PHUKET CITY: The Phuket Provincial Police are setting up a panel to reconsider plans to give the family of confessed murderer Akkaradej “Chon†Tankae the 100,000 baht in promised reward money for their help in his capture.
Akkaradej was arrested last week and charged with the murder of 26-year-old Swedish tourist Hanna Backlund.
Miss Backlund was stabbed to death at Mai Khao Beach on March 15.
The Phuket Gazette reported that the 100,000 baht in reward money was put up by the Phuket Tourist Association (PTA) in the hope of quickly bringing the alleged murderer to justice and limiting damage to Phuket’s image among tourists.
In a press conference announcing Akkaradej’s capture, police announced that because the suspect’s wife and father had provided police with key information leading to his capture, they would be given the reward money.
Following protests, police are now reconsidering that decision.
Phuket Provincial Commander Maj Gen Decha Butnampeth told the Gazette, police had received many complaints from the public and local media that it was unsuitable to reward the suspect’s family.
