Terrified Briton flees Koh Tao after 'mafia' death threat

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Terrified Briton flees Koh Tao after 'mafia' death threat

By Tom Phillips, in Koh Tao, Thailand

A friend of murdered British backpacker David Miller flees the Thai island of Koh Tao after claiming local intimidation as police want every man on the 2,000 population island to provide DNA for testing

A petrified British man has fled the Thai island where two British backpackers were murdered last week after claiming the "mafia" was trying to execute him.

Sean McAnna, 25, from Shotts near Glasgow, was a friend of David Miller, the tourist whose body was found last Monday on Koh Tao island along with that of Hannah Witheridge.

Mr McAnna claimed that two Thai men, who he believes may have crucial information about the murders, threatened to kill him in the early hours of Monday morning while he was drinking at a bar on Sairee beach near to where their disfigured bodies were discovered.

He fled, took refuge in a nearby supermarket and was only able to leave when police were called and arrived on the scene at around 5am. They questioned the two Thai men but no arrests were made.

With those two men still at large, Mr McAnna spent the day in hiding before fleeing Koh Tao fearing he could be killed if he stayed.

"I need to get off this island," a tearful and visibly nervous Mr McAnna told The Telegraph during an interview conducted inside the back of a taxi before he departed.

"I genuinely thought that was the day I was going to die," Mr McAnna said. "I genuinely thought that this was me dead. That I was gone."

"I phoned my mum, I phoned my sister. I told her I loved her and that I would try and make it home. I said that if this was going to be the last conversation that we had then it was a really sad one to have but she's been great and I love her."

Mr McAnna met Mr Miller last year while both men were living in Leeds. He was the singer and guitarist in a Leeds band called These Fading Polaroids and Mr Miller was an engineering student. Both lived in the Hyde Park area.

Mr McAnna said he recently returned to Koh Tao - where he had previously spent 18 months living and working as a barman - and had planned but failed to meet Mr Miller on the night he and Ms Witheridge were murdered.

Police have yet to make any arrests for the horrific murders and now say they plan to force every man on the 2,000 population island to provide DNA for testing. Locals appear reluctant to discuss the case, apparently fearing reprisals from mafia-style families who are said to control Koh Tao.

Mr McAnna said he believed it was people linked to one such group who threatened to kill him. At around 2.30am he was accosted by two Thai men at Koh Tao's AC Bar, a beachfront nightclub where Mr Miller and Ms Witheridge had been just before they were murdered.

"They just said to me: 'It was you who killed them. You've got two people's deaths on your hands. We know it was you. You're going to hang yourself tonight and we are going to watch you hang. You will die tonight.'"

"So I just ran. I just left and ran," he said.

A terrified Mr McAnna took refuge in a small supermarket into which the men chased him. They tried to convince him to leave but he refused, fearing he would be murdered.

Read the full story: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/thailand/11113268/Terrified-Briton-flees-Thai-island-after-mafia-death-threat.html

Source: The Telegraph.co.uk

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Scottish man goes into hiding on Thai island after claiming he knows who killed backpackers David Miller and Hannah Witheridge

SEAN McANNA, originally from Glasgow, posted messages on Facebook last night claiming his life was in danger because he knows who killed backpackers David and Hannah a week ago.

A TERRIFIED British backpacker fled Koh Tao yesterday claiming he was going to be killed by the “Thai mafia.”

Sean McAnna, 25, a friend of murdered David Miller, insisted local “gangsters” wanted him dead.

The busker – dubbed “Guitarman' - has been cleared by police.

But he has angered locals by talking openly about the crime.

He made a desperate 4am Facebook posting: “Thai mafia are trying to kill me. Please help me.”

And yesterday in an interview with our sister paper the Daily Mirror he revealed the local Thai men snarled at him: “You will die tonight.

“It was you who killed them. you've got two people's deaths on your hands.

“We know it was you. You're going to hang yourself tonight and we are going to watch you hang.

“They wouldn't have shot me they would have taken me up into the hills to hang me and make it look like it was a suicide.

“So I just ran. I just left and ran.

“I think they needed a scapegoat. I think they might know who it was.”

Sean was due to meet David on the very night he was bludgeoned to death with Hannah Witheridge.

e watched as he was smuggled onboard the 3pm ferry from the island yesterday.

It capped an extraordinary day which began with a frantic phone call for help at 4.15am.

He said he was trapped in a 24 hour tiny convenience store near the murder scene by the threatening gangsters and was convinced he was going to die.

But eventually police arrived and escorted him away from the scene to safety.

Sean, a bar-tender and busker from Shotts, Lanarkshire, ended up sleeping rough before being escorted to the ferry.

