Thank you PW for the direct bank account details.
I have just made a small contribution and hope others will, too.

I hope the family knows that there are many people thinking about her and feeling compassion for the family.

Posted by Vfaye on July 6, 2010 17:43

This is obviously a very sad and tragic event ...however, based on this article, it appears that everyone has already made up their minds the the killer is "definitely" the man that took her from the bar....Do we know this for sure?

I can see how it appears that he may be the guilty party let alone a prime suspect, but have the authorities looked into any other possible suspects?

Posted by Sad on July 6, 2010 19:56

I agree with " Sad " - we should not be too quick to judge this man.

I also agree with the Editor that this man has some explaining to do but let's not forget some essential facts.

He is just the last person seen with her AT THE BAR. We know nothing about what she did after she left.

It would be very useful to try to establish her movements after she left the bar and since the man is unavailable, some investigative work by the police is called for.

The body was found 6 days later but until the time of death has been established, we don't know how many days she had been there. Estimates were made she had been killed 2 to 3 days earlier, which would mean she was somewhere for 3 to 4 days after she left the bar with this man.

She was a seasoned hostess. It's quite common that along the years these girls acquire several local and expat "regulars" with whom they may take a few days off from bar work unannounced.

This leaves a world of different scenarios open for discussion. Perhaps the man held her captive, or perhaps she left unharmed after the usual two hours and had an altercation with someone else.

If the time of death differs by days from the time she left the bar, anything could have happened.

What I'm trying to say is that things may not always be as they seem and we should all keep an open mind and not jump into conclusions.

Let's wait for more evidence before we crucify anyone.

Posted by Ola Gustafsson on July 6, 2010 21:39

Dear Phuketwan,

Again, I am struck by how richly you illustrate the situation while reporting news. The first two paragraphs said so much about oft misunderstood bar-girls and the men that patronise them. With all the horrifying violence against women in the world, we sometimes grow jaded. Thank you for your sensitive and informative reporting.

Doretta / San Francisco-Phuket

Posted by Doretta on July 6, 2010 23:57

Sad, the last seen person with her was this man. If he did not have anything to do with this horrible crime he could help the police about her whereabouts instead and move forward, instead he doesn't show up and tell his story. If he doesn't have something to hide, I can't figure out why he would not came forward with information... maybe he did not read about the murder... or he simple doesn't want to talk to the police.

Speculating.. ;)

Posted by Anders on July 7, 2010 03:33

speculating....that's a good point you made and there's good reason to point fingers at this guy first...but then this mystery man, if innocent, may not even be aware of what happened...I have a feeling that if it was this guy or some other foreigner, he may be long gone by now...left the country...It's a good chance that the person may have changed his appearance and had enough time to leave before any news of this came up and anything could be done to set up any type of awareness at the borders etc.

Posted by sad on July 7, 2010 09:38

If it were me in this man's situation then I would be very reluctant to turn myself in, even if it would be helpful. More than likely, you would be convicted...innocent or not. Or maybe I'm just jaded!?

Posted by Matt on July 7, 2010 19:45