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

[SirBser]

This deserves the death penalty asap!

[AGareth2]

any photo's of the suspects?

[binjalin]

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

​but he further added "we must keep this a secret otherwise they might abscond if they knew we were going to arrest them"

the press gave a "knowing wink"

[Katipo]

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

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

Wow...impressed !!! Not what I was expecting at all

Really?

This is exactly what I suspected.

Koh Tao is a lawless place where influential people can pretty much do as they please with impunity, and have done for a long time.

If the police had not focussed only on foreigners and Burmese fisherman because they said that there was no way a Thai could be responsible, they may have solved this a week go.

Local people must have spoken up, and if these guys did in fact do it, I am glad the police caught them...although one wonders without the glare of the International media, would they have solved it...before the next "crime du jour" captured everyones attention.

Next stage is the punishment as the world watches...death penalty reduced to life in prison for the confession?

The surprise is the arrests, not who did it.

The police probably did knew who did it days ago have been buying time by throwing up scapegoats and other smoke and mirrors in the hope of finding a way out for the son and brother of the influential figure.

Finally someone even more influential realised the damage this was doing to Thailand (thanks to international media) and said 'enough is enough'.

[mango66]

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....

sorry, you are right !

This is a special group of mafia in LOS !

[minikev]

I truly hope this is for real and these are the real killers. I hope they will show all the evidence including DNA match.

[cloudos]

Much respect to the RTP for going against the gravy train in this case. Would it now be appropriate to scrutinize the policeman who said "no Thai could have done this" and investigate his motive for uttering such rubbish (diverting attention, or just plain ignorance)?

[lildragon]

Son and brother of a local big guy eh? Should be interesting. If not I expect some Burmese names to be released as the culprits...

[thedivezone]

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

Well done to the Thai police!!

That will hopefully shut up all the cover-up-theory posters here!!

So now everyone can go back to their petty lives, where the daily hunt for the cheapest Chang is the main priority!!

Have a lovely afternoon!!

Read the article again, the police commander as much as admitted that it would have been a scapegoat, had it not been for the media attention.

[retarius]

Why on earth don't they arrest the murderers first and then hold the press conference to tell us? The police love their press coverage don't they?

[changnaam]

Well done finally to the RTP........

More importantly, well done Sean McAnna. If the events of the other night had not happened and you had not brought this to the forefront of the media then I am pretty sure there would have been a different outcome.

Now time to consider the poor family who have had to sit through this circus.

[littlebw]

so the picture sean took { the guy he said was the leader} then it could be his brother and son ?

looks like there was no way out and maybe they were getting at sean to take the rap?

[harrycallahan]

Even if they've fled the police should be able to find DNA traces at their usual residence, hairs, toothbrush etc. I trust they are onto the right people.

[Neilly]

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

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

Wow...impressed !!! Not what I was expecting at all

Really?

This is exactly what I suspected.

Koh Tao is a lawless place where influential people can pretty much do as they please with impunity, and have done for a long time.

If the police had not focussed only on foreigners and Burmese fisherman because they said that there was no way a Thai could be responsible, they may have solved this a week go.

Local people must have spoken up, and if these guys did in fact do it, I am glad the police caught them...although one wonders without the glare of the International media, would they have solved it...before the next "crime du jour" captured everyones attention.

Next stage is the punishment as the world watches...death penalty reduced to life in prison for the confession?

I wasn't surprised at who's got pulled...I will admit I was expecting a frame up

[DLock]

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

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

Wow...impressed !!! Not what I was expecting at all

Really?

This is exactly what I suspected.

Koh Tao is a lawless place where influential people can pretty much do as they please with impunity, and have done for a long time.

If the police had not focussed only on foreigners and Burmese fisherman because they said that there was no way a Thai could be responsible, they may have solved this a week go.

Local people must have spoken up, and if these guys did in fact do it, I am glad the police caught them...although one wonders without the glare of the International media, would they have solved it...before the next "crime du jour" captured everyones attention.

