713,000 baht reward for information leading to arrest of British tourists' murderers

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713,000 baht reward for information leading to arrest of tourists’ murderers



BANGKOK: -- The reward for information which will lead to the arrest of the killer or killers of two British tourists on Koh Tao has been increased to 713,000 baht while police continue with their manhunt for suspects.

A 500,000 baht in cash has been given by Mr Udom Tantiprasongchai, an executive of Orient Thai airline, through Mr Seni Phuvaseththaavorn, president of Samui tourism promotion association, to a fund to be used as a reward for anyone who provides information which will help police trace to the killer or killers of the two tourists.

Police on Sunday held a man who was reported by witnesses of hiding at a chedi at Khao Hua Pud on Koh Samui for questioning. No charges were lodged against him but police took DNA sample and urine from him for test of drug use.

Pol Gen Jarumphorn Suramanee, an advisor to theNational Police Office, said that about 30 DNA samples had been sent to the Forensic Medicine Institute for tests.

The DNA samples were taken from employees of hotels and restaurants in close vicinity to the crime scene on Kho Tao and from foreign migrant workers on the island.

It was reported that the number of suspects had been narrowed down to just two – one being a Thai and the other a Myanmar national.

Pol Maj-Gen Kiatpong Khaosam-ang, the Surat Thani police chief, said that the man who was seen in a video footage wearing just an underwear near the crime scene had been identified as a Thai national working at an entertainment venue on Koh Tao.

The man who was not identified said he wore only an underwear because he was given a rough wakeup to rush to the crime scene when it was reported that two tourists were murdered on the beach.

Meanwhile, more than 50 marine police were mobilized to conduct background checks of foreign migrant workers working in fishing boats around Koh Tao.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/713000-baht-reward-information-leading-arrest-tourists-murderers/

-- Thai PBS 2014-09-22

[siampolee]

Pol Maj-Gen Kiatpong Khaosam-ang, the Surat Thani police chief, said that the man who was seen in a video footage wearing just an underwear near the crime scene had been identified as a Thai national working at an entertainment venue on Koh Tao.

The man who was not identified said he wore only an underwear because he was given a rough wakeup to rush to the crime scene when it was reported that two tourists were murdered on the beach.

Now why would a person who it seems has no connection to the police farce force rush to a crime scene clad only in his underwear?

Perhaps there was something at the crime scene he needed to retrieve or remove or possibly it was a ''trick of light ''so to speak and he was actually running away from the crime scene.

'Curiouser and curiouser!' cried a senior police officer (he was so much surprised, that for the moment he quite forgot how to speak good English)

[thesetat2013]

When will they do DNA tests on the police there. They should be tested since they apperently are chasing after the people least likely to have committed this crime. I know a farang in Chumphon raped by 2 police and was forced to sign papers that she would not prosecute before she fled in fear home

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[Oscar2]

this is very good news. 713K Baht likely to get people thinking of talking to the cops. 50K was not likely at all.

[tomyummer]

Not to be insensitive to the victims and their families, but the suspense of this case is off the wall. I hope the reward money gets answers and results from the community. Someone will surely start singing for the money.

[chooka]

love the photo. Forensic police examining the crime scene whilst members of the public stand around them watching. Never heard of containing and isolating a scene?

[Jimlove]

love the photo. Forensic police examining the crime scene whilst members of the public stand around them watching. Never heard of containing and isolating a scene?

They have not heard about the most basic police-methods in the Land of 2 Faces I guess

[thhMan]

When will they do DNA tests on the police there. They should be tested since they apperently are chasing after the people least likely to have committed this crime. I know a farang in Chumphon raped by 2 police and was forced to sign papers that she would not prosecute before she fled in fear home

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

Good idea.. best so far...

The only thing I would change for the Police is the test... Make it an IQ test

[kingdw]

Putting aside all of investigations issues for one moment..........

The reward...... Yes, it is positive the reward has been increased to 713,000 baht, but, this is 2 British tourists who were murdered on Koh Tao. Are their lives really only worth £13,000? If "rewards" can get results, then at least make it worthwhile. Put it this way, if i was murdered somewhere is SE Asia I would hope my family and friends would stump up a bit more than that to find the killer(s).....

