Man found dead with 37 stab wounds

KOH SIREH: The body of a murdered man was found washed ashore near the Rassada Fishing port on Thursday morning. Pol Lt Khaneung Pitakkullatorn of Phuket Town Police Station said that he arrived at the scene at 8.30am to find the 25- to 30-year-old man lying face up, dressed only in a blue T-shirt and green underwear. He had been stabbed 37 times – once in the back of the skull, once in the neck, once in the right cheek, seven times in the right arm, 12 times in the chest and 15 times in the back, probably with a sharpened piece of steel reinforcing bar. Police believed that the victim was a fisherman who was killed at least 18 hours earlier after getting involved in a brawl, and that his body was later dumped in the sea. The corpse was handed over to the Kusonlatham Foundation. Pol Col Paween Pongsirin, superintendent of Phuket Town Police Station, told the Gazette, “We don’t have enough police officers in Phuket Town, but we will do our best to look after people’s safety in the port area. When it comes to the murder of Burmese at the port, and the control of Burmese workers, it is difficult to control things. “They move around a great deal and are always changing. Fishing crews work long and hard at sea, so when they come back to port many of them go out and get drunk. In some cases, drunkenness leads to brawls and, from time to time, death. “None of the Burmese is willing to come forward and give information to the police, or to be a witness in these killings. We also have a problem communicating with the Burmese.” The Gazette has recorded 24 murders in the port area in the past 22 months. Arrests were made in only one case – that of a mainland Chinese fishermen murdered by Thai youths. Of the remaining victims, one was thought to be Pakistani and 22 were believed to be Burmese.