Business owners in the southern Thai province of Phuket have warned Burmese migrant workers not to go out after dark after the stabbing to death of a young Thai man in the popular tourist destination. Fears of recriminations for the killing abound as police question six Burmese suspects linked to the crime.

The man died after a fight broke out at a pagoda festival.

More than 20 migrant workers, some Burmese, were detained for two days as suspects concerning the festival fight. Those suspects were released after two nights in detention, one of the Burmese migrants said.

Reports in the Thai press state that on 14 March, six Burmese workers were arrested after having been caught on CCTV footage.

The men had clashed on 11 March in Patong, leading to the stabbing death of 19-year-old Saksit Photong.

The warning for Burmese workers to remain at home has come as one Burmese man was beaten by a group of Thai men wanting to avenge Saksit Photong’s death.

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