Amnesty and Deportation for Chiang Mai Killer
Sixty-two year old Australian William Thomas Douglas (also known as Bill Douglas), convicted in 2008 of the shooting murder of 46 year old Hawaiin American Garry Poretsky, is one of many prisoners held in Bangkok to be granted a Royal Amnesty. He is due to be deported to Australia on June 16th.
Douglas, a Vietnam veteran who claimed to work undercover for Thai police seeking drug offenders, and who was known to carry an unlicensed gun, shot Poretsky 3 times after an all night drinking session at the Keari bar and restaurant.
After Douglas pleaded guilty, the dead man’s family was shocked to hear of the sentence of just 2 years 9 months. The amnesty covering many prisoners in Klong Prem jail effectively cut that sentence by 6 months, despite reports that Douglas had started a fight in jail, spent time in solitary confinement and threatened 4 Thai-resident Australians.
Sources close to the case say that Douglas, who speaks Thai fluently, has strongly resisted the deportation order and expected to be freed to return to Chiang Mai and his long-term Thai girlfriend.
Editor’s Note: The motive for the murder was never clear, though there were suggestions that Douglas decided, with no evidence, that Poretsky was a drug dealer, a theory which has since been supported in some blogs from fellow Hawaiians. Two of the 4 Australians allegedly named by Douglas as his next victims have already left Thailand in fear of their lives. There is speculation that Douglas may be intercepted on arrival by Australian authorities to be given psychiatric tests.
