Koh Tao headman offers Bt1m cash if evidence proves his family implicated in the tourist murder

[ClutchClark]

I see the BIB now consider 3 suspects and some may have left the island !

Well it's only been well over a week since the crime was discovered and of course suspects wouldn't hang around unless of course they were very stupid or very confident and where have the new 3 suspects been conjured up from ?

As for The Family Guy maybe Revenue Dept should be having a look at him, his accounts and tax returns. C'mon I only said Maybe.

Include Sean Mc Anna in that,no dna on the sperm,doesnt mean he wasnt weilding a hoe.That blood on him needs further explanation.

Where is the "spa worker" to confirm this? I'm sure if it was only one spa worker it's bogus. There's so much hearsay with no evidence.

Speaking of evidence. DOes anyone know the toxicology report is on the victims? Be interesting to see if they were taking anything besides alcohol or if their drinks were spiked etc.

I have not heard tox results; however, the release of such information would be met with mob action here on tV and the police would be accused of attempting to tarnish the reputations of and blame the victims.

[transam]

They should still DNA him regardless

Please help me to understand what benefit there is in taking the time to DNA test a person that can prove he was 800 kms from the crime?

Some might think that was a waste of investigative resources that could be spent actually pursuing credible leads.

Think I have missed something.

When did the son LEAVE for his 800km trip to BKK....?

[kannot]

Perhaps after they have sorted out this one theyd like to return to the attempted murder of Donald In Hua Hin which has gone nowhere DESPITE the then PM getting involved and leaving him paralysed.

[beautifulthailand99]

It was one of the top 10 islands in Asia apparently - edit No 1

http://www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-Islands-cTop-g2#1

Edited September 25, 2014 by beautifulthailand99

[ClutchClark]

Think this was quite an expensive purchase... If they want to cast their claim they are not involved into concrete, then do the DNA test for Pete's sake!

"My family has been helping authorites and police in the investigation since the first day."

Just one question: In history, how many murderers have joined search parties and/or volunteered in the investigation of their own crimes just to be up to date with the progress while trying to mislead investigators?

Yeah, it happens all the time in crime mysteries on TV, makes for a great plot don't you think?

[zaZa9]

So now he is NOT and "ex" headman again?

[JOC]

They should still DNA him regardless

Please help me to understand what benefit there is in taking the time to DNA test a person that can prove he was 800 kms from the crime?

Some might think that was a waste of investigative resources that could be spent actually pursuing credible leads.

CC. Agree with you. But logic is not going to stop the lynch-mob- mentality here!!

Have the feeling, that most posters don't even read previous posts, but are just hitting the keyboard spewing venom over anything Thai or Thairelated.

With all the hatred and nonsense here , I wonder what kind of life those people really live??

Reminds me of a local fraction of ISIL on a mission the defend the tribal honour!!

Edited September 25, 2014 by JOC

[catweazle]

They should still DNA him regardless

Please help me to understand what benefit there is in taking the time to DNA test a person that can prove he was 800 kms from the crime?

Some might think that was a waste of investigative resources that could be spent actually pursuing credible leads.

As far as I can read there is no proof, just claims and statements... Anyone can by a few friends into an alibi, anyone can race back up there in approx. 6 hours with a speed boat as it is 410km to Bkk only (by sea!).

As one poster wrote - his wife has friends or relatives on the island who told her that everyone knew right from day one who the murderes were, but everyone is afraid to talk... Talking about kicking a hornets' nest...

[beautifulthailand99]

Over on the Ko Tao community facebook page it's as if nothing ever happened ....not wishing to make light of it but this song sums the situation perfectly. A total crying shame.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/616813668403897/

[transam]

They should still DNA him regardless

Please help me to understand what benefit there is in taking the time to DNA test a person that can prove he was 800 kms from the crime?

Some might think that was a waste of investigative resources that could be spent actually pursuing credible leads.

CC. Agree with you. But logic is not going to stop the lynch-mob- mentality here!!

Have the feeling, that most posters don't even read previous post, but are just hitting the keyboard spewing venom over anything Thai or Thairelated.

With all the hatred and nonsense here , I wonder what kind of life those people really live??

