arrest of Jon Benet Ramsey murder suspect in Bangkok leads to reflexive round of 'farang bashing'

Thai Immigration Police chief Lieutenant-General Suwat Tumroungsiskul clowning while Ann Hurst, US Department of Homeland Security 'attache' looks on.

Interesting how Thais, especially government officials, seldom have any capacity for solemnity. Suwat also engaged in a bit of foreigner bashing, offering: "We have criminals from all over the world running away from their home countries to look for teaching jobs in Thailand." Fantastic. What an asshole. Nevermind that Thai criminals are world-renowned, engaging in everything from prostitution to protection rackets to credit card fraud, and that Thailand's Thai-on-Thai per capita violent crime rate is among the bloodiest in the world. Nevermind that foreign teachers are on the whole an incredibly law-abiding and untroublesome lot. Part of the reason it's such big news when a 'farang' (mildly perjorative Thai word for 'foreigner') gets arrested for anything serious here.

Yet still we have to listen to this immature racist buffoon, head of one of the most notoriously corrupt branches of the Thai civil service, paint all foreign teachers with the 'criminal' brush.

Incidentally, another item making the rounds in the local news today concerns several Thai teachers at a local elementary who have been accused of raping numerous female students. The school has actually 'lawyered-up' and is actively fighting to suppress DNA samples requested by the police. Rape of children by Thai police, Thai schoolteachers, and Thai clergy is no more uncommon here than it is in the West, perhaps even less so. So please, shut the fuck up about 'foreign teachers' being criminals, especially since there is currently a shortage and the government itself has asked for more foreigners to come teach here.

Finally, it's also interesting that Homeland Security has apparently taken on special police powers and spends a good deal of time and money clandestinely investigating American expats for possible sex crimes, here in Thailand as well as Cambodia. Such activity appears to be unrelated to the original mission of the DHS, which was to protect America from terrorist attacks.

By SUTIN WANNABOVORN, Associated Press Writer2 hours, 40 minutes ago

A former American school teacher said publicly Thursday he was with JonBenet Ramsey when she was killed and called the 6-year-old's death "an accident," a stunning admission that should help answer 10 years of questions in the unsolved murder case.

John Mark Karr, 41, will be taken within the week to Colorado, where he will face charges of first degree murder, kidnapping and child sexual assault, Ann Hurst of the Department of Homeland Security told a news conference in Bangkok.

"I was with JonBenet when she died," John Mark Karr told reporters afterward, visibly nervous and stuttering as he spoke. "Her death was an accident."

Asked if he was innocent of the crime, Karr said: "No."

Karr confessed to the killing after his arrest Wednesday at his downtown Bangkok apartment by Thai and American authorities, said Lt. Gen. Suwat Tumrongsiskul, head of Thailand's immigration police.

He said Karr insisted his crime was not first-degree murder but that she died during a kidnapping attempt that went awry.

"He said it was second-degree murder. He said it was unintentional. He said he was in love with the child, she was a pageant queen," Suwat said.

Karr declined to say what his connection was to the Ramsey family. Dressed in a turquoise polo shirt and khaki trousers, he appeared ashen with an expressionless look on his face.

An attorney for the Ramsey family said Wednesday that Karr once lived near the family in Conyers, Ga.

JonBenet was found beaten and strangled in the basement of the family's home in Boulder, Colo., on Dec. 26, 1996.

Wednesday's arrest was a surprise development in one of America's most lurid murder cases, which had left a cloud of suspicion over her family after years went by with no arrests. Some feared the case would never be solved.

Striking video images of the blonde-haired girl in child beauty pageants helped propel the case into one of the highest-profile mysteries in the United States.

A law enforcement source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the AP that Karr had been communicating periodically with somebody in Boulder who had been following the case and cooperating with law enforcement officials.

A University of Colorado spokesman, Barrie Hartman, said journalism professor Michael Tracey communicated with Karr over several months and contacted police. The university spokesman said he didn't know what prompted Tracey to become suspicious of Karr.

Tracey produced a documentary in 2004 called "Who Killed JonBenet?" A woman who answered the phone at a number under his name said he didn't live there anymore; his office phone mailbox was full.

The Ramseys learned that police were investigating Karr at least a month before the June death of JonBenet's mother, Patsy Ramsey, of ovarian cancer, the family said.

In a statement Wednesday, father John Ramsey said that if his wife had lived to see Karr's arrest, she "would no doubt have been as pleased as I am with today's development almost 10 years after our daughter's murder."

Suwat quoted Karr as saying he tried to kidnap JonBenet for a $118,000 ransom but that his plan went awry and he strangled her. Patsy Ramsey reported finding a ransom note in the house demanding $118,000 for her daughter.

Investigators said at one point that JonBenet's parents were under an "umbrella of suspicion" in the slaying, and some news accounts cast suspicion on JonBenet's older brother, Burke. But the Ramseys insisted an intruder killed their daughter, and no one was ever charged.

Over the years, some experts suggested that investigators had botched the case so thoroughly that it might never be solved. The Ramseys moved back to Atlanta after their daughter's slaying.

"It's been a very long 10 years, and I'm just sorry Patsy isn't here for me to hug her neck," said Lin Wood, the family's longtime attorney.

"John and Patsy lived their lives knowing they were innocent, trying to raise a son despite the furor around them," Wood told MSNBC.

Suwat said U.S. authorities informed Thai police on Aug. 11 that an arrest warrant had been issued for Karr on charges of premeditated murder. The warrant was sent to Thai police on Wednesday.

"Through investigation we were able to determine where his residence was and the Thais arrested him," Hurst said. "He did not resist. He did express surprise."

Hurst said Karr has been "very cooperative" with authorities and that he's shown a "variety of emotions."

