Pirapan calls for immediate executions after Pattaya’s five-body murder horror, saying brutal killers deserve death. As police probe alleged links between officers and suspect “Pong”, Thailand’s death penalty debate erupts once again.
Former Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Minister Pirapan Salirathavibhaga has thrust Thailand’s death penalty back into the national spotlight by calling for immediate executions once death sentences become final, as the discovery of five bodies buried outside Pattaya triggers one of the country’s biggest murder investigations in years. With police probing allegations of possible officer involvement, searching for additional victims and examining claims that accused killer Thana Kerdthong, or “Pong”, may have led a wider reign of terror, the case has ignited fierce public demands for capital punishment while exposing fresh questions about policing, prisoner release procedures and why only a handful of Thailand’s hundreds of condemned inmates have exhausted the legal process before execution.
Former Deputy Prime Minister and former Justice Minister Pirapan has called for Thailand to resume carrying out executions immediately after death sentences become final.
His intervention followed mounting public outrage over the discovery of five bodies buried outside Pattaya. As a result, the country’s long-dormant debate over capital punishment has returned to the political forefront.
Speaking on Monday, Pirapan said the murders of Russian siblings Diana Nazimova, 22, and Roman Nazimov, 17, warranted the maximum punishment available under Thai law. He said that if he were still serving as a judge, and the evidence was clear, he would immediately sentence the perpetrators to death.
The former minister and party leader described the killings as exceptionally brutal and said the alleged offenders showed no remorse. He also warned that investigators could yet uncover further victims as the inquiry expands.
Pirapan urges immediate executions as Pattaya murders reignite Thailand’s death penalty debate
Pirapan argued that imprisonment alone was insufficient in such cases. Instead, he said executions should follow immediately once every legal appeal has been exhausted.
According to him, the Department of Corrections should enforce final death sentences without delay so offenders fear the punishment prescribed by law. At the same time, he stressed that judges impose capital punishment only after carefully weighing both the evidence and the seriousness of the offence.
He added that investigators should present not only evidence of the crime but also a suspect’s criminal history to strengthen prosecutions seeking the death penalty.
His remarks came as police continued expanding one of Thailand’s largest murder investigations in recent memory. At the centre of the case is 43-year-old Thana Kerdthong, known as “Pong”, alongside co-accused Thongchai Srinil. Both men remain in custody after Pattaya Provincial Court refused bail. Judges cited the gravity of the allegations and the risk of interference with the investigation.
Police believe the case extends far beyond the murders of the Russian siblings. Investigators have linked both suspects to the earlier abduction and execution of a Thai family. Their bodies were recovered from neighbouring graves beneath coconut trees in secluded woodland outside Pattaya. Detectives now believe the five killings may represent only part of a broader pattern of organised violence operating within Pattaya’s criminal underworld.
Murder inquiry widens as detectives probe more victims and examine the alleged criminal network in Pattaya
Meanwhile, officers continue examining whether additional victims remain undiscovered. Pirapan himself referred to that possibility, saying the investigation could reveal further crimes. Detectives are therefore continuing extensive searches while analysing forensic evidence recovered from the burial sites.
Separately, the investigation has widened after allegations emerged that a police officer supplied narcotics to Thana while he was in custody following an earlier arrest. Those claims have added a new dimension to an inquiry already raising uncomfortable questions about police oversight.
In response, National Police Commissioner Pol. Gen. Kittirat Phanphet ordered an immediate internal investigation. He declared there would be no protection for any officer found assisting the suspect. He also warned that anyone implicated would face both disciplinary proceedings and criminal prosecution.
As part of this, detectives are examining mobile telephone records and interviewing additional witnesses. Investigators are also reviewing prison release procedures following growing scrutiny over how Thana returned to the streets only weeks before the latest killings. That review now extends beyond the murder inquiry itself and into the handling of earlier criminal cases.
Police corruption allegations deepen Pattaya murder inquiry as investigators look into reports
In parallel, prosecutors continue assembling evidence against both suspects before any trial begins. Further forensic examinations are also expected. Investigators are seeking to establish the complete sequence of events while determining whether the alleged offences extend beyond the five known victims.
Notably, the murders have transformed a criminal investigation into a wider debate over Thailand’s criminal justice system.
Public anger has intensified since the discovery of multiple victims buried in neighbouring graves. Social media has since been dominated by demands for executions if the accused are ultimately convicted.
For years, senior judicial figures have explained that Thai courts continue imposing death sentences for murder and other serious offences. However, they have repeatedly noted that carrying out executions does not rest with the judiciary. Instead, responsibility ultimately passes to the executive once every judicial process has concluded.
Focus turns to Thailand’s death row as public anger revives debate over enforcing capital punishment
Against that backdrop, renewed attention has focused on Thailand’s death row population. Reports circulating this weekend suggested there are now about 490 prisoners awaiting execution. However, official figures published in January 2025 recorded 364 condemned inmates.
More significantly, only 20 prisoners had exhausted every legal appeal at that time. The remainder continued pursuing appeals or other judicial proceedings before their sentences became final. Consequently, only a small proportion could legally have faced execution.
Thailand also maintains strict procedures governing executions. Prisoners receive no advance warning that an execution is pending. Rather, they are informed only on the evening before the sentence is carried out. The execution then follows within hours.
Although Thailand continues to retain capital punishment under its criminal law, executions remain exceptionally rare.
Last execution in 2018 as Pattaya murders revive calls for Thailand to enforce death sentences again
The country’s last execution took place in June 2018, ending a nine-year hiatus. Since then, courts have continued imposing death sentences, but none has been carried out.
Now, the Pattaya murders have fundamentally changed the national conversation. The discovery of five bodies in neighbouring graves has shocked the country. Allegations of possible police involvement have further heightened public concern.
Police chief orders probe into claims that the local Pattaya police station had links to Killer ‘Pong’
Dark case of murder and terror in Pattaya only beginning as police explore the horror reign of ‘Pong’
Equally, questions surrounding the suspects’ earlier release have intensified scrutiny of the wider justice system.
Against this backdrop, Pirapan’s intervention has given fresh political momentum to calls for the enforcement of final death sentences. Whether that leads to any change in government policy remains unclear. However, the murders have ensured that Thailand’s rarely discussed death penalty has returned to the centre of public debate.
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