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

[metisdead]

A post in violation of fair use policy has been removed. As it was copy and pasted from the Daily Mail, which is blocked on Thai servers, no need to bother with that site.

[transam]

Apparently in the Thai language news the blood stained clothes were hidden in his luggage, also the guy had been raped too plus the girl had blonde hair in her hands, it's going to get interesting now for sure

So when initially interviewed his luggage wasn't searched and he's been carrying blood stained clothes around for a couple of days ?

If it is him he deserves to be caught.

This does seem unlikely - smells like a patsy rat trap?

Lets see what he has to say -

If he isn't a psycho type and claims he was framed -

"He might be telling the truth ""

Can I put something to all you guys that have been here a while------ No-one has thought of this scenario so I put it to you.

If I was walking along the beach having had a great night at some bar and wanted to walk it off a bit in the lovely moonlight night and suddenly I see a couple of bodies lying in the shadows.I rush over and see if they are dead or just unconscious and find that I now have 2 dead bodies and their blood literally "on my hands" and as stated--on my clothing---.I am sorry to say this but if I ascertained that they were both dead,I think I would be worried and want to get away from the scene as far as possible and as quick as possible.I would immediately think that I would be the prime suspect and knowing what the police investigations here are like,and knowing how the effect on Tourism would be foremost on their minds,I would cram the bloodstained clothing in the bottom of my case and FLEE,yes if you like I would PANIC.I sincerely hope this poor joker is going to get a fair and unbiased hearing. My heart goes out to the family and loved ones of the deceased couple.A wonderful holiday has gone terribly wrong for them RIP-----

Nobody touches dead bodies to the extent that non flowing blood gets on their clothing.....

[Asiantravel]

I am quite surprised that General Prayuth has made statements that the holidaymakers should have known better than to leave themselves vulnerable by venturing out in the early hours on the island.

Good grief. I've never been there myself but have learnt the island is only three miles long . In theory you should feel 10 times safer in a small place like that in the early hours of the morning than in Bangkok or Pattaya ? If not, then Thailand really does have a problem with safety

[alanrchase]

I am quite surprised that General Prayuth has made statements that the holidaymakers should have known better than to leave themselves vulnerable by venturing out in the early hours on the island.

Good grief. I've never been there myself but have learnt the island is only three miles long . In theory you should feel 10 times safer in a small place like that in the early hours of the morning than in Bangkok or Pattaya ? If not, then Thailand really does have a problem with safety

Bangkok is a big place, island is small. Island is full of people on booze and drugs? No idea myself, never been, size is not everything.

[metisdead]

A post in violation of fair use policy has been removed. As it was copy and pasted from the Daily Mail, which is blocked on Thai servers, no need to bother with that site.

Maybe an internet glitch, another post removed.

[mojorison]

It is unfortunate that the authorities come out with loads of BS prematurely. In typical Thai fashion, something must be said instantly, usually with little thought or evidence. After all is said and done I would not be surprised if it came back on some bar workers or fishermen etc.. I can't believe it was a single perp, and I think the nature of the male rape is key. It's grisly stuff, but without knowing any forensic details it is hard to evaluate the crime. And that goes for not just me and you, but the police as well. Wait for the lab results before blabbing crap everywhere. Anyone is capable of this type of crime... not only Thais or only Farang. In fact most Thais I've spoken to fully acknowledge that a Thai is very capable of this sort of thing. Prayuth said similar a couple of days ago.

[alanrchase]

It is unfortunate that the authorities come out with loads of BS prematurely. In typical Thai fashion, something must be said instantly, usually with little thought or evidence. After all is said and done I would not be surprised if it came back on some bar workers or fishermen etc.. I can't believe it was a single perp, and I think the nature of the male rape is key. It's grisly stuff, but without knowing any forensic details it is hard to evaluate the crime. And that goes for not just me and you, but the police as well. Wait for the lab results before blabbing crap everywhere. Anyone is capable of this type of crime... not only Thais or only Farang. In fact most Thais I've spoken to fully acknowledge that a Thai is very capable of this sort of thing. Prayuth said similar a couple of days ago.

Not too sure that it is typically a Thai phenomenon. I had to watch Sky news for a few years and their reporters always demanded instant statements. Personally pitty the Thai authorities if certain British news outlets are hounding them. They are always able to give the latest updates when the reporter is actually in the next door country?

[Asiantravel]

I am quite surprised that General Prayuth has made statements that the holidaymakers should have known better than to leave themselves vulnerable by venturing out in the early hours on the island.

Good grief. I've never been there myself but have learnt the island is only three miles long . In theory you should feel 10 times safer in a small place like that in the early hours of the morning than in Bangkok or Pattaya ? If not, then Thailand really does have a problem with safety

Bangkok is a big place, island is small. Island is full of people on booze and drugs? No idea myself, never been, size is not everything.

