Malaysian gang conflict leads to double murder in Bangkok

Eight Burmese nationals allegedly murdered two Thai men at a house near Bangkok due to a conflict within a human trafficking gang led by Malaysian men. The murderers reportedly fled Thailand following the incident.

The Superintendent of the Bang Kaew Police Station, Mongkon Onkaew, told ThaiRath that officers received a complaint from a Thai woman, 23 year old Wanutpreeya Patrhumthong, about two missing persons on Friday, April 21. She reported that her 24 year old boyfriend, Phanpisit “Team” Sukdonlaphat, and her 23 year old boyfriend’s friend, Mongkon “Gun” Itsaman, were missing.

Wanutpreeya told officers that she spoke to her boyfriend via the Line application at midnight on April 21, and then he disappeared. She messaged and made a call to him but there was no response.

Wanutpreeya went on to explain that her boyfriend told her that he would visit his friend, Gun, at a house in Soi King Kaew 39 in the Bang Phli district of Samut Prakarn before leaving. So, she went to the house to check on him the next day but no one was home.

Wanutpreeya said she found a large garbage back inside the house. Inside the bag were bloody clothes, a bag, shoes, and some of her boyfriend’s belongings.

Wanutpreeya then spoke with some locals living in the area to find out what had happened to her boyfriend. One person revealed that he heard someone in the house screaming for help that night. The person also showed Wanutpreeya a video recording of the night before which revealed more screaming.

Police officer Mongkon reported that an investigation points toward eight Burmese people who lived in the house. The accused and victims were members of a human trafficking gang led by a Malaysian man named Ali.

After tracking the murderers’ sedan, a red Honda, officers discovered the bodies of Team and Gun behind a thick growth of grass along Bang Bua Thong-Suphan Buri Road in the Nonthaburi province near Bangkok.

Team was stabbed in his chest three times while Gun had several knife wounds in his back and head. The murderers tied their arms and legs and wrapped them with blankets before dumping them.

Wanutpreeya later revealed that the house provided temporary accommodation for illegal foreign people who were smuggled into Thailand and eventually onto Malaysia. Her boyfriend and Gun were hired to buy food and drinks and take care of the trafficked people. They had been working there for about four months and were paid 300 baht per illegal worker.

Wanutpreeya added that she and her boyfriend lived in the accommodation before moving out to a new house in the Latkrabang district of Bangkok because her boyfriend had a conflict with one of the murder gang, a Burmese man named Somchai.

Wanutpreeya disclosed that the people who lived in the house included the Burmese man Somchai, Somchai’s Burmese wife Arbee, and a Burmese woman named Nuanchan.

On the night before the incident, Wanutpreeya said her boyfriend and Somchai argued on the phone about 100,000 baht. Then, he went to the house in Soi King Kaew 39 at 11.50pm to deal with the problem with Somchai but never came back.

Police believe that the motive of the murder was money and revealed they are looking for more evidence and searching for the murderers.

KhaoSod reported that the group had already escaped from Thailand.