Update autumn 2012

Next month, on the 17th of November 2012, it will have been no less than nine years since Jules was brutally murdered. This is unbelievable for us, and it is also equally unbelievable that we still have to fight for justice being done for Jules. Two important subjects have not yet been concluded:

Anuphong Suthani

The murderer of Jules who was sentenced to death has been on the run since December 2007. In spite of numerous requests made by us and the Dutch Embassy in Bangkok to the Thai authorities and the Royal Thai Police to pay attention to this affair and to make an effort to track him down and arrest him, Anuphong Suthani is still at large!

Verdict of the Marisa Prommana trial

The trial against Marisa Prommana started on 26 October 2009 and took more than two and a half years. For various reasons the court sessions were adjourned time and time again.

However, on Thursday 10 May 2012the judge in Pattaya finally reached a verdict in the trial against Marisa.

We were stupefied to hear that the judge in Pattaya Provincial Court acquitted her. Fortunately, we were not present in the court room ourselves. The Dutch Embassy was represented by two staff members who immediately reported the outcome to us.

According to the sentence of the judge, it had been proven that Marisa had been present when the murder of Jules had been planned, but that she might have changed her mind in the period between the planning and the actual murder.

After this, Marisa was released on bail in expectation of our possible decision to appeal to a higher court.

We have not doubted for a moment to do so and in August 2012 an Official Appeal was made both by our lawyer and by the public prosecutor.

Is yet again to be continued …

The Odekerken Family

October 2012