Minister assures culprits in murder case of two Britons to be captured soon

BANGKOK, September 24 (TNA) - Thai Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul assures that Thai police will soon arrest culprits in a recent murder of two Britons on Koh Tao, a small island in the Gulf of Thailand off Surat Thani Province in the Thai South. Kobkarn told journalists on Wednesday that she has sent letters to the British Embassy in Bangkok and the families of the two victims, expressing her condolences on the death of the two British tourists. The minister admitted that the incident is a painful lesson and has affected the domestic tourism, suggesting that apriority is to restore confidence in safety among international tourists. According to the British Consulate, about 800,000 Britons with high purchasing power visit Thailand annually, the second biggest after Russians, each spends about 7,000 baht daily and each stays 16 days per visit on average, but 12 Britons have died in Thailand since 2009. Meanwhile, Wibul Sanguanpong, Deputy Permanent Secretary for Interior, told reporters that he has ordered provincial authorities to boost security measures in tourist destinations and communities, including deploying sufficient security forces in their areas, increasing surveillance in tourist areas, operating checkpoints, inspecting suspicious persons and installing enough lightings and surveillance cameras at danger-prone locations.(TNA)