Police shift focus to foreign tourists in Koh Tao murdere probe

[webfact]

Police now rule out Koh Tao headman’s son a murder suspect, turn to foreign tourists in the probe



BANGKOK: -- The police have ruled out a son of Koh Tao village headman as a suspect in the murder of two British tourists after he has evidence to prove he was not on the island at the time the murder occurred.

They now will also shift focus to foreign tourists in addition to migrant workers and local people.

Police now are trying to determine who left the island in the hours and days after the killing in hopes to revealing new suspects.

Eighth Region Command commissioner Pol Lt Gen Panya Mamen said Thursday investigators have now excluded the son of the headman Woraphan Toovichien, 49, from the suspect list as he was not on the island when the two Britons were brutally murdered.

He was in Bangkok, police said.

Headman Woraphan earlier announced to offer one million baht cash if the police have substantial evidence to implicate.

His brother Montriwat and son were earlier suspected to be involved. Montriwat looked like a suspect captured in a CCTV video footage on the night of the murder near the scene.

Montriwat was later accused by a British man working as a diving teacher in Koh Tao, Sean McAnna, of threatening him with life to admit to the killing of the two Britons. He fled the island in a hurry and later revealed his nightmare after returning home in the UK.

But his accusation was dismissed by Montriwat who also revealed that Sean had blood on his face and body on the same night.

Montriwat disclosed that an employee of his brother he identified as Jok helped to wash blood from his face and blood.

When asked about the blood on the face and body, Sean claimed it was caused by accident, according to Montriwat and his brother Woraphan.

The employee who washed blood from Sean also was reluctant to give information after the police ruled Sean out of a suspect because he is a European as DNA samples found in the body of Ms Hannah Witheridge indicated the suspects as Asians.

Earlier the Eighth Region Police commissioner Pol Lt-Gen Panya Mamen also said it was very unlikely that Sean was a suspect as evidence was weak.

Meanwhile on Thursday Pol Maj-Gen Suwat Jaengyodsuk, acting chief investigator of the Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB), who was sent to help local police investigate the murder, said police had collected 30 DNA samples from migrant workers on the island in a bid to find clues to the murders.

So far more than 200 DNA samples were tested but none matched samples found in the body of Ms Hannah Witheridge, 23, and in a cigarette butt left near the scene.

Pol Maj Gen Suwat, who is one of the best investigators at the MPB, defended the mass collection of DNA samples, saying police were not doing it simply at their own will but would be on persons who were suspected otherwise it could infringe on the rights and freedom of the people which is against the law.

The testing of foreign workers was part of the probe to find the killers, he said.

Pol Maj Gen Suwat, however, called progress on the investigation “satisfactory”, noting it will take time to solve the mystery.

Since the killings, police have focused on finding Asian men of 170 centimetres tall and with a 40 shoe size, based on surveillance camera footage and footprints on Sairee beach where the couple died.

A suspect caught by the surveillance camera of a resort wore pants and also had tattoo, according to the disclosure earlier by Montriwat Toovichien, the brother of the village headman, when he was questioned by the police as a suspect after he looked like the man on the tape. He was cleared when he had no tattoo.

Sources said police still have four groups of suspects: alien workers, male foreign tourists, those who might have had a fight with a victim at a bar and local community leaders.

On Thursday police admitted they had been unable to narrow their search any further.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/police-now-rule-koh-tao-headmans-son-murder-suspect-turn-foreign-tourists-probe/


-- Thai PBS 2014-09-26

[MJP]

Bought and paid for.

[meatboy]

well this is a surprise.

[siampolee]

More twists than a corkscrew in this police farce force investigation.

[ClutchClark]

"Pol Maj Gen Suwat, who is one of the best investigators at the MPB, defended the mass collection of DNA samples, saying police were not doing it simply at their own will but would be on persons who were suspected otherwise it could infringe on the rights and freedom of the people which is against the law."

Good for the thai Police to follow the law and respect the rights of its citizens.

Migrant workers--not so much.

[coma]

So we,ve come full circle have we? How many asian foriegn tourists were on the island at the time of the murders ? What do the BIB have as a motive for the murders? Rape does't fly as there was a young, strong and healthy male present. Have the BIB taken DNA from all speed boat operators in the region ? No. Ohh. Sorry, am I hindering the investigation?

[Fiddlesticks]

Today's Koh Tao murder suspects have been randomly drawn from the Thai police suspect lottery bin. And today's winner is . . .

