Thailand's prime minister traveled to Pattaya on Saturday and publicly apologized after the murders of two Russian siblings sparked angry public demands for the death penalty against the accused killers.
Prime Minister Anuthin Chanvirakun said the killings had damaged Thailand's image and public trust in its tourism sector. He said such incidents do not happen often, but added that the government must take urgent measures to restore confidence that this will not happen again. He also said Thailand maintains the death penalty and the government is ready to ensure its actual implementation against particularly dangerous recidivists.
The prime minister's visit came after a crowd gathered outside the police station holding the two suspects on Saturday morning. When the accused were brought outside to be transported to court, the crowd surged past journalists trying to reach them, shouting demands for execution.
The suspects are identified as 43-year-old recidivist Thana Kytthong, known as Pong, and 39-year-old Thongchai Sinin, known as Thong. Their lawyer said both men face the death penalty on two criminal cases: the murders of the Russian siblings and a Thai family, and the concealment of their bodies.
Diana Nazimova, 22, and her 17-year-old brother Roman disappeared on July 26 after leaving home on a motorbike. A single message reading "Urgent!" arrived from Diana's phone 26 minutes later, with her last tracked location recorded 200 meters from home. After that, the siblings stopped responding, and their mother reported them missing to police.
Police detained Pong and Thong on July 30. The two men confessed to killing the Russians and directed investigators to the location where the bodies were hidden. At the same site, investigators found three more bodies belonging to a Thai family, whom police believe had witnessed the killings of the siblings.
A witness who gave testimony described earlier crimes attributed to Pong. Before his arrest in the Nazimov case, Pong had already been detained for kidnapping a minor and illegal possession of a weapon. The witness, a neighbor of the Thai family that was killed, said Pong had raped a minor girl in front of her bound parents before shooting all three with the same gun he later used to kill Roman.
The siblings' mother, Zarina, reacted after learning that the suspects had confessed. She had previously described Diana and Roman as calm, non-confrontational people and said she and her daughter had been as close as best friends, with Diana always sharing what was happening in her life. She said she was certain her daughter had no conflicts or anyone she feared.
The Russian Embassy in Thailand promised to provide all necessary assistance to Zarina. Ilya Ilyin, head of the embassy's consular section, made that assurance.
