Volunteer taxi driver shot dead in front of tourists on Koh Samui
Family of slain Koh Samui volunteer taxi driver flees threats and seeks Justice Ministry help as police pursue eight suspects
Police are preparing to seek five additional arrest warrants in the case involving the fatal attack on a taxi driver in Koh Samui, as the victim’s family has asked the Justice Ministry for protection over fears for their safety.
The case concerns the death of 31-year-old taxi driver Sikharin, who was attacked by a group of men in Bo Phut subdistrict, Koh Samui district, Surat Thani province, on May 24.
His family has described him as a public-minded taxi driver who had helped transport pregnant women, elderly people, people with disabilities and low-income residents without charge.
Pol Lt Gen Trairong Phiwpan, Deputy Inspector-General of the Royal Thai Police and police spokesman, said after a case review meeting that investigators had made significant progress.
Police believe eight people were involved in the incident, with arrest warrants already issued for three suspects and one suspect taken into custody.
He said investigators were gathering evidence to seek warrants for five more people so that all those allegedly involved could be brought into the legal process.
Police said the investigation focused on an earlier dispute linked to taxi passenger pick-up areas.
The victim’s wife told Nation TV that her husband had previously had a disagreement with a group of black-plate taxi drivers after picking up passengers through a ride-hailing application in an area claimed by the other side.
She said there had earlier been attempts to mediate the dispute and that, one day before the incident, the family understood the conflict had been resolved. Her husband then returned to work as usual.
The family later obtained video footage of the incident from a foreign tourist, which they said was submitted to police as evidence.
The victim’s wife said witnesses in the area had been reluctant to give information, apparently out of fear.
The case has since widened beyond the criminal investigation to concerns over witness safety.
The victim’s wife, Onchuma, and relatives travelled to Bangkok with help from the Saimai Survive group to seek assistance from the Rights and Liberties Protection Department under the Justice Ministry.
She said 11 members of the family had left Surat Thani for Bangkok because they feared intimidation.
The family also said they had been unable to hold funeral rites as usual, with the victim’s body still kept at a hospital morgue.
Onchuma said the family wanted justice and did not want her husband’s death to be in vain.
She said the family had received suspicious phone calls asking about their whereabouts and had become especially concerned because she had a baby aged just over one month.
Natthaphol Danjittrong, a specialist at the Rights and Liberties Protection Department, said the ministry would provide legal advice to the family, support the handling of the case and consider protection for victims and witnesses.
He said the family could also seek compensation under the law on compensation for injured persons and expenses for defendants in criminal cases.
Pol Lt Gen Trairong said the Royal Thai Police attached great importance to the safety of victims and witnesses.
Surat Thani Provincial Police were due to meet the Rights and Liberties Protection Department to coordinate witness-protection measures under the Witness Protection in Criminal Cases Act.
He also insisted that police would not tolerate any influential groups or so-called mafia networks causing distress to the public.
“No matter who the offenders are, police will proceed directly and decisively on every charge,” he said, adding that the case would be handled in a way that restored confidence among residents and tourists.
The investigation remains ongoing, with police expected to seek the additional arrest warrants after completing evidence review.
