Two held in slaying of tourist
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Confessed killer said he learned of death day after attack
Two suspects have been arrested for the widely reported murder last Wednesday of an Australian woman in Phuket, which also saw her friend wounded in the knife attack, police said yesterday.
They identified the alleged killer as Surasak Suwannachote, 26, who said he knifed victim Michelle Elizabeth Smith, 60, one time in the chest, and later attacked her friend Tammee Lee Lynn, 42.
The other suspect is Surin Thasthong, 37, who claimed to have watched from a distance and later fled with Surasak on a motorcycle.
Both men have been charged with attempted armed robbery leading to death and injury, and carrying weapons while travelling without good reason. They are now in the custody of Phuket police.
Police acquired an arrest warrant for Surasak, after a sketch resembling him was made available based on eyewitness accounts.
Police said the two male suspects were in custody in the southern province of Chumphon. They were due to be taken to Phuket late yesterday. Authorities had given the case top priority and offered a reward for information leading to the arrest of the killers.
Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung said the arrests and a quick solving of the case were important for Thailand’s image as a tourist-friendly destination.
Images from security cameras show Smith walking down a Phuket street when the two men pass on a motorcycle. The man on the backseat jumped off and tried to steal her bag, before repeatedly stabbing her after she resisted. Lynn also received stab wounds and underwent treatment requiring 24 stitches.
Quoting Surasak, police said he did not know Smith had died of the knife wound and learned of it after watching television news the following day. They said he then fled to his home in Nakhon Si Thammarat, and to Chumphon, where he was arrested. Surin went to an area near his home in Samut Sakhon's Ban Phaew district, where he was arrested after being implicated by Surarak.
Smith was on foot, and still able to approach a group of bystanders to ask for help after being stabbed, Surasak told police.
National police chief Pol General Priewpan Damapong said later that both suspects had been arrested for possessing and using crystal methamphetamine, or “ice”, and that he would fly to Phuket today to supervise the case and follow-up on the interrogation.
