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Aidan Jones

In Thailand, the murders of five people – two young Russians and a Thai family of three – allegedly masterminded by a repeat offender just weeks after his release from jail, have stirred criticism of the justice system and raised questions over public protection from violent criminals.
The bodies of Russian nationals Diana and Roman Nazimov were found in a shallow grave on Friday in a forested patch of land in Chonburi province several days after their mother reported them missing.
After a manhunt, suspects Thana “Pong” Kerdthong, 43, and Thongchai “Thong” Srinil, 39, were arrested hiding in a fruit orchard in Sa Kaeo province, bordering Cambodia.
Thana – handcuffed yet calm – told police the pair tried to steal a motorcycle from the Russian siblings, local media reported. He shot Roman, 17, in the ensuing struggle and then beat 22-year-old Diana to death.
During their search for the missing Russians, police found the remains of Thai couple Wichian and Chantana and their 18-year-old daughter Nichapha. The family had been shot, bound and buried in a nearby coconut plantation. Police have withheld their surnames for privacy reasons.

The suspects allegedly also confessed to the murder of the trio, whose disappearance had been reported in late June.
Two more men – Chatchanan Paen-aiam and Atsadang Chuwong – have been arrested as alleged accomplices in the murders, which all appear to have been motivated by robbery.
“I apologise to our Russian brothers and sisters that this happened to Russian people,” Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said after a visit to the crime scene on Saturday, vowing that bail would be denied to all of the suspects.
The police investigation was likely to expand, he warned, as there might “be one or two more cases” linked to the group that were yet to emerge.
Public anger has surged with the revelations that Thana – the alleged ringleader – had been released barely seven weeks before the first killings after serving a seven-year sentence for attempted murder. Thana had a history of serious violence – including child abduction, rape and gun possession – Thai media reported.
Social activist and TV personality Panadda Wongphudee urged swift justice given the brutality of the murders. She also called for the courts to consider the death penalty – which remains on Thailand’s statute book but is rarely carried out.
“[The accused] planned this carefully. They dug the burial hole, and they fled skilfully. They are definitely not crazy people, but cruel individuals,” she said in a social media post over the weekend with a photo of herself holding a slate reading “Only the death penalty is acceptable”.
Allaying anger
With questions mounting, the Thai justice system has moved to contain the fallout.
Police in Chonburi have rebutted criticism that they were slow to respond to the missing persons report made by the sister of the slaughtered Thai family, while the Department of Corrections said it had held Thana and Thongchai in accordance with Thai law.
“Both suspects were former inmates who were held under the court’s sentencing terms strictly, and were released upon completion of their sentences when the case was finalised, as required by law,” the department said in a statement.
It said it “carried out its duties under the Repeat Offence Prevention Act at every step before releasing the suspects in this shocking case”.
Advocates for police and criminal justice reform say the serial murders point to gaps in the system between punishment, rehabilitation and the monitoring of potentially dangerous offenders once they are released.
“Justice should be revealed as a continuous process,” said Krisanaphong Poothakool, a leading criminologist and adviser to the Royal Thai Police on police reform, urging authorities to better share information across agencies and make ongoing risk assessments on potential reoffending.

“We should not push this responsibility to local police or probation officers,” he said, referencing the poor resourcing of many local police stations. Village leaders should also have a role in monitoring ex-inmates who return to their communities.
As a general rule, police should respond to cases based on their urgency rather than their public profile, he said.
“Criminological research shows that investigations that receive little media attention or involve people with limited social networks have significant challenges – including fewer witnesses, less public pressure on police,” he said.
Police should not “simply respond to media attention”, he added. “Priority should not be based on social status or public profile. Every missing person should receive a timely and proportionate response regardless of who the victim is.”
Violent crime is not uncommon in Thailand, where gun ownership is high and drug addiction and poverty rates remain unresolved, yet rehabilitation resources for offenders are threadbare.
While murders by Thais of foreigners remain rare despite the millions of visitors to the country each year, the deaths of the two young Russians have put pressure on Thai authorities to make reassurances on tourist safety.
The murders were “shocking for every Thai … especially as they were two very young people”, Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow told reporters on Monday.
“Incidents like this affect the confidence of tourists, we have to show by actual actions that we are determined to provide more security.”


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Thai murder suspect Thana Kerdthong is arrested by  police officers after a multi-province manhunt on Friday. Photo: Royal Thai Police/EPA  

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Thongchai Srinil  arrives at the Huayyai police station in Chonburi province for questioning on Friday. Photo: Royal Thai Police/EPA

Thongchai Srinil sits handcuffed after being arrested by Thai police officers on Friday. Photo: Royal Thai Police/EPA

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The suspected ringleader behind the murders of two Russian siblings and a Thai family was released just seven weeks before the first crime


The suspected ringleader behind the murders of two Russian siblings and a Thai family was released just seven weeks before the first crime.


Thai justice system under fire after freed criminal confesses to killing 5

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The suspected ringleader behind the murders of two Russian siblings and a Thai family was released just seven weeks before the first crime

The suspected ringleader behind the murders of two Russian siblings and a Thai family was released just seven weeks before the first crime