Tourists murdered on Koh Tao

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Tourists murdered on Koh Tao

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How not to improve your national reputation. :(

http://www.bangkokpost.com/most-recent/ ... on-koh-tao

Stay tuned for more, or check your news sites for more details as things are revealed in coming days.
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British Tourists Beaten To Death On Thai Beach

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The naked bodies of two British tourists who had apparently been attacked with a hoe have been found on a beach, police have said.

The man and woman were found with gruesome head wounds on a rocky beach on Koh Tao, an island in Surat Thani province known for its diving sites and stunning beaches.

The victims' clothes and a hoe with blood stains were found nearby, Colonel Prachum Ruangthong from Thailand's police force said.

Police suspect the two were slain with the hoe, leaving deep wounds on their heads.

Investigators have been checking CCTV footage from nearby restaurants, hotels and shops for clues, Col Prachum said.

The Foreign Office has said it is aware of the reports and is urgently looking into them.

More follows...

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Re: Tourists murdered on Koh Tao

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More already.......

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/4 ... on-koh-tao
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Re: Tourists murdered on Koh Tao

Post by JamesWest »

The girl was raped...
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Re: Tourists murdered on Koh Tao

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Judging from the photo with the island in the background and those rocks, I'd say that is town end of Sari beach (which is the main beach) and there are lots of parties there. It's a long while since I was on the island but there used to be the main nightclub/disco around there......can't remember it's name now, began with an "A".

It's a small island....only about 7 km long so I guess this episode will be a big shock for many that reside there.
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Re: Tourists murdered on Koh Tao

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How long will it take for them to arrest a foreign illegal worker probably a Burmese fisherman, case then
solved.

My condolences to these young lives lost.

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Re: Tourists murdered on Koh Tao

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I'm worried about a "suspect of convenience". They need to look at everyone, including foreigners who were at the beach party. I guarantee Bangkok has been on the phone wanting to close this ASAP, which sometimes results in hasty conclusions.
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Re: Tourists murdered on Koh Tao

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Well if their was a sexual assault DNA won't be wrong time to take mouth samples or six strands of hair from everyone on the island.

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Re: Tourists murdered on Koh Tao

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This story is currently headline news in the UK, ahead of the referendum. Media are not reporting that she was raped, and that Koh Tao is a "party island".
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Re: Tourists murdered on Koh Tao

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Re: Tourists murdered on Koh Tao

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Wow, this is all over both BBC and CNN this morning. Just finished watching Jonathan Head do about 3 minutes, inclusive of a history of Britons killed here previously.

At present they seem to be focusing on a European tourist who left the island before they could implement a transport shut down yesterday. They think he's in Bangkok. No idea if suspect, witness or other. Pete
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Re: Tourists murdered on Koh Tao

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Koh Tao 'sealed off' after two tourists brutally killed

Gruesome murders of British pair on island paradise shock locals and visitors

BANGKOK: -- POLICE have sealed off the resort island of Koh Tao off Surat Thani province to hunt down killers who brutally murdered a British couple and possibly raped the woman on Sunday night. The 24-year-old victims have been identified as Hannah Witheridge and David Miller.

Last night, one of Miller's friends was detained after he provided conflicting information, Surat Thani police commander Pol Maj General Kiattiphong Kaosam-ang said. There were multiple scratches on the suspect's body and he had a serious wound on his hand.

However, Kiattiphong said surveillance camera footage also showed an Asian man fleeing the scene at 3am, which prompted investigators to initially believe there might be a sole attacker. Police believed he could possibly have been a migrant worker or fishing-trawler crewman.

The deaths have come as a shock to tourists and residents on the small island, which is known as one of the best diving sites in Thailand.

Initial investigation at the site on Chor Por Ror beach has been completed and bodies will be sent to Bangkok for autopsy and further forensic examination.

Kiattiphong said both victims had arrived at the island separately. Witheridge checked in at Ocean Ville resort on August 27, while Miller arrived on September 13. Witheridge was with four girlfriends, while Miller came with two or three other men. As their rooms were close by, the two groups came to know each other.

Investigators learned that the victims had gone to a party at the neighbouring AC Resort, and left together before their bodies were found at 6.30am yesterday.

Police sealed off the island and kicked off a manhunt for the attackers. Residents have also been helping with the search.

According to Kiattipong, "most of the wounds were to their heads" and said he believed the suspect, or suspects, were "probably still on the island".

It was not immediately known whether Witheridge was sexually assaulted - that is expected to be determined in the autopsy. Both victims were naked when discovered.

A statement from the British Embassy in Bangkok said officials were "urgently seeking information from local authorities. Consular staff stand ready to provide assistance to friends and family at this tragic time".

Checkpoints have been set-up on the island's two piers, and local police called for reinforcements from Koh Pha-ngan, while high seas prevented ferries and boats from leaving.

Distraught friends of the victims - who had seen the pair partying just hours before their bodies were found - gathered at the local police station.

Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, meanwhile, said Tourist Police were already on high alert. She added that tourists visiting the Kingdom would all be under the protection of official bodies to prevent further damage to the country's reputation.

An employee at the budget Ocean Ville resort told AFP that the bodies were found behind some large rocks on the beach about 20 metres from each other and a bloodstained hoe was found nearby.

"This is the first time that this has happened on the island. I have never seen anything like this," the staff member added requesting anonymity.

Regional commander Pol Lt-General Panya Mamen and Kiattiphong had flown into the island earlier upon hearing of the gruesome killings.

This was yet another horrific crime against foreign tourists and British citizens in recent years - including the 2006 rape and murder of Briton Katherine Horton, 21, on nearby Koh Samui and the 2000 rape and murder of Kirsty Jones, 23, at a guesthouse in Chiang Mai.

There were 389 deaths of British nationals in Thailand in the year to March 2013, about one for every 2,400 visitors or residents although that figure includes natural causes.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/nationa ... 43363.html

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Re: Tourists murdered on Koh Tao

Post by Jaime »

Guess what:

"Thai police said they were now focussing their investigation on the Burmese migrant worker community on the island Koh Tao."

Full report here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-29225672
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Re: Tourists murdered on Koh Tao

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^ does anyone else think the burmese worker may be a scapegoat/easy target?!?
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Re: Tourists murdered on Koh Tao

Post by richard »

theprice01 wrote:^ does anyone else think the Burmese worker may be a scapegoat/easy target?!?
Who knows but think about it. What is Thailand's government and limping tourist trades priority in nailing a culprit?
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