A British man has been arrested in Thailand after allegedly stabbing a Japanese tourist to death after the pair got into a fight in the street.
David Maensiri, 36, was said to be having a fight with his girlfriend when Japanese bystander Seita Tanabe, 27, tried to intervene.
However, David allegedly turned his fury on the well-meaning tourist, sparking a brawl in the Thai “Sin City” of Pattaya on December 29.
The suspect, who is also a Thai national, is said to have pulled out a knife during the altercation and stabbed it into Seita’s chest.
Dramatic footage shows Seita in a white shirt attacking the Brit from across the street before jumping on him as his girlfriend desperately screamed to stop him.
But this sparked a furious altercation between the pair and one witness recalled seeing David punch the Japanese tourist in the face.
Bank, 22, said: “They separated, but not long after, the Japanese tried to retaliate with another punch, sparking another fight.”
“Everyone tried to stop them but it was too late. The suspect pulled out a knife and stabbed the Japanese in front of everyone.
A British dual national, David Maensiri, was arrested for allegedly murdering a Japanese tourist in Thailand
He was described as drunk and remorseless, even making a rock and roll hand sign at police following his arrest.
Police Captain Wuttikorn Plodprong of the Pattaya City Police Station said: “We have inspected the scene and taken photographs as evidence.”
Police Captain Wuttikorn Plodprong of the Pattaya City Police Station said police officers received a report at 6:06 a.m.
They arrived at the scene, where doctors were performing CPR on Seita, who had a deep stab wound in his chest.
He was rushed to a hospital, but later succumbed to his injuries.
Footage then showed a bruised David being handcuffed and dragged to a van after the attack.
The Brit was described as drunk and ruthless, and even made a rock and roll hand sign at police while sitting in the back of the truck.
David was taken to a hospital for a shoulder dislocation, abrasions and head injuries.
Plodprong said: ‘We have inspected the scene and taken photographs as evidence.
“We are gathering more evidence to take legal action against the suspect.”
Deputy Inspector Itthiporn Tangchuthaweesap of Pattaya City Police Station said: “A meticulous investigation is underway to build a case against the suspect.
“The goal is to ensure that judicial proceedings are carried out thoroughly and fairly.”
It comes after a British tourist is being investigated over the death of a Thai sex worker who was found dead in her hotel room, after he claimed he did not notice her decomposing corpse for four days.
In the images you can see the Japanese tourist crossing the street to intervene in a fight between David and his girlfriend.
Seita is seen approaching David before he is punched in the face.
Police received a report of the brutal attack around 6am and David was thrown into the back of a van.
Police arrived at the scene, where doctors were performing CPR on Seita, who had a deep stab wound to his chest.
Bearach Beataidh, 71, was reportedly seen kissing and holding hands with Duangta Khampongsom, 45, while taking her to his room at a guesthouse in ‘Sin City’ Pattaya, eastern Thailand , on December 18.
But she was never seen alive again.
Bearach, from County Down, Northern Ireland, was caught on CCTV leaving the room looking nervous four days later on December 22.
The building’s caretaker, Prayoon Chinsai, 57, called police that same morning when he noticed a bad smell coming from the room.
When he knocked and no one answered, he used a spare key to open the door, only to find the woman’s half-naked body rotting on the bed.
Officers arrived at the building and found the tourist, who also has an Irish passport, in a nearby bar.
He said he was aware of the body but did not file a report with police because he claimed he “didn’t know she was dead.”
Police Captain Puttharak Sonkhamhan of the Pattaya City Police Station said officers are questioning Bearach further about his statements.
The former fishing village of Pattaya became popular with American troops on their “rest and relaxation” breaks in the 1960s, when the American military had bases in Thailand.
In the years that followed, the seaside resort became a semi-barbaric sex tourism destination.
Embarrassed officials have made progress in gentrifying the region with family tourism projects, but a voracious nightlife industry and corrupt police have hampered their efforts, and undesirables from all nations are still drawn to the seedy city.