[source http://www.asiafinest.com/forum/lofiversion/index.php/t60440.html] yajthaugluv Jan 18 2006, 10:08 PM (01/18/06 -- BANGKOK, THAILAND) - A Lao-American couple living in North Carolina and claiming to be members of a Lao royal family were shot to death Wednesday in northeastern Thailand, police said. Anouwong Sethathirath IV and Oulayvanh Sethathirath, 49 and 38 years old respectively, were killed at a Buddhist monastery in Nong Khai, near the border with Laos, said police Lt. Jeerawat Thammasorn, who was unwilling to give any further details about the victims. No arrests or suspects have been announced in the case. A Web site operated by the couple, www.sethathirath.com, identifies Anouwong as a prince and Oulayvanh as a princess, and says that Sethathirath is the royal line of Laos' Sisattanakhanahut kingdom, also known as Lan Xang. The couple resided in Fairview, N.C., a suburb of Asheville, according to newspaper accounts. Both were U.S. citizens. Lt. Jeerawat said they were shot at a pavilion at the monastery at about 10 a.m. The Thai television station ITV reported that witnesses said that gunmen wearing coats and black sunglasses walked into the pavilion and killed them. Nong Khai is 320 miles north of Bangkok. The couple was not directly related to Savang Vatthana, the last king of Laos, who was forced to abdicate his throne after a communist takeover of his country in 1975. The Sethathirath family last ruled a part of Laos in the 19th century. According to a profile of the couple published earlier this month in the Asheville Citizen-Times newspaper, they were to attend a cultural conference in Thailand this month for the Lan Xang people, and had frequently visited Thailand, especially the northeast, whose residents are ethnically related to the Lao. The newspaper said that Anouwong, the descendant of the Sethathirath line and who also has the Western name Phillip McRowan, married Oulayvanh, also known as Ashley, in 1987. It said that Anouwong worked as a pathologist's assistant in a local hospital, while Oulayvanh was studying for a degree in international studies at the University of North Carolina in Asheville. Although some refugees from Laos have been involved in violent activities against the country's communist government, the couple was not known to be involved with them. Most exiled members of the late king Savang Vatthana live in France. Jan 18 2006, 11:11 PM quaid Link with anti-communist activities possible motive for murder of Laotian couple Published on Jan 19, 2006 A Laotian American couple apparently of Lao royal descent who were shot dead in northeastern Thailand might have been targeted by Laos on suspicions that they were working against the communist regime, police said Thursday. An official at the Laotian Embassy in Bangkok denied his government played any role in Wednesday's slaying near the Thai-Laos border. U.S. Embassy officials could not be reached for comment. Anouwong Sethathirath IV, 49, and Oulayvanh Sethathirath, 38, were killed at a Buddhist monastery in Nong Khai. Witnesses reported seeing two gunmen approach the couple and shot the couple in a temple at about 10 a.m of Wednesday. "The gunmen are of Thai nationality but we believe they were hired by secret agents who support the Laos government because Laotian government is always suspicious of Laotians from America," Thai police Lt. Col. Santhipab Meephol said. "They think Laotians from America are involved in anti-government activities." [source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/01/19/national/data/national_19693378.html] Activist couple claiming Lao royal blood killed Published on January 19, 2006 Pair shot at monastery said to be descendants of Lao Lan Xang dynasty A couple of Laotian social activists who claimed to be of direct royal descent from the ancient Lao Lan Xang kingdom were shot dead in northeastern Nong Khai province yesterday, police said. A man in his 50s, identified as Prince Anouvong Sethathirath IV, and his wife Princess Oulayvanh Sethathirath, were killed by two unidentified gunmen while praying at a Buddhist monastery in the province at about 10am. The man was hit three times in the head, while the woman, whose body was found some 30 meters away, had been shot in the stomach. Police found some leaflets about Anouvong’s royal lineage nearby. The couple were US citizens from North Carolina. Anouvong is a Lao native of Vientiane while his wife Oulayvanh is a Thai native of Nong Khai’s Sri Chiang Mai district, and both claim original royal blood ties from the ancient capital of Luang Phrabang. They arrived in Thailand a week ago to attend a seminar on the “Restoration of Lao Culture” in neighbouring Udon Thani. They were frequent visitors to Thailand as campaigners to restore Lao culture and the monarchy to the communist-ruled Lao People’s Democratic Republic. This was their fifth visit to Thailand. It is understood that their activities in Thailand over the past years were mostly concerned with Buddhism