About crime

Dead bodies buried all over his pineapple farm but it won't be easy to put Dr, Supat in jail for any crime. Police pursue all available leads.

People digging to get police reward of 5,000 baht for finding a body buried in Dr. Supat's orchard.

Grisly dig for riches: Police have offered a reward of 5,000 baht to anyone who finds a body buried in the property. Members of the public dig up soil in the pineapple plantation in Phetchaburi belonging to multiple murder suspect Pol Col Supat Laohawattana to search for human remains. The former police physician is suspected of killing up to four people at the orchard.
 
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Crimes

Sister of missing man led police to Supat

Police have taken DNA samples from relatives of a Myanmar worker to help identify remains found in Phetchaburi
8/10/2012
Wassayos Ngamkham

Even though police have arrested Supat Laohawattana and his wife Wilasa Chantarabanchorn - prime suspects in the disappearance of a couple in Phetchaburi three years ago - the case is far from over.

On June 17, 2009, the mothers of the missing couple - identified as Mr Samart Noomjui and Orasa Kerdsap, both 27 - told police ... that the pair had been missing with their Toyota pickup truck for five days.

The couple were employed as labourers at Dr Supat's pineapple orchard in Phetchaburi ... where police have recently unearthed the remains of several bodies.

At first, the investigation by local police made little progress.

They put out an announcement with information about the missing persons. However, Mr Samart's parents told police they believed the disappearance was related to a conflict between their son and the doctor.

Dr Supat told the parents he knew nothing about their children's disappearance.

Afterwards, Dr Supat recruited Wimol Noomjui, Mr Samart's elder sister, as an assistant at the Police General Hospital in Bangkok as a favour to the distressed family.

During two years of working as Dr Supat's assistant, Ms Wimol became increasingly suspicious about the doctor's involvement in the disappearance of her brother.

She reached out for help from the doctor's elder brother Suthep Laohawattana, who is embroiled in an inheritance conflict with Dr Supat.

On Sept 15, Mr Suthep took her to one of the doctor's houses, in ... Nonthaburi, where they found Mr Samart's truck.

The discovery prompted Mr Samart's family to ask ... [the] police to take action against Dr Supat and his third wife Wilasa .... After questioning several witnesses, including Kala, a Myanmar worker at Dr Supat's orchard, police pinpointed the doctor's orchard as the suspected location where the couple's bodies were buried.

On Sept 20, a thorough search was conducted at Dr Supat's house and orchard, where police say they found 42 guns and 5,442 rounds of ammunition in the house.

Three human skeletons were found buried in the orchard's compound, two with bullet holes in the skulls.

DNA tests on the three skeletons, however, did not identify the remains as belonging to the missing couple.

The lack of a DNA match has kept police from charging Dr Supat with murder, and the case seems to be at a dead end.

At present, police can only press minor charges against Dr Supat and Mrs Wilasa for illegal confinement, theft, illegal possession of guns and human trafficking in connection to the Myanmar workers at his orchard...X

[Police] ... continued to search the orchard compound, questioned more witnesses and eventually found that one of the skeletons belongs to a Myanmar worker named Ita, who was allegedly shot dead by Dr Supat.

To verify this, police have brought Ita's mother and son from Myanmar for DNA testing.

If their DNA matches the skeletal remains, police will press murder charges against the doctor...

Police suspect the doctor shot Ita out of jealousy because the Myanmar worker, who was handsome according to witness testimony, was close to his wife .

"We are also looking for another Myanmar worker identified as Yong who reportedly saw the doctor killing Ita," Pol Lt Gen Hanpol said.

Yong fled the orchard after the alleged murder for fear that he would be killed too.

"Witnesses in the house said the doctor was cruel and more Myanmar workers might have been killed," he said. "The killings seem to have been for [his] satisfaction and workers in the plantation are frightened of the doctor.

