Police in northern Thailand arrested a 31 year old man on May 1 who confessed to killing three homeless men in separate incidents across Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai provinces.
The suspect, Panet ‘Pooli’ Srisuwan, a drifter from Mae Yao subdistrict in Mueang Chiang Rai district, was captured near Chang Phueak Market in Mueang Chiang Mai district. Investigators identified him through CCTV footage and coordination between police units.
At a joint press conference led by police lieutenant general Krittaphol Yisakorn, commander of Police Region 5, along with senior officers from Chiang Mai, it was confirmed that two recent Chiang Mai murders were connected to an earlier killing in Chiang Rai.
On April 29, officers from Chang Phueak station responded to a report of a body found under the western side of Rattanakosin Bridge in Pa Tan subdistrict. The victim, 51 year old Boonreung Muensri, a homeless man from Mae Sariang district in Mae Hong Son province, had been stabbed in the neck before his body was set alight to conceal the crime.
The following day, officers from Mae Ping station discovered another homeless man under Khruah Sali Wieng Ping Bridge in Fa Ham subdistrict. The victim, 46 year old Jo Saengsen, also from Mae Hong Son province, showed signs of blunt force trauma including bleeding from the mouth.
The third killing dated back to January 7 in Mueang Chiang Rai district, where a homeless man was beaten with a rock and stabbed in the face near a public roadside.
Panet confessed to all three murders during initial questioning. He told investigators the killings arose from disputes within the homeless community over sleeping spots, a borrowed mobile phone, drugs, and territorial conflicts under bridges.
In one case, he allegedly stabbed a victim after failing to recover the phone, then set the body and bedding on fire. In another, he reportedly kicked and stomped a victim for over ten minutes, irritated by body odour and demands for money.
Panet, who was also homeless and had prior convictions for drug offences and theft, had been released from prison as recently as March 2025. Police stressed the crimes were confined to conflicts within the transient homeless community and posed no risk to tourists or residents.
He faces charges of intentional murder and destroying a body to conceal a death. Police will investigate any additional incidents during his travels, including a possible stint in Lampang province. Officials are also coordinating with social welfare agencies to address vagrancy, begging, and drug use among the homeless in the region.
His arrest was aided by CCTV images showing him in distinctive clothing: a black sleeveless shirt, red elephant-patterned trousers, and white-soled sneakers, reported The Pattaya News.
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