Two held for murder of Chinese fisherman

PHUKET TOWN: Two young men have been arrested and charged with the murder of a member of the crew of a mainland Chinese fishing boat during a brawl in the fishing port in the early hours of yesterday morning. They have also been charged with assault on another member of the boat’s crew. Pol Maj Songwut Khunjan, Investigation Inspector with the Phuket Town Police, said police arrived at the scene of the brawl after receiving a report at about 3.25 am. “We found a body lying on the floor in a pool of blood. It was identified as that of Farng Sew, 28, from the mainland Chinese fishing vessel Jong Yuan Yu 1231. Death had been caused by a stab wound to the neck.” Maj Songwut said that another crewmember, Tai Ya Yu, 38, had been seriously injured when he was beaten around the head with a blunt object. He is now in intensive care at Wachira Hospital in Phuket Town. “Witnesses told us that the two Chinese, along with other members of the crew, were sitting on the quay, drinking and talking loudly in Chinese, when five young men rode by on motorcycles. “The young men apparently took offense, stopped, and attacked the Chinese.” Two men, Wutthibut Kittitanongsak, 24, and Chusak Charnchon, 19, were arrested later in the day in Phang Nga and were charged with murder and assault. The other three remain at large, but Maj Songwut said that police know who they are and expect to arrest them soon.