Koh Tao - Friends of murdered Britons asked to remain in Thailand

[webfact]

MURDERS
Friends of murdered Britons asked to remain in Thailand

BANGKOK: -- Police have asked friends of David Miller, one of the British tourist killed in Koh Tao, to remain in Thailand pending further investigation into his murder, Deputy Police Chief Gen Somyot Pumpunmuang said Wednesday.

Miller’s friends, whom Somyot did not identify, were at Suvarnabhumi International Airport, about to leave Thailand.

"We have asked the British Embassy in Thailand to ask for their cooperation in staying in Thailand while the investigation continues," Somyot said.

The bodies of Miller and Hannah Witheridge were found on a beach on Koh Tao island on Monday. The autopsies showed that they were beaten to death.

The victims, both of whom came with a group of friends, checked in separately to the same resort on the island. They were seen on a security camera leaving a party together before their bodies were found.

Somyot said the two of Miller's friends have been asked to remain in Thailand for 48 hours pending investigation and results of samples DNA collected from the victims’ bodies.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Friends-of-murdered-Britons-asked-to-remain-in-Tha-30243462.html


-- The Nation 2014-09-17

[Boxclever]

Persons of interest?...

[thesetat2013]

And who pays for their airfare to go home. Surely they lost their tickets once they missed their flights. If the police are asking\demanding they stay then they must be doing so for more than just qeustioning

Sent from my GT-S5310 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Thai at Heart]

I would suggest that they issue an arrest warrant then.

Remmber Kirsty Jones where they fitted up a Brit who paid his way out. Well, the odds that these people haven't already left is minimal.

Numptyish incompetent police work

[NongKhaiKid]

And who pays for their airfare to go home. Surely they lost their tickets once they missed their flights. If the police are asking\demanding they stay then they must be doing so for more than just qeustioning

Sent from my GT-S5310 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

It would depend on what kind of ticket they have but it's a great legal argument as to what the BIB will do if they refuse.

if they have a ticket which is a fixed date departure or an el cheapo with no changes allowed except with additional fees plus accommodation and living expenses just who pays.?

I would say they could not be detained with actually being arrested but TIT and so what if a diplomatic incident results they are in Thailand after all.

Does anyone know if the law here permits the detention of ' material witnesses ' without an actual arrest ?

[Duck On Phangan]

MCOT Thailand news today(17-09-14) posted in Thai only a report on the killings. It states they believe the killer to be Mr. Christopher Ware Aran,the friend of David,claiming the deceased woman was found with blonde hair in her hands,also that sperm has been located in both victims..Has anyone seen this report in English written news yet? @confused.com

[draftvader]

In both victims....seriously? Maybe that was "on"?

[NongKhaiKid]

Text message from Thai Visa -

British backpacker arrested for the murders !

[smutcakes]

Its looking more and more likely that this was a jealous rage murder, perhaps by their friend. I expect he was probably in love with David, which explains the seemingly more aggressiveness of the attack against the young lady.

[webfact]

British backpacker arrested for suspected murder of fellow Britons at Koh Tao

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/761157-british-backpacker-arrested-for-suspected-murder-of-fellow-britons-at-koh-tao/

[davejonesbkk]

Yeah my gf just read all this 30 mins ago, apparently the guy was raped too and the girl had blonde hair in her hands

[Fred Flinstone]

If we believe everything we read in Thai papers they will paint a very nasty picture .

Buggery by a farang on another male , rape and murder on both.

Highlight of western values.

Xenophobic blame for the whole thing.

Equally , and as sad western shock jocks are asking Muslims be rounded up who have scratches on their face or neck , who reside or work on this Island.

Their warped rationale is" motive"( was anti -westen hatred over war on ISIS )

I think its best to let due process occur and ignore Thai or tabloid press.

If this westerner is guilty the truth will come out.

I hate to say this and it sounds just as bad as their audacious comments (Blaming Burmese etc)

Its more likely a westerner ""DID NOT'' do this …than did.

The weapon seems far less likely to be used by a westerner .

