Four Myanmar workers were arrested before crossing the border in Chiang Rai yesterday, May 2, over the murder of their employer at a workers’ camp in Mae Rim district, Chiang Mai.
Police arrested Su, Yao, Dam, and Boss, all Myanmar nationals without surnames, at about 1pm. They were charged with jointly killing another person with a knife.
Chiang Rai police intercepted the four suspects near Wat Rong Khun earlier that morning as they were allegedly preparing to flee across the border. They were later transferred to Mae Rim police for legal proceedings.
Police said the killing took place at about 2am on May 1. The victim, 49 year old Somchai, was Shan, also known as Tai Yai, an ethnic group from Southeast Asia, and lived at the workers’ camp with the four suspects who worked for him.
Thairath reported that investigators said the four suspects allegedly planned the killing after a dispute over unpaid wages.
According to police, Su and Yao allegedly slashed Somchai’s throat and stabbed him while he was asleep, while Dam and Boss kept watch. All four suspects fled the camp after the attack.
CCTV footage later showed the suspects leaving the area before travelling to Chiang Rai, where police arrested them before they could cross into Myanmar.
During questioning, the suspects reportedly confessed and said Somchai had withheld their wages, sometimes paying after they asked and sometimes refusing. Police handed the four suspects to Mae Rim investigators for further legal action.
In a similar case, four Myanmar nationals fatally attacked an American man in Bangkok’s Chom Thong district, allegedly after he harassed one suspect’s younger sister.
Police arrested the four at the scene with a 10 inch knife and a 1 metre iron bar used in the attack. All four reportedly worked at a nearby recycling centre and lived in the same dormitory as the American man.
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