[animatic]

Airline head giving money through the tourist association?

Perfectly good motivation, they both see the numbers tanking for high season,

and getting this solved ASAP will help that situation.

While there is pretty good sized money and influence in some Koh Tao circles,

it is no competition for Bangkok money and Samui will take a hit too by proximity,

and the continuous recalling of the solved Katherine Horton rape/murder.

So no surprise the reward just tripled and it is from external to K. Tao sources.

Are their lives worth more than this 713,000 of course, but in perspective of

12,000 baht a month minimum wage, this is the equivalent of nearly 60,00 a month for a year.

Or about 5 times the yearly salary of most islanders. Not everyone makes the national

minimum wage either, being Thailand, the Burmese migrants have to take what they can get,

Which might well be half, for twice the work, 6,000 baht a month.

So this reward could be 10 times their YEARLY salary, and they can take it and run home.

No worthies about being local and known to the local gangster, that you have stitched up

his crew member, or ner-do-well son.

Edited September 22, 2014 by animatic

[umbanda]

Finally! Better later than never....

[Jack Mountain]

With these increasing rewards it will be worth for a wittness to wait a while ...

[Gang Warily]

With these increasing rewards it will be worth for a wittness to wait a while ...

Not long it seems. Arrest reported this morning of son of well connected island family - after friend of Miller resident foreigner reported on FB his life was in danger and named who he said was killer. Not confirmed by police.

[steelepulse]

With these increasing rewards it will be worth for a wittness to wait a while ...

Not long it seems. Arrest reported this morning of son of well connected island family - after friend of Miller resident foreigner reported on FB his life was in danger and named who he said was killer. Not confirmed by police.

Where was this arrest reported? I haven't seen anything about this except for that FB post stating he ( a foreigner) was in danger.

[wabothai]

Possibly the snitch is waiting for the reward to increase.

So now there should be some conditions going with it.

[Strangebrew]

Wait a second the Blurry picture was Thai as I said in the first place Now his excuse for being in underware was he was rushing to crime scene Is he a cop? Did man in underware get there at crime scene?

[klauskunkel]

When will they do DNA tests on the police there. They should be tested since they apperently are chasing after the people least likely to have committed this crime. I know a farang in Chumphon raped by 2 police and was forced to sign papers that she would not prosecute before she fled in fear home

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

Good idea.. best so far...

The only thing I would change for the Police is the test... Make it an IQ test

...however, the same problem persists, it's the BiB doing the testing...

[blu3]

With these increasing rewards it will be worth for a wittness to wait a while ...

Not long it seems. Arrest reported this morning of son of well connected island family - after friend of Miller resident foreigner reported on FB his life was in danger and named who he said was killer. Not confirmed by police.

Do you have a source for this?

[almafudd]

When will they do DNA tests on the police there. They should be tested since they apperently are chasing after the people least likely to have committed this crime. I know a farang in Chumphon raped by 2 police and was forced to sign papers that she would not prosecute before she fled in fear home

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

Good idea.. best so far...

The only thing I would change for the Police is the test... Make it an IQ test

OH come on the majority of Thai police can't even spell IQ

[almafudd]

Putting aside all of investigations issues for one moment..........

The reward...... Yes, it is positive the reward has been increased to 713,000 baht, but, this is 2 British tourists who were murdered on Koh Tao. Are their lives really only worth £13,000? If "rewards" can get results, then at least make it worthwhile. Put it this way, if i was murdered somewhere is SE Asia I would hope my family and friends would stump up a bit more than that to find the killer(s).....

No there lives are worth 356500 Baht, not to be sneezed at in Thailand!

[SteveFong]

too many threads on this topic: too hard to follow

its been rumored that one of the main suspects is now in custody,

and the second, was found hiding in a cave

because of the internet defamation laws and the monitoring of these threads,

thats all TV will permit to be revealed at this time

[outsider]

love the photo. Forensic police examining the crime scene whilst members of the public stand around them watching. Never heard of containing and isolating a scene?

First they'll need to know what a 'scene' is :-)

[Gang Warily]

With these increasing rewards it will be worth for a wittness to wait a while ...