And the viciousness of the attack suggests a serious mental disorder /hatred.

Its possible a westerner could do this - just unlikely in this setting.

I hope i don't eat humble pie.

[smutcakes]

Yeah my gf just read all this 30 mins ago, apparently the guy was raped too and the girl had blonde hair in her hands

The pictures of the alleged perp on Thai media would indicate to call him blond would be stretching it a bit, although in a country full of black hair, i am sure they all look blond.

[yougivemebaby]

Very happy the police somehow were smart enough to hold the friends before they left!

It definitely looked like a crime of passion. Also it appears that both victims don't have any defensive wounds. So either they were passed out or it was someone that knew them. Where he got the hoe from or how he could use it so skillfully is still a question in my mind.

Glad the little Myanmar workers didn't get blamed for this. I bet they are still traumatized.! I hope this guy spends the rest of his pathetic life in a thai prison. !

[yougivemebaby]

British backpacker arrested for suspected murder of fellow Britons at Koh Tao

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/761157-british-backpacker-arrested-for-suspected-murder-of-fellow-britons-at-koh-tao/

I wonder if the alleged killer is at the scene in the photos?!?!?

[smutcakes]

British backpacker arrested for suspected murder of fellow Britons at Koh Tao

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/761157-british-backpacker-arrested-for-suspected-murder-of-fellow-britons-at-koh-tao/

I wonder if the alleged killer is at the scene in the photos?!?!?

I doubt it considering he apparently left the island on the morning boat soon after the attack.

[darrendsd]

And who pays for their airfare to go home. Surely they lost their tickets once they missed their flights. If the police are asking\demanding they stay then they must be doing so for more than just qeustioning

Sent from my GT-S5310 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Please, 2 people have been murdered and all you are concerned about is the cost of a plane ticket?

[Duck On Phangan]

If we believe everything we read in Thai papers they will paint a very nasty picture .

Buggery by a farang on another male , rape and murder on both.

Highlight of western values.

Xenophobic blame for the whole thing.

Equally , and as sad western shock jocks are asking Muslims be rounded up who have scratches on their face or neck , who reside or work on this Island.

Their warped rationale is" motive"( was anti -westen hatred over war on ISIS )

I think its best to let due process occur and ignore Thai or tabloid press.

If this westerner is guilty the truth will come out.

I hate to say this and it sounds just as bad as their audacious comments (Blaming Burmese etc)

Its more likely a westerner ""DID NOT'' do this …than did.

The weapon seems far less likely to be used by a westerner .

And the viciousness of the attack suggests a serious mental disorder /hatred.

Its possible a westerner could do this - just unlikely in this setting.

I hope i don't eat humble pie.

The motive for Christopher to kill David was that it was his boyfriend,& when he stumbled along the beach from the party drunk looking for David at 4am,heavily intoxicated from the beach party of 50 holiday makers,he found him having sex behind a rock with Hannah. In a fit of rage he looked for a weapon to stop them,there was a garden bungalow resort 30 meters away where I presume he found the hoe.he returned, smashed David first,while attacking him,Hannah grabbed his head to stop,at which point Christopher spun around smashing Hannah in the face in the darkness, knocking her down. He then had intercourse with his dead boyfriend,then returned to Hannah did the same thing.This is what, Koh Tao Thai residents are saying they believe to what actually happened& this story reached me from a French yacht captain arriving back on Koh Phangan an hour ago. DNA will be the key element to this investigation&rightful arrest at the end of the day.Sad tragedy,and lots of racial prejudice thrown around by people of different interests has been extra testing for locals,foreign residents & visitors alike.i hope soon the couple can rest in peace,& the true murderer arrested&the parents of the deceased can know what really happened& know the authorities arrested&tried the person who killed their lovely children.Peace out.

[Fred Flinstone]

If we believe everything we read in Thai papers they will paint a very nasty picture .

Buggery by a farang on another male , rape and murder on both.

Highlight of western values.

Xenophobic blame for the whole thing.

Equally , and as sad western shock jocks are asking Muslims be rounded up who have scratches on their face or neck , who reside or work on this Island.

