Police are looking for a second tour guide, who was asked to buy some medicine for one of the six dead Vietnamese nationals, as pathologists at Chulalongkorn General Hospital complete the autopsies.
Following testimony from a Vietnamese guide, identified as Phan Ngoc Wu, that he had asked a man, known only as ‘Tiger’, to buy “No 7 snake medicine”, which is used widely to treat joint pain, after being asked to do so by one of the six decedents, Thi Nguyen Phuong Lan, police have launched a search for ‘Tiger’, whose whereabouts are not currently known.
Phan Ngoc Wu was questioned as a witness by Lumpini police yesterday, during which he said he was asked to buy the medicine with 11,000 baht the woman gave him. Instead, he asked ‘Tiger’ to buy the stuff on his behalf and had it sent to her at a hotel near Suvarnabhumi airport.
On July 9th, Phan claimed he was asked by Thi Nguyen Phuong Lan’s husband to exchange some foreign currency into about 90,000 baht, to be given to another of the victims, Hung Dang Van, who also held American citizenship, at a hotel in the Ratchadamri area. The money was eventually handed over to the unnamed seventh Vietnamese, who left for Da Nang in Vietnam on July 10th.
Meanwhile, Dr. Chanchai Sittipunt, director of Chulalongkorn Hospital, said today that autopsies on the six victims have already been completed, but that the hospital cannot return the remains to their relatives until they receive clearance from the police.
He also said that he must consult with all parties concerned, including the police, before details of the autopsies can be released.
