Thai police arrest killers of four Burmese migrant workers

Wed 27 Feb 2008
Mon Son, IMNA

The Thai police on Monday arrested six people who murdered four Burmese migrant workers on February 4 in Chaiya Township Surat Thani in southern Thailand, said Ko Tin Tun Aung the secretary of migrat at the Federation of Trade Unions-Burma (FTUB).

Four of the killers were arrested by the police with evidence on Monday and two others were arrested last week he added.

The four victims were Nai Khaing Thein and Mi Khaing Myint Win, Nai Win Naing and Mi Khin Soe Soe and they were killed in Ban Pak Mak village, Chaiya Township.

According to Ko Tin Tun Aung the police asked one of the victims Maung Myint Naing four times at the hospital. He was afraid of the attackers and was reluctant to say anything.

Maung Myint Naing was the only survivor and sustained serious injuries. He is now being treated under the care of the Thai police.

The police showed six photographs that were of the suspected attackers to the victim Manung Myint Naing. He identified the persons he believed were the killers.

Among the attackers were a sub-head villager and he denied his involvement to the police, said Ko Tin Tun Aung.

Maung Myint Naing doesn't have a Thai identity card and police are arranging to send him back to Burma after the trial. He has been working with the dead couple in the same rubber plantation for four months.

The police told BBC Burmese service that if the attackers had committed the crime than the court can give them the death penalty.

The Migrant workers were from Mon state and they had been working at the rubber plantation for five years. The dead couple -- Nai Khaing Thein and Ma Khaing Myint Win have four children in Mon state, Burma.