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

[JonnyF]

This is excellent news, and the fact they are relatives of the headman explains a lot of the nonsense we've witnessed in the past 7 days. Let's hope they're arrested and not given bail to disappear to Singapore, Burma etc.

[Interman]

yes i believe they will

i wouldnt trust them at all

2 or 3 patsies found then , no doubt hand picked by the owners etc

All this been rushed up due to 1 person spilling the beans, Sean McAnne, who in my opinion is telling the truth and is found out to be lying as at least got the casemoving

Patsies with matching DNA? They are going to fake those results too?

This could be exactly why they decided against the FBI's help.

Edited September 23, 2014 by Interman

[Fat Haggis]

Monty Python could have written a more farcical script!!

[yougivemebaby]

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........?

We are under Marshall Law still. Doesn't that normally mean punishments are more severe? I wish the Army would go to these islands and clean them up too!

[impulse]

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

Cut me a slice and I'll share it with you.

This is one of those cases that I'm glad they proved me wrong.

Edited September 23, 2014 by impulse

[transam]

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 ???

Well at least the guy now knows, we know how it usually works, it seems...............

[Rykbanlor]

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.

Second that! My jaw was agape at some of their posts.

On another note though,

how is it our likes are limited?

[Gringogazzer]

I suppose they are just toying with the suspects until they are ready to snare their cunning trap.

[Tywais]

A post quoting the Bangkok Post has been removed.

26) The Bangkok Post and Phuketwan do not allow quotes from their news articles or other material to appear on Thaivisa.com. Neither do they allow links to their publications. Posts from members containing quotes from or links to Bangkok Post or Phuketwan publications will be deleted from the forum.

[TacoHell]

Interesting McAnna has a child porn conviction

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/revealed-scot-who-fled-thai-4306609

Edited September 23, 2014 by TacoHell

[kamahele]

I hope this is "the guy" finally.

[churchill]

Now that they have the brother of the village headman in detention on strong suspicion , will the local police be investigated for protecting and not investigating the obvious …. has money been paid ?

[outsider]

The police will eliminate all these mafias. Doesn't make sense. How does one eliminate oneself?

Anyway, hope the perps are the real deal and closure for this can be had, so the families can hopefully move on from this painful episode.

[Fat Haggis]

It's very noble of the some of the original detractors to post they were wrong and have shown a little humility, well done guys, it takes a bigger man to admit they were wrong, there's a hell of a lot more here in TVF that could take a few lessons from you guys..

Humble pie isn't so bad when you gulp it down quickly..

[Commerce]

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.

And how many times did you use 'if' and 'may', followed by 'would'?

[JohnTrove]

I have been following this with great interest for the last week , is anyone able to confirm that the man on the left of SM 's 7/11 picture

is the same man seen hanging around with the police at the crime scene on day one ?

And , is there any truth in the statement that two men in SM's 7/11 picture refused to be DNA tested .

Yes its absolutely him - i'm telling you this as an ex koh tao resident. He is also mafia - anyone who tells you he is not has their own agenda

[Snookyville]

I would like to read more about those three football players being held in custody. Where did you see that, do you have a link or reference? All I read is about the brother and son of the headman.

In one of the CCTV images three guys in yellow football shirts could be seen walking behind the victim. And if they are held in custody and the brother isn't, what about that? (if this detail is not about the translation)

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

[SirBser]

All the staff in AC bar do whatever they want because at the end of the day they feel protected by their boss the village chief.

Most of the staff are blasted on meth every night.

The Chief has more power than the local police.

[pb1936]

This is about the most confused report yet......what an unbelievable circus.

[Chetzee]

so the guy at the police station looks well similar to the guy in the black t shirt hanging around at the murder scene on day 1 , if they are the same , then by default , his dna will be about down there .

Fears of contaminated DNA results etc .......

[ursandro]

Arresting the suspected culprits is only the first step. It's a great development, and UK/media pressure must have contributed a lot to it.
But after arresting the suspects there must be a trial. And if these guys are so influential down there, things could get murkier in the coming months. Once foreign/media pressure eases, I would not be surprised if these guy walked out on bail, or with lord knows what caveats.

[ldiablo]

Who writes this crap. Go back to school and learn some proper Grammar.

[Fat Haggis]

The police will eliminate all these mafias. Doesn't make sense. How does one eliminate oneself?

Anyway, hope the perps are the real deal and closure for this can be had, so the families can hopefully move on from this painful episode.

How does one eliminate something that doesn't exist in their eyes??

[khunpa]

One tourist murder suspect now arrested, another on the run

KOH TAO: -- The police have arrested a suspect in the murder of two British tourists in Koh Tao and are still hunting for a second suspect who has escaped into Bangkok.

Eighth Region Police Command commissioner Pol Lt-Gen Panya Mamen identified the first suspect as Mon.

He is the brother of a village headman in Koh Tao.

He was arrested after evidence which police collected were examined and proved he was involved, he said.

He also said another suspect is also a son of that village headman. But he has already to Bangkok.

He said both suspects were captured by CCTV cameras and the police have gathered enough evidence to implicate them in the murders.

