Pattaya-

In the latest development of a gruesome murder case, Woranan Phannakha, known by her nickname as Note, a 25-year-old transgender woman from Nong Khai province, was brutally killed by Mr. Tongyong Fu, a 42-year-old Chinese national. The victim, a well-known member of the Pattaya LGBTQ+ community who had undergone gender-affirming surgery (post op), was found with her chest slashed from neck to genitals, her heart and left lung missing, and her breast implants removed and placed beside her body as we have reported here.

The crime occurred in a bathroom of an apartment in Soi Arunothai in Pattaya. Following the issuance of an arrest warrant by the Pattaya Provincial Court, Mr. Tongyong Fu was apprehended at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Samut Prakan while attempting to flee to China.

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On April 27, 2025, at 12:00 PM, Maj. Gen. Thawatchakiat Jindakuansanong, Chonburi Provincial Police Commander, along with Col. Anek Sarathongyoo, Superintendent of Pattaya City Police Station, Lt. Col. Arun Saphanont, Deputy Superintendent (Investigation), and Lt. Col. Siriwat Kachamat, Deputy Superintendent (Prevention), led a team of over 20 uniformed and plainclothes officers to escort Mr. Tongyung Fu to the crime scene on the 2nd floor of the apartment, to reenact the crime. A large crowd of relatives and friends of the victim as well as members of the Pattaya transgender community gathered to observe, prompting police to secure the area due to concerns about potential unrest and the suspect’s safety.

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Maj. Gen. Thawatchakiat personally oversaw the reenactment, which is required in major criminal cases as part of Thai law. The suspect stated that he brought the victim to the room, agreed on a price of 8,000 baht for intimate services, and paid her in advance. However, when the victim resisted during an intimate moment, a heated argument ensued. The suspect demanded half the money back, but the victim refused, leading to a violent altercation. The victim allegedly scratched the suspect’s face and kicked him, breaking one of his front teeth. Enraged, the suspect said he pulled the victim to the side of the bed, pressed his left knee against her neck until she died, and then dragged her body to the bathroom. Using scissors, he stabbed her abdomen, slashed up to her chest, removed her breast implants, and placed her heart on her left shoulder. He has tried to claim this was self defense, but police are unsurprisingly skeptical.

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After dismembering the body, the suspect used a blanket to wipe the victim’s body and clean bloodstains in the bathroom. He then rested in the room until morning, booked a flight, and left the apartment, taking a motorcycle taxi to a bus station in North Pattaya to travel to Suvarnabhumi Airport. He was arrested with the victim’s mobile phone in his possession, which served as damning evidence.

The police later took the suspect to three additional locations for further reenactment: a 20-baht shop 200-300 meters from the crime scene, the Pattaya-Bangkok bus terminal in North Pattaya, and an area near South Pattaya Beach, close to the entrance of Walking Street, where the suspect and victim first met and exchanged contact details via WeChat. The suspect claimed he only learned the victim was a post op transgender after his arrest, claiming this was not part of his thought process in murdering her.

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Maj. Gen. Thawatchakiat stated that the case, which has drawn big public attention due to its brutality, was efficiently handled by Pattaya City Police, who gathered evidence swiftly and apprehended the suspect at the airport. The National Police Chief and Region 2 Commander commended the team’s coordination with Immigration Police and Tourist Police.

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Initially, the suspect refused to speak but confessed after the victim’s phone was found on him. He admitted to the murder, citing the victim’s refusal to engage intimately and her attack that broke his tooth. Driven by anger and curiosity from what he said was watching crime series, he dissected the body, leveraging his strength as a welder to make precise cuts. Authorities dismissed rumors of human trafficking or organ trade but are awaiting forensic results to confirm if any organs are missing. The suspect faces charges of murder and theft. Police believe the crime may have been premeditated since the suspect purchased tools used to dissect the body in advance at the 20-baht shop, but the victim chosen at seemingly random.

During the reenactment at the 20-baht shop, Mr. Fat Phannakha, the 61-year-old father of the victim, along with his two daughters and over ten relatives, observed the suspect with visible anger and grief, shouting curses. Police intervened to prevent escalation. Mr. Fat tearfully shared that he is still devastated.

Four years ago, Note left for Taiwan to work and learn Chinese, becoming fluent. After two years, she moved to Pattaya, where her family visited her periodically. Note was kind, shy, and the family’s breadwinner, sending 10,000 baht monthly and fulfilling their wishes. She recently built a house for her parents and promised to take them to China, a plan cut short by her death. The father seeks justice, demanding the death penalty, and questions the missing lung, as police reports remain unclear. He recalled a fortune teller’s warning about losing something dear when his wife turned 60, initially fearing it would affect him, not Note.

As the suspect was being escorted back to the detention room, an unexpected incident occurred. Mr. Fat, his daughters, and relatives attempted to attack the suspect. The father struck the suspect’s face with a plastic bottle, causing himself to fall, before police separated them and rushed the suspect to the cell. Relatives continued shouting curses and crying in anguish at the station.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5719075&forum_id=2#48895540)