...hier der Bericht aus Thaivisa
Axe falls on Koh Samui police chief, two others
Surat Thani _ Three senior police officers on Koh Samui, including the island's police chief, have been transferred to inactive posts in the fallout from the rape and murder of 21-year-old Welsh student Katherine Horton. Pol Col Arkhom Saisamai, superintendent of Koh Samui police station, will now assist at Surat Thani police station; Pol Lt-Col Charoon Uchuparb, deputy superintendent for crime suppression, goes to Surat Thani's Phunphin station; and Pol Lt-Col Samai Prompakhon, crime suppression investigator, goes to the province's Wiang Sa station.
The order, signed yesterday by Police Region 8 commissioner Pol Lt-Gen Komol Huayhongthong, cited inefficiency in crime suppression as the reason.
However, a source said the transfer stemmed from the murder, which happened on the night of Jan 1, as Pol Col Arkhom reportedly failed to inspect the crime scene on the first day.
The body of the 21-year-old psychology student, who was in Thailand on a backpacking break with a female friend before her final university exams, was found floating in Lamai bay, Koh Samui, on Jan 2.
Two fishermen were arrested and on Wednesday sentenced to death for raping and murdering Ms Horton.
The source said Pol Col Arkhom, the Samui police chief, had worked on the island for more than 10 years, since he was a crime suppression inspector.
He reportedly runs a bungalow business, capitalising on the island's tourist boom.
Meanwhile, a [highlight=yellow:97b4ba18e2]Swedish woman yesterday lodged a complaint [/highlight:97b4ba18e2] with Koh Samui police, saying she had been [highlight=yellow:97b4ba18e2]raped by two Thai men [/highlight:97b4ba18e2] on Wednesday night.
The 40-year-old woman told police the rape occurred behind Wat Sila-ngu on Koh Samui. She could not remember the faces of the rapists. She was sent for a physical check-up at a local hospital to find any traces of rape.
According to police, the woman, her husband and their friends had been drinking at a restaurant on Koh Samui on Jan 18.
Her husband and six other friends left the restaurant around midnight for Coral Bungalows, where they were staying.
The woman and some friends stayed at the restaurant.
She later left alone and arrived at the bungalow about 1.40am. She told police the rape occurred about 1.30am.
Source: Bangkok Post - Friday January 20, 2006