Their warped rationale is" motive"( was anti -westen hatred over war on ISIS )

I think its best to let due process occur and ignore Thai or tabloid press.

If this westerner is guilty the truth will come out.

I hate to say this and it sounds just as bad as their audacious comments (Blaming Burmese etc)

Its more likely a westerner ""DID NOT'' do this …than did.

The weapon seems far less likely to be used by a westerner .

And the viciousness of the attack suggests a serious mental disorder /hatred.

Its possible a westerner could do this - just unlikely in this setting.

I hope i don't eat humble pie.

The motive for Christopher to kill David was that it was his boyfriend,& when he stumbled along the beach from the party drunk looking for David at 4am,heavily intoxicated from the beach party of 50 holiday makers,he found him having sex behind a rock with Hannah. In a fit of rage he looked for a weapon to stop them,there was a garden bungalow resort 30 meters away where I presume he found the hoe.he returned, smashed David first,while attacking him,Hannah grabbed his head to stop,at which point Christopher spun around smashing Hannah in the face in the darkness, knocking her down. He then had intercourse with his dead boyfriend,then returned to Hannah did the same thing.This is what, Koh Tao Thai residents are saying they believe to what actually happened& this story reached me from a French yacht captain arriving back on Koh Phangan an hour ago. DNA will be the key element to this investigation&rightful arrest at the end of the day.Sad tragedy,and lots of racial prejudice thrown around by people of different interests has been extra testing for locals,foreign residents & visitors alike.i hope soon the couple can rest in peace,& the true murderer arrested&the parents of the deceased can know what really happened& know the authorities arrested&tried the person who killed their lovely children.Peace out.

Very good explanation - and plausible .

However, i heard *(again speculative ) that David was hetro -sexual and even had another female interest in the UK

And murdering then raping is an extremely big stretch of this crime scene activity.

I still feel the victims were raped by more than one attacker- thus two amounts of semen

Puzzled.

[Duck On Phangan]

If we believe everything we read in Thai papers they will paint a very nasty picture .

Buggery by a farang on another male , rape and murder on both.

Highlight of western values.

Xenophobic blame for the whole thing.

Equally , and as sad western shock jocks are asking Muslims be rounded up who have scratches on their face or neck , who reside or work on this Island.

Their warped rationale is" motive"( was anti -westen hatred over war on ISIS )

I think its best to let due process occur and ignore Thai or tabloid press.

If this westerner is guilty the truth will come out.

I hate to say this and it sounds just as bad as their audacious comments (Blaming Burmese etc)

Its more likely a westerner ""DID NOT'' do this …than did.

The weapon seems far less likely to be used by a westerner .

And the viciousness of the attack suggests a serious mental disorder /hatred.

Its possible a westerner could do this - just unlikely in this setting.

I hope i don't eat humble pie.

The motive for Christopher to kill David was that it was his boyfriend,& when he stumbled along the beach from the party drunk looking for David at 4am,heavily intoxicated from the beach party of 50 holiday makers,he found him having sex behind a rock with Hannah. In a fit of rage he looked for a weapon to stop them,there was a garden bungalow resort 30 meters away where I presume he found the hoe.he returned, smashed David first,while attacking him,Hannah grabbed his head to stop,at which point Christopher spun around smashing Hannah in the face in the darkness, knocking her down. He then had intercourse with his dead boyfriend,then returned to Hannah did the same thing.This is what, Koh Tao Thai residents are saying they believe to what actually happened& this story reached me from a French yacht captain arriving back on Koh Phangan an hour ago. DNA will be the key element to this investigation&rightful arrest at the end of the day.Sad tragedy,and lots of racial prejudice thrown around by people of different interests has been extra testing for locals,foreign residents & visitors alike.i hope soon the couple can rest in peace,& the true murderer arrested&the parents of the deceased can know what really happened& know the authorities arrested&tried the person who killed their lovely children.Peace out.

Very good explanation - and plausible .

