Key Witness in Five-Body Murder Case Opens Up About Ordeal

A significant witness in the shocking five-body murder case in Huay Yai subdistrict, Banglamung district, Chachoengsao province, has opened up to reporters about his involvement with suspects Thana 'Pong' and Thongchai 'Thong,' who were arrested for killing and burying five people. The 43-year-old mechanic, known as Neng, explains that he is the person on the audio clip who provided police with information about a motorcycle belonging to two missing Russian siblings on July 26, 2024.

Neng witnessed Thong dismantling one of the motorcycles at his shelter near where motorcycles were buried in an old teak forest area. When he asked Pong about it, he was told it belonged to Thong's younger sibling who was seized due to a 60,000-baht debt. Later, when Russian nationals arrived with missing person flyers bearing photos of the two siblings and their motorcycle, Neng immediately recognized it as the same bike Thong was dismantling. Suspicious of foul play, he consulted with his girlfriend and immediately called police at Huay Yai station to report his concerns.

Neng recalls making light comments to both suspects, jokingly asking if they had done something to the Russians, but they both denied it. He notes that Thong was like an employee in his household, whom he hired to produce charcoal for sale at his shop and provided with a truck to use. Thong had only recently met Pong after Pong's release from prison and his return home less than two months prior. Neng describes Thong as harmless but fearful of Pong, who constantly carried a gun—the same weapon later used in the murders of the two Russian siblings and a Thai family of three. Pong frequently displayed the firearm intimidatingly.

Neng had known Pong for eight years, dating back to when Pong pawned a motorcycle with him before disappearing, presumably imprisoned. Upon his release, Pong sought to redeem the motorcycle but Neng refused. Pong then asked to stay temporarily for 2-3 days before supposedly finding work in Rayong province, but he ultimately remained for nearly two months. During his stay, Pong behaved like an ordinary person, helping with dishes, sweeping, and regularly cleaning the house. Neng provided him with 100-200 baht daily pocket money.