Thai police seek S. African, Briton in death of British man

BANGKOK – Police in Thailand said Thursday they are seeking two suspects, a South African and a Briton, in the killing of a British man in the Thai resort town of Pattaya.

Police Lt. Gen. Jitti Rodbangyang said the provincial court has issued arrest warrants for Abel Caldeira Bonito and Miles Dicken Turner in the killing of Tony Kenway in his parked Porsche sedan.

He said Bonito, from South Africa, is suspected of being the gunman, and Briton Turner the driver who whisked him away on a motorcycle after Tuesday’s shooting. Jitti said both men have left Thailand but he declined to say where they went. The Bangkok Post newspaper cited police as saying the men travelled from Thailand to Cambodia via the border province of Trat, about 250 kilometres (155 miles) east of Pattaya.

Police said witnesses and surveillance cameras helped identify the suspects. They have suggested the killing may have been related to a business dispute. Kenway’s Thai widow told police he operated a website design business.

Pattaya is a popular beachside resort town about two hours’ drive from Bangkok with a reputation as a sin city rife with corruption and prostitution. It attracts a significant number of Western residents, including members of the criminal underworld from several nations.