Woman arrested on charge of killing Finnish man in Thailand
Woman arrested on charge of killing Finnish man in Thailand
A woman suspected of stabbing a 64-year-old Finnish man to death in Pattaya has been arrested in Thailand.
According to the Finnish tabloid Ilta-Sanomat, the woman, aged 27, was recognised in the CCTV images recorded on the premises where the killing took place, in a Pattaya condo hotel.
The police believe that they will soon be able to arrest the suspect’s accomplice, a 26-year-old Thai man, who is the woman’s regular companion.
The Finnish man lived in Pattaya with his Thai wife, and he was killed in his residence on the night between Monday and Tuesday. At the time of the stabbing the wife was in Bangkok.
According to reports from Thai police quoted in a local newspaper, the victim had had dealings with the young woman before.
He had also made an official report to police after the woman, described as a bar worker, had stolen money, a mobile phone, and a digital camera from him, but he had withdrawn all the accusations at a later date.
The motive for the killing is believed to have been robbery: apparently the pair left the scene with a mobile phone and about 3,000 baht (roughly EUR 60) in cash.
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Increasing number of Finns fall victims of crime abroad
More and more Finnish tourists end up victims of a crime when travelling abroad. The number of incidents that have come to light at the Finnish embassies and consulates has increased by a third in the past two years.
Last year, 1,691 Finns in all sought help from the Finnish embassies and consulates after having fallen victims to a crime abroad. Of these, 1,522 had been robbed, and 77 had experienced physical violence.
A third of the incidents took place in Spain.
Director Pasi Tuominen of the Unit for Consular Services at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs considers increased travelling as the main reason for the rising figures. According to the Statistics Finland preliminary data, the Finns carried out 6.4 million journeys abroad last year.
The number of Finns arrested and imprisoned abroad, in turn, has dropped by nearly a third in the past two years. Last year the Finnish representations took care of the affairs of 150 arrested or imprisoned Finns.
In mid-March, outside the Nordic Countries, there were 22 Finns either arrested, in pre-trial detention, imprisoned, or waiting for deportation. About a third of the cases are drug-related.
The consular routines have nearly doubled in the embassies in the last two years. The most typical crime-related affairs are the disappearance or theft of money and passport.
Tuominen emphasises that the best way to avoid inconvenience is to get a travel insurance policy and find out what it covers. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs travel bulletins would be worth studying as well.
“And keeping the consumption of alcohol at a moderate level also decreases the risk of one’s getting into trouble.”
In Thailand, the recent homicides of foreign visitors have tarnished the country’s reputation as a safe holiday destination.
Krerkpan Roekchamnong, from the country’s embassy in Helsinki believes that the news of the killings will hamper the tourism industry.
“We do our best to restore the faith in tourism in Thailand. Tourists fall victims of serious crimes all over the world.”
In parts of Thailand a tourism police operates, Roekchamnong reports. At tourist information points, travellers are advised of doings to be avoided while in Thailand.
”The killings are not a daily topic of conversation among the hotel guests”, explains Tea Piromnarg from the Hilton Hotel in Phuket.
Personally she is concerned, for not all tourists know how to look after themselves.
“We emphasise to our clients where to go and at what time. If they want to go to Patong Beach, it is fine, but we urge them to come back before midnight.”
According to the Finnish Ambassador to Thailand, Lars Backström, the country can still be considered safe. In relation to the number of visitors, capital crimes are rare.
The appearance of the reduced figures for crimes committed abroad by Finns comes at a slightly awkward moment: international press agencies have had a field-day in the last 24 hours with the exploits of a wayward Finnish tourist on Easter Island.
His attempts to break off a souvenir piece of the ear of one of the island’s famous Moai statues could end in a lengthy prison sentence from the Chilean authorities, and will doubtless have caused additional work for Finnish consular staff in Santiago
PATTAYA MURDER Boyfriend sought
Woman detained following killing of Finnish lawyer earlier this week. Police are hunting for a Lop Buri man following the fatal stabbing of a Finnish lawyer in Pattaya this week.
Erikki Aal Tonen, 64, died after being attacked in his room at the Grand Condotel Hotel near Jomtien. He was stabbed over 50 times early on Tuesday morning.
Tonen, a lawyer who had lived and worked in Thailand for many years, was attacked after a liaison with his mia noi (minor wife), a bargirl arrested by police on Thursday.
Nipaporn Phuto, 26, from Nakhon Sawan, has told police her Thai boyfriend Pakpum “Ed” Bpo-eam, 26, had a violent struggle with Tonen after entering the Finn’s flat several hours after she went to visit the foreigner.
Tonen, who had had one leg amputated, was rushed to Pattaya Memorial Hospital but staff were unable to revive him.
The Finn’s Thai wife Yaowadee, 48, is also a lawyer. She told police they ran a law business mainly catering to Finnish customers requiring visas and formation of company businesses.
Closed circuit cameras at Tonen’s hotel captured footage of a man and woman riding a bike very fast from the building after the incident. A hotel guard said the woman had visited Tonen regularly for about one year.
The Pattaya Daily News said in a report on the arrest of Nipaporn that she was six months pregnant. The case is being closely followed by the Finnish Consulate and expatriates in Pattaya.
Meanwhile, a man appeared in the district court on Koh Samui yesterday following the rape of a 20-year-old Australian woman early on Wednesday.
Somchai Duanglai, 26, from Sakon Nakhon, was arrested at a rented house near Samui airport, police have said. He is understood to have pleaded guilty to the theft of items from the woman’s hotel room near Chaweng but has reportedly denied raping her.
Somchai was caught after police traced calls from a mobile phone he stole from the woman’s room.