Machete murder fugitive arrested at Phuket elephant camp

Amnuay Ketsarin, 43 was at the elephant camp at about 8pm on Sunday (Apr 30), police announced today (May 2).

The name of the elephant camp where he was hiding was not revealed.

Amnuay was wanted for murder on an arrest warrant issued by Thung Song Provincial Court on  Saturday, CSD police explained.

Amnuay was embroiled in a dispute over money he had paid for land. He had paid a man (unnamed in the CSD report) some amount of money (also not disclosed in the CSD report) for a plot (at a location also not disclosed).

Amnuay and the man could not agree to a final price to be paid for the land, leading to Amnuay visiting the man on Friday as the land had not been transferred to his name, CSD police reported.

During the argument, Amnuay allegedly grabbed a machete that was nearby and struck the man on the head, killing him. Amnuay then fled the scene.

Police did not disclose how they came to learn that Amnuay was staying at the unnamed elephant camp.

Amnuay has now been taken back to Thung Song Police Station in Nakhon Sri Thammarat. 

He has denied all charges against him, CSD police confirmed.

 The CIB in its report warned people that land purchase agreements must be registered in the presence of Land Office officials to make them legally binding. If both parties cannot come to an agreement, they can sue each other in the court to solve the issue, the CSD said.