A 22-year-old Burmese worker was found dead on Koh Samui on Friday morning, five days after his female relative had been murdered on the island.

The body of Thet Soe Tar was found on a road to Chaweng Yai community in Bophut sub-district. His throat was slit and he was stabbed in the chest twice. There were no signs of a struggle but some footprints and traces of motorcycle tyres were visible at the scene.

Witnesses said they heard a motorcycle there between 2am and 3am on Friday.

Pew Way, 20, a friend of the victim’s, told police that the man phoned her to seek help, saying he had been abducted. She heard him cry out for help and the sound of a few people before the line went dead.

She said Thet Soe Tar worked as a waiter at Bandai restaurant near Chaweng beach and left the eatery on his motorcycle when it closed at 2am on that day.

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Win, 50, the victim’s father who works as a construction worker, said he was attending the funeral of his niece Sor Ngae Ngae when his son called. He only heard someone say: “What’s this, brother? What’s this, brother?” before the line was disconnected.

Both Burmese people could not reach the victim by phone afterwards.

Bophut police said there might be at least two murderers and the victim might have been killed elsewhere before his body was dropped on the deserted road.

Police do not believe that the murder was linked with the killing of the 22-year-old Burmese woman at a seaside viewpoint in Bophut on Monday. Three Burmese people were charged with murdering her.
 

This article was originally published in the Bangkok Post on 28 February 2015.