Thailand News

[sriracha john]

Horton’s death has received intense media coverage internationally. Several major news agencies and websites of leading British media organisations, including The Sun, The Guardian, and The Times, ran stories on the case.

An article on www.icwales.icnetwork.co.uk said Horton was the seventh Briton to have been murdered in Thailand over the past 16 months.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

did you ever investigate the brit guy murdered in Si Racha some years back?

tied with rope under the pier ,he drowned ,then police said it was suicide !

it happened in 1998

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Can't say that I've ever heard any locals mention it. There's been a couple of Japanese murdered in my time here, but never a farang...there's so few, especially that far back. When I got here in Jan. 2000, I was aware of only one other farang in town.

*edit... no luck on google or yahoo as well

Edited January 4, 2006 by sriracha john

[Buff-horns]

Horton’s death has received intense media coverage internationally. Several major news agencies and websites of leading British media organisations, including The Sun, The Guardian, and The Times, ran stories on the case.

An article on www.icwales.icnetwork.co.uk said Horton was the seventh Briton to have been murdered in Thailand over the past 16 months.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

did you ever investigate the brit guy murdered in Si Racha some years back?

tied with rope under the pier ,he drowned ,then police said it was suicide !

it happened in 1998

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Can't say that I've ever heard any locals mention it. There's been a couple of Japanese murdered in my time here, but never a farang...there's so few, especially that far back. When I got here in Jan. 2000, I was aware of only one other farang in town.

*edit... no luck on google or yahoo as well

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

the victim was staying at a hotel in pattaya ,then somehow became tied up under the pier in siracha .

regular tourist guy.

[Buff-horns]

found this snippet >>>

In article <[email protected]>, my friend you

<[email protected]> writes

>news report:

>A 54 year old British tourist from Scarborough has been apparently

>killed and tied to a pier support at Si Racha just north of Pattaya.

>One report says he was murdered and tied there ,and another

>says the police claim he committed suicide.

>His body was found at low tide.

[sriracha john]

found this snippet >>>

In article <[email protected]>, my friend you

<[email protected]> writes

>news report:

>A 54 year old British tourist from Scarborough has been apparently

>killed and tied to a pier support at Si Racha just  north of Pattaya.

>One report says he was murdered and tied there ,and another

>says the  police claim he committed suicide.

>His body was found at low  tide.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

thanks for the lead, I'll see if I can find anything else....

Meanwhile...

back to this case:

"Her grieving father Ian Horton, 52, a company director who trained as a chartered accoun- tant, was yesterday flying to the Thai resort to oversee the investigation amid fears the Thai police could make similar blunders to those which beset the inquiries into the murder of another Welsh student - Kirsty Jones - in 2000.

A local journalist reporting on Katherine's death has already alleged that police officers asked the media to play down the horrific tragedy for fear of putting tourists off coming to Koh Samui."

and on ITN

Police in Thailand are trying to track down four Thai men as part of their investigation into the murder of British backpacker Katherine Horton.

It is claimed they were seen acting suspiciously near where the student was attacked on the island of Koh Samui.

and on Sky... ?

Police investigating the death of a British student in Thailand have revealed they are looking for two Scotsmen and two Australians in connection with the attack.

Edited January 4, 2006 by sriracha john

[lv2play]

Can anyone imagine (a)farang(s) going to rape in Thailand?

I can,t ,my bet is Thai men.

[LaoPo]

Can anyone imagine (a)farang(s) going to rape in Thailand?

I can,t ,my bet is Thai men.

Nothing is impossible in this tragic case.....Dangerous bet you'r making

LaoPo

[gisele]

Can anyone imagine (a)farang(s) going to rape in Thailand?

I can,t ,my bet is Thai men.

Have you not seen all the drunk farang men (and women) on the beach?

Drunk farang men who would assume the poor girl was just asking for their company?

My God, just 2 weeks ago, Christmas eve, it's 9PM. I am on Chaweng beach with my children looking at the surf when a drunk farang (nationality witheld) just started making advances, I didn't respond, he didn't give up even when I walked away, I had to take my children inside the bungalow to discourage him.

I think you cannot rule out anybody.

[johnh101]

And then a brazilian model went missing yesterday as well.

[LaoPo]

And then a brazilian model went missing yesterday as well.

Where? more details please?

LaoPo

[sriracha john]

And then a brazilian model went missing yesterday as well.

