A German man was enjoying the sunrise at a park in Udon Thani with two Thai friends when drunk teens beat him severaly with a garden hoe because they wanted to re-enact September’s brutal murder of two tourists on Koh Tao.
Doctors have given the 25-year-old German, whose name was withheld, a 50 percent chance to survive the attack Saturday from three intoxicated men who were later arrested and told police they wanted to emulate the murders of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller on Koh Tao.
They also broke of the arm of one of the German victim’s Thai friends.
Police chalked it up to “youthful recklessness” and lamented the damage the teens had done to their futures.
“This action is a typical case of youthful recklessness,” police Col. Surin Chaichomphu of the provincial police force was quoted in Khaosod English. “The three suspects are all students. But now they have ruined their future.”
Thanakorn Khusuwan, Surachet Sripolmuang and a third man identified only as “Wuth” were charged with assault. Two of them were 17, the third was 18. Police said a murder charge will follow if the victim dies.
The German man, who reportedly worked as a language instructor and helped locals who wanted to move to Germany, was known to visit the park to watch the sun rise.
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