The Khao Chi Chan Double Murder

On July 29, 2018, Paweena “Sapai” Namuangrak and Anantachai “Fos” Jaritram were killed at Khao Chi Chan, also known as Buddha Mountain, in Chon Buri. The attack occurred in a public tourist area and quickly generated a cross-border manhunt for Panya Yingdang, a Phuket bar owner whom investigators identified as the organizer.

Paweena and Anantachai

Paweena was 20 and Anantachai was 21. Contemporary Thai reporting described them as a young pair who had left Phuket for Chon Buri. Coverage also reported that Panya had previously pursued Paweena and provided money or gifts to her or her family. The court case treated jealousy and rejection as part of the prosecution narrative, but those circumstances do not diminish either victim's autonomy or responsibility of the offenders.

The killings

The couple were attacked in the parking area of Khao Chi Chan on July 29, 2018. Police investigators reconstructed travel, surveillance and assistance provided by several people before and after the killings. Panya left Thailand after the attack and crossed into Cambodia.

Capture and return to Thailand

Thai authorities coordinated with Cambodian officials, who detained Panya and returned him to Thailand to face prosecution. Five additional defendants were also arrested and accused of roles ranging from tracking the victims and driving to direct participation in the attack.

2019 judgment

On September 18, 2019, Pattaya Provincial Court convicted Panya Yingdang and five other defendants for their roles in the murders.

Panya, gunman Narong Warintarawet and another directly involved defendant were initially given death sentences that were commuted to life imprisonment because of confessions or cooperation. Other accomplices received lengthy prison terms. The court also ordered compensation to the victims' families.

Thai reports differ slightly in transliteration of some defendants' names and in the detailed arithmetic of individual accomplice sentences. This file therefore uses the spellings and core sentencing outcomes that are consistent across the principal reports and does not manufacture uniformity where the English-language record varies.

Legal-status note

The 2019 Pattaya Provincial Court judgment is the adjudicated result documented by the reliable sources reviewed for this file. Those sources do not establish a later appellate reversal. Accordingly, the case is classified as solved / adjudicated, while avoiding the stronger claim that every defendant's sentence is known to be final at the highest possible appellate level.

Timeline

1. July 29, 2018
   Paweena and Anantachai are killed

   The couple are attacked at the Khao Chi Chan tourist site in Chon Buri.

2. July–August 2018
   Investigation and manhunt

   Police identify Panya Yingdang and alleged accomplices, while Panya flees across the border.

3. 2018
   Panya returned from Cambodia

   Cambodian authorities detain him and he is returned to Thailand for prosecution.

4. September 18, 2019
   Six defendants convicted

   Pattaya Provincial Court convicts Panya and five accomplices and imposes life or lengthy prison sentences after sentence reductions.

Current status

Solved / adjudicated. Panya Yingdang and five accomplices were convicted by Pattaya Provincial Court in 2019. The sources reviewed for this file do not show that the murder convictions were subsequently overturned.