Anything & Everything About Thailand

[U-Need]

The following are major news items in Thailand's leading newspapers on Tuesday:

Bangkok Post:

-- Over 8,000 protesters from an alliance of 11 groups opposing the Thai-US free trade area (FTA) agreement took to the streets of the northern city of Chiang Mai to demand what they termed unfair trade negotiations be scrapped. They handed a letter of protest to the U.S. consulate-general in Chiang Mai as officials from the two countries began their sixth round of talks in two hotels.

The Nation:

-- Police have arrested two fishermen for the rape and murder of Welsh tourist Kathe-rine Horton on the island resort of Koh Samui last week after a DNA analysis of semen recovered from her body linked them to the crime.

The two, Bualoy Pothisith, 23, and Wichai Somkhaoyai, 24, were on a fishing boat moored off the island's Lamai Beach on the night of Jan. 1. Horton was attacked that night while walking on the beach alone as she was talking to her mother on her mobile phone. Her body was found in the sea off another beach the next morning.

Sing Sian Yit Pao:

-- China completed the task of trimming the ranks of the People ' s Liberation Army (PLA) by 200,000, bringing its total number of troops to 2.3 million.

The reductions mean that the ratio of Ground Forces has dropped to its lowest point in PLA history, while the ratio of Navy and Air Force forces, and the Second Artillery Force, have increased.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Tuesday 10 January 2006 :-

Thai vineyards newest tourist magnets


By Peter Janssen

Khao Yai, Thailand - Thais are notorious shoppers for gastronomical souvenirs.

When you visit Chiang Mai, try the khao soy - a curried noodle dish popular in the north while Trang in the southern boasts the country's best mu yang or barbecued pork. Muak Lek market in the northeast is famed for its curry puffs (for reasons not altogether clear.)

A new pitstop on Thailand's national menu map is on the outskirts of Khao Yai or big mountain National Park, the country's second largest nature reserve, which has in the past two years become the best place to find a bottle or two of Thai wine.

Thailand has been experimenting with domestic wines since 1991 when the late construction magnate Chaiyudh Karnasuta decided to pursue a semi-retirement hobby by investing in a vineyard in Phu Rua valley in Loei province, 430 kilometres north of Bangkok.

The result was the unassuming Chateau de Loei, a white wine that had its international debut at the first summit of the Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM) in Bangkok in 1996.

The attending European heads of state were predictably diplomatic about the Thai plonk.

Since Chaiyudh's experiment in Loei, chosen for its higher altitude, the local industry has learned a lot, such as Thais prefer red wines to white ones, only Shiraz and Chenin Blanc grapes are suitable to Thai climate and the soil and microclimate around Khao Yai, a mere two-hour drive from Bangkok, in the northeast are just as good as the cooler northern provinces for vineyards.

Three vineyards now rim Khao Yai, including the makers of local wine brands GranMonte, Pirom and Chateau des Brumes.

All three are the result of investments made by retired or semi- retired Thai businessmen, following in the footsteps of the father of Thailand's wine industry, Chaiyudh, who was also the founder of the Italian-Thai Company, one of Thailand's leading construction companies.

"I quit my five-day a week job to work seven days a week for myself," joked Visooth Lohitnavy, while supervising wine tasting at his Monpino wine store at his GranMonte vineyard in Asoke Valley, Khao Yai.

Visooth, a former CEO of British multinational Ren+++il Initial (Thailand), transformed his family-owned 40-acre farm in Asoke Valley into a vineyard in 1999.

He claims to have sold 60,000 bottles of his 2005 GranMonte stock, with 40 per cent sold directly to tourists visiting his Monpino shop and VinCotto restaurant.

"We've become another attraction for Khao Yai," said Visooth. "Mostly our visitors are middle or upper middle class coming here with their own transport."

In fact, only fairly well-heeled tourists, Thai or foreign, could afford Thai wines. An almost 300 per cent government tax levied on Thai wine keeps them beyond the price range of most Thais.

Imported wines in Thailand face nearly a 400 per cent tax, but even so many foreign brands are cheaper than Thai brands, which start in the 400 baht (10 dollars) price range.