Today we have FOREIGN TOURISTS! This selection promises to be exciting and entertaining. Police on Koh Tao today will be collecting DNA samples from every tourist on the island and surrounding islands as well! In the mean time, Police Chief says there is now enough evidence to begin arresting foreign perpetrators.

Be sure to watch tomorrow's news for the latest Koh Tao murder suspect lottery selection. Headlines to follow.

[longstebe]

There goes the 1 Million baht then.

[MJP]

What happened to the Asian DNA from the semen samples?

[HiSoLowSoNoSo]

So they got semen DNA from 2 Asian and now they will target foreign tourists? Something is very wrong here.

[bigjules007]

These boys make the keystone cops look like the CIA

[Goshawk]

W E L C O M E . . . . !

[cornishcarlos]

I feel very sorry for the victims families.

This is just a clown show and they should deserve better than that. As should all murder and rape victims in this country.

I think even more international media pressure is required now.

[Plutojames88]

If you seriously ( and I know many here do) care....Tell the world.!!

How?

Join Twitter ...follow as many mainstream news organisations as you can and chat forums.

And post this stuff.

Sure it will boost TV s popularity .

But also show what's going on.

DNA was said to be Asian

Yet we seem now to be heading for a western target.

Ask why?

This goes much much deeper than two hate sex crimes

[BSJ]

What next? Alien's did it!

[siampolee]

Just released is the emblem adopted by the police farce force investigation team on Koh Tao.

[siampolee]

BSJ POST # 15

What next? Alien's did it!

No not aliens it was suicide you know.

[davetrout]

it has to do with the fight in bar have they dna all big boss types yet

[kalbo123]

Also they apparently had an argument in the bar before they got murdered, with who?

[rainman333]

What next? Alien's did it!

that is silly because we all know aliens don't exist.

But let's not leave out the possibility that ghost(s) may have done it, which would be extra ordinary since there was DNA left behind, could be the very proof needed to validate the existence of ghosts

[pratsku]

What next? Alien's did it!

no it was self inflicted..

[Mango Bob]

Did anyone think that Thailand had any Asian tourist on Koh Tao at the time of the murder.

[lannarebirth]

If you seriously ( and I know many here do) care....Tell the world.!!

How?

Join Twitter ...follow as many mainstream news organisations as you can and chat forums.

And post this stuff.

Sure it will boost TV s popularity .

But also show what's going on.

DNA was said to be Asian

Yet we seem now to be heading for a western target.

Ask why?

This goes much much deeper than two hate sex crimes

The article states that they will be investigating foreign tourists, not western tourists. One can be both foreign and Asian.

[CUNJU]

joke time

[phuketandsee]

I think it is becoming evident now (if not several days ago) that the BIB's credibility is totally shot. Without outside independent verification of all the evidence, who is going to believe their eventual conclusion?

I suspect many will only believe it now if it involves the so-called "powerful families"

[chrisinth]

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So they got semen DNA from 2 Asian and now they will target foreign tourists? Something is very wrong here.

Can Asians not be foreign tourists in Thailand?

[lildragon]

When will these damned people start forgetting about these stupid murdered tourists already! I want to use my bribe money... uhh I meant lovely donation from the stand up and reputable koh Tao business owners... to buy my mia noi a new car! But it's all we want answers this, you're investigation is a farce that.

We've already said that the suspects are Asian and already tried to pin this on foreigners sooo.... I know guys! Let's blame it on foreigners again, yeah we haven't gone down the crazed Korean/Chinese/Japanese tourists route yet! Even though the man wearing the murdered lads shorts running in the cctv footage is clearly south east Asian we just need to stall for more time until these stupid people forget the brutal murders of two young, innocent people at a popular tourist hot spot. *eyes roll*

I feel so sorry for the familes of Hannah and David. The bought cops will keep chasing their tails until the international media attention cools off and just slam this case into the 'deliberately unsolved' category. I won't forget and I'll never go to Koh Tao again.

[mrtoad]

If you go to Koh Tao, you are condoning and supporting the mafia. This is an absolute farce, bought and paid for.

[KKr]

Did I wrongly get the impression there was a DNA match earlier for one suspect. ?
Surely the person who managed to be in Bangkok has been DNA tested to make sure he did not pop in and out of the idyllic beach resort during the night ?

[phuketandsee]

I think it is becoming evident now (if not several days ago) that the BIB's credibility is totally shot. Without outside independent verification of all the evidence, who is going to believe their eventual conclusion?

I suspect many will only believe it now if it involves the so-called "powerful families"