Yes, it seems that crime in the area is indeed growing. Here's hoping she didn't meet a similar fate to Katherine...:

Police searching for missing Brazilian model

Surat Thani _ Police are searching for a Brazilian model who went missing last night on her way from Koh Phangan to Bangkok. The search was launched one day after the body of a British tourist was found floating off Koh Samui, also in Surat Thani.

Kanokwan Konsap, 35, has reported her friend, Talipa Rosini, 25, as missing. Ms Kanokwan said she, Miss Rosini and three other friends, Pranee Chantharat and Brazilians Richardo Ishihama and Sofiane Manovr, were driving to Bangkok after staying on Koh Phangan during the New Year holiday.

Miss Rosini, Mr Ishihama and Mr Manovr are models who arrived in Thailand on Dec 26. Ms Kanokwan said the group left Koh Phangan last night for Bangkok. When they reached Muang district, they stopped for a meal on Thalad Mai road. Miss Rosini walked to a nearby convenience store, but failed to return. A shop worker identified only as Bussanee said Miss Rosini met two young men who appeared drunk. The men, in jeans and t-shirts, were bare-foot and drove a pick-up truck.

The men chatted with Miss Rosini before they took her to their truck and drove off.

Surat Thani police chief Pol Maj-Gen Worawet Vinittanettayanont said police believed Miss Rosini was still alive, and were looking for her.

[sriracha john]

Four Thai men hunted over student's death

by STEPHEN MCGINTY

FOUR Thai men were last night being hunted by police for the gang rape and murder of a British backpacker.

Katherine Horton, 21, a psychology student at Reading University, was attacked on the evening of New Year's Day as she telephoned her mother in Cardiff from Thailand.

Police on the holiday island of Koh Samui have taken DNA samples from locals and holiday makers, including two Scotsmen who befriended the victim and her friend, Ruth Adams.

However, the authorities are now targeting their enquiries on four Thai men seen near holiday homes two miles along the beach from where Ms Horton was staying, but from where screams were heard on the night of her murder.

A senior Thai police officer yesterday called an emergency meeting of 25 village heads and ordered that they report any suspicious behaviour among young men in their villages during the past four days.

The case moved forward after two British women told police that they had heard screams outside their rented home called "Family Home No 1" on Lamai Beach shortly after 10pm on Sunday night. The women, who wish to remain anonymous, read about the murder on the internet. Their story was corroborated by a security guard at "Family Home", a line of three houses near where Miss Horton had been staying, who said he saw four men in the area on motorcycles.

Yesterday, television news bulletins in Thailand were reporting that Miss Horton had been gang raped in or around a longboat on the beach.

[johnh101]

The Oracle of Quality British Journalism "The Sun" is reporting that the police are now looking for 4 Thai Bikers who were seen in the area.

But I do think it is also suspicious that one of the Scots lads has bruising to his face and arms from a "mugging"

Edited January 5, 2006 by johnh101

[LaoPo]

The Oracle of Quality British Journalism "The Sun" is reporting that the police are now looking for 4 Thai Bikers who were seen in the area.

But I do think it is also suspicios that one of the Scots lads has bruising to hiws face and arms from a "mugging"

So far everything is speculation; if the murdererer(s) is/are Thai, the Samui/Thai people will feel ashamed...the same counts for the 'Farang' people, in case the Scottish are involved....

In both cases it will remain a horrible crime

I hope they will solve the crime soon...VERY soon.

LaoPo

[girlx]

there are tons of scottish people on koh phangan right now, what's the deal?

[naomisri]

The reason they might be thinking she was attacked in a boat is that she was found the other side of the peninsular and not on Lamai beach at all. There is a secluded private beach called Thong Glock (where all the pictures of her body are taken) there where she was found by the jet-skiier. The beach is only accessible through private land which is fenced off with barbed wire or by boat. The water in that area of Lamai beach is quite shallow so it is a question of whether the tide could have washed her round to the other side of the peninsular from Lamai Beach.

The screams were also heard by a customer staying at the private villa of a friend of ours and she reported them to the guardman there. The guardman refused to do anything and was given sh*t by the police that are investigating (quite rightly) for saying "That's not my job, my job is to take care of these villas". Who knows where she'd be now if he had taken a look? And before anyone asks - he's not a local, nor are most of the workers on Samui.

The police have been very thorough and are questioning everyone at all of the resorts in North Lamai. They have turned up some interesting facts and I am still hopeful that they will catch whoever did this. They ARE personally invested in this.

[charles]

Can anyone imagine (a)farang(s) going to rape in Thailand?

I can,t ,my bet is Thai men.