However, i heard *(again speculative ) that David was hetro -sexual and even had another female interest in the UK

And murdering then raping is an extremely big stretch of this crime scene activity.

I still feel the victims were raped by more than one attacker- thus two amounts of semen

Puzzled.

I believe Christopher had told local Thai's that David was his boyfriend(psychotic behavioral pattern),unknown to David(Hetro as you say)who was travelling with someone who was in love with him&pursuing him. If Christopher is psychotic& was intoxicated& in a fit of a jealous rage,all this is plausible. And the question remains on the minds of us here on Koh Phangan, why did Christopher flee Koh Tao on the first ferry at 6am,instead of waiting for his so called friend's parents to arrive or wait for a proper investigation into what happened to his travelling companion...DNA will answer all&put it to rest

[kmj]

Too many new Sherlocks with too much time on their hands on this thread...

[Katipo]

If we believe everything we read in Thai papers they will paint a very nasty picture .

Buggery by a farang on another male , rape and murder on both.

Highlight of western values.

Xenophobic blame for the whole thing.

Equally , and as sad western shock jocks are asking Muslims be rounded up who have scratches on their face or neck , who reside or work on this Island.

Their warped rationale is" motive"( was anti -westen hatred over war on ISIS )

I think its best to let due process occur and ignore Thai or tabloid press.

If this westerner is guilty the truth will come out.

I hate to say this and it sounds just as bad as their audacious comments (Blaming Burmese etc)

Its more likely a westerner ""DID NOT'' do this …than did.

The weapon seems far less likely to be used by a westerner .

And the viciousness of the attack suggests a serious mental disorder /hatred.

Its possible a westerner could do this - just unlikely in this setting.

I hope i don't eat humble pie.

The motive for Christopher to kill David was that it was his boyfriend,& when he stumbled along the beach from the party drunk looking for David at 4am,heavily intoxicated from the beach party of 50 holiday makers,he found him having sex behind a rock with Hannah. In a fit of rage he looked for a weapon to stop them,there was a garden bungalow resort 30 meters away where I presume he found the hoe.he returned, smashed David first,while attacking him,Hannah grabbed his head to stop,at which point Christopher spun around smashing Hannah in the face in the darkness, knocking her down. He then had intercourse with his dead boyfriend,then returned to Hannah did the same thing.This is what, Koh Tao Thai residents are saying they believe to what actually happened& this story reached me from a French yacht captain arriving back on Koh Phangan an hour ago. DNA will be the key element to this investigation&rightful arrest at the end of the day.Sad tragedy,and lots of racial prejudice thrown around by people of different interests has been extra testing for locals,foreign residents & visitors alike.i hope soon the couple can rest in peace,& the true murderer arrested&the parents of the deceased can know what really happened& know the authorities arrested&tried the person who killed their lovely children.Peace out.

Very good explanation - and plausible .

However, i heard *(again speculative ) that David was hetro -sexual and even had another female interest in the UK

And murdering then raping is an extremely big stretch of this crime scene activity.

I still feel the victims were raped by more than one attacker- thus two amounts of semen

Puzzled.

I saw a Twitter/Facebook post from his gf saying how much she loved him, and that they should have had so much more time together. So yes, can confirm he had a g/f back in the UK. Given the evidence, it is more likely he was involved in a holiday romance with the other deceased than the British fellow they just arrested.

[Katipo]

If we believe everything we read in Thai papers they will paint a very nasty picture .

Buggery by a farang on another male , rape and murder on both.

Highlight of western values.

Xenophobic blame for the whole thing.

Equally , and as sad western shock jocks are asking Muslims be rounded up who have scratches on their face or neck , who reside or work on this Island.

Their warped rationale is" motive"( was anti -westen hatred over war on ISIS )

I think its best to let due process occur and ignore Thai or tabloid press.

If this westerner is guilty the truth will come out.

I hate to say this and it sounds just as bad as their audacious comments (Blaming Burmese etc)

Its more likely a westerner ""DID NOT'' do this …than did.

The weapon seems far less likely to be used by a westerner .

And the viciousness of the attack suggests a serious mental disorder /hatred.