Not long it seems. Arrest reported this morning of son of well connected island family - after friend of Miller resident foreigner reported on FB his life was in danger and named who he said was killer. Not confirmed by police.

Where was this arrest reported? I haven't seen anything about this except for that FB post stating he ( a foreigner) was in danger.

Running on Channel 3 but only 'helping with enquiries' reported to be local on ya ba - not well connected

[Paulzed]

Why don't they use that money to beef up the security of that Island and also use it to get rid of the known local gangsters and self professed mafia types there that everyone knows preys on tourists as easy targets for selling drugs and other scams that we all too often see at all of the Thai tourist spots now...

[JOC]

Judged by the posts on this thread, I wonder how the posters here can question the IQ of the Thais??

I can picture all the small Sherlocks and Poirots sitting in front of their PC's in their rented rooms, spewing their venom at anything Thai-related.

Because they are oh-so-superior (in their own selfinflated opinion) to the locals.

Lord have mercy!!

[Thai at Heart]

Judged by the posts on this thread, I wonder how the posters here can question the IQ of the Thais??

I can picture all the small Sherlocks and Poirots sitting in front of their PC's in their rented rooms, spewing their venom at anything Thai-related.

Because they are oh-so-superior (in their own selfinflated opinion) to the locals.

Lord have mercy!!

Considering that the case may well have been just blown open by a Farang on Facebook, pointing out a connection to a story postulated by a Farang on virtually the first day after the crime, one would wonder what actually have the Thais contributed to solve this crime so far?

All the best leads have been handed by farangs on a plate.

[SteveFong]

considering that the US essentially built their country,

why would you expect them to have the incentive to do anything for themselves?

[Pundi6446]

Like I said in another post here, some patsy might confess (falsely) to get that kind of money, do 2-4 years then in la la land with the money.

Edited September 22, 2014 by Pundi6446

[allan michaud]

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

Pol Maj-Gen Kiatpong Khaosam-ang, the Surat Thani police chief, said that the man who was seen in a video footage wearing just an underwear near the crime scene had been identified as a Thai national working at an entertainment venue on Koh Tao.

The man who was not identified said he wore only an underwear because he was given a rough wakeup to rush to the crime scene when it was reported that two tourists were murdered on the beach.

Now why would a person who it seems has no connection to the police farce force rush to a crime scene clad only in his underwear?

Perhaps there was something at the crime scene he needed to retrieve or remove or possibly it was a ''trick of light ''so to speak and he was actually running away from the crime scene.

'Curiouser and curiouser!' cried a senior police officer (he was so much surprised, that for the moment he quite forgot how to speak good English)

You seem to be making wild assumptions. Despite the incompetence of the RTP I feel sure they checked his story with his bosses so why would his statement not be true? Also the video should be time coded so it should be simple to find out if the alarm had already been raised.

[GOLDBUGGY]

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

Pol Maj-Gen Kiatpong Khaosam-ang, the Surat Thani police chief, said that the man who was seen in a video footage wearing just an underwear near the crime scene had been identified as a Thai national working at an entertainment venue on Koh Tao.

The man who was not identified said he wore only an underwear because he was given a rough wakeup to rush to the crime scene when it was reported that two tourists were murdered on the beach.

Now why would a person who it seems has no connection to the police farce force rush to a crime scene clad only in his underwear?

Perhaps there was something at the crime scene he needed to retrieve or remove or possibly it was a ''trick of light ''so to speak and he was actually running away from the crime scene.

'Curiouser and curiouser!' cried a senior police officer (he was so much surprised, that for the moment he quite forgot how to speak good English)

It had to have taken some time to attach and kill Mr. Miller, as it was reported he fought back, and then finding extra time for 2 separate guys (or more) to rape Hanna. Probably took some more time to have fun with her first. At which time she was later killed also.

With it being early in the morning, with obviously nobody around, and your 2 potential witness, who cold call out loud, are now both dead, it makes absolutely no sense at all to run from the crime scene at this time. Why would you? I would think it would be better to split up and go slow and look for witnesses, then to make a ad dash down main street.