He said: “The two men chased me into a shop and I ran behind the counter.

“I took the girls phone from her that was working behind the counter and I went on my Facebook.

“I took pics of the guys and uploaded them to say that if anything happens to me everybody knows who did it.

“They need a scapegoat and they don't want it to be locals.

“They want it to be a westerner.

“So if I kill myself here, if I hang myself here, then it is easy to say: "see it was him.

“I genuinely thought that was the day I was going to die. I genuinely thought that this was me dead - that I was gone. “I phoned my mum, I phoned my sister.

“I basically wanted to say my goodbyes. I was so scared. I was so scared.

“I just didn't want that to be it.”

Read the full story: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/scot-goes-hiding-thai-island-4302708

Source: The Daily Record

[ukrules]

So they're still trying to pin it on a foreigner.

I don't see why the new Prime Minister doesn't send the army into this lawless place and audit everyone who lives there to weed out the seemingly endemic corruption.

Martial law is still in effect isn't it ?

Who are these 5 families who are so important that even the prime minister can't touch them ?

[OZEMADE]

Well they should be able to get CCTV footage of this incident and witnesses.

[zydeco]

The story now descends into farce.

[Loptr]

This is all becoming a farse... The locals know who did it, but a covering up until the heat dies down... Same as it always was...

[FireMedic]

Oh boy....this is going to freak them out...How the hell are they gonna try to spin this one?

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Terrified pal of murdered Brit pair flees Thai island following local mafia death threats

Sean McAnna, 25, a friend of murdered David Miller insists local gangsters want him dead for speaking out about the killings

A terrified British backpacker fled the Thai island where David Miller and Hannah Witheridge were brutally murdered amid death threats from local mafia.

Sean McAnna, 25, a friend of murdered David Miller, insisted local “gangsters” on Koh Toa want to make him a scapegoat for the killings.

The busker – dubbed "Guitarman" - has been cleared by police.

But he has angered locals by talking openly about the crime and today had to get a 9am ferry off the island fearing for his life.

Last night, Sean - who has been on the island for two weeks - claims he was cornered by mafia thugs in a bar who threatened to pin the crime on him.

He claims they chased him into a 24-hour convenience shop at 4am saying they would hang him and make it look like he had committed suicide.

During a dramatic face off, Sean uploaded a picture of the two men onto Facebook with the message: “Thai mafia are trying to kill me. Please help me.”

But eventually police arrived and escorted him away from the scene to safety.

Sean, a bar-tender and busker from Shotts, Lanarkshire, ended up sleeping rough before being escorted to the ferry.

Speaking exclusively to the Mirror today he said: “The two men chased me into a shop and I ran behind the counter.

“I took the girls phone from her that was working behind the counter and I went on my Facebook.

“I took pics of the guys and uploaded them to say that if anything happens to me everybody knows who did it."

Read the full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/762561-terrified-briton-flees-koh-tao-after-mafia-death-threat/?

Soruce: Daily Mirror

[thesetat2013]

Wow! I thought they said the police were in full force there ready to protect the tourists. A 4 hour wait for them to arrive would be humorous if it weren't for something so serious.

I guess as long as there are reports like these the tourists will be going elsewhere. A shame too as this would screw up the TCT report made earlier.

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

[btunes]

I'm glad he got out....alive.

[harrycallahan]

Headline says he knows who the killer is, body says he thinks other people might know.

[SPB65]

Is this one of the guitar playing westerners they were looking for anyway ? I'm getting a bit lost now.

[chiang mai]

I think the OP is BS, he's trying to capitalize on the misfortune of others.

Look, if the local mafia would wanted him dead, so it would have been, there wouldn't have been the in depth conversations described in the OP, it's nonsense.

[Boxclever]

Well what does he expect? Running around the island pointing fingers at locals telling everyone he knows who done it. Sounds like a complete nutter to me.

[pinkpanther99]

This is the same guy who posted about the killers on his Facebook page, which are now all over Twitter.

I've been following this on Twitter today. All the journalists on the island have all pretty much said that this is one of the most surreal days in their career, the story gets stranger by the day. Andy Lines from the Mirror said expect more twists tomorrow.

My guess is the police know exactly who the killer is. They know that he/they are no longer on the island but due a mix of face saving, corruption and hiding their own incompetence they are not exactly being proactive in investigating this crime fully.

I doubt the real killers will ever be brought to justice. You just wait for some fall guy - probably a Burmese worker to get arrested in the next couple of days.

[2befrank]

Eventually the real facts are emerging.

The police made their declaration that 'No Thai person would ever do anything like this' when they knew for a fact that two Thai men were actually going around threatening to kill a tourist.

