Southern police chief: Enough evidence in British tourists' murder case to make arrest now

[belg]

brother & son of village headman's... and daring to say there is no maffia ?

how you call people that think they can commit crimes and can get away with it as nobody would ever testify against them ?

by the way : aren't all those bars encroaching on the public beaches? in phuket they had to be destroyed, so why not start here also ?

can we have name, address, photo of the culprits ?

when is the public execution, i want to keep my calendar open

Edited September 23, 2014 by belg

[soalbundy]

Andy Lines ‏@andylines 12 Min.

Police have just been granted permission to search a bar on Sairee Beach. It's nine DAYS on but ...

what are they looking for ?? cigarette butts. Even if they do arrest the real killers the reputation of the BIB,such as it was, has been truly flushed down the toilet

[Carl64]

Rejoice, you miserable people.

The murderers have been caught.

CONGRATULATIONS to the Thai police force.

A job well done.

My condolences again to the families of the victims.

May they rest in peace, their murderers have been apprehended.

I will be very happy when it's proven beyond reasonable doubt. At the moment it's just more lip service.

[Borzandy]

if it was not the mafia,

maybee they were now " cooperating " to find the culptries,

as it would not tuch there business in KT and Samui;

its was the sons of village headmen....

Could we say the village headmen close to the mafia. Ho no.....

[Snig27]

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and expressed confidence they will be arrested and charged within this week, he added.

Why not today??

Wouldn't want them to get the wind up and abscond.

Yes, exactly - the whole point is you just do it, you don't make vacuous pronouncements of intent.

Thailand does so many things so very well, sadly policing and the application of the rule of law are not amongst them.

[Chutney]

Very difficult to know if people posting are clear on facts or just stating their own assumptions as facts.

Does anyone actually know and have links/sources to which bar/resort is owned by this 'headman' and if it's related to AC bar and In Front bar? Also talk of a Frenchman who had photos of the men asserted to have harassed Hannah? Where did that come from?

[NickyBurma]

Thai Police investigating the murders of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller on the island of Koh Tao announced a breakthrough in there murder hunt today today as they held three Thai football players in custody on the island. Makes me feel dizzy all this and hard to keep up because the police can't do a job right ...

Revealed: Scot who fled Thai gangsters over link to murder of backpackers has child porn conviction

Read More About That Here : http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/revealed-scot-who-fled-thai-4306609

[Rykbanlor]

Here's a novel idea....why don't the police and TAT stop issuing these silly statements and save them until after they accomplish the mission...

No reason to advertise every step of the investigation, just make the arrest and get on with it..

Actions speak louder than words

Words evidently make up for the deafening silence that abounds when action is not being taken

[steelepulse]

The village headman is also the owner of a bar there, he can keep his bar open all night long why because he's the village chief.

Is that the AC bar that was mentioned in certain FB posts that were taken down? Anyone know who owns/runs the AC bar?

The village chief owns AC bar.

Thanks. If that's the case than I think it was pretty wise of Sean Mcanna to get out of Dodge. It seems that who he was fingering was the personnel at the AC bar.

[taony]

Wait what is going on? The unmentionable newspaper is saying the brother was released at 13:50. So was "came in to give a DNA sample" mistranslated as "arrested"?

[DoDoey]

Looks like a few of us may eat humble pie (like me)

looks like the police may have found the correct murderers / not stitched anybody up etc

For that i apologise for doubting them and hope this is the future now

My hat's off to you littlebw, not many have the stuff to make a post like this one, especially on TV. You've earned my respect.

[bangrak]

Is it 'lost in translation', do I lose my English, or does this 'investigation' remain a huge hotch potch? The other paper wrote about the police going after the two Samui speedboat pilots who had been interrogated short after the murders but refused to give DNA samples, and were then released, this paper writes their DNA samples tested negative, and they are not suspects anymore, both papers quoting high RTP sources, so what is it... 'Webfact' quoted here tells a brother and a son of 'a' Tao village headman, which seems to be the last lead, corroborated just now by the other paper, but writing about 'subdistrict village chief Voraphan', in fact, the 'chief of the island'... And police is still insisting that statements about maffia involvement have been proved wrong... Oh, and the incriminated 'son of' is not on the island, but 'in Bangkok', the police took a sample from Mr Voraphan instead (but who says he is the biological father, why not test the mother?)... And the 'brother of' has, after interrogation and given a sample, already been set free! Oh boy, the RTP...

[sz1a]

"If there are mafias"

The police denying there even are mafias on Koh Tao is a sure sign this is a cover up. Have they even bothered questioning the ones in the bar brawl or the ones chasing the remaining witness? This is a joke.

You are assuming this poorly written article actually reflects what the police said?

[taony]

Thai Police investigating the murders of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller on the island of Koh Tao announced a breakthrough in there murder hunt today today as they held three Thai football players in custody on the island. Makes me feel dizzy all this and hard to keep up because the police can't do a job right ... Revealed: Scot who fled Thai gangsters over link to murder of backpackers has child porn conviction Read More About That Here : http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/revealed-scot-who-fled-thai-4306609

What does that have to do with him being in the area and possibly having information on the murders?

[Andrew Hicks]

The suggestions of a jealous row in a bar between farang and a Thai man and of mafia/police cover up or immunity strongly remind one of the murder in Kanchanaburi in 2004 of British backpackers, Lloyd and Arscott. A decorated policeman had a row with the boyfriend in the bar, followed the couple out and shot them. He was not held on remand but was given bail and not surprisingly he disappeared into Burma.

