Police shift focus to foreign tourists in Koh Tao murdere probe

[ttthailand]

Get hold of all the mobile/cell phone numbers that were on the island that night.

Given the killers are Asian, those that aren't registered, will probably have made some calls to people who are registered and they will be able to find out who the unregistered people were through those people.

It is too much work for them though and they will be able to have a list of numbers - two of which will belong to the real killers, so it won't happen.

This would be a good idea. If two or more people were involved there is a chance they spoke after this happened to get their store right or to make plans to leave the island. Also need to check Line and FB messages to see who was active shortly after the murders.

[wabothai]

Where is the 10 milion reward money? Not worth it?

[2befrank]

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.

Obviously the bank transfers have all cleared.

Check the headman's bank account for large cash withdrawals and transfers over the past 2 weeks or especially the past few days.

[2befrank]

Lets just hope that there is more going on behind the scenes and the information has yet to be released.

Thais are not stupid so perhaps we just need to give them a little more time to prove themselves before giving up hope.

There is no way they would be stupid enough to not at this stage DNA test Mon and even the son or other family members to see if there is a match. Even with witnesses saying otherwise it still needs to de done. Perhaps the samples they are waiting for contain this information.

Also, for sure they would not be so stupid to not be speaking to this girl already about the blood on Sean's face. Even if his DNA did not match he still could have been involved.

At some point these questions and others will all have to be addressed or for sure it will look like a coverup. The General (PM) will not let that happen as it would undermine all the good he has already done in weeding out corruption.

I hope to hear some good news soon on this matter.

You still clinging to DNA samples as being the thing to prove or disprove this case?

That evidence will certainly have been tampered with before all this talk of DNA sampling even started... The police are not stupid.

I just hope the UK authorities have also taken DNA samples from the body of the female victim and I hope they demand a cross test with the samples the Thai authorities have been working with to see if THOSE match, because I have a feeling those samples being used in Thailand are not the same in the female's body.

I know how it works here..... money has changed hands and there will NEVER be justice.

I hope all this corruption gets exposed, but I doubt it will.

[phanangpete]

Bring the General down, see if he can solve it.

Foreign tourists with Asian DNA , eh, thats a non distinct possibility, i would say .

The circus continues !

[Thai at Heart]

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.

Next headline.

"They have all already left the island"

[SPB65]

Whose bright idea was it to introduce DNA sampling anyway ? Everyone knows fat brown envelopes solve crimes.

I knew from the start that those DNA samples would just complicate matters.

One thing is for sure, who needs Twin Peaks and Fargo when you've got Thailand ?!

[tbthailand]

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

no asian tourists, but some chinese, korean, and japanese tourists...

[Neeranam]

"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.

It's against their constitutional rights, not law. ut is there any constitution now? No.

Migrant workers and non citizens have no constitutional rights anyway.

[animatic]

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.

So the killers were foreigners and the rapists left Asia DNA in their semen.

Righty O. So the police are saying;

westerners will brutally kill a rape victim to cover up someone else's crimes.

Seems another mindless pronouncement.

Do they see a microphone and feel compelled to speak whatever pops into mind?

I wonder what info exonerated this head mans son?

Edited September 26, 2014 by animatic

[Varangkul]

Can we all join hands and sing "Here we go round the Mulberry bush"?

[TV7]

They thing that gets me with the reporting of this entire incident is that everything is based on DNA, ie, people being released because their DNA doesn't match.

Where have the police got their samples of DNA from? Only the semen? For me, that is an irresponsible assumption that whoever had sex with the girl is automatically the murderer. That is not too clever as it appears nobody knows the events of that night. I have not heard that the DNA from the semen has been matched with any other samples from the crime scene.

The other thing I am baffled with is voluntary statements from the other foreigners that were with the victims that night, or rather the lack of them. In confliction with the previous highlighted text above, someone knows more about this than has been told.

IMHO of course.

We don't know what DNA we have, though from reports you do form the impression that it is only two lots of semen.

I am also baffled by the lack of witness reports. Maybe the locals are too scared to talk. But what about tourists? What happened to Hannah and David's friends? How about other tourists in the bar and beach area? It is strange that no one has seen or heard anything. The guest house they were staying at wad only 50m from the murder scene.

[Phil Water]

They thing that gets me with the reporting of this entire incident is that everything is based on DNA, ie, people being released because their DNA doesn't match.

