“WE WILL CATCH THE CYBER MEN” say Thai Police under attack for Koh Tao murder investigation

The technical know-how of the Royal Thai Police subject to ridicule yesterday as an ‘Anonymous’ hacker collective known as ‘Blink’ believed to be Burmese, took down fourteen police websites including  the Bangkok Metropolitan Police Bureau and General Staff Division.


Police spokesman Dechnarong Suticharnbancha said he had ordered the Technology Crime Suppression Division to track down the perpetrators.

Said Dechnarong:

“Even if the source of attack was from abroad, they will be convicted eventually. “It’s not a problem. Thai police are excellent.” 

In a matter of seconds he had added another unlikely claim to the country’s police library of ill-considered police statements the most common of which is: ‘We will make an arrest within a week’.

The attacks followed publication on Sunday of a report on Facebook by ‘Anonymous’ (not confirmed as the same group) naming mafia figures on the island of Koh Tao as being those responsible for the murders of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller last year.

The attack was a vicious portrayal of corruption and incompetence in the RTP and ‘Anonymous’ called on tourists to boycott Thailand for their own safety.; this despite the fact that the family of David Miller have expressed satisfaction at the verdict.

While the controversy over the conviction and death sentences of two Burmese for the murders of Hanna Witheridge and David Miller continues amid allegations of dubious DNA evidence, up country in the North Eastern Thai province of Chaiyaphum – police have had a surfeit of DNA evidence on a murder which they appear reluctant to solve.

And the victim’s widow said:

 “If the Royal Thai Police were in the same room that the murder happened they would still be capable of losing the DNA, forensic evidence, and forgetting what actually what went on in front of their eyes.”

Jawad

In the murder case of Jawad Rasheed Khan, who was gunned down by two assailants using .22 and 9mm handguns police have suppressed DNA evidence and sent a case to the public prosecutor so shoddy that they had no hope of gaining a conviction.

Currently there appears to be a dispute between Chaiyaphum’s former police chief and the current one. This appears to have enable police files to be released.   The initial prosecution file was so poorly put together that not only did it have the day of the murder wrong, but also the year.

The day and the morning of the murder, November 20 2013, Jawad’s wife Vanida Boongeon, an American-Thai, who had returned home to open a fish farm in her own village, received threats from Uwe Seliger, a German national.  (Seliger had paid a dowry to a young Thai wife whom Vanida had found for him.  But on the wedding night she failed to deliver and Seliger blamed Vanida accusing her of fraud.

His messages sent by SMS on the AIS system were direct death threats less than two hours after the deed but police did not treat them seriously.

The messages were written to suggest Vanida Boongeon had commissioned the deed. But he announced the deed before police were informed of the murder but at 5.42 nearly two hpurs after it. And AIS confirm these messages.

Jawad was gunned down on his fish farm, which was a large supplier of Tilapia fish to the CP conglomerate, the day after he had a major row with Vanida’s brother Thongpuen Boongeon after catching him stealing fish and loading them up to sell privately.

Thongpeun and Seliger were seen together the same day.

Vanida

At the farm at the time of the murder on the fish farm about 4 am were Vanida’s brother, her sister and her sister’s husband. The murder was not reported until after 7 am and the police did not arrive until after 9 am.
By then there was evidence that Jawad’s body was moved from outside to inside the room where he usually slept. His blood was found outside and in the mosquito net where the sister and husband slept, and blood DNA was taken from Thong.. leg and shirt and he had both Jawad and his own blood on him. 
After the murder he had scratches and bruises which suggested he was involved in a scuffle.

DNA from a third person was also discovered. Police appear to have done little to find out to whom that belonged.

Seven months after the murder on June 5 2014 the prosecutor ordered the formal dismissal of murder case 1395/2556 and ordered no future investigation.
The order was signed by Mr. Chumporn Thongpaeng, Specialist Prosecutor, Region 3, Royal Thai Police Chaiyaphum and Prosecutor, Mr. Satiratch Paitonphitak, Prosecutor Department, Chaiyaphum.

The reason for the formal acquittal of both accused (who had only spent one night in custody) was that the defendants said they did not do it and police did not believe Thongpeun did not do anything wrong.

“According testimonies of Mr. Thongpuen Boongeon, Ms. Wanna and Mr. Kompong Peuleung  (sister and husband)  Jawad Rasheed Khan drove from Nonthaburi on 17 November 2013, and arrived at Ban Non Liam between 10 – 11:pm same day. 

Mr. Boongeon heard a gun shots from window around 4:am on 20 November 2013, the gun fired 4 – 5 round ammunition inter Jawad’s body. 

Mr. Thongpeun knew this because he is slept in same bed with Mr. Jawad Rasheed Khan.  Jawad slept on right side of the bed and Mr.Thongpeun slept on left side of the bed.  And the gun was fired from window above Thongpeun’s head. 

 Prosecutor do not believed that Mr. Thongpeun did anything wrong, because Mr. Thongpeun had stated and both prosecutors believed him. 

Autopsy report revealed that 3 bullets fired that enter Jawad body from .22 pistols.  According to the doctor handling the autopsy Jawad was alive three to four hours after was shot.Before going to bed, all 4 people watch tv together and drink beer as well.

And on Uwe Seliger they reported:

Uwe Seliger – unrequited love

“There is no proof that he ordered the killing since there is no one come forward to claimed that he he had hired someone to kill Jawad Rasheed Khan.

b.    Only proves that they has is SMS threaten which sent on/before of Jawad being shots.

c.    SMS doesn’t prove anything, it is just matter of threaten

d.    Suspect had denial all the charged and both prosecutors believe him also.”

Vanida Boongeon said: “I know my family did it. And I believe they did it for only 50,000 Thai baht which they were paid. There was no sign of alcohol in Jawad’s body and police did nothing to verify the trajectory of the bullets, which it seems could not have been fired from the window.”  

She points to the DNA testimony which shows the Jawad’s blood was found on Thongpeun’s leg and shirt and also Thongpeun’s blood was found on his own leg and shirt supporting the fight theory.   In her sister’s room was a blood soaked blanket, there was more blood outside Jawad’s room, where police said he was murdered, than inside it.

Shot 3 times in bed but little blood here where he was discovered- and none on the bed!

But most strange of all is that Thongpeun, Wanna and Kampong Peulueang casually walked out of the farm between 8.30- and 9 am to report the incident to a farm worker. ..and police were not notified until after 7 am and there is no record of the name of the caller.

The decision to dismiss cases against Seliger and Thongpeun close the investigation and not look for the third man suggest not only is a foreigner’s life cheap in Chaiyaphum but the life of a Pakistani national just like that of a Burmese, hardly merits a second glance.  

It also gives another slant to the oft quoted expression: ‘There is nothing under the sun the Thai Police cannot do.’
Inquiries continue.