Suspect says he stabbed Chinese businessman to death in South Thailand

UPDATE

In the latest development on the killing of a Chinese businessman in South Thailand‘s Trang province, police have caught three suspects believed to be involved. One of the suspects says he stabbed the victim to death.

Colonel Sakda Jaroenkun, Deputy Commander of the Region 9 Police, told The Phuket Express that police in Satun successfully arrested three suspects identified as 22 year old Natdanai ‘J’, 19 year old Nattaphon ‘It’, and 17 year old and Fai. All three suspects are originally from the southern Satun province.

During the arrest, the authorities confiscated several items, including a knife, the victim’s sedan, 11 bank books, five ATM cards, one credit card, 11,700 baht in cash, two passports, and a wallet.

One of the suspects, Natdanai, confessed to the police, providing details of the incident. He revealed…

“Fai is my friend. The Chinese man, Zhirui Li, asked me in an online chat for sexual services with Fai. This was the third time he had gone with Fai at this resort. While they were at the resort in Trang, Fai called me and said that the Chinese man refused to pay her and struck and attacked her. Fai reportedly put sleeping medicine in his alcoholic drink to calm him down but it did not affect him.

“I asked Fai if she wanted me to kill him. She said do you dare or not. After that, I went into the resort room via a window that Fai opened for me while my friend Nattaphon, who was responsible for transportation, was waiting outside. I went into the room while the Chinese man was in the bathroom. I used a knife to stab and slash Li to death before all three of us sped away with his belongings and his sedan.”

The Region 9 police are continuing their investigation into the incident, noting that Fai is a minor under Thai law.

The victim, 43 year old Zhirui Li, was reportedly a rubber businessman in the Koh Lanta area and was married to a Thai woman with whom he had three children.

Police and emergency responders found Li with more than 20 stabs and slash wounds, including to his chest.

ORIGINAL STORY

Cleaners at a resort in South Thailand‘s Trang province found a Chinese businessman‘s body with stab and slash wounds yesterday. Police were alerted of the incident in the Tub Tieng sub-district of Trang’s main city district in the afternoon. The victim was 43 year old Zhiru Li, The Phuket Express reported.

According to resort staff, a room cleaner attempted to contact Li using the phone number he provided upon check-in. When Li didn’t respond, the cleaner knocked on his door, but there was no answer.

The concerned cleaner informed the resort manager about this and obtained permission to enter Li’s room. The cleaner saw blood in front of the bathroom, making her scared to go inside. The cleaner then called another cleaner to inspect the shower area, where Li’s body was found clad only in a towel and covered in blood.

Police and emergency responders were called to the scene. They found that Li had more than 20 stab and slash wounds, including to his chest. Police estimate that he had died at least 12 hours before his body was discovered.

Several empty beer bottles and six unused condoms were found nearby.

Resort staff said that Li had checked into the room accompanied by an unidentified “Thai female friend.” They entered the room together on Monday (May 15) at around 4.15pm. However, upon investigation, it was discovered that Li’s mobile phone and sedan were missing, with no trace found within the room or the resort. Thai police are currently searching for the Thai female companion, withholding her identity from the public despite having a solid clue about her identity, according to their statements.

Police found that Li was a businessman who exported rubber and wood in Trang and neighbouring provinces. Resort staff members said that he always stayed at the resort during his vacations and owned a house on Lanta Island.

Li was an expatriate who had a Thai wife from Trang and three Thai children. Li’s wife came to the resort to see his body. Due to her grief, she did not comment on the situation or the potential identity of the suspect.