Size alone may not matter but the fact that the entire resident population of the island assisted police the way they did with monitoring, who was coming and going from the island should make any wannabe criminal think twice.

Edited September 17, 2014 by Asiantravel

[sangfroid]

http://www.news.com.au/world/british-tourists-bludgeoned-to-death-on-thailand-beach-suspicion-falls-back-on-brit/story-fndir2ev-1227060912382

[Dogmatix]

Sad to see so many posters here taking the opportunity to bash Thailand from any angle, the police, the news reports, the investigation, perhaps the most remarkable one was where a poster wished that the UK police had been asked to investigate, how arrogant is that!

And for the poster who asked the question, should we demand the same penalty for a farang murderer as a local one, no, the penalty should be increased because the assumed educational levels are higher in the UK than in Thailand, a Brit murderer really would have had every opportunity to learn that what he had doing was wrong.

You obviously have little experience with the BIB. Ever heard of Kirsty Jones? Or several other massively high profile cases where the BIB have been proven to be completely and utterly inept at solving this type of violent crime.

The one about the policeman who shot a toruist in the head, was then bailed, threatened all the witnesses while on bail, got away with it, and was then found guiilty of shooting his wife was also a good and very unfunny one.

They won't have any reasonable forensics or evidence gathering to a western standard. Guaranteed. And so far they are working on the, "she had a lot of boyfriends and were out late so were asking for it" line.

Yes, UK police and forensic work is very advanced, the Thai equivalent is less so. But life is a series of trade offs, if people want to live in a society where those things are important, they shouldn't live or visit here. Suggesting that the UK police should be called in to investigate a crime in Thailand shows a deep lack of understanding of Thai/Asian culture, if you are suggesting such a move would be optimal I might be able to agree, if you seriously think it would be a viable and practical option, I cannot.

Actually the Pol Sgt Uthai, who murdered Canadian, Leo del Pinto, in Pai, later beat his "wife", an uneducated 18-year old hill tribe girl, to death with a piece of wood, rather than giving her the chance of a quick and painless death by shooting. The commander of the police region supported Uthai's incredulous story that he shot del Pinto in self defence but forensic evidence did not. You are right in saying that del Pinto's girlfriend from home, Carly Ressig, who was also shot by the intoxicated Uthai was blamed to the murder and her own shooting by local media and some farang commentators because she had being seeing a Thai man before del Pinto came out to join her. She was a denounced as a slug who "asked for it" by sleeping around and failing to respect Thai culture, despite the fact that a large section of Thailand's tourist industry is based on prostitution and has been for decades.

Welsh police who came to Thailand to investigate the murder of Kirsty Jones in Chiang Mai several times were persistently stone walled by Thai police. The Welsh officers strongly implied that they believed the murder was committed by a Thai tourist police officer. It was also suggested by Thai police that Jones had consensual sex with her murdered and was therefore to blame.

[louse1953]

Just found a better picture

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2758358/Shirtless-prime-suspect-caught-CCTV-near-Thai-beach-party-two-British-tourists-bludgeoned-death-island.html

Is it just me, or is the Daily Mail blocked in Thailand? And why in the world would this second rate rag be banned here?

It's just you.

[bobbin]

Just found a better picture

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2758358/Shirtless-prime-suspect-caught-CCTV-near-Thai-beach-party-two-British-tourists-bludgeoned-death-island.html

Daily mail blocked in Thailand due to the "decadent dog party story"

No problem to go to daily mail with 3bb.

Same. No problem with 3bb.

[alanrchase]

Just found a better picture

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2758358/Shirtless-prime-suspect-caught-CCTV-near-Thai-beach-party-two-British-tourists-bludgeoned-death-island.html

Is it just me, or is the Daily Mail blocked in Thailand? And why in the world would this second rate rag be banned here?

It's just you.

Why in the world do you want information from this second rate rag?

[Mackie]

A horrendous crime. Whoever did it, deserves whatever comes his way. I would not discount a westerner or another Brit killing them. There are all sorts of drugs out there which simply make people do crazy things. Just saying.

It has come to light that bath salts and spice, two lethal, legally available drugs, may be behind some of these attacks. These drugs can be smoked or snorted and they are given seductive names like "Ivory Wave" or innocuous monikers like "bath salts" for deceptive marketing. They induce a furor in users, as violent as the combined effect of PCP and methamphetamines, and the result is an oral aggression of the sort that leads users to pounce on their victims and bite and maul them to pieces.

[Mister Fixit]

just reading that coconut report its obscene!

Coconuts Bangkok IS an obscenely bad publication ...

[denby45]

OZ news reports that British police are there "assisting".