Reminds me of a local fraction of ISIL on a mission the defend the tribal honour!!

, so you don't want this solved eh....You don't want folk to have a one second dab of a qu-tip on folks tongues to find killers..?..........VERY SAD INDEED.....Hope this shit never happens to your kids......

[changnaam]

Maybe the hornets nest does need kicking.

It is common knowledge that everyone on kt knows who is responsible. It needs another Sean McAnna to speak up, and someone to back them up.

[wilcopops]

""We are not mafia or influential figures as reported in the news," Woraphan Toowichian said at a press conference yesterday. "My family has been helping authorites … and police in the investigation since the first day."

THewre always seems to be this failure of logic in so many Thai statements to the media....not just in this case but in anything to do with the media.

It would seem obvious to anyone that IF there was a Mafia on the island and IF they were involved they would quite naturally be in contact with the police right from the start as that is how mafia works - it inveigles the local authorities and corrupts them. So Mr Wopraphan's statements, which may well be made with the best intentions seem to be somewhat foolhardy, as they are more or less the words that one might expect if he HAD been involved.

​The result; he has done nothing to allay suspicions far from it, he has only exacerbated the situation..

Edited September 25, 2014 by wilcopops

[Brian Corrigan]

This investigation is going no where. Time to bring in the British police me thinks,before the trail really goes cold.

[bigjules007]

The day after the murders, an asian guy posted on Hanna Witheridge's facebook tribute page the series of events that led to the murders of these innocent tourists! He said that there was an argument in a well known bar between the victims and a member of a local Thai gang. Later in evening the gang member along with his kronies followed the victims after they left the bar and murdered them. I don't know who this guy is but why wasnt a lead like that followed up immediately. The police know exactly who committed these horrific crimes, but as per what's happened previously regarding westerners murder, it looks like another case is going to remain unsolved. This is a dangerous country people, never forget it!

[farangmick]

Followed this story from day one. What really got me was a photo tonight in a British online newspaper of the victims in a bar with friends a few hours before they were murdered, so similar to the pics my nieces and nephews put on Facebook.As a copper for thirty years in a proper police force, this investigation would have me laughing out loud if it was not so tragic. More Insp Clouseau than Hercule Poiret. Nobody will be convicted, but just maybe it will encourage the government to do something about the RTP, whose only purpose seems to be to extract money from the public for the RTP.

[zoza]

So who is conducting the DNA tests exactly? A solitary police lab technician? How can we be sure that if the police say there isn't a match that this is really the case?

If the person(s) providing/publishing the results has been corrupted, we'll never see the real perps brought to justice.

It's almost as if the police rounded up this guy's family in a response to public pressure just so they could say they didn't do it.

"Sorry Mr. headman, we have to pretend we are investigating you thoroughly because everyone is watching. Don't worry though, we'll say the DNA doesn't match and then it'll be over and you can get on with your lives."

Now thats about as twisted of logic as you can get.

At first everybody here at TV is angry that the powerful members of society are above the law.

Then the police disprove you by investigating and publicly fingering a member of an influential family.

And now all you can say when your accusations have been proven wrong is that it was an elaborate police scheme of reverse psychology.

Pretty funny.

Why do all these farangs on TV think they should be the puppet masters of the Thai Police or the Thai General or of Thai Society?

Why do so many TV members think it perfectly reasonable to make demands that Thai Police test everyones DNA in a huge dragnet when they would complain like the dickens if it were ever attempted by the Police in their own Western European countries?

whats funny is your attempts talk up the thai police.

I suppose the head mans brother and major suspect being photographed in the middle of the murder scene on day one,could give people the notion that the police might be a little to close to this family.

and disproving and investigating+ fingering do you mean responding to the phone calls and pleas for

help from sean mcanna who had already fingered the head mans brother on Facebook.

because there is no official record of any interview with police before then.

the head man turned up of his own free will while his brother was being questioned

if you think anything has been proven apart from maybe two Asian men have been involved, you must

be closer to this case than any one else on this forum.

I personally would not object to dna testing and if you happened to live on koh tao why would you?

I would of been pleased if the thai authorities had of come in and quietly and professionally cleared

these crimes up as it is only heaping more hurt on the families and I hope they can have closure asap.