The high tax is a major issue for the newly established Thai Wine Association, which boasts seven members including the makers of GranMonte, Pirom, Chateau des Brumes, Chateau de Loei, Chalawan (Pichit province), Mae Chan (Chiang Rai province) and Siam Winery.

"We're trying to educate the government about the healthful benefits of wine," said Visooth, who added that so far the government has turned a deaf ear to the association's appeal for lower taxes.

Until that happens, the key to the survival of Thai wineries has been through diversification into other money-spinners such as restaurants and resorts.

For instance, Visooth's neighbour the PB Valley Khao Yai Winery, maker of Pirom wine, also offers a plush resort and the Hornbill Grill, specializing in European cuisine washed down with Pirom wine.

PB winery, owned by Piya Bhirombhakdi, scion of the Singha beer brewing family, started its vineyards in 1992 with the help of German oenologist Wolfgang Schaefer.

Village Farm & Winery, another winery-cum-resort situated about 90 kilometres east of PB and GranMonte, has opted for a French flavour in an effort to market its Chateau des Brumes wine as Thailand's premium product.

Owner Virivat Cholvanich, a former senior executive of the Siam Cement Company, Thailand's leading industrial conglomerate, hires French winemaker Jacques Bacou to supervise his operation after every harvest usually in March to assure top quality.

"Germans don't know how to make good red wines," said Viravat. "Germany makes some good white wines and some white wines with red colours."

Village Farm's premium Chateau des Brumes Le Fleur, aged for 22 months in oak barrels imported from France, sells for 3,900 baht (95 dollars) at the farm and for as much as 8,000 baht at select Thai restaurants in Bangkok.

Virivat dismisses efforts by some Thai wineries to create a wine with a unique Thai flavour. "Wine is wine," said the former engineer.

[pomrakthai]

With bro KTL's constant updates [looks like he is from the Bangkok Post] there are a lot of information gained, albeit a lot of reading to be performed leh

With bro U-need joining in the fray..I think I must search and see whether I can represent Ayutthaya Post or not!

Keep it up. Me support you all bu reading, OK?

[KatoeyLover69]

Originally Posted by pomrakthai

With bro KTL's constant updates [looks like he is from the Bangkok Post] there are a lot of information gained, albeit a lot of reading to be performed leh

With bro U-need joining in the fray..I think I must search and see whether I can represent Ayutthaya Post or not!

Keep it up. Me support you all bu reading, OK?

Prof pomrakthai,

I am glad to know that you find the postings interesting and informative ........

Why don't you also contribute since you are so knowlegeable about Thailand and I also know that you simply love and adore EVERYTHING about Thailand.

I think you also dream about Thailand and the sexy & beautiful puyings ........ I hope you don't wet your bed !

You must have been a Thai in your previous life !!!

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The Nation dated Tuesday 10 January 2006 :-

2 million stateless people to get Thai citizenship

The Cabinet Tuesday approved a plan to grant Thai citizenship to around two million stateless people on Thai soil.

But they will not be entitled to the government's Bt30-per-medical visit scheme.

Deputy government spokesman Danuporn Punnakanta said the plan was aimed at tackling problems that arose from the fact that stateless people had no legal status and rights in Thailand.

The plan will cover various groups of stateless people including children studying in Thailand-based schools as well as immigrants who have been living in Thailand for the minimum of 10 years straight, he said.

[pomrakthai]

Originally Posted by KatoeyLover69

Prof pomrakthai,

I am glad to know that you find the postings interesting and informative ........

Why don't you also contribute since you are so knowlegeable about Thailand and I also know that you simply love and adore EVERYTHING about Thailand.

I think you also dream about Thailand and the sexy & beautiful puyings ........ I hope you don't wet your bed !

You must have been a Thai in your previous life !!!

Oh, I could match your knowledge leh [north south east west] I will try to in the near future or when an issue crops up, DEE MAI REU KHRAP?

At my half-a-century age, where got wet dreams wor??? The only thing that can wet my bed is incontinence [must wear 包大人 daipers ]

Previous life: King Chulalongkorn, maybe???

