Body of Chilean cyclist moves for funeral rites, top envoy urges to track down murderer of Japanese woman

BANGKOK, March 6 (TNA) - The body of a Chilean inter-continental cyclist has been moved to a Buddhist temple in Khon Kaen Province in the Thai Northeast for religious and cremation rites. Local police said, in accordance to his wish, the body of the 48-year-old Chilean cyclist, Juan Francisco Guillermo, was moved from a hospital in the northeastern Nakhon Ratchasima Province by a car to Wat Pa Thamma Utthayan in Khon Kaen on Friday morning. His Singaporean wife, Ng-Poh Leng, and his two-year-old son, who were on another bicycle at the time when the road accident took place late last month and sustained minor injuries, also left the hospital for the temple. Religious rites will be held Friday night, while the cremation ceremony will take place Saturday evening. The deceased, who intended to cycle 250,000 kilometres around the world within five years, left Chile in November 2010 and later found his wife had a baby while he was along the way. His wife said she has discussed with her deceased husband's relatives and has decided to spend the rest of her life in Singapore after the cremation ceremony of her husband. Meanwhile, Japanese Ambassador to Thailand Shigekazu Sato led the parents of a Japanese woman who was murdered in Sukhothai Province in the Lower Thai North nearly eight years ago to meet Thai Justice Minister General Paiboon Khumchaya to ask local police to bring the killer to justice. Tomoko Kawashita, the 27-year-old deceased, was killed while she was visiting the Sukhothai Historical Park to celebrate the Loy Krathong Festival in November 2007. The Thai justice minister told journalists after his meeting with the Japanese top envoy and Yasuaki and Eko Kawashita, the parents of the deceased, that he informed the victim's parents that the investigation of the case has been continued between the Royal Thai Police, the Justice Ministry and other concerned agencies, while DNA tests on the deceased’s relatives have been conducted, but he cannot confirm yet when the case will be wrapped up. According to the justice minister, some evidence will be forwarded to the Japanese government so that a joint investigation could be held, as requested by the victim’s relatives. (TNA)