[englishoak]

Chances are with no DNA matches that the original DNA samples from the victims were messed with..

Be pretty hard to find a match then... in fact almost impossible.

We do know they made a huge thing about not having the skills for DNA testing ( which btw is rubbish since they have used DNA in cases here before...... The easiest way to cover this up is not by messing with suspects DNA as thats too hard to do, but mess with the original evidence you wont have any problem drawing a blank.

Either that or the amount paid to not be implicated far outweighs the rewards. whats 10 or 50 m in bribes compared to 700k reward or 1m to find a link to a family ? ... nothing thats what.

I dont believe for one moment a good number on that Island dont have a clue whos responsible.... not when it happened and certainly not now.

Edited September 25, 2014 by englishoak

[tifino]

be good to see him cough up a million for each family member implicated

[ScubaPhuket]

I think most of you are missing the point purely because you're not properly following the story, picking up bits & pieces in the posts that you choose to read & misunderstanding what's happening then confusing the thread for those who DO read with nonsense.

The Thai DNA tests taken from Miss Witheridge are unimportant because her body is being tested in the UK. Those results will be cross-matched with the thai results & if there is a discrepancy the thai authorities will be told that they are wrong. This result will be undisputed worldwide.

Most 'statements' from the thai media you should ignore because they are clueless & ungoverned. Everything else you should discount as either media misunderstandings, thai police tactics (such as they are) or perhaps chinese whispers which a lot of you are contributing to.

Tbqh... if you have nothing useful to add you should stop clouding the subject with your nonsense.

I would suggest that you allow time for the investigators, foreign & thai, to do their jobs. These things do take time.

[catweazle]

Over on the Ko Tao community facebook page it's as if nothing ever happened ....not wishing to make light of it but this song sums the situation perfectly. A total crying shame.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/616813668403897/

Sad, but true

[ClutchClark]

Whether or not the man has 1 million baht handy, he's not going to spend one satang of it in regard to this case - no matter what comes down the tubes. He's more likely to get elected Pope.

It's like Chaleum saying he would cut his head off if Thaksin didn't return to Thailand last December. It's the Thai way of making a point. Offer something real big - but everyone knows it will never be paid.

Thank you for helping TV members to understand the context of the statement.

[changnaam]

I think most of you are missing the point purely because you're not properly following the story, picking up bits & pieces in the posts that you choose to read & misunderstanding what's happening then confusing the thread for those who DO read with nonsense.

The Thai DNA tests taken from Miss Witheridge are unimportant because her body is being tested in the UK. Those results will be cross-matched with the thai results & if there is a discrepancy the thai authorities will be told that they are wrong. This result will be undisputed worldwide.

Most 'statements' from the thai media you should ignore because they are clueless & ungoverned. Everything else you should discount as either media misunderstandings, thai police tactics (such as they are) or perhaps chinese whispers which a lot of you are contributing to.

Tbqh... if you have nothing useful to add you should stop clouding the subject with your nonsense.

I would suggest that you allow time for the investigators, foreign & thai, to do their jobs. These things do take time.

Not a pathologist but do you think there will have been any reliable DNA left when the body was returned to the UK?

I wish I could describe this poor girl as something more than "the body", but in medical terms I guess that would be correct.

[ScubaPhuket]

I think most of you are missing the point purely because you're not properly following the story, picking up bits & pieces in the posts that you choose to read & misunderstanding what's happening then confusing the thread for those who DO read with nonsense.

The Thai DNA tests taken from Miss Witheridge are unimportant because her body is being tested in the UK. Those results will be cross-matched with the thai results & if there is a discrepancy the thai authorities will be told that they are wrong. This result will be undisputed worldwide.

Most 'statements' from the thai media you should ignore because they are clueless & ungoverned. Everything else you should discount as either media misunderstandings, thai police tactics (such as they are) or perhaps chinese whispers which a lot of you are contributing to.

Tbqh... if you have nothing useful to add you should stop clouding the subject with your nonsense.

I would suggest that you allow time for the investigators, foreign & thai, to do their jobs. These things do take time.

