Selfies lead to arrest of Thai fugitive

A Thai man on the run for 13 years from a murder charge was caught on Friday in Nakhon Ratchasima province after selfies he posted on his Facebook page led police to him.

Thana Kanchanasak, 37, a fishing trawler crewman, was wanted on court warrant in a murder case, the Bangkok Post reported.

He was caught in Pak Chong district.

The suspect fled after killing a rival during an argument at a fish market in Bangkok's Thon Buri district on August 24, 2002, a police official said.

Police launched an unsuccessful 13-year manhunt for Kanchanasak and only recently found selfie pictures he posted on his Facebook page. They closely monitored Thana's Facebook and learned the wanted man had gone to visit his mother in Chaiyaphum province.

The police official said Kanchanasak confessed to the murder saying that during the argument he lost his temper, pulled out a knife and stabbed the man to death.

He had fled and gone to sea on a fishing vessel operating in waters near Malaysia. He had not returned to shore for several years.

The statute of limitations in his case would have expired in seven more years and he would have gone free if not caught by then.