Warrant issued for Phuket killer

An arrest warrant was approved yesterday for a man suspected of stabbing to death an Australian woman and wounding her friend last Wednesday in Phuket, and a Bt300,000 reward offered for information leading to his arrest.

The Phuket Court issued the warrant for the suspect pictured in a sketch based on eyewitness accounts and images taken from securitycamera footage. The sketch shows a Thai man 2530 years of age standing 175182 centimetres in height. The suspect is wanted for attempted armed robbery leading to death and injury, and carrying a weapon while travelling without good reason.

Police offered no information about whether there was a sketch of the suspect's accomplice or any other details about the second man, who was seen waiting and whisking the killer away on a motorcycle.

Provincial police chief Pol MajGeneral Chonnasit Watthanawarangkool said it was the responsibility of all police precincts in Phuket, not only Thalang police, whose jurisdiction covers the crime scene, to try to capture the suspect. He called on Phuket residents to cooperate in keeping an eye out for the wanted man and all tipoffs were welcome at his phone number 0818419559.

The officer said police were following a lead that turned up yesterday shortly after the sketch was first made public when a man resembling the figure in the sketch was seen eating at a restaurant in Tambon Karon in Muang district.