I do hope they are real police and not of the "tourist volunteer variety".

Den

[SoiBiker]

I really wish when something like this happens they'd immediately invite the British to rush some of their best people to aid in the investigation.

If nothing else it would show concern, and also prove transparency in the investigation.

Why on earth would the British police be any help here?

[JoeLing]

I have now read 23 pages of posts, with all this information, he is my synopsis of the facts.

2 people, a man and a woman, both British have been murdered.

End of post.

Plus:

- No arrests have been made so far.

- 3 Burmese have been detained for questioning but released.

- 2 British have been ask to extend their stay to help the enquiries.

More facts:

Stupid, brainless comments by Officials will tarnished Thailand's

reputation more than any crime that has been committed by whoever.

Majority of the reporting and comments (and not only by TV members)

are pure speculations, twisting of facts and inappropriate.

English TV members should learn english in order to distinguish between:

"leaving and fleeing", "detaining and arresting", "assumption, possibility and fact".

Hope this horrible crime will be solved but in due time and not yesterday

and the courts will decide without prejudice .

[mojorison]

I am quite surprised that General Prayuth has made statements that the holidaymakers should have known better than to leave themselves vulnerable by venturing out in the early hours on the island.

Good grief. I've never been there myself but have learnt the island is only three miles long . In theory you should feel 10 times safer in a small place like that in the early hours of the morning than in Bangkok or Pattaya ? If not, then Thailand really does have a problem with safety

Bangkok is a big place, island is small. Island is full of people on booze and drugs? No idea myself, never been, size is not everything.

Size alone may not matter but the fact that the entire resident population of the island assisted police the way they did with monitoring, who was coming and going from the island should make any wannabe criminal think twice.

Unfortunately the police don't make anyone think twice. A rottweiler and a german shepherd do. I am not being facetious, but I have lived on these islands most of my life, and we have always had to maintain our own security through being vigilant. Never do the police patrol the beaches at night.. Never can we call on them for assistance. They are here to mop up the spoils, after crimes and accidents have occurred, for in Thailand, "crime pays". 2 uniformed cops on the beat (not on the take), would prevent most of these types of crime from ever being committed, certainly in a place like Koh Tao. (Someone here said that the crime occurred 50 metres from the police station!! <deleted>.)

[bangrak]

There's very little being said baout Koh Tao, which, indeed, was a divers' paradise. A lot has changed in the last 10 years, more so in the last 5, and very little for the better. I won't start a description of all those changes here and now, but just focus on one, which could have some link with the murders: drugs. 'Before', most tourists went to Tao only for the day, or no longer than a few, nearly exclusively for diving, and most Farangs who were staying there were some way involved with diving. There was nearly only one 'drug' available: grass, all other, stronger drugs not going that well together with diving, maybe a little cocaine brought by visitors. Nowadays, it seems Tao has rather become a 'drugs paradise' with ALL drugs easily available, up to the strongest and most dangerous ones, including the newest stuff. And when I hear youths speak about going to Tao, there are still some speaking only about diving, but not the majority, diving is still on the 'to do list' for most, but many, more and more I'd say, go there for drugs related 'partying' and stay " 3 - 4days or a week there. Some new dealers might have come up, but for sure many important ones from Pha Ngan, and Samui, seem to have been dividing the new cake Tao among themselves, and the police, well, they do the same as on Samui and on Pha Ngan, the small force making them even 'rely' on the known maffias to 'regulate' the market...

[ukrules]

Lets just hope this isn't the guy who discovered them or merely a witness to the crime.

Most people from Europe (especially at their ages) will never have seen one of their friends / acquaintances lying dead and would probably attempt to 'wake up' the victim before realising the extent of the injuries.

My worry is that this guy could be a witness.

If I witnessed a crime of this nature here I suspect I would be in immediate risk and would need to take drastic action for my own safety, of course that would depend on what I'd seen and who did it.

If he proves guilty I hope he gets a long sentence.

Edited September 17, 2014 by ukrules

[mataleo]

Live Updates : http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/british-backpackers-thailand-murders-live-4272933

Edited September 17, 2014 by mataleo

[Dogmatix]

Sad to see so many posters here taking the opportunity to bash Thailand from any angle, the police, the news reports, the investigation, perhaps the most remarkable one was where a poster wished that the UK police had been asked to investigate, how arrogant is that!

And for the poster who asked the question, should we demand the same penalty for a farang murderer as a local one, no, the penalty should be increased because the assumed educational levels are higher in the UK than in Thailand, a Brit murderer really would have had every opportunity to learn that what he had doing was wrong.

You obviously have little experience with the BIB. Ever heard of Kirsty Jones? Or several other massively high profile cases where the BIB have been proven to be completely and utterly inept at solving this type of violent crime.

