'No remorse': killer
A man apprehended by police last week along with two teens over a brutal drug related murder said he would “never feel sorry for the victim”.
Saturday 30 April 2011, 02:37AM
Thalang police announced the arrest of the three Phuket locals last Thursday at a media conference.
One of the men was identified as 23-year-old Apirak Sae-iao. The other two are 16 and cannot be named for legal reasons.
Apirak confessed to murdering Thawatchai Maelanon, 15, with a homemade knife on the evening of March 19.
Speaking exclusively to The Phuket News, Apirak said “I killed him because I was so angry for what he did.”
He said he was in a fit of rage and could not control his actions, but “When I calmed down, I knew what I had done.”
Despite police reports that the murder was motivated solely by a failed drug transaction, Apirak said he and the victim had a long history of conflict.
“I will never feel sorry for what I did. That man has done a lot of bad things to me.”
He said the morning of the murder, he had given the victim B5,000 to buy 20 ya-ba (methamphetamine) pills. When he failed to purchase the pills or return the money, he and his friends decided to take revenge.
They initially tried to shoot Mr Thawatchai with a home-made gun. When the gun failed, Apirak stabbed him repeatedly with a sharpened metal rod.
The attack occurred only half a day after Apirak handed over the money.
The body of Mr Thawatchai was discovered on March 26 dumped on the side of a road in Baan Sakoo in Thalang District. He had five stab wounds in his chest.
The police traced the murderers from the the deceased’s cellphone, which Mr Apirak had stolen from the body of the victim and given to his friend.
Commander of Phuket Provincial Police, Pikad Tantiwong, said drug related crimes were becoming a serious problem for the island.