[U-Need]

Minister Pheng is asking SRT to speed up the bidding on the 400 rai of Makkasan to create Makkasan Complex after getting a concession holder for 10 mass transit lines in Bangkok. SRT was compelled to do PR efforts to attract potential bidders to be ready for bidding in the fourth quarter of 2006.
Minister Pheng said he wants a single concession holder to handle both construction and land development [repeating the Hopewell Saga?] because he does not want to have another headache from different contractors and the developers was the plan of [former Transport Minister] Minister Suriya. The concession for the private section would be 30 years which can be renewed for up to 60 years.
SRT can reap revenue from this concession from
1) Leasing - has to follow the market rate as a minimum. Highest leasing payment would be under serious consideration.
2) Revenue sharing - extra revenue SRT can get from private concession holders.
This revenue sharing scheme would add more income for SRT instead of giving away the SRT land to Treasury Dept. since Treasury Department has depressed the prices of SRT land to unacceptable levels--4 billion baht for Makkasan land instead of 8 billion baht according to the SRT estimation.
This new scheme would enable SRT to write off the outstanding debts.
So far, investors from European countries such as Italy are keen to participate in the project.

[U-Need]

Trang - The parents of two children switched at birth should give them emotional support to prevent them feeling traumatised and confused now they have learned the truth, said a leading child and adolescent psychiatrist.

Dr Wimonrat Wanpen, of the Institute of Child and Adolescent Mental Health, said the two 10-year-olds are mature enough to understand what happened, but it would still be hard for them to control their feelings and emotions.

DNA tests revealed the biological parents of 10-year-old Orawan Chanthong actually raised her 10-year-old friend Jirayuth Boonyu and Orawan's biological parents gave birth to Jirayuth.

The switch reportedly occurred at birth. The two families are distant relatives and both women gave birth at Yan Ta Khao hospital on the same day.

Although the switch was confirmed by DNA tests, the children have decided to stay with their present families.

"Ten years is such a long time. The children develop a deeper bond with the families who brought them up than with their real parents.

"The truth they learned could be nightmarish for them," said Dr Wimonrat.

She said both children might now be confused. They could be angry at their twisted fate, or feel sorry for themselves. They could feel uncertain and wonder what their real parents were like.

"It could take about a month for the children to adjust," said Dr Wimonrat.

The best solution, she said, is to allow the children to express their emotions while the parents must treat them with tender loving care.

Switching back to the biological parents may not be necessary as the children are already grown up, she said. Instead, the two families should forge closer ties.

The Trang public health office yesterday ordered a panel to probe the case although the health officer believed Yan Ta Khao hospital was not to blame for the mix-up.

The parents believed the mistake occurred when hospital staff bathed the babies after they were born, accidentally switching them before bringing them back to the waiting families.

However, Dr Wirat Kiatmaytha, the provincial health office chief, told yesterday's press conference that it was possible Jirayuth and Orawan were swapped when they were held by relatives outside the delivery rooms.

It was difficult to tell if the switch was the hospital's mistake, he said, as it took place 10 years ago.

He said preliminary checks found that child delivery procedures at the hospital had been properly performed.

Wristbands are tagged to babies' arms for identification before they are washed and sent to the nursing room.

A probe panel chaired by Dr Vithoon Luangdilok, the office's medical expert, has been set up to investigate the case, Dr Wirat said.

Emotional counselling, especially for the children, would be provided by the Mental Health Department.

Several hospitals in the local area have chipped in to offer the families some financial assistance. Dr Wirat, however, insisted the amount was not an indemnity or restitution for any damages since no party was held legally responsible.

The acting director of Yan Ta Khao hospital said the hospital would help raise 300,000 baht for a scholarship for each child.

Both families have travelled to Bangkok to petition the Prime Minister's Office demanding the government bring the parties responsible for the babies' switch to justice, said Thanit Chupeng, a member of the Trang provincial administration organisation.

[U-Need]

Thai silk-maker Jim Thompson Co is promoting its mulberry orchard and plantation in northeastern Thailand as a destination for tourists, The Nation reports.

