Surin resident Pridsana Saenubon, 22, was questioned yesterday by local police and admitted being the girlfriend of Spaniard Artur Princep Segarra, who is wanted by police in connection with the murder of David Bernat, another man from Spain.

The woman told police interrogators that Segarra came to live with her in Surin’s Muang district on January 31. She said that he fled on his motorcycle on Friday evening after they both visited a local karaoke lounge.

She noticed people at the venue looking at Segarra suspiciously after they saw his image on television during a news programme. Pridsana told police that she had known him for more than six months ago while working in Bangkok. But the woman maintained she was unaware Segarra was linked to the murder, and she denied any involvement with the case. Police took her to Bangkok later yesterday to help with further inquiries.

Police General Panya Mamen, who heads the investigation team, said yesterday that police were questioning a number of key witnesses in the case.

Police were also sent to examine places believed to have been used by the suspects, as well as for detaining and dismembering the victim, Panya said. Surin Superintendent Pol Colonel Hassapong Termsiritangkanobol said yesterday that Pridsana said she had returned to her hometown recently with the suspect. They had seen each other in Bangkok, where she often accompanied him for nightlife outings. Last week, body parts were found washed up at the banks of the Chao Phraya in different locations, in Bangkok, Nonthaburi and Pathum Thani. DNA tests revealed that the body parts belonged to the same man, who was later identified as Bernat.

Segarra allegedly received Bt37 million from Bernat’s account in a Singaporean bank and later withdrew the money from ATMs in different locations in Bangkok and other provinces, police said.

Metropolitan Police chief Pol Lt-General Sanit Mahathaworn said yesterday that police had searched the suspect’s house in Bangkok’s Ramkhamkaeng area and found some “very useful and important evidence”. He declined to identify the evidence.

A police source said that among the items found at the suspect’s house were saw blades, knife, duct tape. However, there were no traces of blood there.

Panya yesterday chaired a meeting of the investigation team at the Metropolitan Police headquarters.

He said Bernat was detained and tortured before being killed and dismembered. He said many people were involved in the ATM withdrawals of his money. The victim’s four friends – two foreign men and two Thai women -met with investigators yesterday.

Border Patrol and Immigration police in Sa Kaew, another province bordering Cambodia, have been asked to help with the hunt for the suspect. More checkpoints were set up along the border areas and local residents were asked to inform the authorities whenever they spot any suspect.

Police had got court approval for three arrest warrants yesterday for Cambodian vendors involved in the attacks.

Jomrern Jarern, 32, a shoe trader, has been charged with resisting police arrest by assaulting and intimidation after conspiring with more than three people.

The arrest took place after Colonel Seksan Wattanapong, superintendent of Klong Luek Police Station, and others, checked video footage that captured the incident.

Police caught Jomrern yesterday while he was walking in the market. The suspect confessed that he was the same man seen in the video footage. He was taken to Klong Luek Police Station for interrogation.

Jomrern confessed that he threw bags at DSI officials from the back of a six-wheel truck to help rescue Muay, a Cambodian woman trader who was detained in the truck. Muay was able to escape with the help of Jomrern.

He said he did not know that the officials were real authorities – he thought they were people disguised as DSI officials.

Earlier, two Cambodian men, Nhim Seiha, 24, and Kong Sam Un, 22, were involved in a fight that broke out at the Rong Kluea market on Wednesday morning, when officers from the DSI confiscated counterfeit items being sold by Cambodian vendors.

In retaliation, the vendors allegedly beat up the officers and damaged their vehicles.

The DSI report on the incident said nearly 400 Cambodians surrounded the officials and overturned an SUV during the operation to confiscate fake versions of brand-name products, according to an Associated Press report.

Sa Kaew District Court later sentenced the two Cambodians to three months in jail.

Police said that since Jomrern faces criminal charges, he would face heavier punishment if convicted.

Meanwhile, Cambodian officials are attempting to secure the release of the two Cambodian men sentenced to three months in jail on Thursday, the Cambodia Daily reported.

The report said the Cambodian Foreign Ministry had instructed Cambodian diplomats in Thailand to review video footage of the attack and attempt to secure legal representation for the jailed duo.

“Deputy Prime Minister Hor Nam-hong has immediately advised the ambassador and consuls in Thailand to find a lawyer to defend our people,” the Cambodia Daily quoted the statement from the Foreign Ministry as saying.

More than 50 per cent of shops in Rong Kluea market were closed after the incidents, even though people continued to flock to |the market to shop for merchandise.

