Beneath the golden temples and bustling night markets of Thailand lies a darker truth—one hidden in alleys, abandoned buildings, and quiet countryside homes. Shadows of Siam is a true crime podcast that uncovers the forgotten, the unsolved, and the terrifyingly real stories that lurk within Thailand’s past and present.
Jenjira Ployangunsri Murder: Bangkok Medical Student Case That Changed Thai Forensics
Jenjira “Pui” Ployangunsri was 23, in her fifth year of medical school in Bangkok, and expected to be back for a meeting at seven o’clock. She never made it back.
In this episode of Shadows of Siam, we examine the 1998 murder of Jenjira Ployangunsri, the changing confessions of fellow medical student Serm Sakhonrat, the forensic evidence that broke his story apart, and the DNA work that helped make this one of Thailand’s landmark criminal investigations.
This is not a story about sensational details. It is about Pui: a daughter, granddaughter, friend, and doctor-in-training whose life was reduced too often to the crime committed against her. We follow the investigation from her disappearance through the Bang Pakong River evidence, Dr. Porntip Rojanasunan’s forensic work, the court finding of premeditated murder, the life sentence, Serm’s release after about 13 years and 9 months, and the later debate over rehabilitation, punishment, and his attempt to enter the legal profession.
Content warning: This episode discusses intimate-partner violence, murder, and the postmortem treatment of human remains. Graphic detail is limited, but listener discretion is advised.
Sources
Judgment of the Supreme Court of Justice No. 6083/2546 (https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Translation%3AJudgment_of_the_Supreme_Court_of_Justice_No._6083/2546/Syllabus)
https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Translation%3AJudgment_of_the_Supreme_Court_of_Justice_No._6083/2546/Syllabus
Public Prosecutor & Pratyaphat v Sakhonrat (2003), Full Thai Judgment (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Public_Prosecutor_%26_Pratyaphat_v_Sakhonrat_(2003)_FULLTEXT-TH.pdf)
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Public_Prosecutor_%26_Pratyaphat_v_Sakhonrat_(2003)_FULLTEXT-TH.pdf
Dr Porntip: No Bones Unturned (https://www.marshallcavendish.com/docs/default-source/default-document-library/sample-page/9789814634571.pdf?sfvrsn=cca2bc44_2)
https://www.marshallcavendish.com/docs/default-source/default-document-library/sample-page/9789814634571.pdf?sfvrsn=cca2bc44_2
บันทึกรัก คราบเลือด และน้ำตา (https://www.sanook.com/news/167441/)
https://www.sanook.com/news/167441/
Forensic DNA Profiling in the Southern Border Provinces of Thailand: Ethical and Regulatory Issues (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0379073822001529)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0379073822001529
Porntip Rojanasunan: Thailand’s No. 1 Lady Detective (https://monocle.com/affairs/porntip-rojanasunan-thailand-detective/)
https://monocle.com/affairs/porntip-rojanasunan-thailand-detective/
Killer Serm Released Early to Avoid Media (https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/30172103)
https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/30172103
“ปริญญา” ความสำเร็จหลังกำแพงบางขวาง! (https://mgronline.com/crime/detail/9520000114647)
https://mgronline.com/crime/detail/9520000114647
“เสริม” พ้นคุกไม่ถึง 5 ปี เป็นทนายไม่ได้ (https://www.komchadluek.net/news/170797)
https://www.komchadluek.net/news/170797
Contemporary 1998 coverage: “Jilted Man ‘Flushed Lover Down Toilet’” and “Doubts Over Murder Story” (https://www.newspapers.com/)
https://www.newspapers.com/
Featuring music by Yoza, including “Broken Wings.”
