Kiwi's death raises fears of Thailand violence

Photo / Thinkstock

A New Zealand man has been killed in a bar fight in the Thai beach resort of Pattaya, almost a year to the day since another New Zealander was murdered there.

Robert Hollick, 43, was allegedly stabbed three times in his neck and back early this morning and was pronounced dead at a hospital, Thai website The Nation reported.

Swedish man Andreas Ringvall, 40, has been arrested in relation to the stabbing.

A taxi driver told police a quarrel took place between Mr Hollick and Ringvall after Ringvall's girlfriend played with Hollick's dog inside a bar, the website reported.

The driver said Ringvall sent his girlfriend back to his room, then returned to the bar and attacked Hollick with a knife.

Local residents handed Ringvall and his Thai girlfriend, Dao Pholutsa, 26, to police.
Ringvall has since been charged with murder.

Mr Hollick owned Top Dog personnel, a company which provided earthmoving workers to Western Australian mines.

He was semi-retired and had moved to Thailand, a Top Dog worker said.

His Old Friends profile said he grew up in Upper Hutt, attending Upper Hutt College before working in the Upper Hutt Post Shop.

After a year there he moved on to BNZ Upper Hutt and then from 1993 to 1999 he worked in "various weird and wonderful jobs''.

In 2000 Mr Hollick got involved in recruitment work, before opening his own business - Top Dog Personnel - in 2005. The tag line for his business was "if you're not a top dog then you're a pussy''.

He was not married and did not have any children.

His elderly mother was shocked to hear of his death, and told APNZ she hated him being over there.

A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it was aware a New Zealand man had been killed in Thailand overnight.

The New Zealand Embassy in Bangkok was liaising with Thai authorities to obtain further information, she said.

Many locals and travellers commented on the Thai Visa website which reported the killing.

TheGhostWithin said at times he found it quite difficult to avoid aggressive people in Thailand.

Glegolo said he was ashamed to be a Swedish man living in Pattaya.

Jim Walker said murders in Thailand seemed to be becoming a "terrible daily norm''.

"The more people read stories like this the more it frightens ordinary tourists away from Thailand.''

Pattaya, located on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand, is a popular beach resort city with tourists and expatriates.

It is about 165km southeast of Thai capital Bangkok.

Crime in Pattaya made headlines in New Zealand in August last year when World Croquet President Charles Jones, a New Zealander, was found stabbed to death in his hotel room.

A former Syrian soldier Mohammed Shanar Ryad, 21, was arrested for the murder.

Pattaya police could not be reached for comment on Mr Hollick's death.