Its possible a westerner could do this - just unlikely in this setting.

I hope i don't eat humble pie.

The motive for Christopher to kill David was that it was his boyfriend,& when he stumbled along the beach from the party drunk looking for David at 4am,heavily intoxicated from the beach party of 50 holiday makers,he found him having sex behind a rock with Hannah. In a fit of rage he looked for a weapon to stop them,there was a garden bungalow resort 30 meters away where I presume he found the hoe.he returned, smashed David first,while attacking him,Hannah grabbed his head to stop,at which point Christopher spun around smashing Hannah in the face in the darkness, knocking her down. He then had intercourse with his dead boyfriend,then returned to Hannah did the same thing.This is what, Koh Tao Thai residents are saying they believe to what actually happened& this story reached me from a French yacht captain arriving back on Koh Phangan an hour ago. DNA will be the key element to this investigation&rightful arrest at the end of the day.Sad tragedy,and lots of racial prejudice thrown around by people of different interests has been extra testing for locals,foreign residents & visitors alike.i hope soon the couple can rest in peace,& the true murderer arrested&the parents of the deceased can know what really happened& know the authorities arrested&tried the person who killed their lovely children.Peace out.

Very good explanation - and plausible .

However, i heard *(again speculative ) that David was hetro -sexual and even had another female interest in the UK

And murdering then raping is an extremely big stretch of this crime scene activity.

I still feel the victims were raped by more than one attacker- thus two amounts of semen

Puzzled.

I saw a Twitter/Facebook post from his gf saying how much she loved him, and that they should have had so much more time together. So yes, can confirm he had a g/f back in the UK. Given the evidence, it is more likely he was involved in a holiday romance with the other deceased than the British fellow they just arrested.

" "My best friend and the love of my life. We were meant to have so much more time together but I'll continue loving you everyday forever.""

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/09/16/hannah-witheridge-david-miller-thailand-murder_n_5827336.html

[AnotherOneAmerican]

And who pays for their airfare to go home. Surely they lost their tickets once they missed their flights. If the police are asking\demanding they stay then they must be doing so for more than just qeustioning

Sent from my GT-S5310 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Please, 2 people have been murdered and all you are concerned about is the cost of a plane ticket?

I would also be worried about the Thai police desperate to pin this crime on someone/anyone that wasn't a local.

Me, I would be out the country the next day and back in a country where some semblance of justice, evidence and rule of law are required ASAP.

[allan michaud]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Very happy the police somehow were smart enough to hold the friends before they left!

It definitely looked like a crime of passion. Also it appears that both victims don't have any defensive wounds. So either they were passed out or it was someone that knew them. Where he got the hoe from or how he could use it so skillfully is still a question in my mind.

Glad the little Myanmar workers didn't get blamed for this. I bet they are still traumatized.! I hope this guy spends the rest of his pathetic life in a thai prison. !

I'm glad you have that all sorted out. Unfortunately, we are not in possession of all the facts and we are all guessing here. From what I have read can only I assume the couple were shagging in a quite corner of the beach and someone or some people were drunk/on drugs and felt horny. As an unskilled hoeman I am not sure just how much 'skill' it requires to sneak up on an intoxicated couple shagging and bash them over the head. Not a great deal I am guessing.

All the reports are so confused nothing is clear yet, so I see no reason to suspect or rule out any particular person or nationality at this point. DNA will soon sort out the bloodied shorts issue, no matter where they were actually found, but given the BIB's record of attempted stitch ups for murders, and the Thai media's record on reporting facts, I am not passing a verdict on this guy yet.

[ToddinChonburi]

This is Thailand and we are under MARSHAL LAW They can do what ever they want.

[ToddinChonburi]

I have a hard time believing one person killed them both but lets wait and see.

[belg]

free hotel ? free food ? new ticket home ?

or is it IDC ?

overstay ?

[yougivemebaby]

Too many new Sherlocks with too much time on their hands on this thread...

Too many trollers with too much time on their hands on this forum.

[huawei]

And hopefully not in Thailand.