The Jim Thompson Farm is located just a few kilometres from the famous silk-weaving village of Pak Thong Chai in Nakhon Ratchasima. The 600-rai farm is a model mix of advanced agricultural technology and traditional cottage industry.

Farm manager Jariya Meechuen said operations began in 1988 with the planting of mulberry trees and cultivation of silkworm eggs. The tiny eggs are sold to farmers throughout the nearby region, who raise the worms to harvest their golden cocoons, before selling them back to the farm and buying more eggs.

Currently, the farm produces an average of 30,000 boxes of tiny eggs a year, with each box containing an average of 30,000 eggs. In December 2000, the farm was opened to tourists interested in learning about the production process for Thai silk and the various other crops on the farm, including mushrooms and orchards.

Jariya said the farm was open each weekend during December, including this year, because this was the best time of year to visit due to mild weather and because the flowers were in bloom.

Since opening its gates to tourists, the farm has hosted an average of 10,000 visitors each December and generated average revenues of Bt5 million per one-month season.

The agricultural tours are not the farm's main source of income. Rather it's to allow our customers to understand how quality Thai silk is produced and to feel it close up, Jariya said.

Jim Thompson Co was established by the legendary American Jim Thompson in 1948 and has popularised Thai silk worldwide under its own label.

[singrakthai]

Originally Posted by U-Need

Trang - The parents of two children switched at birth should give them emotional support to prevent them feeling traumatised and confused now they have learned the truth, said a leading child and adolescent psychiatrist.

Interesting news... today's Bangkok Post right?
Read about the one regarding Welsh female tourist being raped and killed? Bangkok Post on 6 Jan reported found her body in a river in Koh Samui... chief of forensic said no signs of rape or assualts....
2 days ago, they captured the killers (2 fishermen)... admitted raped and killed...

What about recent case of this Brazillian model? Friends reported police she went missing.... worried sick and thought she might have been kipnapped or worst killed.... later found her and she told police she was with a Thai man she met and went to join him to his friend's birthday party and later had sex with him *willingly*... the man confirmed he picked up the lady with another friend at 7-11 and later had sex with her in a model and then gave her some money to take taxi......

Oh, oh!!! What about recently hot case about a former Thai pop group singer, Anna, who's hot home made video with hi-so bf was released in the market... selling like hot cakes now! The singer still denying the lady in the video is her... hehehe

Amazing Thailand right? hehehe

[U-Need]

Everyone knows Patpong for its world-famous female go-go bars. But if you whisper the right words into the right person’s ear, it can also be the portal into a world that is just as bright, just as eye-opening, and for some, just as disturbing. Those words are “man show.”

Like the female go-go bars of Patpong, this explicit world is not for everyone. In fact, the average Bangkokian drives by the male go-gos of Suriwongse hundreds of times without ever giving a second thought to actually going inside them, homosexual men included.

Yet for many years these bars have been a permanent fixture of the city’s gay nightlife and, for those of you who would never dare walk down Soi Twilight (formally known as Soi Pratuchai), you might be surprised – and curious, no? – to know what takes place inside. If not, don’t read any further.

Soi Twilight is as full of fluorescent-lit signs as any chunk of Khao San, but its aim is a bit different. When you see the neon signs advertising Dream Boy, Fresh Boys, Best Boys, and Boys Boys Boys, your initial reaction might be to jet in the opposite direction.

The soi is overwhelming. Every type of male – fat ones, very small ones, skinny and tall ones, probably even straight ones – packs the street, bouncing from club to club. And like any dense strip of nightlife, there are workers who vie somewhat aggressively for clients (note for women readers: yes, other women visitors were spotted, but at about a 1 to 100 ratio).

The average “man show,” as it is called, starts between 10 to 10:30pm and there’s another one at midnight. The entrance fee is the price of a drink, about 200 baht at each club. Before the performance, a group of young men stand on a typical go-go bar stage. In the one I chose, “Best Boys Bangkok,” which is rumored to really be the best (hence an extra 20 baht a drink), interest is promptly piqued. There are no poles, but there are monkey bars that line the ceiling. “What are they going to do with the monkey bars?” I wondered.

