New . claim on Thai island
January 19, 2006
A Swedish woman told the police she had been .d early yesterday by
two Thai men on the same island where a British woman was attacked and
killed on New Year's Day. The 44-year-old Swede is on holiday on Koh
Samui with her husband and children.
Lt Thiraphon Somsuwanchai said the woman had told the police she had
left a karaoke bar alone to go to the beach when two Thai men had put a
knife to her and taken turns raping her. Thiraphon added that a medical
inspection had shown signs that she had been .d. The police were
looking for the suspects.
Two Thai fishermen were sentenced to death yesterday for the . and
murder of British tourist Katherine Horton, 21, who had been on holiday
on Koh Samui over New Year.
The defendants in Horton's case - handcuffed, their heads shaved - were
told to stand as the judge read the court's verdict in a case that has
drawn international attention and calls for stern punishment from
Thailand's prime minister.
"The crime they committed has terrified people," Judge Chamnong
Sutchaimai told the packed court, which made a rare exception of
letting in TV cameras and photographers. "To prevent others from
committing similar acts, the court rules that the two defendants be
sentenced to death."
The fishermen, Bualoi Posit, 23, and Wichai Somkhaoyai, 24, pleaded
guilty last week to the brutal attack on Horton, a student from Wales
who had been on holiday on Koh Samui, an island in the Gulf of
Thailand. Horton's body was buried on Tuesday in Cardiff, Wales. The
two men were arrested on January 9. They confessed to the crime but a
trial was held on Friday as is customary in Thailand, even when
defendants plead guilty. DNA tests linked the two to the crime. Both
men kept their heads bowed as the verdict was announced. They made
their first public statements of remorse afterwards.
"I accept it. I'm sorry for what I did," an expressionless Bualoi told
reporters, before the police led the pair to a waiting van. Defence
lawyer Amarin Nuimai called the ruling "extremely harsh". He said the
two were considering an appeal, and had a month to decide. Murder
charges in Thailand carry a maximum sentence of death, but courts
usually reduce such sentences to prison terms in cases where defendants
plead guilty. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra made a public appeal
for the killers to receive the "hardest punishment" possible, saying
the slaying hurt the country's image and damaged its tourism industry.
Defence attorneys presented no witnesses during the one-day trial,
which was speeded through the court system because of international
attention.
- Sapa-AP
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