Bones hard to study in 'Billy' case

Bones hard to study in 'Billy' case

An artist shows the picture of Karen rights activist Porlajee ‘Billy’ Rakchongcharoen in drawing which is on display at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre. (Photo by Pattarapong Chatpattarasill)
An artist shows the picture of Karen rights activist Porlajee ‘Billy’ Rakchongcharoen in drawing which is on display at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre. (Photo by Pattarapong Chatpattarasill)

It will take at least two weeks to examine the rest of the bone fragments found in the murder case of Karen rights activist Porlajee "Billy" Rakchongcharoen, according to Central Institute of Forensic Science director Wannapong Kotcharak.

He said the bones had been incinerated at a high temperature before being dumped in a reservoir and both forensic and archaeological techniques would be needed to establish Porlajee's age at the time of his death.

Meanwhile, a bloodstain found in the car of an official had proved too small to analyse and further forensic and DNA comparisons would be carried out, he said.

Porlajee was last seen on April 17, 2014, in the custody of park officials in Kaeng Krachan National Park. It was officially a missing persons case until the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) earlier this month ruled it to be a murder, following the discovery of the skull fragments.

DSI deputy director-general Korrawat Panprapakorn, in charge of the investigation, yesterday thanked Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Varawut Silpa-archa for his cooperation in the case.

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