Sofas encircle the room with steel trays conveniently located in front to hold drinks and snacks. The boys on the stage don’t wear much, only booty-hugging breeches. They tap their feet to thumping music and every eight-count or so, they rotate in a circle.

At 10:30pm, the room grows dark. The music grows louder (it included the same jingle that introduces feature movie presentations). Lights of all colors start flashing, and all the boys disappear behind a red velvet curtain. Meanwhile, men in white and baby blue suits use flashlights to usher latecomers to their seats.

It’s at this point that the go-go bar turns into a theater. Five boys come out in sparkling uniforms, ruffles hanging in tiers off their sleeves. They start jamming to funky music. If it wasn’t for the white socks poking out of their black jazz shoes, you could mistake these dancers for any of the semi-professionals who back up bands and shows around town.

The act that followed the dancing was artistic, but would certainly be too raunchy for many. There were no bottles opened or darts shot out from beneath the waist, but there was a long scarf and an orifice involved. A lanky individual, clad in a top hat and wrapped in a rainbow flag came onto the scene after a bout of adventurous Indiana Jones-themed music. After undressing under a black light, he tastefully started removing a fluorescent yellow ribbon from his rear. All the while, he danced as gracefully as a rhythmic gymnast would during her floor exercise.

Several more acts followed. There was more dancing, some lip-syncing, lady boy comedy, and even a man who lit a fire on his behind. Audience members were free to use the flame to light up their cigarettes.

All of this is build-up for the last section of the show, one which we won’t describe here beyond the general: at “Best Boys Bangkok” on the night I visited, there was a full-blown sex show that involved sodomy (at least they practice it safely). Should you go to these bars for the “less” explicit entertainment acts, you might consider leaving before this segment. But if you’re aching to find out what the monkey bars are for, it’s in this portion that you will find your answer.

[U-Need]

Sungai Kolok, Narathiwat – Despite the happy posters slapped on walls welcoming new arrivals to the Land of Smiles, businesses that once thrived in this seedy border town have little to cheer about these days.

Malaysians seeking a slice of Thailand’s racy nightlife once flocked to Sungai Kolok’s karaoke bars, brothels and “no-tell motels,” but after a series of devastating bomb attacks, they are taking their business elsewhere.

“Before this violence, we couldn’t fit the tourists in,” says Wei Yen Ping, who owns a hostess bar in the heart of Sungai Kolok, a small town where a string of powerful bombings by Muslim insurgents has earned it the unfavorable distinction of being Thailand’s most bombed place.

“Now look what it’s like. I’ve given up looking to make money. I can barely pay the bills,” he says staring out onto a deserted street, where more than half of the bars are shuttered.

Fifteen people have been killed and more than 150 wounded in at least 16 bombings here since a decades-old separatist conflict resurfaced two years ago.

The latest blast came on Saturday morning, when a small device exploded in a tea shop, injuring two Thai women and a Malaysian man – an incident that now seems almost normal in the restive provinces of Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani.

Security forces say the aim is to scare away the Malaysian pleasure-seekers who account for more than 90 percent of the tourism here. Malaysians once flooded this tiny Muslim town, with hotels fully booked, bars and brothels packed and restaurants thronged with diners.

But today, Sungai Kolok is a sorrier sight than ever.

Bored looking hostesses sit at empty tables, their conversations drowned out by pulsating pop music played for a smattering of customers, who are thinly spread around the neon-lit bars.

The sight of troops in camouflaged combat fatigues patrolling the streets and police clutching assault rifles peering into passing cars serves only as a reminder to the few remaining tourists to consider taking their money elsewhere.

The only sign of life is when scantily-clad girls dart out onto the street to drag customers into the bars.

“I’m afraid of the bombings but I have no choice,” says Pang, a petite Northeasterner, who like her customers, speaks fluent Mandarin and Bahasa Malaysia.

“I live here now, but before I came here, there was no violence. My family are very worried about me working here.”