I hope justice is more quickly achieved in the present case. It is a horrible story.

[denkiblue555]

Also talk of a Frenchman who had photos of the men asserted to have harassed Hannah? Where did that come from?

I believe the Bangkok Post printed an 'edit' to an original article on the topic which had incorrectly identified the Scot as a Frenchman.

[Sparkles]

In Australia we had a famous QLD politician, who has since passed away, who used to describe media briefings as "feeding the "chooks" Oz slang for chickens.

This so reminds me of old Joe, throw a few crumbs and they will be back again tomorrow for more.

[tomyumchai]

Let's say they actually do have the real killers. They're Thai and connected. What would their 'punishment' be?

Think it would be different than normal as this has been international news? Death penalty? Life in Prison? Pay to get out?

If they really did find the culprits. CONGRATULATIONS! Especially if they are connected. ! Thank you

maybe they will get exiled and made to live on a remote island frequented by backpackers........?

[Chutney]

The village headman is also the owner of a bar there, he can keep his bar open all night long why because he's the village chief.

Is that the AC bar that was mentioned in certain FB posts that were taken down? Anyone know who owns/runs the AC bar?

The village chief owns AC bar.

Thanks for confirming. It's often the places owned by the local bigshots that get nasty and that place sure had quite a rep'.

[daveAustin]

It is no good having the regular police on this, there are too many cooks spoiling the broth and they are more interested in protecting their own. Only way is for the army to infiltrate and give these so-called tough mafia a hiding. Evacuate tourists, civilians and innocent Burmese and just steamroll that island... it needs to be cleansed.

[oxenvad]

just wonder how small a brain you need to have to rape a foreigner, leave your stuff inside her, kill her , listen to the police saying they have the killers DNA and then not try to get as far away from the island and country as possible. Chicken brain!

[lildragon]

So David died trying to rescue Hannah then instead of how it was first reported?

Brave man, poor girl.

[Runamile]

So these are the suspects, likely to be arrested for murder ........ but there's no DNA fit.

I guess the story must be that after all the ya ba and alcohol they were too exhausted to commit rape as well as murder, so brought in some third parties for that aspect of the crime. By some amazing intervention, of course, those third parties aren't guilty of rape, never mind murder.

This story is getting more ridiculous by the moment. Who is being covered for?

[aTomsLife]

Looks like a few of us may eat humble pie (like me)

looks like the police may have found the correct murderers / not stitched anybody up etc

For that i apologise for doubting them and hope this is the future now

Well at least you have had the spine to admit you were wrong, one suspects there are numbers of TV finest super CSI member's who will not have the class to admit they were wrong and still keep coming up with conspiracy theories and character assassinations of the various parties involved in this case.

the fools that spring to mind are

"Fred Flinstone"

"Pluto" and few others who will not graduating from the TV school of armchair dectectives...

Out of "Likes" but I couldn't agree more.

FF and Pluto engaged is some of the most antagonistic, lowbrow, and altogether nonsensical trolling I've ever seen on TV, and that's saying a lot. Given the nature of the discussion, they both deserved to be banned, in my opinion.

Edited September 23, 2014 by aTomsLife

[Chutney]

Also talk of a Frenchman who had photos of the men asserted to have harassed Hannah? Where did that come from?

I believe the Bangkok Post printed an 'edit' to an original article on the topic which had incorrectly identified the Scot as a Frenchman.

Thanks. I saw a reference to journalist tweet saying there was more to come out about the french person and this was all about photos taken ( by him) in the bar which showed ( before the murders) the suspects harassing Hannah. Amongst all the confusion other posters were confusing this French guy with Sean Mcanna but SM cannot have such pics as he was never there that evening.

There's always been comment about the lack of info coming through from the many other 'westerners' who were around that evening and beforehand. Police must have obtained some of that intel' by now?

[Paulzed]

agree 100%

Is it just me, or do you get the feeling that the real killers ( if there really are Mafias here!??!) will get off scot free and the charged will be some poor despot, that gets framed

That's two people that have absolutely no idea what the word 'despot' means.

And we like to keep it that way.

[Bignose]

Over the years the negative and cynical comments have become almost the norm on TV, hopefully this very welcome news will show that the new regime is making one more important and significant change to how the services operate in Thailand.

If the suspects do turn out to be responsible for this disgusting crime, and if they do turn out to be "connected" then this may well be a watershed moment for us all. These kind of unspeakable crimes are perpetrated in different countries every day, it is not a singularly Thai problem, but if the authorities will now pursue those responsible without fear or favor then ultimately Thailand will become a safer place.

Nothing will lessen the pain for those left behind, but hopefully if those genuinely responsible are held to account there may be some morsel of comfort for the family and friends of the deceased.

This would appear to be very good news.

[littlebw]

they will have thought that they were untouchable but due to the hi profile of this case its nearly impossible to cover up

just wonder how small a brain you need to have to rape a foreigner, leave your stuff inside her, kill her , listen to the police saying they have the killers DNA and then not try to get as far away from the island and country as possible. Chicken brain!

[daiwill60]

No arrest of scapegoats in this case as the case has drawn worldwide attention>>>> Does that mean normally there would have been scapegoats arrested then ???

[murphya33]

and expressed confidence they will be arrested and charged within this week, he added.

Why not today??

Wouldn't want them to get the wind up and abscond.

Obviously waiting for DNA results. This takes a few days. Would look like plonkers if they arrested them today and find out the dna doesn't match tomorrow. Duh!