Contact Crime Track: crimetrack@bangkokpost.co.th

(Source: Bangkok Post, Crimes, Sister of missing man led police to Supat, Police have taken DNA samples from relatives of a Myanmar worker to help identify remains found in Phetchaburi, 8/10/2012, Wassayos Ngamkham, link) 


Murder Investigation Vocabulary

murder - the crime of intentionally killing a person ฆาตกรรม (See Wikipedia)
serial murder - when a person kills three or more people
serial killer - a person who has killed three or more people (See Wikipedia)

investigation - try to find out what happened during an event, discover the truth การสอบสวน การตรวจสอบหาข้อเท็จจริง
murder investigation

deadend - a situation where you have to stop working towards your goal (further progress not possible)
deadend to serial murder case?

lead - useful information
lead in a criminal case - useful information that can be used in court to prove that a criminal is guilty

pursue lead - use information to get even more information (what police do in an investigation)
police pursuing all available leads  

missing - lost, disappeared, people do not know where they are ซึ่งหายไป, สาบสูญ, ซึ่งหาไม่พบ

couple - two people who are married or are involved in a romantic relationship คุ่รัก
missing couple

missing person - when a person is missing for a time, the family asks the police to investigate  ผู้สูญหาย (See Wikipedia)
missing man
sister of missing man led police to Supat

disappearance - การสาบสูญ
the disappearance of a couple

DNA - the chemical substance that contains the genetic information used to build and run the human body (See Wikipedia)

test - checking to see if something is true (example: checking body fluids to see if disease is present) การทดสอบ, การตรวจสอบ
DNA testing - using DNA to see if a person has a disease or could have the disease in the future (See Wikipedia)

sample - ตัวอย่าง
DNA samples
taken DNA samples

match - to be or look the same as or very similar to something else ซึ่งไม่คู่ควร
DNA match - when a DNA test shows that the DNA of a dead body matches that of a living person (so related)

lack - does not have ขาดแคลน
lack of a DNA match

identify - to specify who someone is (to find and locate them) ระบุชื่อ
remains - the body of a person or animal that has died ซากศพ
identify remains

help identify remains found in Phetchaburi
the remains of several bodies

prime - main or most important ที่สำคัญที่สุด
suspects - people who may have committed the crime, identified by the police ผู้ต้องสงสัย

prime suspects - the main suspects (the people who the police believe did the crime)
prime suspects in the disappearance of a couple

over - finished, completed
far from over - not finished yet (will only be finished after a long time has passed)
the case is far from over

relatives - family members, people in his family
relatives of a Myanmar worker

Police have taken DNA samples from relatives of a Myanmar worker to help identify remains found in Phetchaburi. Even though police have arrested Supat Laohawattana and his wife Wilasa Chantarabanchorn - prime suspects in the disappearance of a couple in Phetchaburi three years ago - the case is far from over.

identified - named ระบุชื่อ
identified as Mr Samart Noomjui and Orasa Kerdsap, both 27

employ - give a job (when a company or person gives a person work to do for pay) 
employed as labourers

orchard - an area of land where fruit trees are grown สวนหรือแปลงผลไม้
pineapple orchard

unearthed - take out from under the ground
unearthed the remains of several bodies

On June 17, 2009, the mothers of the missing couple - identified as Mr Samart Noomjui and Orasa Kerdsap, both 27 - told police ... that the pair had been missing with their Toyota pickup truck for five days. The couple were employed as labourers at Dr Supat's pineapple orchard in Phetchaburi ... where police have recently unearthed the remains of several bodies.

local - in or related to the area that you live, or to the particular area that you are talking about ท้องถิ่น
local police - the police in a local area
the investigation by local police

progress - gradual improvement towards a goal; completing tasks that move you towards achieving a goal ความก้าวหน้า
made little progress

announcement - information given to public ประกาศ
put out an announcement
put out an announcement with information about the missing persons

conflict - an angry disagreement between people or groups ความขัดแย้ง ความไม่ลงรอยกัน
the disappearance was related to a conflict