Where have the police got their samples of DNA from? Only the semen? For me, that is an irresponsible assumption that whoever had sex with the girl is automatically the murderer. That is not too clever as it appears nobody knows the events of that night. I have not heard that the DNA from the semen has been matched with any other samples from the crime scene.

The other thing I am baffled with is voluntary statements from the other foreigners that were with the victims that night, or rather the lack of them. In confliction with the previous highlighted text above, someone knows more about this than has been told.

IMHO of course.

I must have read over 1000 posts on forum's since this story first broke with all sorts of theories, advice and criticism of and for the investigation. This post has to be one of the top three or four in my opinion.

Answers I'd like to know include why was Scott Macanna and these others who were with the deceased allowed to leave Thailand so quickly?

Also what of the Asian men caught on CCTV wearing the victims shorts while another was in his underwear?

There is also some pretty outlandish statements being made by posters on the first page of "Britons' murder: Police claim Koh Tao investigation hindered by media", that I will not even address. If there is any truth to these... gawd I hope not....

[TV7]

What theoretically can Britain as a country do in a case like this? What powers do they have ? And what powers could they enforce if they really wanted to make sure this was solved??

One simple thing they could do is threaten to warn all British tourists to avoid Thailand as the country is unsafe for women and lawless......taking the Thai prime ministers advice.

[Prbkk]

This horrible event and the farcical investigation of it leaves me with a feeling of dread: nothing has changed, nothing will change. This is a "hate crime" rather than sexually motivated and the efforts of the new minister to shore up Thailand's "image" are a reflection of the priorities here.

[MaStorn]

Not sure how the Thai legal system works here.

I guess you can refuse to give police a DNA swab sample in Thailand? Unless you are Burmese, in which case you don't have any human rights.

If suspect refuses, then I guess a court order is needed also in Thailand?

[mikemac]

This horrible event and the farcical investigation of it leaves me with a feeling of dread: nothing has changed, nothing will change. This is a "hate crime" rather than sexually motivated and the efforts of the new minister to shore up Thailand's "image" are a reflection of the priorities here.

Then you must have been very unhappy with the previous regime government because they were adept at the propaganda game but did nothing in the way of actually fixing anything or solving problems.

[harrry]

Is how the travel industry view it.

http://www.traveller.com.au/top-travel-photos-september-26-2014-10m8ga

[phanangpete]

I don't get it. The samples of Hannah's body indicated they were of two Asian men, yet they first state that "no thai could do this". Then investigate local families members for a little while, give confusing statements to the press that some of them are and suddenly aren't suspects, clear some of them out without DNA test, and then shift focus on foreigners once again - despite the fact: the DNA is still of two Asian men.

This case confuses the hell out of me, mostly because of how police has handled the investigation. But it all looks very much like done by seasoned criminals, mafia, or such - done with pack-mentality (several suspects). Someone said that it was about 2minutes walk from the bar to the murder scene - and it was right next to the beach party. There were several killers. I don't think foreign tourists would have the guts to actually do something like this on a foreign island, right next to the people (what was it, 100 meters to the party?). Especially knowing the consequences if getting caught. Only someone who relied they would not get judged, or at least convicted, would do something like this in a pack, so close to the beach party and the bar (where they most likely were followed from). Also, the events leading into the murder probably have had to happen at the bar. It's only logical explanation.

Now on a weird side-note, I remember checking Hannah's memorial page on Facebook right at the beginning. It was 15th or 16th day. There was this guy called "Julius Montenegro" who posted the raw death pics (shame on him, as it was insulting towards victims family) on that day. What was weird about it, was that he wrote a story about a local gangster hitting on Hannah at AC Bar, which he claimed to be led into the argument between the parties in the bar. It was weird, because this (to my knowledge) was not speculated on the news anywhere so early, but was mentioned days afterwards the first time. Don't know where he got the information from, and his name obviously was an alias, and was deleted later on (can't find his profile), as well as his posts on the memorial page, which also can't be read anymore. He was called a troll back then, but similar speculation about the argument later on reached news, as well.

Actually, this is by xray on Thaivisa forums at 19th of Sep (considering "Julius'" posts on FB):

"Somebody posted on Hannah's original Facebook stating why the where killed that night, they said that in the bar a local Thai was hitting on Hannah and Dave got in a argument with the Thai.

The Thai left and was hiding on the beach with a friend waiting for them to leave around AC bar.

