Gibbon Sanctuary Owner William Deters
Posted: Saturday, May 11th, 2002 3:20 pmMAE SOT, Thailand (AP) - An American man who ran a private animal sanctuary in remote northern Thailand was fatally shot by assailants who also killed a 3-year-old girl and three sanctuary employees, police said Saturday.
William Deters, 63, and the other victims, all Thai, were killed late Friday at Deters’ Highland Farm and Wildlife Refuge, police said, citing a Dutch visitor who said he hid from the attackers. They said the victims had bullet wounds in their foreheads, suggesting execution-style slayings.
The 35-acre farm is 27 miles south of Mae Sot, a major trading post town on Thailand’s border with Myanmar. The sanctuary was founded in 1991 and became a refuge for abandoned, mistreated or injured gibbons.
The border area has security problems because of guerrillas who cross over from Myanmar, but police speculated a personal dispute may have been the motive. … Read full obituary
