BANGKOK — Thai police have accused foreign journalists and social media users of muddling their ongoing investigation into the murder of two British tourists in southern Thailand last week.

The Thai police have come under fire in recent days for providing contradictory statements to the press during their effort to find those responsible for the murders of David Miller, 24, and Hannah Witheridge, 23, whose battered bodies were found on a beach on Koh Tao island ten days ago. Police have yet to name an official suspect. 

But Pol.Maj.Gen. Panya Mamen, commander of 8th Region Provincial Police, said yesterday that the investigation has been hampered by foreign media coverage. He referred specifically to a story picked up by the British press about Sean McAnna, a Scottish backpacker who said he was threatened by two "mafia" on the island earlier this week.

According to Pol.Maj.Gen. Panya, police found no substance behind Mr. McAnna's accusation.

"The officers shouldn't have believed the foreign press. The time in the investigation was wasted," Pol.Maj.Gen. Panya said.

Meanwhile, chief of the Royal Thai Police, Pol.Gen. Somyot Pumphanmuang blamed the confusion surrounding the murder investigation on social media. 

"Police had to waste their time following leads from these rumours," Pol.Gen. Somyot told reporters yesterday.

He also cited the case of Mr. McAnna and insisted that his claim was unfounded, as one of the two men who allegedly intimidated him already "showed his innocence" yesterday. The two Thai men, who run the bar where Mr. Miller and Ms. Witheridge were last seen, are no longer being treated as suspects in the case, Pol.Gen. Somyot added.

Pol.Gen. Somyot also blasted the media for reporting that a primary suspect was thought to be in Bangkok after fleeing the island in the wake of the murders. According to Pol.Gen. Somyot, the police never sought a suspect in Bangkok, despite earlier comments from Koh Tao police officers that clearly stated otherwise.  

The suspect, Warot Tuwichian, 22, has been cleared of any connection to the murder, police say.

"I am not feeling pressured by the foreign media, but I am not being negligent neither," Pol.Gen. Somyot said. "I don't want to talk about [the investigation] to the press right now, lest my statements contradict with the officers in charge of the investigation."

Junta leader and Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha also weighed in on the ongoing investigation by telling the press today to "show some respect" to the police.

"You say police are incompetent. I ask: will they have enough morale to work? What about other cases? Just because of this one case, should the entire police force be damaged, too?" Gen. Prayuth said to reporters at the Government House today. "Of course not. Therefore, whenever you talk, you must give some respect and dignity to the officers. There are good officers and there are bad officers."

He added, "You’ve been insulting them since the first day. If Thais are insulting Thais, what can they ever hope to achieve?"

Gen. Prayuth asked the press to refrain from "reproducing" the negative views displayed by foreign media about the investigation. "The nation is damaged. We should fix our mistakes. If we don't fix it, who will help us fix it? Will TIME help us fix it?"

Gen. Prayuth appeared to be referring to a recent article published in TIME titled "What the Murder of Two British Tourists Tells Us About Thailand’s Dark Side." 

When a reporter said foreign media merely want to guide the police investigation in the right direction, Gen. Prayuth responded angrily. "TIME should send their people here to guide us," he said. "You like to accept other people's power, I don't understand. Go ahead. If there's any information, they should find it and send it to us officially."

BANGKOK — The 72-year-old demonstrator who was paralysed during clashes between pro- and anti-government protesters on the eve of 2 February election passed away today, his family said.

Arkaew Saelew had been confined to his hospital for the last seven months after a bullet to the neck shattererd his nerve system and paralysed him from the neck down.

According to a statement released by his family, Mr. Arkaew’s funeral will be held at Laksi Temple in Bangkok.

Mr. Arkaew was shot in front of IT Square shopping mall in Laksi district on 1 February, the night before the 2 February snap poll.

Anti-government protesters sought to block the election by besieging Laksi District Office, where poll ballots and other equipment were stored, prompting pro-government demonstrators to stage a counter rally nearby. Mr. Arkaew reportedly joined the rally on the pro-government side.

The protest descended into chaos when gunmen from both sides exchanged fire. The pro-government demonstrators were soon outgunned by a group of anti-government militants who appeared better equipped with automatic rifles and bullet-proof armour. Five others besides Mr. Arkaew were injured in the clashes.

Mr. Arkaew’s death brings the number of casualities from the six-month protest campaign that preceded the coup up to 29.

In March, the police said they arrested a member of the anti-government militant group, who has been dubbed the “popcorn gunman” because he concealed his firearm in a popcorn bag during the gunfight.

The suspect, Wiwat Yordprasit, confessed to his crime at a police press conference, though his lawyer later insisted that Mr. Wiwat was pressured by the police into making a false confession. He is currently awaiting trial in Bangkok’s Remand Prison.

PATHUM THANI — A woman in Pathum Thani province is seeking help from police after she received a package of underpants in the mail instead of the two iPhones she ordered.

Roongnapa Champasri, 40, said she and her 19-year-old daughter ordered two iPhone 4S devices from a Facebook page that claimed to sell them for 3,000 baht a piece. But the package that arrived contained only underwear and a set of male pajamas, Ms. Roongnapa said.

After realising she had been scammed, Ms. Roongnapa tried to call the seller but no one picked up. Meanwhile, the Facebook page had already disappeared.

According to Ms. Roongnapa, the seller claimed to be a man named Abhisit Vejjapan, which is strangely similar to the name of former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. The package appears to have been mailed from Udon Thani province. 

"I raised suspicions to my daughter before we transferred the money, but she thought the seller was trustworthy and the phones were cheap," Ms. Roongnapa said. "I would like to warn all other teenagers who want to buy iPhones or other things on the internet to be certain that the sellers are really reliable."

Ms. Roongnapa said she has already filed a complaint with the police.

There have been many complaints in recent years about fraudulent online shopping deals. This week, a man paid 11,000 baht for a camera, but received a pair of oranges instead. 

For comments, or corrections to this article please contact: [email protected]

You can also find Khaosod English on Twitter and Facebook
http://twitter.com/KhaosodEnglish
http://www.facebook.com/KhaosodEnglish