#JenjiraPloyangunsri #ThailandTrueCrime #ThaiTrueCrime #TrueCrimePodcast #ShadowsOfSiam
5 Oct 2026
The Death of Mitr Chaibancha (มิตร ชัยบัญชา): Insee Thong, Red Eagle and Thai Cinema’s 1970 Helicopter Tragedy
Mitr Chaibancha was more than Thailand’s biggest movie star. He was Red Eagle, the screen partner of Petchara Chaowarat, and a defining face of Thai cinema. This episode follows the boy from Nang Loeng through the Royal Thai Air Force, superstardom, fatherhood, relentless film schedules, directing ambitions, and his final film, Insee Thong (อินทรีทอง).
On October 8, 1970, a helicopter stunt at Dong Tan Beach near Pattaya went terribly wrong. More than half a century later, some details remain disputed. We separate the verified record from rumor and later legend while asking the harder question: could better communication and film-set safety have changed what happened?
At its heart, this is not a story about a fall. It is about Mitr Chaibancha (มิตร ชัยบัญชา), the father, friend, actor, director and mentor whose life was still opening outward when it ended.
Sources:
Mitr-Mythology | Thai Film Archive (https://artsandculture.google.com/story/mitr-mythology-thai-film-archive/gQVhBxrO_ETCag?hl=en) - https://artsandculture.google.com/story/mitr-mythology-thai-film-archive/gQVhBxrO_ETCag?hl=en
ปริศนาการตาย มิตร ชัยบัญชา | Thai PBS (https://www.thaipbs.or.th/program/TruthNeverDies/watch/eXpOFC) - https://www.thaipbs.or.th/program/TruthNeverDies/watch/eXpOFC
Mitr Chaibancha Remembered | Bangkok Post (https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1338962/mitr-chaibancha-remembered) - https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1338962/mitr-chaibancha-remembered
สกู๊ปพิเศษ: “มิตร ชัยบัญชา” กับฝันที่ไปไม่ถึง! | MGR Online (https://mgronline.com/drama/detail/9660000090535) - https://mgronline.com/drama/detail/9660000090535
รู้จัก “บุญทิ้ง” หรือ “มิตร ชัยบัญชา” อดีตพระเอกใจบุญ! | MGR Online (https://mgronline.com/drama/detail/9640000098787) - https://mgronline.com/drama/detail/9640000098787
เพชรา เผยทั้งน้ำตาปม มิตร ชัยบัญชา เสียชีวิตยังติดอยู่ในใจ | Thairath (https://www.thairath.co.th/entertain/news/1751553) - https://www.thairath.co.th/entertain/news/1751553
รำลึก 54 ปี “มิตร ชัยบัญชา” | Matichon (https://www.matichon.co.th/entertainment/news_4834973) - https://www.matichon.co.th/entertainment/news_4834973
รำลึก 51 ปี ย้อนรอยโศกนาฏกรรม “มิตร ชัยบัญชา” | Nation TV (https://www.nationtv.tv/entertainment/378844770) - https://www.nationtv.tv/entertainment/378844770
อินทรีแดง และฮีโร่สวมหน้ากากในสื่อบันเทิงไทย | The Matter (https://thematter.co/thinkers/red-mask-and-hero-fiction-in-thailand/104221) - https://thematter.co/thinkers/red-mask-and-hero-fiction-in-thailand/104221
Mitr Chaibancha’s Movies at the Thai Film Archive | Pattaya Trader (https://www.pattayatrader.com/2020/11/04/mitr-chaibancha-the-greatest-thai-movie-star/) - https://www.pattayatrader.com/2020/11/04/mitr-chaibancha-the-greatest-thai-movie-star/
Contemporary UPI and Associated Press newspaper clippings from 1970-1971 were also reviewed from archival scans supplied during research; no stable public URLs were available.
#MitrChaibancha #มิตรชัยบัญชา #InseeThong #RedEagle #ThaiCinema
Hans-Peter Mack disappeared in Pattaya after a real-estate meeting on July 4, 2023. His wife was waiting for lunch. His Mercedes vanished. Within days, the search for a missing German businessman became a murder case involving CCTV, a freezer, a boat, millions of baht, and three eventual murder convictions.
