Burmese man denies killing Thai taxi driver despite bloodstains in room

A Burmese man denied killing a Thai taxi driver, despite the discovery of suspicious bloodstains on his clothes and belongings in his rented room in the central province of Nonthaburi.

The body of an unidentified man was discovered in a pond at a fish farm near the Chakri Naruebodindra Medical Institute in the Bang Phli district of Samut Prakan province, yesterday, August 27. The upper part of his body was submerged in the water, while his legs remained exposed. His arms were bound behind his back.

The man was wearing a grey polo shirt and long beige trousers. He had a severe wound to his head and tattoos on his arms and back. Officers from Bang Phli Police Station estimated that the man died at least 12 hours before he was discovered.

The deceased was later identified as a 63 year old Thai man, Meechai Phanchai, a taxi driver operating a yellow-green car with the registration plate 1 มค 69. He picked up a passenger from Nonthaburi province, near Bangkok, and dropped the passenger off near the scene.

Officers also found a long trail of tyre tracks, suspected to belong to the deceased’s car, at the scene. Police reviewed security camera footage and discovered that the yellow-green taxi was driven by someone other than Meechai.

Meechai’s relative, 43 year old Rabiab Meesri, told police that a suspicious man called another relative at about 9am yesterday. The man demanded 20,000 baht from the family and threatened to kill Meechai if they did not pay the requested amount.

The family did not pay the money and did not report the matter to the police believing the man to be a scammer.

Further investigation led police to arrest the suspect, a 39 year old Burmese man named Mauang Kyaw Min, at a rented room in the Bang Bua Thong district of Nonthaburi province. Meechai’s taxi was parked outside the accommodation.

The Burmese man insisted that he did not murder Meechai and did not know the deceased personally. He claimed the taxi was with him because he was a technician and was going to repair the car.

Police then searched his room and found some belongings covered with bloodstains. Meechai’s mobile phone was also in Mauang Kyaw Min’s room.

Officers have not yet issued charges against the Burmese suspect and the motive for the murder has not yet been identified.