BUTTERWORTH - Another Myanmar worker was found dead with his throat slit in Penang, making him the 18th Myanmar national to be murdered in Penang this year.
The body of construction worker Hein Lat Kyaw, 34, was found in an oil palm estate in Jarak Atas, Tasek Gelugor, by a passerby who alerted the police at about 8.30am on Monday, The Star reported.
Despite the latest case being the 18th murder this year involving a Myanmar national, Penang CID chief Senior Asst Comm Mazlan Kesah said investigations showed the incident was not linked to the ealier cases, according to the report.
He also denied the murders had any link to the ongoing conflict between the Buddhists and Muslims in Myanmar, Malay Mail Online said.
"This is another isolated murder case. Nothing related to the previous killings," he said.
"Other than the slit throat, there were also stab wounds on his chest, abdomen and buttocks, and injuries on his left wrist. The man had been dead for less than 24 hours when found.
"We believe the victim was killed elsewhere before he was dumped here. Our checks showed that he worked at a construction company in Taman Kelasah, Seberang Jaya.
"We believe more than one person was behind the killing," SAC Mazlan said, adding that a knife sheath was found next to the body.
Malay Mail Online quoted him as dismissing talk that a serial killer could have been involved in the 18 cases. He also denied that the police were not taking the cases seriously enough and pointed out that four suspects have been charged in court.
"We view these murders seriously because the numbers are increasing. Our investigations are in full swing," he said.
The murder cases have caused anxiety among the Myanmar community and Malaysians. Many of the victims - a large number of them unidentified - were dumped at industrial areas. Most of them were wrapped in a white cloth, bedsheet or sarong and left by the roadside.
Besides the 18 Myanmar nationals, the headless bodies of two females were found last week.
One woman, believed to be a foreigner, was found without a head and legs, and her torso and arms were stuffed into a luggage bag at a carpark near the Penang Botanical Gardens.
The other headless woman - a 33-year-old Indonesian named Halimahtusakdiah - was found by fishermen on Tuesday.