Not a pathologist but do you think there will have been any reliable DNA left when the body was returned to the UK?

I wish I could describe this poor girl as something more than "the body", but in medical terms I guess that would be correct.

I apologise if my statements seem cold. That could not be further from the truth. & yes, I do think there will be evidence left unless the thai authorities have tried to wash the body. If that has happened then it will be very obvious to UK pathologists.

Edited September 25, 2014 by ScubaPhuket

[JOC]

They should still DNA him regardless

Please help me to understand what benefit there is in taking the time to DNA test a person that can prove he was 800 kms from the crime?

Some might think that was a waste of investigative resources that could be spent actually pursuing credible leads.

CC. Agree with you. But logic is not going to stop the lynch-mob- mentality here!!

Have the feeling, that most posters don't even read previous post, but are just hitting the keyboard spewing venom over anything Thai or Thairelated.

With all the hatred and nonsense here , I wonder what kind of life those people really live??

Reminds me of a local fraction of ISIL on a mission the defend the tribal honour!!

, so you don't want this solved eh....You don't want folk to have a one second dab of a qu-tip on folks tongues to find killers..?..........VERY SAD INDEED.....Hope this shit never happens to your kids......

Ofcourse I want the case solved!

Just like I want all murdercases solved, whether the victim is white, black or from Asia. And you can't question, that the attention this case has gotten is only because the victims were white.

Us killed 8 civilians during a "targetted" bombing yesterday in Syria. Where is the reaction on Thaivisa?

And for sure the hatred expressed here, is not going to solve the case!

[boomerangutang]

From my few personal experiences with Thai cops and investigations:

>>> I once went with cops to try and find some things which had been stolen from me. We got to a house of the g.f. of the thief. Cops didn't want to go in. The woman came out. I asked if I could look around inside her house. She looked at the cops and reluctantly said, 'ok.' I found some of my stolen items in her house. If I hadn't taken the initiate to go in the house, nothing would have been found.

>>> another time, similar scenario. I was with cops and we cornered a suspect. I asked to see his wallet. It had a falang woman's ID in it and another farang's ATM card. Again, those things wouldn't have been found if the process had been left up to the Thai cops who were right there.

there are other cases I could cite.

Three things Thai cops are good at: getting money (if there is money recovered by cops from thieves, it's certain a portion will wind up in the cops' pockets). The other factor is hitting. Thai cops are good at hitting a suspect who they have just taken in to custody. Resistance is futile.

Some other things Thai cops are good at:

>>>> not thinking outside the box. They'll talk talk talk to suspects, but won't ask tough probing questions. Reason? You never want anyone to lose face. They're good at avoiding embarrassing situations. Every Thai knows in their bone marrow what's correct and what's mai supap (not proper). So, when cops interview a big shot like Chaleum (where is your son?) or the Pu Yai Ban (village headman) they are incapable of asking tough (really probing) questions or VIPs. Because Thailand's social classes are so extremely stratified, the insignificants can get hit and the Big Shots are untouchable.

>>>> Not picking up on possible clues and evidence.

That's half the reason Thai cops didn't want the FBI or Scotland Yard involved in this case. Thai cops don't want any VIP's losing face.

Edited September 25, 2014 by boomerangutang

[ClutchClark]

So who is conducting the DNA tests exactly? A solitary police lab technician? How can we be sure that if the police say there isn't a match that this is really the case?

If the person(s) providing/publishing the results has been corrupted, we'll never see the real perps brought to justice.

It's almost as if the police rounded up this guy's family in a response to public pressure just so they could say they didn't do it.

"Sorry Mr. headman, we have to pretend we are investigating you thoroughly because everyone is watching. Don't worry though, we'll say the DNA doesn't match and then it'll be over and you can get on with your lives."

Now thats about as twisted of logic as you can get.

At first everybody here at TV is angry that the powerful members of society are above the law.

Then the police disprove you by investigating and publicly fingering a member of an influential family.

And now all you can say when your accusations have been proven wrong is that it was an elaborate police scheme of reverse psychology.

Pretty funny.

Why do all these farangs on TV think they should be the puppet masters of the Thai Police or the Thai General or of Thai Society?

