Apirak angry, avers arrest over Aussie attack

PHUKET CITY: Phuket Provincial Police Commander Apirak Hongthong has stepped in to personally oversee the investigation into the brutal stabbing attack of an Australian expat and his Thai girlfriend in their home in Rawai before dawn on Wednesday (click here for our original report).

Maj Gen Apirak told the Gazette today that he was so unhappy with the Chalong Police investigation into the case that he led a special investigation unit to the scene of the crime in Rawai at 4 am today, about the same time the attack took place. The unit questioned suspicious characters and gathered other information needed to get the case moving at a faster pace.

Gen Apirak’s team left the scene at about 10 am and is now sharing the information they gathered with the Chalong Police investigation team led by Maj Jaran Bangprasert, he added.

The victims will be questioned again and all available information will be cross-checked against the descriptions and profiles of all known criminals in area, he said.

“This is a very sensitive case that could affect tourist confidence, so we must do our very best to bring the perpetrator to justice,” he said.

Gen Apirak admitted he was angry that he still had yet to receive any updates about the investigation by Chalong Police.

“I am not very happy with them now, but we will do our best to arrest the suspects. I am going to personally lead this investigation, so take my word for it that the perpetrator will be arrested,” he added.