At first, the investigation by local police made little progress. They put out an announcement with information about the missing persons. However, Mr Samart's parents told police they believed the disappearance was related to a conflict between their son and the doctor. Dr Supat told the parents he knew nothing about their children's disappearance.

recruit - get or find a person to work for you (and do some job you need done)
recruited as an assistant

elder - older ที่แก่กว่า
elder sister
Mr Samart's elder sister

distressed - upset, worried and not happy about something that happened
distressed family

a favour - something you do for someone in order to help them สิ่งที่ทำให้เป็นพิเศษด้วยความชื่นชม  ช่วยเหลือ
as a favour to the distressed family

involvement - being part of some event, activity or project
involvement in the disappearance

suspicious - a feeling that someone or something cannot be trusted; making you believe that something is wrong, dangerous or illegal น่าสงสัย
became increasingly suspicious

became increasingly suspicious about the doctor's involvement in the disappearance

Afterwards, Dr Supat recruited Wimol Noomjui, Mr Samart's elder sister, as an assistant at the Police General Hospital in Bangkok as a favour to the distressed family. During two years of working as Dr Supat's assistant, Ms Wimol became increasingly suspicious about the doctor's involvement in the disappearance of her brother.

reach out for help - ask someone for help (who you don't know and communicate with regularly)

inheritance - money and things that you receive from a person when they die มรดก ทรัพย์สินที่ได้รับมรดก
inheritance conflict

embroiled in conflict - involved in a conflict
embroiled in an inheritance conflict

prompted - caused
The discovery prompted them to ask the police to take action

witnesses - a person who say an event, usually an accident or crime that they describe, an eyewitness
questioning several witnesses

Kala - means "Indian" in the Burmese language
Kala, a Myanmar worker at Dr Supat's orchard

buried - covered completely by something, in this case, soil ฝัง
bodies were buried

suspected - thought to be something; people believe that they might have done something wrong, but not yet proven เป็นที่สงสัย
the suspected location

pinpointed - find the exact location of something
police pinpointed the orchard as the suspected location where the bodies were buried

She reached out for help from the doctor's elder brother Suthep Laohawattana, who is embroiled in an inheritance conflict with Dr Supat. On Sept 15, Mr Suthep took her to one of the doctor's houses, in ... Nonthaburi, where they found Mr Samart's truck. The discovery prompted Mr Samart's family to ask ... [the] police to take action against Dr Supat and his third wife Wilasa .... After questioning several witnesses, including Kala, a Myanmar worker at Dr Supat's orchard, police pinpointed the doctor's orchard as the suspected location where the couple's bodies were buried.

search - to look somewhere carefully in order to find something ค้นหา
a thorough search

conducted a search 
a thorough search was conducted

ammunition - bullets, bombs, etc that can be fired from a weapon อาวุธยุทธภัณฑ์, ลูกกระสุน
ammunition - bullets and rockets (here money given by rich "patrons")
round of ammunition - a set of bullets that can be shot before reloading the gun, one load of bullets for a gun 
42 guns and 5,442 rounds of ammunition

compound - an area enclosed by a fence or wall in which people work or live; an area in which a group of buildings stands บริเวณ บริเวณบ้าน
the orchard's compound

human skeletons - the bones of people
human skeletons buried in the orchard's compound

bullet - a small, metal object that is shot from a gun กระสุนปืน
bullet holes

skull - the bones of the head
bullet holes in the skulls

charging with murder
X kept Y from doing Z - X stopped and prevented Y from doing Z  
kept police from charging Dr Supat with murder

dead end - 1. when there is no evidence that could help an investigation from moving forward to completion; 2. a street that ends (must turn back)
the case seems to be at a dead end

minor - not important; small; having little influence or effect เล็กน้อย
charges - bring a criminal case against a person
minor charges

