The second suspect in the investigation into the murder of a Thai couple in Taiwan is currently in the custody of Crime Suppression Division police, after he was apprehended in a village in the Nong Kung Si district of Thailand’s north-eastern province of Kalasin.
According to Pol Lt-Gen Jiraphop Bhuridej, commissioner of Central Investigation Bureau, the suspect, Thanawat Poomkhemthong, has confessed to involvement in the killing of the Thai couple and then hiding their bodies in the trunk of their car, which was driven to the car park of a train station in Taoyuan special municipality in Taiwan.
He said that the first suspect to be taken into police custody, Santi Supa-apiradeepailin, purchased an air ticket for Thanawat, to fly back to Thailand from Taiwan on June 11th, because the murder case had become a matter of considerable public interest in Taiwan.
He also said that Santi agreed to give 500,000 baht each to Thanawat and the third suspect, Samart sae Lee, who is still at large, but only 20,000 baht had been actually paid.
The CIB commissioner said that he does not completely believe Santi’s claim that the murders were the result of a business conflict and suspects that there might be other motives involved.
The Thai couple, who had Taiwanese citizenship, are thought to have been killed on June 8th, when they went to see Santi at his office in Taiwan to settle their business dispute. Their bodies were found by Taiwanese police two days later.
Santi is currently being held at Bangkok Remand Prison pending further questioning by the police.
