BANGKOK — The top justice official said Wednesday police are still looking for leads into who murdered a Japanese tourist in central Thailand 11 years ago.
Justice Minister Prajin Chanthong told reporters that police are set to increase the bounty being offered for tips leading to a conviction from 1.6 million baht to 2 million baht. Gen. Prajin said he hopes it will motivate those with knowledge of the crime to come forward.
“The Thai government will not abandon this case. We will follow it closely,” Prajin said.
Prajin spoke after meeting with family members of the slain Japanese woman, Tomoko Kawashita, who was 25 at the time of her death. Kawashita was found with her throat cut November 2007 in Sukhothai province, where she had traveled to celebrate Loy Krathong.
Investigators said she was sexually assaulted before being killed.
Prajin said police have yet to identify a suspect, even after testing DNA samples found on Kawashita’s body with more than 300 people of interest.
Her family has made near-annual visits to petition the government over the unsolved murder.
The statute of limitations on her murder expires in 2027.