Shadows of Siam follows the evidence while remembering the man his sons Louis and Leon knew before the headlines.
Sources
Bewegte Bilder sind die Welt des Hans-Peter Mack (https://www.welt.de/print-welt/article537641/Bewegte-Bilder-sind-die-Welt-des-Hans-Peter-Mack.html) - https://www.welt.de/print-welt/article537641/Bewegte-Bilder-sind-die-Welt-des-Hans-Peter-Mack.html
Söhne über Stückel-Mord: „Dass es unseren Vater traf, war nur Pech“ (https://www.focus.de/panorama/welt/opfer-hans-peter-mack-sohn-ueber-stueckel-mord-dass-es-meinen-vater-traf-war-nur-pech_id_198963643.html) - https://www.focus.de/panorama/welt/opfer-hans-peter-mack-sohn-ueber-stueckel-mord-dass-es-meinen-vater-traf-war-nur-pech_id_198963643.html
Missing German man's 'cleaned' Mercedes found in Pattaya (https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2608668/missing-german-mans-cleaned-mercedes-found-in-pattaya) - https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2608668/missing-german-mans-cleaned-mercedes-found-in-pattaya
Thai Police Confirm Two Prime Suspects Caught on CCTV Together the Same Morning Murdered German Businessman Hans Peter Mack went Missing in Pattaya (https://thepattayanews.com/2023/07/13/thai-police-confirm-two-prime-suspects-caught-on-cctv-together-the-same-morning-murdered-german-businessman-hans-peter-mack-went-missing-in-pattaya/) - https://thepattayanews.com/2023/07/13/thai-police-confirm-two-prime-suspects-caught-on-cctv-together-the-same-morning-murdered-german-businessman-hans-peter-mack-went-missing-in-pattaya/
นิติเวชตร. ยัน 11 ชิ้นส่วนเป็นของ “ฮันส์ ปีเตอร์” ยังไม่พบสาเหตุการตาย (https://www.matichon.co.th/local/news_4075736) - https://www.matichon.co.th/local/news_4075736
Police Seize Suspect’s Boat in Pattaya Over Murder of Hans Peter Mack (https://thepattayanews.com/2023/07/14/police-seize-suspects-boat-in-pattaya-over-murder-of-hans-peter-mack/) - https://thepattayanews.com/2023/07/14/police-seize-suspects-boat-in-pattaya-over-murder-of-hans-peter-mack/
UPDATE: Pakistani- Thai Suspect in Murder of Hans Peter Mack in Pattaya Afraid of German Suspect, asks Police for Help to Prove his Innocence (https://thepattayanews.com/2023/07/15/update-pakistani-thai-suspect-in-murder-of-hans-peter-mack-in-pattaya-afraid-of-german-suspect-asks-police-for-help-to-prove-his-innocence/) - https://thepattayanews.com/2023/07/15/update-pakistani-thai-suspect-in-murder-of-hans-peter-mack-in-pattaya-afraid-of-german-suspect-asks-police-for-help-to-prove-his-innocence/
2 foreign pedophiles & Thai pimp nabbed in Pattaya trafficking bust (https://www.pattayamail.com/news/2-foreign-pedophiles-thai-pimp-nabbed-pattaya-trafficking-bust-203448) - https://www.pattayamail.com/news/2-foreign-pedophiles-thai-pimp-nabbed-pattaya-trafficking-bust-203448
Three Face Ultimate Penalty in Pattaya’s German Murder Case (https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/crimecourtscalamity/2024/12/21/three-face-ultimate-penalty-in-pattaya-german-murder-case/) - https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/crimecourtscalamity/2024/12/21/three-face-ultimate-penalty-in-pattaya-german-murder-case/
#HansPeterMack #PattayaTrueCrime #ThailandTrueCrime #TrueCrimePodcast #ShadowsOfSiam
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
3.7 / 5
3 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
4 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 56 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
81
Social presence
91
YouTube
0
Engagement
31
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