THE OFFICER in charge of the manhunt for Phuket's kickbox killer believes the net is closing and his prey has limited options now.
''He has two choices,'' Colonel Vichid Intharasorn told Phuketwan. ''He can surrender to police. We would be happy to see him. Or he can hold out until we come for him.
''There is no escape.''
The wanted man is Lee Aldhouse, 28, who is alleged to have stalked former US Marine DaShawn Longfellow and knifed him to death at the weekend in revenge for losing a bar fight on Phuket.
The headquarters for the murder hunt is the Chalong Police Station in southern Phuket, where Colonel Vichid is superintedent.
Patrol officers from Chalong were called before dawn on Saturday to break up the fight at the Freedom Bar in the nearby beach resort village of Rawai. By the time they got there, the two men had disappeared.
Within the hour, the patrol officers were responding to an emergency call after Mr Longfellow had been stabbed to death at his apartment at Ya Nui Resort II, otherwise known as Paradise Beach, in a quiet area south of Chalong.
Three times a day in shifts, patrol officers set out in twos on motorcycles all over Phuket - and every shift at every police station this week is being briefed to be on the lookout for signs of the suspected kickbox killer, or his Thai girlfriend.
Officers have staked out Mr Aldhouse's premises at the Happy Home mansion block. But he is not expected to return anytime soon.
''Police are just five minutes away from him anywhere around southern Phuket,'' Colonel Vichid said. ''The whole of Phuket is covered by patrols of officers on motorcycles.''
Mr Aldhouse and Mr Longfellow were both kickboxers. Mr Aldhouse has been coming and going as a longstay visitor since 2008. His reputation as an aggressive troublemaker has grown with each visit.
One expat Briton told a UK newspaper: ''He has terrorised this community for years.''
Many muay thai camps have sprung up in the Rawai-Chalong district over the past few years, and local expats fear some of them are encouraging uncontrolled aggression.
But the colonel disagrees. ''Thai boxing is a sport and for self-defence,'' he said. ''It's true that many people are coming from all over the world, including women. There is no increase in levels of local violence.
''We believe this case involves one out-of-control individual. Muay thai is an honorable sport. This killing is personal.''
With a growing number of crimes committed by expats on the generally-peaceful holiday island - American Ronald Fanelli killed a naked bar hostess and stuffed her into a travel bag in June - Colonel Vichid believes tighter controls are needed on expats on Phuket.
''America and Britain, for example, need to tell us whether the people who come here are good or bad. We can't make decisions on the basis of their passports and how they present at the airport.''
Colonel Vichid's posting before becoming superintendent at Chalong was as an Immigration controller at Phuket International Airport for seven years, so he has some idea of the difficulty in sorting good from bad.
''After he is caught, this man will face the Thai judicial system,'' the colonel said. ''If the Englishman is guilty of killing the American, then Thailand has to pay the cost of keeping him in jail for a long time, just because the murder took place here.
''That does not seem right. We would like to send him back to serve his sentence in his home country. But will his country want him back?
''We would like to hear them say that they are prepared to take this accused man back.''
Based on his experience at Immigration, the colonel said that not enough countries supplied holiday destinations like Phuket with blacklists of their own criminals.
How a War Hero Died in Phuket's Kickbox Killing: Stalker Struck in the Dark''He has two choices,'' Colonel Vichid Intharasorn told Phuketwan. ''He can surrender to police. We would be happy to see him. Or he can hold out until we come for him.
''There is no escape.''
The wanted man is Lee Aldhouse, 28, who is alleged to have stalked former US Marine DaShawn Longfellow and knifed him to death at the weekend in revenge for losing a bar fight on Phuket.
The headquarters for the murder hunt is the Chalong Police Station in southern Phuket, where Colonel Vichid is superintedent.
Patrol officers from Chalong were called before dawn on Saturday to break up the fight at the Freedom Bar in the nearby beach resort village of Rawai. By the time they got there, the two men had disappeared.
Within the hour, the patrol officers were responding to an emergency call after Mr Longfellow had been stabbed to death at his apartment at Ya Nui Resort II, otherwise known as Paradise Beach, in a quiet area south of Chalong.
Three times a day in shifts, patrol officers set out in twos on motorcycles all over Phuket - and every shift at every police station this week is being briefed to be on the lookout for signs of the suspected kickbox killer, or his Thai girlfriend.
Officers have staked out Mr Aldhouse's premises at the Happy Home mansion block. But he is not expected to return anytime soon.
''Police are just five minutes away from him anywhere around southern Phuket,'' Colonel Vichid said. ''The whole of Phuket is covered by patrols of officers on motorcycles.''
Mr Aldhouse and Mr Longfellow were both kickboxers. Mr Aldhouse has been coming and going as a longstay visitor since 2008. His reputation as an aggressive troublemaker has grown with each visit.
One expat Briton told a UK newspaper: ''He has terrorised this community for years.''
Many muay thai camps have sprung up in the Rawai-Chalong district over the past few years, and local expats fear some of them are encouraging uncontrolled aggression.
But the colonel disagrees. ''Thai boxing is a sport and for self-defence,'' he said. ''It's true that many people are coming from all over the world, including women. There is no increase in levels of local violence.
''We believe this case involves one out-of-control individual. Muay thai is an honorable sport. This killing is personal.''
With a growing number of crimes committed by expats on the generally-peaceful holiday island - American Ronald Fanelli killed a naked bar hostess and stuffed her into a travel bag in June - Colonel Vichid believes tighter controls are needed on expats on Phuket.
''America and Britain, for example, need to tell us whether the people who come here are good or bad. We can't make decisions on the basis of their passports and how they present at the airport.''
Colonel Vichid's posting before becoming superintendent at Chalong was as an Immigration controller at Phuket International Airport for seven years, so he has some idea of the difficulty in sorting good from bad.
''After he is caught, this man will face the Thai judicial system,'' the colonel said. ''If the Englishman is guilty of killing the American, then Thailand has to pay the cost of keeping him in jail for a long time, just because the murder took place here.
''That does not seem right. We would like to send him back to serve his sentence in his home country. But will his country want him back?
''We would like to hear them say that they are prepared to take this accused man back.''
Based on his experience at Immigration, the colonel said that not enough countries supplied holiday destinations like Phuket with blacklists of their own criminals.
Timetable to a Murder Police are continuing the manhunt for a muay Thai kickboxer and murder suspect they believe is still a fugitive, loose on Phuket.
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We can see what Aldhouse looks like, what does his girlfriend look like, who may or may not be helping him? I believe the Americans would like to help justice served..after all help has been sent by them...and not one word about the UK's assistance...why is that?
Posted by Anonymous on August 17, 2010 14:43