Chen Yi Hai had been living in accommodation over the restaurant since August 20th and was due to assume control on September 1st. He is believed to have died in a violent attack and struggle where a number of weapons were used.
A 51-year-old businessman about to embark on a new venture as the boss of a popular Bangkok restaurant with money loaned from his son was murdered on Thursday by a group of migrant workers at the establishment after he got involved with them in a confrontation over the noise they were making while drinking after work.
A Chinese businessman was brutally murdered in the early hours of Thursday morning in the Wang Thong Lang area of Bangkok by migrant workers at the establishment he was due to take over on Sunday next, September 1st. The workers from Myanmar had worked at the popular Ma la suki restaurant on Soi Ramkhamhaeng 39.
Chinese man had been given ฿300,00 by his son to finance the new venture he was about to begin
The man has been named by police in Wang Thong Lang as 51-year-old Chen Yi Hai. The new boss of the restaurant was in the process of taking over the concern from a Thai man named in press reports as Mr Viroj. It is reported that the son of the Chinese man had given him ฿300,000 towards the deal and that he had begun the handover process by regularly visiting the restaurant.
Staying at the restaurant on the top floor since August 20th with migrant workers on the floor below
The Chinese had also been staying at the restaurant since August 20th occupying the top floor of the commercial building. The second floor was also used as accommodation for migrant workers who lived and worked on the premises. The police investigation into the violent murder is being led by Lieutenant Colonel Chavalit Ngernchalard who is the Deputy Investigation Chief for Wang Thong Lang Police Station.
Reprimanded employees for making noise
It is understood that a row flared up after the restaurant closed on Wednesday in the early hours of Thursday morning. Mr Chen, according to police sources, had reprimanded his new future employees for making excessive noise while drinking after work as had become their regular practice. The migrant workers from Myanmar comprised of four men and three women. The staff had been working at the concern for the last eight months.
Owner of the restaurant alerted by one for the female workers in a phone call he next morning
Mr Viroj, the Thai owner was contacted on Thursday morning at approximately 11 am by one of the Burmese women who told him that she was going to visit her sister. The woman also alerted him to the fact that there had been a serious confrontation the night before at the premises. This led Mr Viroj to dispatch his assistant to the restaurant. Upon entering the premises, he found it empty but when he checked the accommodation upstairs, he found Mr Chen’s dead and battered body.
Chinese man suffered a range of serious injuries
Police reports suggest that the Chinese man had a broken ankle, severe cuts and physical damage to his head and neck area. His hand had also been chopped by a lethal instrument. In the room, police found ฿19,000 in cash, a steel bar and a cleaver. There was evidence throughout of a sustained struggle. This included a number of broken bottles.
Workers fled the premises at 3 am on Thursday
Police then checked CCTV footage which showed the seven workers leaving the premises in a hurry at 3 am on Thursday. Police later captured four of the men linked with the fracas and murder of Mr Chen. One of the men is understood not to have been directly involved in the attack and police are treating him as a witness.
Three Burmese men have admitted to killing their new boss in a violent outburst of tempers
The three men who have admitted the murder of Mr Chen and who will subsequently be charged, have not been formally identified but we have three names which are Arti, Ah-xing and Jeyi. Thai police apprehended three of the Burmese men in Pattaya shortly after midnight on Friday morning and later took into custody the fourth man in Rayong province. The three female employees working at the premises are still at large.
