Jimi007]

What has The Phuket Gazette gotten right about this story?

[harleyclarkey]

Really Thai Visa - where are the mods?

How many racists comments go unpunished on these boards.

I really thought TV was beter than this. STOP racists comments. Please.

Graham. [/font][/size]

I don't believe you fully understand what a racist is. This is clearly not a racist comment. It is a fair comment and an opinion...nothing else. How you find this racist is beyond me.

Yes....many Thais, especially in tourist areas, are racist. They price and scam based solely on the persons race. Now that is racism. The duel pricing adapted and encouraged by the authorities is racist plain and simple. No where in the western world (inc. Aus/NZ) will you ever see duel pricing based on race. Maybe on age, ability to pay, OAP, etc. But never on race like they do with glee in Thailand.

Have the Thais been scammed on a jet ski...or is this Thai welcome solely for foreigners. Is a crime committed by a foreigner investigated with the same vigour as a crime committed by a Thai? Will we get the same respect from the police, lawyers and the courts? I doubt it. Read back on the deaths in the guest house in Chang Mai as one example. The furore over some Thai woman been scammed out of some paltry Baht for VAT in Phuket while foreigners in Phuket are losing millions. Other foreigners are losing their lives with no attempt at bringing the criminals to justice.

Are Thais cheated and conned, often with the help of local authorities, out of property and their rights.

These issues are well documented here every single day and it goes on unchecked.

Yes....we foreigners are for certain the underdogs here with the emphasis on dogs.

The issue here is a young man has been brutally murdered. His life savagely ended by a bunch of cowardly barbaric thugs.

May he rest in peace and my sincere condolences to his family and friends.

Edited August 2, 2011 by harleyclarkey

[manky]

happens in every country in the world

[TAWP]

Since I know and know off all the actors involved I can confirm that this was related to both their choice of work and women - that clashed.

These are young guys (5-10 years younger than me, that found themselves in situation of great wealth and 'power' (in the local clubs) and this wasn't something they wanted to give up or have diluted by others joining in by setting up their own operations.

You seem to be very well informed....

Would you please tell us more about the nature of this "Call Center" scam?

Why is this illegal business so profitable? How does it work?

Let me first state that the practice is despicable and I have voiced my opinion that they should be doing something more productive and honest.

However, since the money is good (100k+ per month for a normal seller, more for the manager (Maxim was 'boss')) and these guys have no real higher education to speak of nor work experience (outside the same kind), their options are to slim - so from their point of view it is a given choice.

There is many setups going around. Maxim was involved in the phonebook-ad-scam in the past and some turns of that was done now too. The latest iteration, all - in a Thai sense - very legal (WP, proper visas) is a combo of sale and investment, if I remember correctly. The latter is done by a company/group/team setting up a proper-sounding front, often AU/EC registered entity that pretends to do solid investments. It is in many cases a pure Ponsi scheme with little or no retribution, legally. It is fairly easy to cover ones tracks and stay 'Thailand legal', avoiding too much attention, being detected/linked to actual cases and being sent back to face real charges.

The murderer in this case was involved in a setup that was NOT covering their tracks well - but atleast they didn't use their own names on the accounts...

Anyway, if you really wanna know what they are running atm, as oppose to 2-3 months ago, I could ask them. But it isn't really a good time.

[Jimi007]

First they said it was 12 Thai men, then they name an accomplice that was incorrect...

[softgeorge]

I think this newspaper is acting iresponsibally and by running off half cocked could put the lives of innocent people in danger.

[TAWP]

**retracted, ppl will find out eventually**

Edited August 2, 2011 by TAWP

[TinaKohChang]

In a normal life / environment it's unlikely you'll have problem with Thai people.

As long as you tread carefully and watch where you set your feet, and that's not normal walking I tell you

As for the complaint of racist comments, we are all racists.

Multiculturism does not work, top politicians begin to accept reality (see Merkel)

I live here and I do accept "they" do not (need to) like me.

Neither do I like to live in a muslim country/culture, therefore I left Europe.

And I do associate muslims with Arabs.

@ Tartempion, HarleyClarke and others: Freedom of opinion and expression is one of the basic human rights, and well, this is one thing, but all your racist motivated comments make me really think!!! I am following the threads in TV for quite a while - and by today, I finally come to the conclusion that this forum simply is not for me, reading all this crap I feel ashamed of being Farang to every Thai national reading this!

What you guys think where the greed & grudge (if there is any) comes from? Blame yourself, all of you (uber)rich out there who have nothing else to do than showing off your wealth, treating others badly, acting as this country is owned by you....

Don' t forget we alll are guests in this country. And there are still few things money can't buy ;-)

dam_n it what a big bunch of stupidness in here, period!

Edited August 2, 2011 by TinaKohChang

[ozzieovaseas]

Since I know and know off all the actors involved I can confirm that this was related to both their choice of work and women - that clashed.

These are young guys (5-10 years younger than me, that found themselves in situation of great wealth and 'power' (in the local clubs) and this wasn't something they wanted to give up or have diluted by others joining in by setting up their own operations.

You seem to be very well informed....