Everybody I know on Koh Tao who works there left the same day because all bartenders are foreigners with no work permits, they all say this is what happened. It's sad you don't hear about this in the news.!" "

"Julius Montenegro" had to have posted either 15th of Sep (I think this is correct) or 16th, since the replies to his "story" and pictures on the memorial page are still up, and they date back to the 16th.

For some reason, the story described above sounds very probable.

I heard three nights ago in a restaurant in Koh Phangan, from a guy who is married to a thai and knows people on Koh Tao, that the argument did take place with the guy in question.

He then gave an order to two , staff, or other Asian men, to kill them.

Regarding the story about blood on Mcanna's face , this needs to be cleared up, yes how did it happen, what accident, at what time etc.

The police , i think .don't really want to solve this .

Edited September 26, 2014 by phanangpete

[BangkokHank]

When the suspects were foreigners, their pictures were plastered all over the media. When the main suspect was a well-connected Thai, the police went out of their way to keep his face out of the media. I wonder if that was because they knew all along that he was going to be cleared of involvement in the murders?

I also wonder, if he was in Bangkok studying all this time, why he didn't turn himself in to the police and submit to having his DNA tested in order to clear himself - since he must have known that he was being sought? Is it possible that he hadn't even heard about the crime? Or is it more likely that he spent the week crafting alibis and waiting for deals to be done behind the scenes?

Just wondering.

[kimamey]

what size was the condom ?, was it a condom from overseas?has it been tested to determin brand? why no finger print only DNA tests ?, what size footprints found around the murder scene, all things real detectives would look for, what do I know I am just a brickie.

The most common brand of condom in the UK is Durex but they are made in India and Thailand as far as I know.

[dieseldave1951]

this awful thing should have been given to UK police who have all the expertise this police farce could not catch a cold much less murders

but this saving face is the only thing thats important to Thais, all the farce is doing is thrashing around like a beached whale and and getting no where

such a shame for the families involved to see that there is little hope of catching the right people ( so a scapegoat is needed now)

soon it will come

[DLock]

I log on to TV each day wondering who the police say they are going to arrest or focus on today for the murders.

Today is "foreign tourists" day.

Wonder who it will be tomorrow?

[ukrules]

I'm smelling a lot of bullshit coming from the direction of Koh Tao

At this stage I have zero confidence in them and don't believe anything they say. I'm sure I'm not alone in my thoughts.

I've recently read about the procedure for investigating the murder of a foreign tourist (Kirsty Jones in Chiang Mai) and based on past cases they seem to be following the same rules here. Find a foreigner and blame it on them by any means necessary.

Did they or didn't they hand over DNA evidence to the FBI ?

Was there any evidence left when the body was flown back to the UK or was it all removed ?

[taony]

notCool.JPG

Is how the travel industry view it.

http://www.traveller.com.au/top-travel-photos-september-26-2014-10m8ga

That's just rude.

[metisdead]

Inflammatory posts and replies have been removed as well as off topic posts.

[Pomthai]

Remember when a Malaysian student got mugged during the London riots in August 2011 and it was world news. How could this happen in London, England? It's not safe to travel there any more, etc. By the way heres a link:-http://www.thestar.com.my/story/?file=%2f2011%2f8%2f10%2fnation%2f9272131

Is this not the same as these current murders in ko tao? How could this happen in Ko Tao, Thailand? It's not safe to travel there any more, etc

Maybe we are overacting a bit and sometimes terrible events happen. Hopefully this won't happen again and Thailand's tourism will recover and so to the safety of tourist. Installing CCTV cameras on islands and other popular tourist areas is a step in the right direction. An increase in Tourist policing will also help..

How can you draw a comparison between a mugging, and at the murder of two people plus a rape?

[casindonet]

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

Nope nothing is wrong....this is Thailand.

[balo]

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

Have you ever heard about foreign Asian tourists ? I am sure both Japanese, Koreans and Chines tourists visits the island from time to time. Or what about an american asian ?

[Jeremy50]

Very strange. The Headmans son became a suspect because he left the island on the first ferry after the murder. Now he has seemingly proved he was in bangkok.

Either the police are incompetent because he did not leave on the first ferry, or they are incomepetant because despite the evidence to the contrary, he did.

I suppose you could substitute corrupt for incomepetant in the latter case.

We have not heard that his DNA did not match have we? Also, Bangkok has cameras everywhere so lets see proof that he was there and not on the island. And why has it taken them 5 days to decide that he was in Bangkok?