Sex clip row ends in death
A Narathiwat teen's confession that he acted alone in throttling and stabbing to death a former sleeping partner has up-ended police theories about the brutal slaying.
Ra-ngae district police nabbed Abdullah (no surname given), 18, at his home in Kalisa sub-district for fatally stabbing motorcycle salesman, Hilmi Yako, 25, inside his white Toyota sedan. He earlier tried strangling him with a nylon rope found at the scene, and stabbed him to finish off the job.
The suspect, who admitted the murder, claimed he was angry because the victim recorded a video of them having sex and refused to delete it from his phone.
News media reports have made much of the fact the victim recently started his first job and was the mainstay of his family. His relatives have cast doubts on the suspect's claims that he acted alone and want a more detailed probe.
Police say the DNA analysis by a forensic team in Narathiwat helped lead them to the killer. However, his Feb 11 arrest and confession in which he insisted acting alone upset earlier theories about the case.
Police initially suspected that at least two offenders must have been involved: one sitting behind the victim, who throttled him; and another in the passenger seat, who stabbed him.
A third person was thought to have picked up the offenders on a motorcycle and fled in what they said was a well planned, premeditated attack.
However, they could not figure out a motive other than "personal conflict", as the victim was not known to have any problems with anyone.
In fact, Abdullah said he arranged to meet Hilmi alone. Hilmi, he said, was planning a trip to Vietnam.
He was sitting in the passenger seat and asked his friend to delete the clip he had taken secretly of them having sex, but Hilmi, police said, refused, leading to an argument which culminated in the fatal attack.
Hilmi hit the accelerator as they were talking, sending the vehicle into the ditch below. One TV report said Abdullah tried to strangle him with the rope but realised he was still alive, so stabbed him five times in the chest, abdomen, and left rib cage with a fruit knife.
He discarded the rope at the scene along with a pair of white gloves, and removed a surveillance camera from the vehicle.
Police say they found blood stains on the driver's seat, along with a pair of glasses. They also found a ring under the seat, and a dinosaur toy. In the boot, officers found a black bag of clothing.
The suspect claims he fled into the forest, falling into a swamp and losing the knife, before clambering out and escaping via a concrete road. Police took him on a crime reconstruction, and searched the swamp, but could not find the weapon.
Pol Lt Gen Maitree Santayakul, Narathiwat police commander, said an investigation into the victim's phone records is ongoing.
The suspect said he and the victim met at a local park. "The victim picked him up from a friend's house, and they drove together. The suspect said the victim was bringing him a shirt," he said.
Regarding the rope and knife used in the crime, the suspect did not say if he had prepared them in advance. "The suspect's lack of truthfulness is not a significant obstacle; the main challenge is gathering witness testimony," Pol Lt Gen Maitree said.
TV reports said the victim's elder brother, among other family members, dispute claims Abdullah acted alone, and want police to review the evidence.
Police say they spoke to witnesses in the area. They learned the sedan had been seen parked by the roadside, and it appeared the occupants were talking. After a while, the car rolled off the road. Locals reported the incident to the village headman, who called police.
Investigators charged the suspect with premeditated murder. The probe continues.
Kids learn bad tricks
A mother in Chon Buri has complained to police after her son was forced to perform sex games at school by three older children from neighbouring countries.
The mother complains to police.
Netizens were aghast as news spread of the saga involving the Thai boy, aged 7, whose mother, "A", 33, went to Ban Bueng police when the school's reaction fell short.
A also posted a message to a website asking if she could sue the children concerned, news reports said.
The mother, a factory worker, said her son, aged 7, who is in Grade 1, was forced to perform sex games by three older children from Cambodia and Myanmar who study in the same class. She found out about the Feb 7 incident after a parent of one of her son's classmates contacted her.
A group of students aged 10 and 11, (some news reports said they were aged 8 and 9), consisting of Cambodian and Myanmar nationals, had restrained her son and A's own son and forced them to perform oral sex, she said.
They waited until there was no one in sight, pinned down the boys and forced them to submit.
A said her son did not mention anything about it until she asked. She decided to question her son after his classmate's mother contacted her to ask if her son had also been subject to the same treatment.
A said she was shocked when her son admitted he had been restrained by the older students.
She decided to ask at the school, which is in Map Phai sub-district. The teacher said the children were "just playing" and wanted to try it out. However, A insists the kids were not playing, and her son did not want to try it.
She said the school has many foreign students from Cambodia and Myanmar, outnumbering Thais. The school, she said, accepts students from neighbouring countries who are older but study together.
She understands the school wants to provide a better future for the migrant children, but she thinks they should "screen" children better because not all kids are the same. She was also unsure about the behaviour of children from neighbouring countries and how they play.
A said the parents of the offending children had not contacted her, and nor had school called them in for a chat. The school had, however, offered to install additional CCTV cameras to monitor student behaviour.
The older students, A said, took advantage of a time when no one was watching to invite her son to play inappropriately, without him knowing whether it was appropriate or not.
Other parents, she said, remarked that their sons, also in Grade 1, had encountered older school students who offered them candy in the bathroom, saying, "Do you want some candy?" The children ran away and refused to participate.
The term "candy" is slang among inmates, meaning the kids were about to be initiated, reports said. Accepting the candy implies one must engage in sexual activities.
The Office of the Basic Education Commission (Obec) ordered an investigation. Ban Bueng police, meanwhile, said the issue is a sensitive one involving children aged under 15, requiring an investigation with multidisciplinary teams.
They urged parents to set a good example. They will summon the parents of the foreign children for counselling.
And that's 'Cut!'
A man in Chiang Mai suffering from stress decided to practise "drifting" at speed around city street corners to help work off his tensions.
Locals alerted Chang Phuak police after seeing the white Suzuki sedan taking street corners at high speed in Muang district. He would tackle a corner, stop and take off again as if performing a stunt in a movie.
Chutipong
Police caught up with Chutipong (no surname provided), 40, outside a convenience store in Suthep sub-district, when he admitted driving recklessly.
He said several problems had come to a head so he decided to take his car out drifting to work off stress.
He said he was a fan of Dominic "Dom" Toretto, a fictional character in the Fast & Furious franchise played by Vin Diesel.
He had been practising drifting (making controlled skids through a turn), Dom-style, for about a month but wanted to try it on city streets rather than a racetrack because it was more exciting.
After being caught, he expressed remorse and apologised to motorists.
However, he said he would continue to drift, albeit in safe locations that wouldn't disturb others.
Pol Col Winitchai Pinitsak, head of Chang Phuak police, said a medical check found no drugs in his system and no psychiatric history, suggesting it was a personal preference.
Chutipong's car, which he took 'drifting' around corners.
However, racing on public roads was illegal and unacceptable. Police charged Chutipong with reckless driving, operating a vehicle without regard for safety, using a vehicle without a licence plate, and driving without a valid driver's licence.
He spent his first night in a holding cell as he was denied bail.
On day two, police set bail at 50,000 baht while waiting for further medical documents. They said they would ask the Chiang Mai District Court to order confiscation of Chutipong's vehicle as his behaviour posed a danger on the road.
