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Three Burmese suspected in killing of British tourist |
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by Usa Pichai
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Friday, 27 March 2009 14:38 |
Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – British Embassy representatives are continuing their investigation in southern Thailand where a British tourist was killed by three suspected migrant workers from Burma.
Daniel Pruce, deputy British ambassador to Thailand, is coordinating the search for the body of Malcolm Stuart Robertson, a 64 year old British tourist who was killed on Monday while sailing with his wife Linda, 58, near Koh Dong, an island of Satun Province.
Sumeth Chailertwanitkul, Satun Province governor, said that Thai authorities are using three Navy vessels, one spotter plane and two military helicopters, in conjunction with a network of 100 local fishing boats, in their search for the missing body, which the suspects have told authorities they threw into the ocean after a botched robbery attempt on Robertson’s yacht.
After killing Robertson and disposing of his body, the three suspects are said to have then forced the wife of the deceased to steer the boat to shore.
Police arrested the three Burmese migrant workers on Wednesday aboard a raft about half a mile from the yacht. They remain in custody.
The three culprits, who were without identification, are said to be Ko, age 17, Ek, age 19 and Aow, age 18. In the absence of a body, they have thus far only been charged with assault, hostage taking and theft.
Sumeth was quoted by the Thai National News Bureau on Thursday saying that “the suspected are illegal migrant workers, so provincial authorities will raise restrictions on the group.”
The Satun governor has already ordered raids on illegal migrants in the province, having been urged to take more forceful action by Suthep Teuksuban, Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister, and Chawarat Chanweerakul, the Interior Minister.
Numerous migrant workers from neighboring countries of Thailand work in the fishery business in southern Thailand. In Satun province alone there are at least 600 boats employing migrant workers.
Linda Robertson was discharged from a local hospital on Wednesday and reunited with her family in Satun province.
On Wednesday, the issue was discussed during a seminar on human trafficking in Thailand’s fishery industry organized by Thai authorities and The Mirror Foundation.
Issara Somchai, the Minister of Social Development and Human Security, said that Thailand has the biggest number of fishery boats in the lower part of Asia and that some are using illegal underage laborers from Burma, Cambodia and Thailand to work on the vessels.
“These workers are victims of trafficking and sometimes are criminals too, such as the case in Satun,” iterated the minister.
In April, Somchai is scheduled to visit Burma to sign a bilateral agreement to address the human trafficking problem, including the issue of Rohingya asylum seekers, according to a report in the Thai newspaper Komchadluek on Wednesday.
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