On September 19, a grim scene unfolded at Wat Maka in the Nikhom Pattana district of Rayong. Police rushed to the temple after getting a tip-off, only to find a pickup truck parked inside the compound with a corpse lying in the back bed, hastily covered with a plastic mat.
The victim was a Myanmar national. When paramedics and officers took a closer look, they spotted several stab wounds on his body—this clearly was no accident.
Police suspect the attack took place at a nearby construction camp. Someone then loaded the body into the truck and drove it straight into the temple grounds. Digging deeper, investigators tracked down three Chinese men suspected of helping transport the body. With the help of an interpreter, all three were brought to the station for questioning, while officers impounded the pickup truck to trace its route and gather evidence.
For now, police are working to figure out the exact connection between the three Chinese men and the victim. Authorities were quick to clarify that the trio hasn't been named as the actual killers yet—they are currently being treated as suspects in moving the corpse. The area is packed with foreign migrant workers coming and going from local building sites, so minor squabbles are common enough. But leaving a body in a temple yard has sent a chill through the neighborhood, keeping people whispering at the local tea stalls.
