Cambodian authorities are still waiting for a request from Thailand for the arrest of two foreign suspects who fled to Cambodia immediately after the daylight murder of a Briton in the Pattaya area this week.
Som Vann Virak, internal security department director of the Cambodian Interior Ministry, said on Friday Thailand had not yet made a request for cooperation in the capture of South African Abel Cadeira Bonito, 28, and Briton Miles Dicken Turner, 24, in connection with the death of Tony Kenway, the Khmer Times reported.
Cambodian Deputy Police Commissioner Chhay Sinarith said authorities there could not make any move without a formal request from Thailand.
“If Thai authorities request cooperation, they will send us a report about the incident,” the Khmer Times quoted him as saying.
Kenway, 39, was shot dead around mid-morning on Tuesday while sitting in the driver’s seat of his red Porsche Cayenne GTS in the parking lot in front of Sanit Sports Club Co in Bang Lamung district of Chon Buri. (continues below)
Police at the crime scene where Tony Kenway was shot dead in Bang Lamung district in Chon Buri on Tuesday. (Photo by Chaiyot Pupattanapong)
Police investigators allege Mr Bonito was the gunman and Mr Turner drove the getaway motorcycle. The murder and the killers' escape on the motorcycle on Jan 24 were filmed by CCTV cameras.
The two men crossed the border into Cambodia's Koh Kong province through the Khlong Yai checkpoint in Trat province later the same day.
The suspects had arrived in Thailand from Cambodia through the same checkpoint in Khlong Yai district on Jan 19, where they rented a van driven by Lert Laimuenwai, who took them to Pattaya and then drove them back to the border on the day of the murder.
Chon Buri police chief Pol Lt Gen Somprasong Yentuam said on Thursday that Thai police were contacting Cambodian authorities to help bring them back to Thailand.
The two foreigners face charges of colluding in murder, illegal possession of firearms and illegally carrying weapons in public.
Kenway's wife Somporn, 32, earlier told police her husband had set up a company doing website design at Jomtien Beach. He lately had a business conflict with a shareholder, but she did not know if this was the motive for the murder.
However, police investigating the case believe a conflict involving an illegal call centre, or "boiler room" operation, which was scamming money from people in Europe.
Kenway was on bail awaiting trial on charges relating to the call centre when he was slain. Police investigators believe there was a falling out between Kenway and a partner in the business who subsequently moved to Cambodia to set up a similar operation.