as they have often been seen visiting temples in Ubon Ratchathani and Sri Chiang Mai district. Police Colonel Nattawud Phongsima, deputy commander of Nong Khai provincial police, said there were no clues to link the murder with their campaigning. “We need a deeper investigation into the case since it might relate to diplomatic relations with neighbouring Laos,” he said. One of their associates told The Nation that despite their campaign for the restoration of the monarchy in the communist state, Anouvong has never been involved in political activities or armed struggle against Vientiane. The pair, both with doctorate degrees, presented themselves as academics who championed Lao identity, art and culture, said the associate who declined to be named. Supalak Ganjanakhundee The Nation [source: http://forumlao.free.fr/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5] 20 January 2006 Suspect says he was hired to assassinate opponents of Lao government By ALISA TANG AP BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - A suspected hit man said he was hired by the government of Laos to assassinate opponents of its communist regime, including a Lao-American couple killed early this year, Thai police said Thursday. Police arrested Thai national Athit Klinchan on Wednesday in the northeastern province of Udon Thani, near the border with Laos, in connection with a separate murder on May 11. During interrogation, police said they found that he was linked to at least eight other killings, including the deaths of Anouwong and Oulayvanh Sethathirath - a Lao-American couple who claimed to be descendants of a Laotian royal family. "When we arrested the suspect, he was found to be linked to other cases. “There are many people involved in his gang who are hunting down" opponents of the Laotian government, said Maj. Gen. Asawin Kwanmuang, deputy commander of the police Central Investigation Division. Athit admitted to involvement in the Jan. 18 fatal shooting of Anouwong and Oulayvanh Sethathirath - known at home in Fairview, North Carolina, as Phillip and Ashley McRowan. The suspect, however, said it was his fugitive accomplice, Sombat Permpanya, who fired the shots that killed the couple, Asawin said. Athit told police he was hired by the Lao government to commit the murders and was paid 100,000 baht (US$2,600; 2,000) for each assassination. He is being held for questioning in Ubon Ratchathani, 470 kilometers (290 miles) east of Bangkok. Soon after the couple's murder, Thai police said agents of the Lao government were among the suspects, but a spokesman for the Lao Foreign Ministry denied any involvement. The Lao-American couple, who called themselves prince and princess, said they were descendants of a former king of Laos, although there is no evidence to back their claim. They had been visiting a Buddhist shrine in Thailand's northeastern Nong Khai province when they were gunned down in broad daylight by two men wearing coats and black sunglasses, according to witnesses. Thai police investigators said they believed the couple were in Thailand to gather financial support for a political movement against Laos' communist government. Although some refugees from Laos have engaged in violent activities against the country's government, the couple was not known to be directly involved with them. [source: http://www.orientexpat.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=6134] 20 Jan 2006 Laos Denies Any Role in Americans' Deaths © 2006 The Associated Press BANGKOK, Thailand — An American couple claiming to be of Lao royal descent who were shot dead in northeastern Thailand might have been targeted by Laos' government on suspicions that they were working against the communist regime, police said Thursday. An official at the Laotian Embassy in Bangkok denied that his government played any role in Wednesday's slaying near the Thai-Laos border. Anouwong Sethathirath IV, 49, and Oulayvanh Sethathirath, 38, were killed at a Buddhist monastery in Nong Khai, police said. The couple lived in Fairview, N.C., a suburb of Asheville, according to North Carolina newspaper accounts. Both were U.S. citizens and apparently were in Thailand to attend a cultural conference. They had made several previous trips to Thailand, where they were engaged in charitable activities for schools and Buddhist temples, according to their Web site. The Thai television station iTV reported that witnesses said the gunmen, wearing coats and black sunglasses, walked into the monastery and shot them at close range. Nong Khai is 320 miles north of Bangkok. "The gunmen are of Thai nationality, but we believe that they were hired by secret agents who support the Laos government because the (Laotian) government is always suspicious of Laotians from America," Thai police Lt. Col. Santhipab Meephol said. "They think Laotians from America are always involved in anti-government activities." No arrests have been made, and Santhipab did not say why police believed the assailants were Thai.