Oh but the Thai police would NEVER try to protect anyone linked to mafia families that incidentally control the local police.

Like I said all last week..... Typical Thai stench of corruption. cover ups and denial.

The world is watching...... Oh it is watching.

[Mooner]

This is all over Facebook. I don't understand why he didn't contact somebody off island if he has legit information!

[pinkpanther99]

Eventually the real facts are emerging.

The police made their declaration that 'No Thai person would ever do anything like this' when they knew for a fact that two Thai men were actually going around threatening to kill a tourist on the very night two tourists turn up brutally murdered.

Oh but the Thai police would NEVER try to protect anyone linked to mafia families that incidentally control the local police.

Like I said all last week..... Typical Thai stench of corruption. cover ups and denial.

The world is watching...... Oh it is watching.

Exactly, the eyes of the world are on Thailand now.

We'll find out pretty soon if Thailand is really changing.

Or will this just be same old, same old.

Only time will tell.

[daiwill60]

So they're still trying to pin it on a foreigner.

I don't see why the new Prime Minister doesn't send the army into this lawless place and audit everyone who lives there to weed out the seemingly endemic corruption.

Martial law is still in effect isn't it ?

Who are these 5 families who are so important that even the prime minister can't touch them ?

i like this , but where did you get 5 important families from ???

[ukrules]

The photo he took in the convience store, matched with a photo at the crime scene.

So why is a local bar owner at the crime scene ? Perhaps he's also a detective in the police force, I've heard of police owning other business as well so I guess it's not beyond a possibility ?

If he's not a police officer than I have no idea what he was doing there but there should be some kind of speculation.

I do remember reading a comment somewhere last week where someone said 'the guy that did it is in the video' but I can't remember which video this was referring to or where I read it.

[carstenp]

This is all over Facebook. I don't understand why he didn't contact somebody off island if he has legit information!

Perhaps he knows the mafia controls the police.

But what do I know

[ukrules]

So they're still trying to pin it on a foreigner.

I don't see why the new Prime Minister doesn't send the army into this lawless place and audit everyone who lives there to weed out the seemingly endemic corruption.

Martial law is still in effect isn't it ?

Who are these 5 families who are so important that even the prime minister can't touch them ?

i like this , but where did you get 5 important families from ???

Just something I read somewhere else. There are a number of families who control the island, the piece I read referred to 5 families / groups.

[ratcatcher]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/thailand/11113386/British-backpacker-describes-terror-after-Thai-mafia-death-threat.html

You be the judge.

[drand11]

Silly..dna already showed that semen came from asians...not westerner.

[Mooner]

This is all over Facebook. I don't understand why he didn't contact somebody off island if he has legit information!

Perhaps he knows the mafia controls the police.

But what do I know

I said off island. Maybe somebody like the top dog who was sent from BKK.

[Snookyville]

He looks uncannily similar indeed. In my memory he had a bigger mustache but it looks more like deep lines/shadows in a tired face (from a multiple day ice-binge?). Which also underscores the unreliability of eye-witnesses.

So it will be highly unlikely he will ever be DNA tested, and if he does results will probably get lost or contaminated or something like that.

[2befrank]

A spaced out western beach junkie making up a good little story to secure him his 15 minutes of fame!!

And a good little earner by selling his story to The Mirror!

And everyone is buying into it?? Lord have mercy!!

OK armchair detective... so no corroboration between him and the store staff?... The photos uploaded to facebook are just random Thais?

How do you know he is a beach junkie?

Source please, or are you trying to whip a story up to sell the The Mirror?

[Cuchulainn]

I just wish we could influence other TV members & holidaymakers to boycott this hellish place.

[chiang mai]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/thailand/11113386/British-backpacker-describes-terror-after-Thai-mafia-death-threat.html

You be the judge.

Good lord, the conspiracy theorists are really scraping the bottom of the barrel on this one, whatever happened to real journalism.

[englishoak]

I Wouldnt ever be going back to Koh Tao, not now its clear how much Thais there care about the truth vs their pockets. ill happily tell others to avoid KT at all costs, its crap for diving as they have killed off most of the sealife years ago and thats really the only reason to be on KT its not phi phi or samui.. go somewhere else safer not so corrupt and spend the cash there.

People can influence things by talking to others, once it becomes common enough knowledge thats that.

Its amazing how thick some posters can be.... especially the rose glass wearing ones, they really seem to think Thailand is run like a western democratic system... with western values, western thought process, western morals ...

Those who think sean is lying need to get out more here , its exactly what Thailand has been trying to point the finger at, a foreigner since it began and some think this is a made up story ?... oh boy do you not have a clue about Thailand.