THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
nationthailand

Suspect in 1993 Japanese killing arrested in Thailand

Suspect in 1993 Japanese killing arrested in Thailand

The Crime Suppression Division has arrested a Thai man, who allegedly murdered a Japanese woman then fled the country and returned to Thailand where he has lived for almost 20 years.

 

Deputy CSD Commander Pol Col Prasobchok Prommoon announced at a news conference that Veerasak Iampongsa, 39, was apprehended in Nakhon Si Thammarat's Tung Song district after travelling by bus from Bangkok to Trang. 
 
Veerasak is wanted by the Japanese police for the 1993 murder of Awaji Megumi, then 33, in Japan. It is alleged that he committed the murder, which was pre-meditated, then escaped to Thailand where he lived in hiding since. 
 
Japanese authorities cooperated with Thai authorities in the arrest.
 
The suspect confessed he met the victim in early 1993 through his Japanese girlfriend, whom he had met in Bangkok and who later invited him to work at a bar in Japan.
 
The two are alleged to have argued about money. The victim, who had gambling problems, looked down on Veerasak, calling him a prostitute and spat in his face.
 
The suspect is said to have stabbed the victim once and strangled her before taking her valuables.
 
Col Prasobchok said the case, whose statute of limitations will expire on March 14, was the first criminal case for which Japanese authorities had sought cooperation through the Attorney General’s Office and was successful.
 
As the two countries have no extradition treaty, the Japanese government asked the Thai authorities to carry out punishment in accordance with Thai law, thus the suspect will be tried in Thailand's Criminal Court.
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