Man held for SA woman's death

2004-12-10 14:42

Bangkok - Thai police said on Friday they have arrested a Filipino man for the slashing murder of a South African woman at one of Bangkok's most prominent five-star hotels.

Laura Walker, 35, a dual British-South African national who was employed by the World Bank, had been in the Thai capital on a training course, and was found dead in her room at the Shangri-La Hotel on Wednesday.

"At the scene we found a box cutter, which we believe was the weapon that (the suspect) used to slash Laura's throat," said Police Major General Wachanont Tirawat.

Police identified the suspect as a male Filipino friend of Walker, and charged him with murder, which is punishable by death.

"Police have sufficient solid evidence on this case," Wachanont said.

Walker's throat was slashed and the main vein on her wrist cut by a sharp object, said police Major General Vichit Smativat, commander of the police institute of forensic medicine.

Police contacted by The Associated Press were reluctant to provide further details, saying the case was sensitive because it involved a foreign visitor.

However, the Thai-language newspaper Thai Rath quoted police Lieutenant Colonel Wacharat Moonwong as saying the suspect was found beside the victim's body in her room. His wrist was slit and he appeared drunk.

Walker had been on leave from the Asian Development Bank since August to work for the World Bank as a public sector specialist until July 2006.

- AP