The one about the policeman who shot a toruist in the head, was then bailed, threatened all the witnesses while on bail, got away with it, and was then found guiilty of shooting his wife was also a good and very unfunny one.

They won't have any reasonable forensics or evidence gathering to a western standard. Guaranteed. And so far they are working on the, "she had a lot of boyfriends and were out late so were asking for it" line.

Actually the Pol Sgt Uthai, who murdered Canadian, Leo del Pinto, in Pai, later beat his "wife", an uneducated 18-year old hill tribe girl, to death with a piece of wood, rather than giving her the chance of a quick and painless death by shooting. The commander of the police region supported Uthai's incredulous story that he shot del Pinto in self defence but forensic evidence did not. You are right in saying that del Pinto's girlfriend from home, Carly Ressig, who was also shot by the intoxicated Uthai was blamed to the murder and her own shooting by local media and some farang commentators because she had being seeing a Thai man before del Pinto came out to join her. She was a denounced as a slut who "asked for it" by sleeping around and failing to respect Thai culture. This seems at variance with the the reality that a large section of Thailand's tourist industry is based on prostitution, which is a part of Thai culture and has been for centuries.

Welsh police who came to Thailand to investigate the murder of Kirsty Jones in Chiang Mai several times were persistently stone walled by Thai police. The Welsh officers strongly implied that they believed the murder was committed by a Thai tourist police officer. It was also suggested by Thai police that Jones had consensual sex with her murdered and was therefore to blame.

Now Prayuth seems to be trying to imply that farang women are responsible for crimes committed against them, if they wear bikinis, unless they are ugly. Whatever next?

Edited September 17, 2014 by Dogmatix

[Lukecan]

I can see some people hoping here that the killer turns out to be a non-farang

[ScreamingEagle101]

Let's hope there's more genuine evidence than ' seen strolling near the scene ', I presume if it's him he was strolling before and not after the crime.

They have found a bloodstain on his clothes but wasn't he already interviewed and allowed to go and the stain wasn't seen then ?

I'm not saying he's innocent but the BIB get everything arse for elbow and it raises doubt especially when told from the very top to get it solved ' yesterday '.

Let's be clear, the police are looking for any suspect that is not Thai, cause we all know that Thais never get angry or violent with the foreign guests.

It would be very convenient if a fellow Brit could be found guilty as then Thailand would remain a safe place to visit except for the occasional deranged Brit.

[DP25]

Thailand has one of the world's highest per-capita murder rates – when the UN last counted it in 2000, it stood at 5,140 per year, though the annual total is now speculated to be more than 6,000.

(aren't you alway the one insisting on comparing like with like, here we are comparing deaths of foreign visitors of 1 nationality)

360 British died in Thailand in the last 12 months. Up to you how you believe they died.

But anyway you look at it, you are 10x more likely to die visiting Thailand than you are visiting Spain.

(If you are British)

Thailand isn't remotely close to one of the world's highest per capita murder rate.

It is below average globally, and just slightly above the rate of the US. The murder rate has fallen substantially since your 2000 statistic too, there were only 3,307 murders in 2011.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_intentional_homicide_rate#By_country

[transam]

I hope holiday folk are reading this that the migrant workers are armed....................

Go somewhere else for your hols.....................

[philw]

A blood stained hoe without any finger prints on it ?

Yeah, omitted from all reports.

No mention at all of fingerprinting.

[fish fingers]

Sad to see so many posters here taking the opportunity to bash Thailand from any angle, the police, the news reports, the investigation, perhaps the most remarkable one was where a poster wished that the UK police had been asked to investigate, how arrogant is that!

And for the poster who asked the question, should we demand the same penalty for a farang murderer as a local one, no, the penalty should be increased because the assumed educational levels are higher in the UK than in Thailand, a Brit murderer really would have had every opportunity to learn that what he had doing was wrong.

You think its arrogant that some posters on here might question the clear incompetence of the thai police, and as it involves a British national (victim) and a British national (accused) that we would want detectives from the UK will be invited to Thailand to help with enquiries (same as the Maddy Mccann case and many others)

Oh sorry, loss of face, completely forgot ..

[AnotherOneAmerican]

It would be very convenient if a fellow Brit could be found guilty as then Thailand would remain a safe place to visit except for the occasional deranged Brit.

The British foreign Office seems to think a British visitor to Thailand is 17x more likely to be murdered than that same person visiting any other country.

(Gleaned from the info, 10% of British citizens murdered overseas happen in Thailand, but Thailand only accounts for 0.6% of British overseas travel)

When asked why this information was not made public, an official said, it would have an unfair effect on Thai business interests.

Edited September 17, 2014 by AnotherOneAmerican