Divine Justice Catches Up to Repentant Killer

[Pattaya Daily News]

The Thai police arrested a 39-year-old Trang man for killing a Japanese woman in Tokyo nearly 20 years ago. The statute of limitations was nearly set to expire. The suspect had been her paid gigolo, but killed her in a fit of rage after she angrily called him a dog on the street and spat on him.

BANGKOK-October 8, 2012 [PDN]; at 3 p.m., the arrest of a Thai man for a murder he committed more than 19 years ago was announced at the Crime Suppression Division by Pol. Col. Prasopchok Prommul, Deputy Commander; Pol. Col. Thinnakorn Rangmart, Superintendent; Pol. Lt. Col. Keukamol Duangprateep, Deputy Superintendent; Pol. Lt. Col. Chollasit Theamthat, Inspector; together with the officers of the Japan embassy in Thailand; and the Officers of Attorney-General.

The suspect was identified as Mr. Veerasak or Sak Eamphongsa, age 39, address 180/2 Moo 4 Tambon Baan Pho, Amphur Muang, Trang province.

Mr. Veerasak was arrested while in the tour bus of Sri Suthep Tour company at the parking lot on the side of Petchkasem road, Tambon Chamai, Amphur Thoongsong, Nakornsrithammarat province. He is charged with killing another person by predetermination, according to the arrest warrant at 1782/2555 dated October 5, 2012.

On April 27, 2012, Pol. Col. Uichi Hara of the Tokyo police in Japan had coordinated with the police of Thai Crime Suppression Division to assist to follow up to arrest Mr. Veerasak.

Mr. Veerasak is charged with killing Mrs. Megumi Awaji, age 33, in Tokyo on March 14, 1993. After the murder, he then escaped back to Thailand.

The Japanese police had investigated and collected evidence and secured an arrest warrant on March 19, 1993, from the Toshima court to arrest Mr. Veerasak. But because Thailand and Japan do not have an extradition treaty, the Japanese police had to coordinate with Thai police to assist in following up to detect and arrest Mr. Veerasak and punish him according to the Thai law.

Pol. Col. Prasopchok said that in the past there was the coordination between Thailand’s Attorney-General and the Japan embassy in Thailand, but the case lay dormant for 19 years, and the statute of limitation for the crime was due to expire in the next few months. Then the authorities made a determined effort to bring the suspect to justice.

The Crime Suppression Division coordinated between the Thai police and Japanese police, and they sent the detective police team and officers of the Attorney of criminal cases and from the foreign office to rush to collect all evidence related to the case.

The police then requested a warrant from the Thai criminal court to arrest Mr. Veerasak. Police tracked him down, and arrested him in the tour bus in the area of Nakornsrithammarat province while he was travelling from his house in Trang province. After his arrest, Mr. Veerasak confessed to killing the Japanese woman in a fit of extreme anger after she insulted him.

The events leading up to the murder began nearly 20 years ago. Mr. Veerasak was only 19, and had befriended a Japanese woman named Mayumi Kido, who was traveling in Thailand. Ms. Mayumi persuaded him to work as a bar host in Tokyo. Being only 19, Mr. Veerasak wanted to try working abroad for the new experience and the good salary that was promised.

Then he went to work the Japan bar, which was a place where Japanese woman go to pick up men. He then met Ms. Megumi when she came to visit the bar. She persuaded Mr. Veerasak to have sex with her and to stay at her house. Mr. Veerasak then stayed in Ms. Megumi’s house for 4-5 days, but they began quarreling all the time, and Ms. Megumi always got angry at him.

On the night of the murder, Mr. Veerasak recalled that Ms. Megumi had gone to play at gambling and lost all of her money. When she returned home, she took out her anger on him and began scolding him rudely. She said Mr. Veerasak was just a guy who sold his sexual services and was ungrateful of her kindness to him. She then said he was like a dog on the street and spat on him.

Mr. Veerasak said she then grabbed the knife in order to stab him, and they began fighting. Then Mr. Veerasak grabbed the knife from her hand and stabbed her. Then he used a towel and a belt to strangle her around her neck until she died.

“After incident occurred I felt frightened, so I escaped,” Mr. Veerasak said. Before escaping, he stole Mrs. Megumi’s property, consisting of 10,000 yen cash, a diamond ring, and a video camera, in order to raise money to buy his airline ticket back to Thailand. “Then I asked for assistance from Ms. Mayumi Kudo to help me escape,” Mr. Veerasak said. So he then flew to Hong Kong, where he sold the stolen property, and returned back home to Thailand.

But Mr. Veerasak could not escape his guilt. “However, although this incident occurred a long time ago, I felt that I did the bad karma. I used to think to ordain as a monk, because I was never happy in life, although I already had my own family, and I also do a merit for Ms. Megumi,” he said.

“Even to this day I feel repentance, and would like to apologize to the relatives of Ms. Megumi,” Mr. Veerasak said. “I feel so sad that I did it because of my anger, and I am ready to redeem for all of my mistake. I consented to die for my fault, and when I was arrested by the police, I never think to find the lawyer to fight for the case. I am ready to confess all of my fault to the court,” Mr. Veerasak said.

The police asked Mr. Veerasak during all that time when he was living as a free man after the murder, did he ever think to surrender himself to the police? Mr. Veerasak replied that after the incident occurred, he felt confused. And he used to think about surrendering himself. But he wanted to keep working to give money to his parents for their kindness. Finally he didn’t surrender, but he believed that his bad karma would punish him.

Although the murder case was nearly 20 years old until he was finally arrested, Mr. Veerasak said he would like the relatives of Ms. Megumi to forgive him, which he said came from the deepest of his heart and not because he was arrested.

So he speaks like this — and after this, he will lose all of his freedom, so Mr. Veerasak would like to forgive to each other, and although he and the victim and her loved ones were born in different countries and speak different languages, he doesn’t want the bad karma to follow him into the next life.

The arrest of Mr Veerasak is first case between Thailand and Japan in the cooperation of crime case between 2 countries to bring a suspect to justice, although there is no formal contract of extradition.

The statute of limitations in this case is 20 years, so the case was due to expire in five months. Mr. Veerasak almost escaped legal punishment in this life – but in the end the law of karma caught up to him.

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...was announced at the Crime Suppression Division by Pol. Col. Prasopchok Prommul, Deputy Commander; Pol. Col. Thinnakorn Rangmart, Superintendent; Pol. Lt. Col. Keukamol Duangprateep, Deputy Superintendent; Pol. Lt. Col. Chollasit Theamthat, Inspector; together with the officers of the Japan embassy in Thailand; and the Officers of Attorney-General.

 

The suspect was identified as Mr. Veerasak or Sak Eamphongsa, age 39, address 180/2 Moo 4 Tambon Baan Pho, Amphur Muang, Trang province...

 

Wow! The people Thai at Pattaya Daily News know how to do a suspense-packed crime report indeed.