press minor charges
can only press minor charges against Dr Supat

illegal - against the law ผิดกฎหมาย, นอกกฎหมาย
confinement - when a person or animal is kept somewhere, usually by force; detention การกักตัว
illegal confinement

possession - having or owning something การครอบครอง
possession of guns
illegal possession of guns

theft - (the act of) dishonestly taking something which belongs to someone else and keeping it การลักขโมย

trafficking - illegal tranportation of things or people (transporting them to do sometbing illegal)
human trafficking - transporting people for using them illegally in work such as prostitution or as slave labour
drug trafficking - transporting drugs for illegal sale

On Sept 20, a thorough search was conducted at Dr Supat's house and orchard, where police say they found 42 guns and 5,442 rounds of ammunition in the house. Three human skeletons were found buried in the orchard's compound, two with bullet holes in the skulls. DNA tests on the three skeletons, however, did not identify the remains as belonging to the missing couple. The lack of a DNA match has kept police from charging Dr Supat with murder, and the case seems to be at a dead end. At present, police can only press minor charges against Dr Supat and Mrs Wilasa for illegal confinement, theft, illegal possession of guns and human trafficking in connection to the Myanmar workers at his orchard...

witness - a person who sees something happen or knows about something ผู้ที่เห็นเหตุการณ์, พยาน
questioned more witnesses

eventually - at the end of a period of time or at the end of a process ในที่สุด
eventually found that

shot - to fire or shoot a gun
shot dead - when a person dies from a gun shot

allegedly - claimed to have done something wrong, but not yet proven ที่กล่าวหา
allegedly shot dead by Dr Supat

verify - to prove that something is true, or to make certain that something is correct พิสูจน์ว่าเป็นความจริง
To verify this, ... - to prove that this is true ...

skeletal - involving the bones that form the structure of the bodies of humans or animals
skeletal remains - bones of a dead body
DNA matches the skeletal remains

press murder charges against the doctor

[Police] ... continued to search the orchard compound, questioned more witnesses and eventually found that one of the skeletons belongs to a Myanmar worker named Ita, who was allegedly shot dead by Dr Supat. To verify this, police have brought Ita's mother and son from Myanmar for DNA testing. If their DNA matches the skeletal remains, police will press murder charges against the doctor...

jealousy - a feeling of unhappiness and anger because someone has something or someone that you want ความขี้หึง, ความหึงหวง
shot him out of jealousy

suspect - a person who is thought to have committed a crime ผู้ต้องสงสัย
Police suspect the doctor shot Ita out of jealousy

witness - a person who sees something happen or knows about something ผู้ที่เห็นเหตุการณ์, พยาน
testimony - a formal statement about something that you say, know or experienced, usually given to a court of law คำให้การ
witness testimony

close to - knows very well; is good friends with
close to his wife

handsome - a nice-looking man; a man who looks nice
the Myanmar worker, who was handsome according to witness testimony, was close to his wife

alleged - claimed to be true although not yet proven ที่ถูกกล่าวหา
the alleged murder

Yong fled after the alleged murder for fear that he would be killed too

cruel - deliberately causing pain to other people or animals ป่าเถื่อน โหดร้าย
the doctor was cruel

plantation - a large farm where crops such as tea, coffee, cotton, sugar or, in this case, trees, are grown ไร่ นาขนาดใหญ่
workers in the plantation
workers in the plantation are frightened of the doctor.

Police suspect the doctor shot Ita out of jealousy because the Myanmar worker, who was handsome according to witness testimony, was close to his wife. "We are also looking for another Myanmar worker identified as Yong who reportedly saw the doctor killing Ita," Pol Lt Gen Hanpol said. Yong fled the orchard after the alleged murder for fear that he would be killed too. "Witnesses in the house said the doctor was cruel and more Myanmar workers might have been killed," he said. "The killings seem to have been for [his] satisfaction and workers in the plantation are frightened of the doctor.