He said the southern police were coordinating with the metropolitan police to hunt him down, and expected to apprehend him today.

The southern police chief also assured the public that there was no arrest of scapegoats in this murder case as it now is a focal attention of the world.

He also dismissed any suggestion of local mafias or influential people that could twist the investigation with promise that local influence would pose no obstacle to the police investigation.

Instead the police will eliminate all these mafias, he said.

Meanwhile a police source said the police are also looking into the cooperation of those who helped to arrange the suspect to escape. They also will be arrested.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/one-tourist-murder-suspect-now-arrested-another-run/

-- Thai PBS 2014-09-23

The southern police chief also assured the public that there was no arrest of scapegoats in this murder case as it now is a focal attention of the world.

so it takes the attention of the worlds media to stop the police fitting up scapegoats?

Yes, sadly it actually does. And it seems that with the media attention on this case, we will finally see the real murders being brought to justice. This is a very rare but good moment for Thailand. Now we just need convictions and the responsible being put in prison. That also will require media attention and pressure to happen. But good to see that there is finally some kind of end to this.

[empireboy]

Here's hoping they don't just pin this on some poor guys to save Thailand's face!

[Iumentum]

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.

And how many times did you use 'if' and 'may', followed by 'would'?

Isn't that the right approach until he knows for sure? Or would it be better to do as so many others, skip the "if", "may" and "would" without knowing for sure.

[Lukecan]

That sean guy was full of BS, the expats living in koh tao said the information he gave is not factual and that he is a glory hunter. Bunch of guys who've never been to koh tao believe what he's saying. From his posts I can see he doesn't give a damn about his friends murder, 9 out 10 of his posts after the murder are about the scottish referendum.

There has to be a motive for murder, usually people who murder and rape are ones who got nothing to lose, why would someone who has a thriving business on the island murder and rape a girl. That sean guy should be put behind bars for slander IMHO.

Edited September 23, 2014 by Lukecan

[Iumentum]

Here's hoping they don't just pin this on some poor guys to save Thailand's face!

As it seem right now, it doesn't look like that will be the case, but of course we don't know before we have seen conviction.

[Eagle60]

I so hope it is true and it brings some closure to the poor families destroyed by this terrible crime. So very sad and so horrible for all concerned. RIP to the poor victims. Sympathy and good thoughts to the families of both Hannah and David.

Well done to the work done by the Thai police ! If they have got them, they sorted out a crime very quickly indeed and successfully.

For once can't all the complainers, moaners, arm chair experts, say 'well done'. For once admit you are wrong and give credit to the police. There are fair few on this chat forum who have made complete idiots of themselves with all their conspiracies, misinformation and spewing out whatever the latest garbage press piece said. I doubt they will even admit it to themselves, let alone publically on here...I am sure they will find some excuse and say it was due to someone else, or something else. Rarely do bitchy type moaners ever admit they are wrong. For once admit it and say well done. You will make yourself a better person for doing so and maybe learn something.

By the way...murder cases in the UK often go unsolved and some take months to solve. And powerful people get protected in our counties too. Pedophile scandal recently in UK is a prime example ! There is violence in countries all over the world...so let's not keep making out Thailand is any worse. It is so boring to keep hearing this constant Thai bashing. Please change the record. The majority of Thai people are charming and most welcoming. And very tolerant of foreigners who come to their country and moan all the time.

If it is so bad, why are you so attracted to Thailand ? I guess people live in Thailand for a reason and find it a better option than living in their own country, or why would they be there in Thailand. But they still moan and complain about the very place they freely chose to live in. Seems there are a few confused people out there .

As for the last week of media hype, gossip and childish banter.....have you worked out yet that there is no exact literal translation from Thai to English. The Thai Alphabet has 44 consonants and 37 vowels and in English we have 24 consonants and 12 vowels. Meanings are often misunderstood and newspapers normally use Google translate to do their work for them. Hardly an accurate translation at all. So much of what is said is misconstrued and misunderstood. Add into that cultural differences and any intelligent person can understand you cannot judge people on news paper trivia. Especially as most come from un confirmed blogs and so called experts who know nothing, or very little about the country or its people.

So please stop whining on like a petulant child about Thailand, what they say and the police. Get away from your computers and go see the real world. And stop Thai bashing.

Be happy for the families. The scum may well have been caught. Well done to the Thai police. They did it quickly.

Edited September 23, 2014 by Rimmer

[kingstonkid]

People on here make me laugh NOT.

If the cops had screwed it up they would be all over them. If the cops do it right they are all over them.

People (TV members with brain cells) there is no difference between this case and a case in the western"civilized" world.

If a wealthy or well to do family is involved before the police can do anything they have to have a case that is air tight and has no means of the person getting away with it.

Therefore the [police may have known for a long time who was involved but had to go through the motions to get as much info without tipping off the Headman so that he was not concerned about running interference.

Think about all the cases in the US UK involving wealthy people.

It will be interesting to see who gets arrested for aiding and abetting and also if Martial (military) Law rules are invoked.