SONGKHLA: A man from Myanmar has been arrested for using a hammer to bash the head of his Belgian boyfriend in a fit of jealousy at an apartment in Hat Yai.
The 56-year-old victim was found on Wednesday with serious head injuries when police arrived at the room, where there were traces of blood stains.
Kyaw Zin Htike, 32, was arrested inside the room with a hammer.
The Myanmar man admitted he used the hammer after quarrelling with his boyfriend.
Police took him to the Hat Yai police station, where he tested positive for drug use. He told police he had taken drugs three days earlier.
Officers initially pressed charges of attempted murder and having a narcotic substance in his body.
The suspect man told reporters that he was jealous that his Belgian partner might have been seeing someone else. A quarrel then erupted before he attacked him with the hammer.
Kyaw Zin Htike said that he and the Belgian met on Koh Samui and became lovers. They later moved to Hat Yai. Before the attack, they had talked about celebrating Songkran in Hat Yai before going to Phuket.
He insisted he still loved his boyfriend and wanted to apologise for his actions.
Police seize the hammer used by the Myanmar suspect. (Photo: Assawin Pakkawan)