At immigration checkpoints in Sa Kaew, officials carried out strict checks on Cambodians passing the checkpoints as police are still searching for two more suspects, for whom arrest warrants have been issued.

More Cambodians crossed the border than usual as Chinese Cambodians headed to the Rong Kluea market to shop for food and items used to celebrate Chinese New Year in their country.

Viraphonh said Laos was now “optimising” its electricity production with the help of development agencies such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank to increase output more efficiently. Already Laos produces some of the world’s cheapest and cleanest electricity, selling 75 per cent of it to Thailand at a low seven US cents a kilowatt-hour. The 20-year electricity partnership makes the two countries reliable allies, bringing benefits to both sides, he noted.

“Hydropower, which is clean and renewable, is the chief and best form for Laos to produce electricity. We do not have oil, and hydro does not pollute the environment,” he said.

Coal and shale are more costly and emit carbon dioxide, the minister added. “Laos will support renewable projects for wind and solar as long as they do not need [a] government subsidy,” he said.

A turnkey project with Thailand’s Impact Energy Group, the farm is expected to be operational in two years. The sale of the farm’s energy will not affect Thai wind farms, as it will come from the Laos portion of the electricity quota to the Kingdom, Viraphonl said.

A further indication that Laos will play a key role in energy is the rapid formation of the Laos-Thai-Malaysia-Singapore power transmission project after its launch two years ago in Vientiane.

The project will allow Singapore and Malaysia and other connected member states to buy electricity from Laos, a feat performed immediately using existing grid connections. “We hope to sign the MoU [memorandum of understanding] for the project at the next Asean gathering in Myanmar this year,” Viraphonl said.

What started as a simple Thai-Laos electricity link is fast becoming a multiple Asean member project with Singapore and Malaysia saying they will buy a token 100MW to get it off the ground. Vilaphonl said Myanmar and Laos officials were in talks for a power grid connection across theMekong where they share a border. That makes Myanmar a possible fifth country in the project.

The minister, who is Australian trained in engineering, recalled how he worked on one of the first Thai-Laos hydro projects – Theun Hinboun – about 20 years ago. “There were some people who almost stopped the project by saying there was a risk that Laos would stop supplying power to Thailand,” he said.

He said mistrust among members states would allow planners to add big “risk premiums” when evaluating the cost of investing in the country.

Bang Phong Phang Police superintendent Pol Colonel Namkiat Theerajanapong led forensic officers and representatives of the Association of Siamese Architects to inspect the nine-storey building in Soi Narathiwat 18 yesterday, particularly the third-floor living room, which was suspected to be where the fire originated.

Police will summon witnesses and building residents for more information after the Chinese New Year, the source reported.

Pol Lt Colonel Bandit Pradapsuk, vice chairman of the architects body, said the initial inspection found the building, constructed in 1992, was up to the code of structure design and equipped with a smoke detection system. He said they also found that the building was adorned with parquet floors, walls and ceilings and hardwood decorations, which may have helped the fire spread fast.

Yannawa district director affirmed that another statement was issued to correct the misidentification of the building. The director said a district-level committee and a public works authority would inspect the site of the blaze, and if it was unsafe, the landlord would be asked to reduce number of storeys.

Meanwhile, a grief-stricken Vikrom and family members went to identify Angkana’s body. They performed a bathing rite at the morgue at Chulalongkorn Hospital yesterday and were due to collect the body for religious ceremonies at Wat Hua Lamphong later.

In related news, Chatchai Sirirojpanyakul, 40, a rescue volunteer charged with stealing a watch worth about Bt200,000 from the building during the fire, was released on bail yesterday.

The dispute relates to a private company constructing a property that blocks a walkway to the ritual site.

Sea gypsy Ngeem Damrongkaset, 71, said the ceremony, which dates back to the start of last century, was conducted when the community faced a dire situation with no apparent solution in sight. Nheem said a similar ritual was held years ago over another land dispute with an investor.

Another sea gypsy, Somsri Damrongkaset, said it was a necessity for the community to had convenient access to the ritual site and could also use the area for boat and fishing gear repairs.

A fact-finding panel is determining whether the company legally owns the land.

It was reported that Tourism and Sports permanent secretary, Pongpanu Svetarundra, was in charge of preparing the venue at the ministry for the meeting.

“There is a need to explain clearly about the budget-setting criteria … I confirm there will be a through probe into this to ensure transparency,” Kobkarn said.