Why do so many TV members think it perfectly reasonable to make demands that Thai Police test everyones DNA in a huge dragnet when they would complain like the dickens if it were ever attempted by the Police in their own Western European countries?

whats funny is your attempts talk up the thai police.

I suppose the head mans brother and major suspect being photographed in the middle of the murder scene on day one,could give people the notion that the police might be a little to close to this family.

and disproving and investigating+ fingering do you mean responding to the phone calls and pleas for

help from sean mcanna who had already fingered the head mans brother on Facebook.

because there is no official record of any interview with police before then.

the head man turned up of his own free will while his brother was being questioned

if you think anything has been proven apart from maybe two Asian men have been involved, you must

be closer to this case than any one else on this forum.

I personally would not object to dna testing and if you happened to live on koh tao why would you?

I would of been pleased if the thai authorities had of come in and quietly and professionally cleared

these crimes up as it is only heaping more hurt on the families and I hope they can have closure asap.

First, as I have clearly stated several times, I would not volunteer a DNA sample voluntarily. You can find my reasons posted two pages back.

Secondly, the hurt on the family was done by the attackers, not by any later investigation. Their children died a violent death. Anything after that is trivial in comparison.

Third, I have never suggested anything has been proven about the case--only commented on how so many TV members want to grab a rope and get lynchmob justice with no more specifics than newspaper gossip.

Fourth, sean mcanna looks like a druggie and his story sounds like drug-induced paranoia more than anything. Some people here have even considered him a suspicious character.

Next.

[changnaam]

I think most of you are missing the point purely because you're not properly following the story, picking up bits & pieces in the posts that you choose to read & misunderstanding what's happening then confusing the thread for those who DO read with nonsense.

The Thai DNA tests taken from Miss Witheridge are unimportant because her body is being tested in the UK. Those results will be cross-matched with the thai results & if there is a discrepancy the thai authorities will be told that they are wrong. This result will be undisputed worldwide.

Most 'statements' from the thai media you should ignore because they are clueless & ungoverned. Everything else you should discount as either media misunderstandings, thai police tactics (such as they are) or perhaps chinese whispers which a lot of you are contributing to.

Tbqh... if you have nothing useful to add you should stop clouding the subject with your nonsense.

I would suggest that you allow time for the investigators, foreign & thai, to do their jobs. These things do take time.

Not a pathologist but do you think there will have been any reliable DNA left when the body was returned to the UK?

I wish I could describe this poor girl as something more than "the body", but in medical terms I guess that would be correct.

I apologise if my statements seem cold. That could not be further from the truth.

No I didn't take them as cold, was trying to find another description myself, but could not find one. I think your point was made well, and I hope that more can be found out in the UK to give these poor kids closure. Edited September 25, 2014 by changnaam

[khaowong1]

this is becoming more an more like a Christopher Moore Novel

Or a John Sandford novel.. where's Lucas when you need him?

[ScubaPhuket]

Fourth, sean mcanna looks like a druggie and his story sounds like drug-induced paranoia more than anything. Some people here have even considered him a suspicious character.

Next.

You've never taken drugs? You must be the only one.

Sounds to me like you're the paranoid one, not Sean McAnna.

[kieran2698]

And ofcourse this poor man made his fortune by growing coconuts!!

After reading the the Op, am I the only one even more confused??

I don't know Koh Tao, but many rich island families in Thailand have made their money by selling off land. It is worth a fortune but not so long ago was just cheap farm land.

He made the money of the land that actually doesn't belong to him. The land on Koh Tao belong to the kingdom, and he is renting the "ownership" of the land he possess there. Tabian ban on Koh Tao is non existing!

I looked into it, quite a complex system to say the least, Por Bor Tor, Nor Sor Song, Nor Sor Saam and so on, all a bit much and I wont be spending too long learning about that as I don't need to and it looks like there is a lot to learn.

I guess the islanders on Koh Tao have something like common law rights to the land. So, in my opinion, it is theirs whether they can have full deeds or not, and the money they make from renting it they are entitled to in the exact same way as someone who had bought it. No reason why a family who has lived there for many generations should be entitled to less rights than a Chinese aristocratic family who bought some land back in the day.