In a previous ramble I noted the propensity for Pattaya residents to kill themselves, and the propensity of the local police to categorise all deaths as suicide, to save themselves the trouble of investigating a murder.
Here’s a new case for your consideration: A Dutch man was found dead in his house. Pattaya Daily News reported that “the state of the house showed extensive burning throughout. In the bathroom, police investigators found Mr. Martinus Johannes Grardus Antonius Jochems, (63), a Dutch citizen, dead, lying face down, wearing only blue shorts. There was a one metre-long knife stab wound starting on the left side of his neck, going all the way through to the right side. The body was burnt, and police presume he had been dead for about two days. The house had been thoroughly ransacked and almost all of the contents were burnt. Police found a matchbox on the floor and many footprints throughout the house. They also found a pointed knife which had fallen in a plant pot in front of the house, which they kept as evidence.”
So, what do you think? A clear case of murder, or possibly suicide? You probably think it is obviously murder; but you are not a highly trained Pattaya policeman. Pattaya Daily News went on to report that “Pol.Col. Pairat Supasawas declared that, at this stage, police could not clarify if it was a case of murder or suicide.”