The most devastating attack came in February last year when a powerful car bomb killed six people and injured more than 15. The device weighed 50 kilograms – five times larger than most of the bombs – and destroyed cars and shops and shattered windows across a huge area.

In the aftermath of southern Thailand’s first car bombing, Abdulaji Awaesuemae, chairman of the Narathiwat Tourism Association, said the town had “become a war zone,” and Narathiwat Governor Pracha Taeret called the bombing an act of terrorism too wicked for a Thai to have committed.

Since then, there have been five other large blasts, including a double bombing three months ago that tore through a strip of bars and restaurants just 40 meters from where Pang and her friends ply their trade.

One man died and more than a dozen were wounded.

For Ann, a 23-year-old hostess, it’s just a matter of waiting for the violence to die down.

“I’ve heard the bombs going off,” she says, topping up her glass of beer. “Every time this happens it makes me more and more worried but I stay because I believe this will end soon.”

The Tourism Authority of Thailand says there has been a 24-percent reduction in the number of tourists travelling to Narathiwat since the violence flared in January 2004.

But those whose livelihoods are at risk say the figure is much higher than that.

“I think it’s more than 50 percent,” says Prasert, a bar owner, whose two customers are surrounded by girls. “All the other bars on the street are closing. Some don’t have any customers all night.” He says it’s only a matter of time before he loses his staff.

“The girls want to stay but when they run out of money, they have to go work elsewhere in Thailand,” he says.

But for some customers, the risk of holidaying in Sungai Kolok seems part of the thrill.

Poh, a boozy Malaysian of 40 who slurs his words, says the bombings won’t keep him out of the bars.

“I’m not afraid to come here. These bombings are bad, but if you’re going to die, why not die in a place like this,” he says with a broad smile, his arms wrapped around a young girl in a cocktail dress.

Wei, a Malaysian businessman who says his profits surged when he opened his bar five years ago, says he has come too far and lost too much money to give up now.

He has put his faith in the government to bring the violence under control.

“I don’t want to quit,” he says defiantly. “I will wait for this violence to end, then the customers will come back. I’m confident the government can stop this.”

[U-Need]

Originally Posted by singrakthai

Oh, oh!!! What about recently hot case about a former Thai pop group singer, Anna, who's hot home made video with hi-so bf was released in the market... selling like hot cakes now! The singer still denying the lady in the video is her... hehehe Amazing Thailand right? hehehe

I watched the VCD as well, it is definitely her........Man Thailand is getting more interesting! Heard it is on the web as well, not sure what web site...... I guess she is trying to do a Masha and Mai.......both did it years ago.....Now they are so famous

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Wednesday 11 January 2006 :-

Baht may hit 38 per dollar in Q1 2006

The Thai baht is likely to appreciate to 38 to the US dollar in the first quarter of this year because investors in the United States have shifted funds to invest in stock markets in Asia and weighed more investment in Thailand, according to a veteran banker.

Prasong Uthaisaengchai, Senior Executive Vice President of Bangkok Bank, said here on Tuesday that the US investors had sold dollars heavily and brought the money to invest in stock markets with more attractive returns since the US Federal Reserve signaled an end to its interest hikes following continued upward adjustment for up to 18 times.

Most investors have paid much attention to investing in Asian stock markets, resulting in all regional currencies, including the Thai baht, strengthening.

He said the Thai currency had rapidly appreciated since early this year because foreign investors brought a lot of funds to invest in the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET).

They viewed stock prices in Thailand are lower than those in other Asian markets.

The price/earning (p/e) ratio of the SET now stays at 8-9 times, while a p/e ratio of stock markets in neighboring countries average 13-14 times.

“The baht is very likely to strengthen to 38 to the US dollar in the first quarter of this year because the currency has rapidly appreciated since early this year. The baht used to appreciate to that level in the past,’’ he said.

With the strengthening of the baht, Mr. Prasong said, the country’s international reserve had increased to around US$54-55 billion baht.

The Bank of Thailand (BOT) has a duty to supervise the baht to ensure that it stays at an appropriate level, according to the veteran banker.