Nothing is impossible in this tragic case.....Dangerous bet you'r making

LaoPo

Fair enough, but let's face it, if a farang female is gang raped AND murdered as well at a Thai beach resort, anyone with a bit of experience of Thailand would guess that it would be a bunch of Thai blokes, most likely "low class", migrant labor types. Group of farang blokes on holiday in Thailand doing this, well it might be possible but would seem highly improbable. Always seems to me that in Thailand there is a much greater chance of a crime such as robbery or rape being followed up with murder.

Whatever it is desperately sad.

[kat]

Can anyone imagine (a)farang(s) going to rape in Thailand?

I can,t ,my bet is Thai men.

Have you not seen all the drunk farang men (and women) on the beach?

Drunk farang men who would assume the poor girl was just asking for their company?

My God, just 2 weeks ago, Christmas eve, it's 9PM. I am on Chaweng beach with my children looking at the surf when a drunk farang (nationality witheld) just started making advances, I didn't respond, he didn't give up even when I walked away, I had to take my children inside the bungalow to discourage him.

I think you cannot rule out anybody.

I have to agree that nationality does not rule out whether or not one is a rapist. I have had abusive encounters with both farang and Thai men while here. However, during my time and research in SEA, I can confidently say that gang-rape is most definitely more of an Asian phenomenon.

I also need to tell you that I feel very distressed that people and other Western women heard screams. I know from experience that most natives to Asia will look the other way in an incident like this ..... but Western women???? Please, people - what are we becoming?

I am not trying to blame, I'm really not, but it is a given that the security guard is going to give a lame arse response. You then go and hunt for other people who can investigate the screams with you immediately. I would never let the sound of someone else's distress pass over that easily.

By the way, if the workers on Samui are not "locals", what are they? I really doubt that Burmese, itinerant, illegal workers are going to pull a stunt like this.

[The_Moog]

Samui is an abyss.

I stayed in a bungalow in Chaweng and awoke in the night with the premises shuddering - a guy was rutting an Asian girl on the balcony.

"I'll be finished in a minute" he said in his ocker accent.

He didn't. I went out again.

"Look I told you already. I'll be finished in a minute".....in a threatening tone. Probably hepped up on goofballs.

The resort alsatian chased them off.

A lot of scummy people there. Heaven knows why it dares to market itself as a place for millionaire villas.

[sbk]

Can anyone imagine (a)farang(s) going to rape in Thailand?

I can,t ,my bet is Thai men.

Have you not seen all the drunk farang men (and women) on the beach?

Drunk farang men who would assume the poor girl was just asking for their company?

My God, just 2 weeks ago, Christmas eve, it's 9PM. I am on Chaweng beach with my children looking at the surf when a drunk farang (nationality witheld) just started making advances, I didn't respond, he didn't give up even when I walked away, I had to take my children inside the bungalow to discourage him.

I think you cannot rule out anybody.

I have to agree that nationality does not rule out whether or not one is a rapist. I have had abusive encounters with both farang and Thai men while here. However, during my time and research in SEA, I can

confidently say that gang-rape is most definitely more of an Asian phenomenon.

I also need to tell you that I feel very distressed that people and other Western women heard screams. I know from experience that most natives to Asia will look the other way in an incident like this ..... but Western women???? Please, people - what are we becoming?

I am not trying to blame, I'm really not, but it is a given that the security guard is going to give a lame arse response. You then go and hunt for other people who can investigate the screams with you immediately. I would never let the sound of someone else's distress pass over that easily.

By the way, if the workers on Samui are not "locals", what are they? I really doubt that Burmese, itinerant, illegal workers are going to pull a stunt like this.

I beg to differ. I think illegals and itinerants are just as likely to do something this horrific as locals. Also, after a conversation with a real local (born and bred on Samui) I was shocked to learn that the local population is about 30,000 but the total population is upwards of 100,000 (this is his rough estimate since alot of people aren't registered. But, given the man's experience I suspect he is closer to correct). So, the odds are against it being "locals".

[Soph]

Maybe this is totally unrelated, but I just drove past Chaweng Police Station and there was a huge queue of people, both farrangs and Thai waiting in line in front of a desk of policemen. I suppose it could be helmet fines, but it really didnt look that way. Far too organised and everyone there at once. Maybe these are people helping with the investigation? Dunno, but it wasnt usual.

[kat]

I put the term "locals" in quotes for a reason. My point is that when one uses the unqualified term "locals", it can seem as if the culprits are something other than "Thai".

At this point, we don't know, and it can be anyone for the most part. However, in my experience here, it is improbable that illegal Burmese workers would attack Thais or foreigners, especially as a gangrape. They might commit these crimes in their own communities, but not here.

