PATTAYA — A soldier is behind bars after witnesses said he stabbed his ex-girlfriend to death in front of foreign tourists in the middle of Pattaya’s Walking Street last night.
Pvt. Santirat Raksaphakdee, 21, was subdued by the crowd Thursday evening until police arrived to take him into custody. He told police he attacked the 33-year-old woman and her companion with a knife because the sight of her on a date with an Australian man drove him into an uncontrollable rage.
Wilailak Pittatasa was taken to a hospital where she died. The Australian received wounds to his hands, police said.
A witness, who asked not to be named, said Wilailak and her companion were passing through Walking Street with two other foreigners at around 7pm when Santirat charged the group with his knife.
Police said they recovered the weapon used in the attack and another knife hidden in his trousers.
Speaking to police officers at Pattaya City Police Station, Pvt. Santirat reportedly said dated Wilailak for two years, but the pair broke up when he was drafted into the military. Santirat added that he tried to win her back, but she refused.
According to Santirat, he recently heard Wilailak was in a relationship with a foreign man, and that they were going on a date to Walking Street, so he bought two knives from a local grocery store and sought out the pair.
Santirat has been charged with premeditated murder.
Lt. Col. Pawatchai Sudsakhon of Pattay Police station said this afternoon that Santirat was being held in custody and would be handed over to a military court, where prosecutors are expected to ask he be held for trial.
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