Wealthy border market owners murdered at their home

Police keep people out of the murdered couple's home in Sa Kaeo's Khlong Hat district, where they were found with their throats slashed on Monday morning. (Photo by Sawat Ketngam)

SA KAEO: A wealthy couple who run a large market near Rong Kluea border market were found slashed to death at their house in Khlong Hat district on Tuesday morning.

The man, identified in media reports as Pipat “Sia Kuang’’ Tangpongthong, 71, was found dead with knife wounds to his throat at the door of his home in tambon Khlong Hat. His wife Sayant Chantra, 65, was found with her throat slashed at the back of the house.

Pol Cap Surachai Wannongsa, an investigator at Khlong Hat police station, said the bodies were discovered by their housekeeper, Somsri Domthaisong, when she arrived for work around 7.30am on Tuesday.

She first found Kuang lying face down in a pool of blood. She went to find his wife, and was horrified to see her lying dead at the back of the house. She immediately called police.

Pol Maj Gen Surajit Chingnawan, chief of Sa Kaeo police, led forensic police to the scene. The house was made off-limits to outsiders.

The dead woman's young sister, Manit Chomprapai, said the couple ran Sayant market, near Rong Kluea market, in Aranyaprathet district. Every evening they returned to their home in Khlong Hat. Their two children worked elsewhere.

On Monday evening Kuang went home alone, Ms Manit said. He later phoned his wife, who was having a meal with her at the market, around 8pm and said thieves had broken into their house but the damage was slight - and then the phone suddenly cut off. Her sister quickly went home, Ms Manit said.

On Tuesday morning, the housekeeper called and informed her they had been killed.

Police believed the murder might have stemmed from a business conflict, rather than an interrupted burglary. They were investigating.

Media reports said the couple also had other businesses, besides running their own market. The wife had previously served as adviser to the mayor of Khlong Hat tambon municipality. They were very wealthy and their house at Khlong Hat was built on a nine-rai block of land.