The sentence on Wednesday comes after the 27-year-old strangled the Swiss woman before stealing 300 baht (CHF8.50) from her.
The court said that the man also had the intention to rape the woman, who he came across near a waterfall on the touristic island of Phuket last July, but in the end he killed her and stole the money.
The Swiss woman had arrived on the island on July 13 under the “Phuket Sandbox” scheme – an effort to reopen tourism in Thailand after the Covid-19 pandemic, and which allowed fully vaccinated foreign travellers to stay on the island without quarantine before travelling elsewhere in the country after 14 days.
At the time, the crime caused shock and dismay in Thailand, and a vigil was held in Phuket by hotel staff and businesspeople to express condolences. The Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha even issued a statement demanding a swift investigation.
After an arrest and interrogation by regional police last August, the man confessed, and told media that “[he] would like to apologise to the tourist’s family and beg all Thais to excuse [him]”.
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Swiss send aid to Covid-hit Thailand ahead of minister’s visit
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Switzerland has sent around CHF9 million worth of anti-Covid-19 equipment to Thailand, which is facing its worst wave yet of the pandemic.
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