Police arrest alleged murderer hiding at Phuket elephant camp

Police arrested an alleged murderer hiding at a Phuket elephant camp in Pa Khlok municipality. The suspect, 43 year old Amnuay Ketsarin, allegedly murdered a man with a machete in the southern Nakhon Si Thammarat province, over a land dispute.

Amnuay was wanted for murder on an arrest warrant issued by Thung Song Provincial Court on Saturday, Central Suppression Division (CSD) officers announced yesterday.

Amnuay allegedly murdered the victim over money he had paid him for a plot of land. According to The Phuket Express, the victim reneged on transferring the land ownership to Amnuay as the victim wanted more money.

On Friday, Amnuay visited the victim, as the land had not been transferred to his name. During the argument, Amnuay allegedly grabbed a machete and struck the victim’s head, killing him, The Phuket News reported.

Police did not reveal how they found out that Amnuay was hiding in an elephant camp. They also did not reveal the name of the camp where he was hiding.

Amnuay was taken back to Thung Song Police Station in Nakhon Si Thammarat. According to CSD officers, Amnuay has denied all charges against him.

In its report, the CIB warned people that lang purchase agreements must be registered in the presence of Land Office officials for them to be legally binding. The CSD said that if the two people cannot agree, they can sue each other in court to solve the issue.

This news comes after another recent knife killing in Phuket.

Last month, a Phuket kitchen staffer stabbed his colleague to death in the car park of a well-known hotel in Cherng Talay. Police believed the incident was caused by an ongoing conflict between the two men. The victim was rushed to Thalang Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.