Hmong family of 5, including 3 children, murdered

Many bags of ginger were left at the scene of the Hmong family murder in Wang Chao district of Tak province. (Police photo)
Many bags of ginger were left at the scene of the Hmong family murder in Wang Chao district of Tak province. (Police photo)

TAK: A Hmong family of five, including three children aged between three months and ten years, were found dead in a remote plantation in Wang Chao district on Wednesday morning.

The five bodies were found near the Nakhiri stream about 10 kilometres from the centre of Sri Khiri Rak village in tambon Chiang Thong. There were assault wounds on their bodies, which had started to decay, police said. 

Two of the victims were identified as Jia Saengsawang, 34, a Chiang Thong native, and her husband Chao Manpatanakarn, 46, a native of Khao Kho district in Phetchabun.

The other three were their children, identified as 3-month-old Waranya, 7-year-old Ekapol, and 10-year-old Pibul. They were registered as natives of tambon Khirirat in Phop Phra district of Tak.

Their bodies sustained bullet and stab wounds, and a spent cartridge of a 9mm bullet and black plastic bags of ginger were found at the scene, police said.

On Thursday police were looking for anyone possessing a 9mm-calibre pistol in the village. Officers questioned the victims’ relatives and local workers and brought up robbery as a possible cause of the murder.