Body of woman found near Burmese workers’ camp

RASADA: The body of an apparent murder victim was found yesterday in a patch of grass near the Thaksin Concrete company building on Thepkrasattri Rd. The victim, a young woman, had head wounds indicating that she had been beaten with a blunt instrument. Police estimate that she died about three days before her body was discovered.

Phuket City Police Crime Suppression Inspector Pol Maj Pongnarin Suthin told the Gazette, “When I found the body it was face down in the grass. The victim was wearing jeans and a gray T-shirt. When we turned the body over, we saw that her forehead had been struck with a blunt object. I didn’t see any evidence that she had been raped. Her belt was still fastened and she had no other injuries apart from the head wounds. I think she was killed about three days ago.

“The body was concealed in thick grass, near a wall. A nearby path leads to a Burmese workers’ camp. We searched the area but found no sign of the murder weapon. The victim was not carrying any form of ID.

“I questioned a motorcycle taxi driver near the scene. He said that he had often seen the victim use the path. We therefore think the victim was a Burmese worker employed by one of the two cement companies in the area, Thaksin Concrete or Phuket Cement.

“Police officers are now making inquiries at the companies and at the workers’ camps to see if anyone is missing,” he said.

Burmese workers seldom, if ever, report crimes to the police, he added.

Maj Pongnarin said it was too early in the investigation to speculate about a possible motive.

The victim’s body is now at Vachira Hospital awaiting autopsy and identification, he said.