Chinese murder suspect arrested in Bangkok after 30 years on the run

A 62-year-old Chinese man, wanted by police in Hong Kong for the murder of a compatriot more than 30 years ago, was arrested by Crime Suppression Division (CSD) police in Nong Chok district of Bangkok on Tuesday.

CSD officers said that the Chinese fugitive escaped from Hong Kong to Thailand in 1994 and subsequently opened a food outlet in the Lam Pak Chee area. He married a Thai wife and they have three children.

The murder case dates back to 1989, when Hong Kong police found the body of a man buried on a beach. The resulting investigation led to the arrest of four men in Hong Kong, leaving the fifth suspect, identified as Mui Yui-kiang, still at large.

Not long ago, Hong Kong police sought help from the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) via Interpol, after they learned that the fugitive was still in Thailand.

CIB officers launched a search, until they found a man selling rice soup in the Lam Pak Chee area who matched the description provided by Hong Kong police.

The CIB then sought a search warrant from the Min Buri Criminal Court. On Monday police visited the food shop and asked to see Mui’s ID card or passport.

Mui could not provide any of the documents demanded by the police and was taken to the CSD head office for questioning, during which he confessed to the murder.