Suwat said Karr arrived in Bangkok on June 6 from Malaysia to look for a teaching job. It was not clear whether he had gotten a job, the police officer said.

Karr's visa has been revoked as an "undesirable person" given the accusations against him, and U.S. authorities were expected to take him to the United States in the next few days, Suwat said.

Hurst, with the department's U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Bangkok, said that Karr had left the United States several years ago and had not returned.

The immigration and customs office had assisted the Boulder County District Attorney's Office and the Royal Thai Police in the investigation.

The suspect, who has been in Thailand five times over the past two years, was being detained by immigration police pending arrival of U.S. officials, Suwat said.

When asked how he could travel for so many years in Asia, and whether he was independently wealthy, Hurst responded, "We're asking the same questions."

Police said Karr had been living in a dormitory-style hotel called The Blooms in a neighborhood of massage parlors and travel agents that cater to expatriate residents and sex tourists. The nine-story hotel offers rooms for as short as three-hour rentals. [ed. actually, it's in a pretty normal neighborhood: http://www.bootsnall.com/hostels/di/8189/Map-Directions-The-Blooms-Residence.php]



The district attorney in Boulder, Mary Lacy, said the arrest followed several months of work.

She said Karr, who had traveled extensively across the world, may also be connected to a prior case in Santa Rosa County, Calif. She did not provide further details.

Sonoma County Chief Deputy District Attorney Joan Risse confirmed the child pornography charges and arrest warrant against a John Mark Karr, though she cautioned that she didn't know if he was the same person held Bangkok. State records show Karr lost his teaching credential in 2002.

...

The suspect's resume:

http://www.job4teacher.com/Candidates/JohnKarr.html

...

A psychic's sketch of the perpetrator, several years ago. Uncanny how well it matches the actual suspect.. or does it? Take a look:






Is there some reason why these monkeys had to have their hands literally all over this guy? Notice the professional demeanor of the Thai police, giggling and pawing the suspect. It makes me embarrassed to live here.

By the way, I thought there was a decision at the start of the year that Thai police were no longer going to stage 'perp walks' for the media.

Update, below. Looks like head of Immigration Suwat Tumrongsiskul, enjoying the limelight, was more than happy to share details on the case with the international media. Excellent foresight on the part of the US authorities, not allowing Suwat to participate in the earlier interrogation or other aspects post-arrest:

BANGKOK, Thailand - The American suspect in the killing of JonBenet Ramsey told investigators that he drugged and had sex with the 6-year-old beauty queen before accidentally killing her, a senior Thai police officer said Thursday.

An autopsy on Ramsey said a blood screening showed no drugs or alcohol in her body but said she had vaginal abrasions.

Lt. Gen. Suwat Tumrongsiskul, head of Thailand's immigration police, said by telephone that he was not present for the questioning, which was conducted by U.S. law enforcement officials.

But, according to what the general said he was told of the questioning, the suspect, John Mark Karr, "said he drugged the child." Suwat did not say who briefed him on the questioning. U.S. officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

Karr claimed he had sex with Ramsey, who was still alive, Suwat said. Karr said he then realized he had "accidentally" killed her, according to the general. [ed. take this second-hand info with a grain of salt]

More info! Apparently Homeland Security took an apartment in the same building as the suspect in order to keep tabs on him prior to his arrest. Looks like he was undone by emails he sent to a researcher in Colorado who was writing a book about the killing.

BANGKOK, Thailand - The suspect in the slaying of JonBenet Ramsey said he loved the 6-year-old beauty queen "very much" and is "very sorry for what happened."
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In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, John Mark Karr said that he contacted JonBenet's mother, Patsy, before she died of cancer in June to express his remorse for the killing.

"I conveyed to her many things, among them that I am so very sorry for what happened to JonBenet," Karr said as U.S. and Thai authorities escorted him from his Bangkok hotel, where he spent over an hour packing his belongings.

Karr said it was his understanding that Patsy Ramsey read letters that he sent to her. He said JonBenet's death was "an accident."

"It's very important for me that everyone knows that I love her very much and that her death was unintentional," said Karr, who sweated and stuttered occasionally as he spoke in a quiet voice.

Karr, 41, was arrested Wednesday, halfway around the world from Boulder, Colo., where JonBenet's body was found beaten and strangled in her parent's basement on Dec. 26, 1996.

He declined to disclose the nature of his supposed relationship to the Ramsey family, or how he may have known JonBenet.

Asked for details of how she died, Karr replied: "It would take several hours to describe — to describe that."

"There's no way I could be brief about it. It's a very involved series of events," said Karr, who speaks with a thick Southern accent. "It's very painful for me to talk about."

Earlier in the day, Karr spoke briefly to reporters after a news conference by American and Thai authorities.

"I was with JonBenet when she died," he told reporters. Asked if he was innocent, he said: "No."

Karr will be taken within the week to Colorado, where he will face charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping and child sexual assault, said Ann Hurst of the Department of
Homeland Security, one of several officials who accompanied the suspect back to his hotel.

In the run-up to Karr's arrest, U.S. authorities had rented rooms at The Blooms, the budget hotel where Karr was staying in a central Bangkok neighborhood of massage parlors and travel agencies catering to expatriates and sex tourists.

The hotel offers rooms for as little as three hours — for $8 — and monthly stays starting at $170.

Karr was staying on the top floor of the nine-story hotel in a small single room.

U.S. and Thai authorities wearing plastic gloves sorted through his possessions, which were wheeled away on a luggage rack, and included a laptop computer and two suitcases.

Dressed in a baggy turquoise polo shirt and khaki pants, Karr said that JonBenet's death was "not what it seems to be," though he declined to elaborate.

"In every way," he added, as authorities bundled him into a waiting vehicle. "It's not at all what it seems to be."