[KatoeyLover69]

Originally Posted by singrakthai

Read about the one regarding Welsh female tourist being raped and killed? Bangkok Post on 6 Jan reported found her body in a river in Koh Samui... chief of forensic said no signs of rape or assualts....
2 days ago, they captured the killers (2 fishermen)... admitted raped and killed...

Report from The Nation dated Wednesday 11 January 2006 :-

Hi-tech trail leads to swift justice for Horton’s ‘killers’

When the body of Katherine Horton was found floating off Thong Krok beach on January 2 her death seemed likely to remain a mystery, until the police uncovered a hi-tech trail that eventually led to her alleged killers.

With no witnesses to describe what happened to the 21-year-old Welsh student on the night of January 1, her cell phone - which a British couple found on Lamai beach - provided the first lead.

The last call from the phone was made at 21.30 on January 1.

Horton had been walking along Lamai Beach, a few hundred metres from her bungalow, talking to her mother Elizabeth.

When police traced the call, Horton’s mother told them she had been talking to her daughter for about 10 minutes when she heard her scream. After that the line went dead, the murdered girl’s mother told police.

Before Horton was attacked, the British couple who later found her cell phone passed her while they were out for a stroll.

They told police they heard a scream and about 10 minutes later walked towards the direction the scream came from but found nothing except the cell phone.

The couple left the phone with a waitress at Buddy Pub so that its owner could retrieve it.

Later, a mobile phone operator in Britain contacted Thai police with information on the length of Horton’s last call and the direction she was moving based on the network pole the call originated from and the one from which it was cut.

The spot where the phone signal ended would be where Horton was attacked.

Her call lasted about 10 minutes and the signal showed she was moving westward.

A police re-enactment based on this information led to the spot where her cell phone was found.

Police then used Google Earth to confirm the spot - which was not far from New Hut bungalow where Katherine was staying - by comparing it with the record of the phone signal.

On that night, there were two fishing boats moored off the beach.

One of the two was the Chor Chortsittichai 25 whose crew had gathered to drink that night.

One of the five crew members told police that after drinking and watching a pornographic video, two crewmembers - Bualoy Pothisith, 23, and Wichai Somkhaoyai, 24 - swam ashore to visit prostitutes.

After returning to their rusting trawler, however, they boasted that they had just raped a foreigner and described her as “very delicious”.

Police focused their investigation on the crew of the vessel after finding the crews of other fishing boats were less reluctant to give hair and saliva samples for DNA testing.

When all the evidence led to Bualoy and Wichai, police arrested them by posing as market vendors buying fish. The two suspects surrendered quietly after three shipmates told police they had bragged about the rape.

Police said the pair confessed they saw Horton talking on the phone on the beach and hit her with the pole of a beach umbrella that was nearby.

They then dragged her behind a pile of rocks about 40 metres away and raped her, police said. When they were finished they hit her with the same umbrella pole and then dragged her about 20 metres into the sea and left her there, police said.

The pair then returned to their fishing boat and went out to sea the next day, police said.

The DNA analysis of the semen recovered from Horton matched the blood samples taken from the two suspects, police said.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mum ‘doesn’t feel hatred’

The mother of the 21-year-old Welsh student brutally killed on Koh Samui has refused to condemn the two Thai fishermen who were arrested for killing her daughter.

Elizabeth said, “I don’t feel anger towards them and I don’t feel hatred. I am using every last bit of emotional energy just to get through the day.”

According to The Sun newspaper, the grieving mother said, “I’m not able to think about it at the moment – I just feel numb.”

Speaking from her family home in Thornhill, Cardiff, the 53-year-old mother said, “I hope they have got the right people.”

While she was speaking to The Sun, a postman delivered a late Christmas present for Katherine sent from her brother, Christopher, who was in Australia.

The dead girl’s mother fought back tears as she thanked the postman and signed for the package.

She said, “It’s for Katherine — but she is dead. She is gone.”

Her daughter talked to her on the phone from Koh Samui on January 1, when two Thai fishermen allegedly killed her.

Meanwhile, Ruth Adams who was Katherine’s companion on Koh Samui, released a statement, saying she was “encouraged” to learn of the developments in the case.

The Nation