Next stage is the punishment as the world watches...death penalty reduced to life in prison for the confession?

The surprise is the arrests, not who did it.

The police probably did knew who did it days ago have been buying time by throwing up scapegoats and other smoke and mirrors in the hope of finding a way out for the son and brother of the influential figure.

Finally someone even more influential realised the damage this was doing to Thailand (thanks to international media) and said 'enough is enough'.

Maybe.

Certainly the way these guys work.

I just hope it was them, and I hope they catch the second guy before he makes it to Cambodia...

[angsta]

Great work from the Royal Thai Po... hang on. Great work from the French guy who did their job for them and the Police let the guy off the island to escape to the mainland. Another national embarrassment.

[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.

Which bar!? Is it AC or the other one ( cannot remember the name now sorry) which was mentioned as being owned/run by the man in those Sean Mcanna photos?

[almafudd]

"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."

Is that an admission that they have "arrested scapegoats" in the past?

"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."

Is that an admission that that local mafia or influential people have interfered with investigations in the past?

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

[les Dennis]

SO Sean McAnna gets his reward then, and hopefully thousands of apologetic posts from those who doubted him.

Edited September 23, 2014 by les Dennis

[Katipo]

Would be very interesting to see if one or both of those arrested are the same as in Sean's photo graphs. Not to mention the one on the left who was on the beach at the crime scene talking to the police.

[bluebluewater]

Whomever these suspects are, the next step will be ask them to turn themselves in whenever it might be convenient for them.

[Lupatria]

"Pol Lt-Gen Panya Mamen, commissioner of the Eighth Region Police Command, said the police have now detained all the suspects for questioning, and now have gained evidences of who are the murderer or murderers.

There is more than one, he said, and expressed confidence they will be arrested and charged within this week, he added."

A total contradiction in that statement then. Sad to say, but really don't have a lot of faith in this clown show, it looks like it's been a fit up right from the start.

I honestly thank you very much for your post. I was already thinking this is no country for old men because I had a problem to understand the Thai logic in this:

…police have now detained all the suspects

…and expressed confidence they will be arrested and charged within this week

[wilcopops]

DNA is not a miracle cure for crime............. it can be faulted in the wrong hands and incorrect conclusions and IDs can be drawn by the inept and the corrupt.

[angiud]

Nonsense post deleted

[fabphil]

Is this an episode out of the ' keystone cops '

[almafudd]

Would be very interesting to see if one or both of those arrested are the same as in Sean's photo graphs. Not to mention the one on the left who was on the beach at the crime scene talking to the police.

Yes I think Sean was key in breaking this tragic event wide open. With no thanks from the bib / rtp. He is one very lucky person to still be living and breathing...

[Chutney]

Can't find anything anywhere (apart from scant references on here) to the French man? Was this someone who had taken some photos of these two men harassing Hannah? Can anyone elucidate on this please?

[mango66]

I know a village head man in KoPg,

they are not reach,

but he was lucky on " lottery " and builded now his Thai style dream home,

not less than 10 mthb ;

nothing to do with mafia !!

[Minnehaha]

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....

sorry, you are right !

This is a special group of mafia in LOS !

Thais use the word mafia in English or Thai language, pretty much interchangeably. But more sophisticated Thais will use the word (phrase) "Puu tee mee itiphon meut" or person with influence of a dark nature... or simply influential person. This kind of person is often someone with power simply because of their title, name, wealth, or because they got it all by protecting and extorting money from local businesses and paying police and others to operate in this manner. My point is... Mafia conjures up racketeering, Godfather type of images and ways of operating. But in Thailand these kinds of 'influence' can be gotten if a person has a title or something that establishes them as a person to be respected (and feared). The patronage system further supports this.

[mojorison]

I'm just wondering if the locals would turn in the mafia for fear of repercussions.

Yes they might if it came to that. They might also take to vigilantism, (which already happened on Koh Tao more than 20 years ago, when they killed the one and only cop (at the time)... bashed him with a 2x4 with nails in it).....just sayin' .