Obviously, this is all just theory and precedence, but not fact.

[Insight]

Kat - to quote one of Soph's ealier posts on this very same thread...

On Sunday night, the Burmese/thai workers who stay near my house had been drinking all day due to holidays. As I left my house at one point in the pitch black, one of them approached me and grabbed my arm. I promptly screamed and ran off. He ran away too - very weird.

Last night I was arrived home, only to be followed by the same guy (still drinking) who started to bang on my door. I told him to go away, then called some Thai / farrang friends who arrived and spoke with the guys friends (he'd dissapeared) and then took me to stay the night with them.

I am now looking for a new house. I had never felt unsafe in this way on Samui before, but this behaviour coupled with this news is very unnerving.

I dont think these guys meant any real harm, but what im trying to say is that they had been drinking solidly for 2/3 days as they had holidays, causing them to become more confident.

It makes me think that whoever did this had probably been up to the same too much drink / drugs for a couple of days, then this.

I don't think anybody can be ruled out at all on this one...

[kat]

Insight, where do you see in my post that I've ruled anyone out? As a matter of fact, where in my 2 posts?

Also, the workers in Soph's post were "Thai/Burmese". Therefore, I don't even think you can decide or rule anything about the identity of the workers from that description, unless their identity is a fact.

I am not in defense of anyone who commits a heinous crime, regardless of race, ethnicity, or nationality. I simply do not jump to the conclusion that all laborers who commit awful crimes in Thailand are Burmese; news articles and a preponderance of evidence also support me on this conclusion.

[Insight]

At this point, we don't know, and it can be anyone for the most part. However, in my experience here, it is improbable that illegal Burmese workers would attack Thais or foreigners, especially as a gangrape. They might commit these crimes in their own communities, but not here.

"Improbable" - Is that close enough?

Here we go...

[kat]

Look, it means exactly what the word *improbable means.

It doesn't really matter. What matters to me, is that this young woman's family finds justice, and that the REAL culprits are found, and not just another convenient frame-up.

*especially within the context of a full quote

Edited January 5, 2006 by kat

[RAZZELL]

Come on guys...all this speculation doesn't do any good...

If anybody hears anything or can help in any way...go to the police.

Let's hope with all this media interest they pull-their fingers out and catch the killer(s)

[Boo]

It would be nice if for once we all tried not to jump to conculusions or apportion blame until some proof is presented. Amazing how it become a them & us & even a thai samui against thai other when it comes to speculating who did what Any women is a potential victim of rape & men of all nationalities commit rape. It doesn't make all men rapists so claiming that one group could be more likely than another is pointless IMO.

But I do hope that the people who admitted to turning a blind eye to her screams feel shame for the rest of their lives.

[Insight]

Come on guys...all this speculation doesn't do any good...

If anybody hears anything or can help in any way...go to the police.

Let's hope with all this media interest they pull-their fingers out and catch the killer(s)

Reading naomisri's last post, it looks like they're making a decent effort so far. Checking here, the updates are coming in pretty frequently.

[kat]

... It doesn't make all men rapists so claiming that one group could be more likely than another is pointless IMO.

But I do hope that the people who admitted to turning a blind eye to her screams feel shame for the rest of their lives.

Well, it's pointless unless you belong to a group that is regularly and falsely accused.

[limbos]

The reason they might be thinking she was attacked in a boat is that she was found the other side of the peninsular and not on Lamai beach at all. There is a secluded private beach called Thong Glock (where all the pictures of her body are taken) there where she was found by the jet-skiier. The beach is only accessible through private land which is fenced off with barbed wire or by boat. The water in that area of Lamai beach is quite shallow so it is a question of whether the tide could have washed her round to the other side of the peninsular from Lamai Beach.

The screams were also heard by a customer staying at the private villa of a friend of ours and she reported them to the guardman there. The guardman refused to do anything and was given sh*t by the police that are investigating (quite rightly) for saying "That's not my job, my job is to take care of these villas". Who knows where she'd be now if he had taken a look? And before anyone asks - he's not a local, nor are most of the workers on Samui.

The police have been very thorough and are questioning everyone at all of the resorts in North Lamai. They have turned up some interesting facts and I am still hopeful that they will catch whoever did this. They ARE personally invested in this.

Naomisri,

I think police got only interested after serious presuusre from outside. They apparently only secured the part of the ebach where the phone was found 24 hours afterwards!

You can leave it to the local Samui cops to clear things up efficiently, yeah right!