The two women were shot dead at Jomtien, a well-known beachside resort several hours southeast of Bangkok, early on Saturday morning in what appeared to be contract-style slayings.
Police have offered a 100,000baht ($3730) reward for information leading to the capture of the gunmen, who shot both victims several times with a handgun before fleeing on a motorbike.
Police have insisted so far that the women, described as being self-employed in Russia, were tourists. But there has been rampant speculation that they were sex workers and were targeted as part of a vicious "turf war".
Thailand and Vietnam have enjoyed a big influx of Russian tourists over the past decade and Russian prostitutes and crime gangs have also arrived and proliferated in recent years.
Thai police recently estimated that about 5000 Russian women were involved in sex work in Thailand - whether in Bangkok or big coastal resorts such as Pattaya or Phuket.
Pattaya, just west of Jomtien, is Thailand's version of Sin City - a booming centre notorious for its night life.
It has long been a popular hangout for criminals from all over the world, and the Russian mafia is known to have a significant presence there, given that tens of thousands of Russians visit the resort every year.
source: http://www.theaustralian.news.com
Police have offered a 100,000baht ($3730) reward for information leading to the capture of the gunmen, who shot both victims several times with a handgun before fleeing on a motorbike.
Police have insisted so far that the women, described as being self-employed in Russia, were tourists. But there has been rampant speculation that they were sex workers and were targeted as part of a vicious "turf war".
Thailand and Vietnam have enjoyed a big influx of Russian tourists over the past decade and Russian prostitutes and crime gangs have also arrived and proliferated in recent years.
Thai police recently estimated that about 5000 Russian women were involved in sex work in Thailand - whether in Bangkok or big coastal resorts such as Pattaya or Phuket.
Pattaya, just west of Jomtien, is Thailand's version of Sin City - a booming centre notorious for its night life.
It has long been a popular hangout for criminals from all over the world, and the Russian mafia is known to have a significant presence there, given that tens of thousands of Russians visit the resort every year.
source: http://www.theaustralian.news.com