Would you please tell us more about the nature of this "Call Center" scam?

Why is this illegal business so profitable? How does it work?

Let me first state that the practice is despicable and I have voiced my opinion that they should be doing something more productive and honest.

However, since the money is good (100k+ per month for a normal seller, more for the manager (Maxim was 'boss')) and these guys have no real higher education to speak of nor work experience (outside the same kind), their options are to slim - so from their point of view it is a given choice.

There is many setups going around. Maxim was involved in the phonebook-ad-scam in the past and some turns of that was done now too. The latest iteration, all - in a Thai sense - very legal (WP, proper visas) is a combo of sale and investment, if I remember correctly. The latter is done by a company/group/team setting up a proper-sounding front, often AU/EC registered entity that pretends to do solid investments. It is in many cases a pure Ponsi scheme with little or no retribution, legally. It is fairly easy to cover ones tracks and stay 'Thailand legal', avoiding too much attention, being detected/linked to actual cases and being sent back to face real charges.

The murderer in this case was involved in a setup that was NOT covering their tracks well - but atleast they didn't use their own names on the accounts...

Anyway, if you really wanna know what they are running atm, as oppose to 2-3 months ago, I could ask them. But it isn't really a good time.

Aye,Good to have the inside story but can't help but think it might be a good time to keep as much space between you and them as possible

[tommyboy928]

wow ; viscious

wonder how / who he pissed off

Oi , look like bad planning , but with plastic straps with them. some kind of bad plan they had. and 12 guys ,, look like some payback maybe after a fight or some women involved..

needed steal a bike to get away ? how they got there in first place then?

[softgeorge]

In a normal life / environment it's unlikely you'll have problem with Thai people.

As long as you tread carefully and watch where you set your feet, and that's not normal walking I tell you

As for the complaint of racist comments, we are all racists.

Multiculturism does not work, top politicians begin to accept reality (see Merkel)

I live here and I do accept "they" do not (need to) like me.

Neither do I like to live in a muslim country/culture, therefore I left Europe.

And I do associate muslims with Arabs.

@ Tartempion, HarleyClarke and others: Freedom of opinion and expression is one of the basic human rights, and well, this is one thing, but all your racist motivated comments make me really think!!! I am following the threads in TV for quite a while - and by today, I finally come to the conclusion that this forum simply is not for me, reading all this crap I feel ashamed of being Farang to every Thai national reading this!

What you guys think where the greed & grudge (if there is any) comes from? Blame yourself, all of you (uber)rich out there who have nothing else to do than showing off your wealth, treating others badly, acting as this country is owned by you....

Don' t forget we alll are guests in this country. And there are still few things money can't buy ;-)

dam_n it what a big bunch of stupidness in here, period!

So you will be leaving us then I take it? Take care it's a jungle out there.

[softgeorge]

wow ; viscious

wonder how / who he pissed off

Oi , look like bad planning , but with plastic straps with them. some kind of bad plan they had. and 12 guys ,, look like some payback maybe after a fight or some women involved..

needed steal a bike to get away ? how they got there in first place then?

tuk tuk

[PoorSucker]

UPDATE

According to Swedish newspapers the two suspected Swedes have been arrested by Phuket Police.

http://www.svd.se/nyheter/inrikes/svensk-knivdodad-i-thailand_6363284.svd

http://www.dn.se/nyheter/sverige/svensk-knivdodad-i-thailand

http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/article13406813.ab

Edited August 2, 2011 by PoorSucker

[Skywalker69]

I just read that the police nabbed two swedish guys fore the killing.

For TV members whom read swedish, here is a link.

http://svt.se/svttext/web/pages/111.html

[Asa]

Policemen were wrong, for it is always the local murderous junkies that did it.

[Bkkorupcountry]

In a normal life / environment it's unlikely you'll have problem with Thai people.

As long as you tread carefully and watch where you set your feet, and that's not normal walking I tell you

As for the complaint of racist comments, we are all racists.

Multiculturism does not work, top politicians begin to accept reality (see Merkel)

I live here and I do accept "they" do not (need to) like me.

Neither do I like to live in a muslim country/culture, therefore I left Europe.

And I do associate muslims with Arabs.

@ Tartempion, HarleyClarke and others: Freedom of opinion and expression is one of the basic human rights, and well, this is one thing, but all your racist motivated comments make me really think!!! I am following the threads in TV for quite a while - and by today, I finally come to the conclusion that this forum simply is not for me, reading all this crap I feel ashamed of being Farang to every Thai national reading this!

What you guys think where the greed & grudge (if there is any) comes from? Blame yourself, all of you (uber)rich out there who have nothing else to do than showing off your wealth, treating others badly, acting as this country is owned by you....

Don' t forget we alll are guests in this country. And there are still few things money can't buy ;-)

dam_n it what a big bunch of stupidness in here, period!

If only more of the farangs posting here would think like you do. The prevalent attitude of a lot of the posters are the reasons that a lot of Thais merely tolerate farangs and not embrace them.

Another problem of course is that only a small proportion of the farangs are actually rich. I would wager that the majority just about survive.