Thai Death Island horror as diner, 63, is stabbed to death in front of stunned tourists
This is the horrifying moment a diner was stabbed to death in broad daylight in front of tourists on the notorious 'Death Island' in Thailand.
Sorachai Sritep, 63, was having breakfast at his restaurant when the suspect, Jirasak, 40, allegedly launched the brutal knife attack on Koh Tao island in the south of the country.
Graphic CCTV footage shows the suspect grabbing a knife from the counter before repeatedly plunging it three times into the unsuspecting owner's neck, at around 8:35 am local time on Thursday morning.
Terrified staff screamed as a bleeding Sorachai staggered onto the street, sending shocked tourists fleeing. Several looked on in shock as Sorachai bled to death on the road.
But many were too afraid to intervene - gripped by fear due to the island's infamous reputation as a mafia enclave 12 years after the brutal slaying of British backpackers Hannah Witheridge and David Miller, said to have been carried out by an influential local figure.
Locals eventually called the police as Jirasak lingered at the scene, still holding the weapon.
He then walked towards the nearby Lompraya Pier, where cops arrested him while he was trying to escape the island. He was detained at the Koh Samui Provincial Court on suspicion of murder.
Medics rushed the victim, Sorachai, to Koh Tao Hospital with severe wounds to his neck, shoulder and chest, but he later died from blood loss.
Police said the horror attack is believed to have stemmed from a longstanding business dispute between the two men.
Sorachai's grieving daughter, Supatsiri, said today that family had hired the suspect as a freelance tattoo artist at their tattoo parlour before he proposed to take over their popular restaurant, Joe Pork Leg.
When the family refused, the suspect then apologised before allegedly carrying out the daylight assault two weeks later.
Speaking to Asia Pacific Press, the grieving daughter said: 'He knew our family was small and that we would have been easy targets.
'Right now, I feel like the news is being kept quiet on the island. I want the truth to come out.
‘I want to take this case as far as I can. I'm so angry that part of me even wants to kill the killer myself.'
Speaking today to Asia Pacific Press, Police Lieutenant Kittisak Pongchan of the Koh Tao Police Station said both men had known each other for around a decade before their friendship fell apart over their business.
He said: 'From what we have been told, their business was related to a tattoo shop.
'They later had a dispute over the business and decided to go their separate ways. They had not had any further dealings with each other for around two months.
‘It appears there was still some resentment between them. However, I don't know exactly why they happened to meet yesterday or what caused the argument to flare up again.
‘This was not a case of a random attack. The two men knew each other, and the incident stemmed from a dispute between them.'
The officer declined to give further details as the investigation was still ongoing.
However, he tried to reassure tourists following the fatal attack - one of many that have fuelled Koh Tao's controversial reputation and earned it the grim moniker Death Island.
Police Lieutenant Kittisak added: ‘We understand that tourists may be concerned when they hear about an incident like this, but based on the information we have so far, this was a dispute between two people who knew each other and had previously been business partners, not an act specifically targeting tourists or the general public.
'The situation is under control, and there is no reason for members of the public or tourists to panic.
'Police are continuously working to ensure the safety of tourists on Koh Tao.'
But Australian lawyer Ian Yarwood, who has campaigned for victims of crimes on Koh Tao, said the latest incident offered a glimpse into the island's violent reality, which he claimed officials have sought to conceal behind its image as a peaceful holiday destination.
He said: 'This was a very brazen attack. A lot of people on that island are highly impulsive. That's characteristic of the island - when people lose their temper, they resort to extreme violence.
'A lot of bystanders did not want to get involved. They were afraid, even though the hospital is just 200 metres away.
'My condolences are with the deceased and his family. It would be highly consistent with previous incidents that locals and the police have tried to suppress the incident.
'The island's entire history is soaked in the blood of innocents. Even now, 12 years after the death of Hannah and David, the island is as lawless and dangerous as ever.
'The truth is that this is not a peaceful island, like those in the tourism industry want people to believe. It has always been a violent and dangerous place, with many more innocent tourists having been killed before Hannah and David.'
Koh Tao is a popular diving destination with crystal-clear waters and rich marine life. But it has been dubbed 'Death Island' following dozens of unexplained deaths of tourists, expats, and residents.
In 2014, British backpackers Hannah Witheridge, 23, and David Miller, 24, were battered to death on a beach.
Two innocent Burmese workers, Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo, are said to have been framed by the police and government in order to protect the tourism industry and the real killer, whois said to be the son of an influential local family.
Other deaths have included British tourist Nick Pearson, Frenchman Dimitri Povse, British backpackers Christina Annesley and Luke Miller, and Belgian tourist Elise Dallemagne.
Koh Tao has also seen disappearances, including Russian tourist Valentina Novozhenova, who vanished in 2017 and was never found.
Last year, British tourist Alexandra Clarke, 26, went missing after a boat caught fire off the island.
Thai authorities have attributed the deaths on Koh Tao to accidents, suicides or natural causes, but several cases have been disputed by relatives, drawing questions over the investigations.
