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Two Britons 'dead On Thai Beach'


Mekong
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We only have the word of the BiB that the DNA matched. I would want to hear it from an independant authority first, preferably from another country eg: UK. I am sure the thai authorities could manipulate the truth. Perhaps they are accurate that the DNA matches that found on the cigarette butts, but the accused have never denied smoking and singing at the beach on the evening of the murders.

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Koh Tao's other little secret: police extortion

 

The Nation October 5, 2014 1:00 am

Crackdown follows news that migrant workers without proper papers pay police Bt500 a month to work on the island

The brutal murder of two Britons on Koh Tao has shed light on a number of things that Thai authorities hate to discuss.

 

At the top, it revealed the attitude of the country's prime minister towards sex crime when he suggested that the rape and murder may have stemmed from how one of the victims was dressed. He later apologised for it and added that he was misunderstood.

 

Nationally, needless to say, the double murder has dented the country's image as a tourist paradise.

 

At the local level, police came under intense scrutiny for their sluggish handling of the investigation. Never mind that anger was building up because of the manner they were doing things in the days after the gruesome murders.

 

The fact that they were chasing the wrong lead did not help, not to mention the absence of prompt and immediate reaction, such as locking down this small island immediately after the killing.

 

Observers who understand the do's and don'ts at crime scenes have noted the authorities' unwillingness to prevent outsiders from trampling over physical evidence.

 

Such tardiness reflects the snail's pace of Thailand's bureaucracy and the country's law enforcement is not much different in this respect. Obviously, as this case has shown, sound judgement and leadership is lacking, not to mention common sense.

 

But this is just one of many cases. If law enforcers can blunder so much in spite of being under an intense spotlight, think of the other rape and murder cases they handle that don't get the national and international attention that this tragic case got.

 

According to latest reports, two migrant workers from Myanmar have admitted to the murder of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller.

 

As expected, they were presented to the public at a news conference. Damage control, perhaps. But this doesn't absolve the authorities of their lack of professionalism.

 

Beside the poor handling of the case, one spotlight that the police did not want revealed was the nature of the ties between them and migrant workers.

 

Yes, you guess it correctly - extortion.

 

According to our findings, out of the 5,000 migrant workers on Koh Tao, about 2,000 work illegally without proper permits. To get around that each 'illegal' has to pay police Bt500 a month. And if they want to use a motorcycle, that's another Bt500 a month to get around the driver's licence issue.

 

According to the local district chief, there are 3,300 migrant workers, mostly from Myanmar, registered to work on the island. By regulation, they have to pay Bt1,305 each year so they are entitled to the social security scheme.

 

As expected, the government went into damage-control mode and began to register all migrant workers in Surat Thani province, where Koh Tao is situated.

 

Whether these developments are enough to restore confidence among foreign visitors, no one could say. After all, no one in their right mind believes that the authorities don't know about this extortion and other irregularities. It's really sad that they have to wait for the gruesome murder of two British nationals to do something about it.

 

If Thai authorities really want to demonstrate that they are committed to public safety, they shouldn't have to wait until a public spotlight to force them to do so. Because if they crackdown on these irregularities, their action will speak for itself

The Nation

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Koh Tao case shatters faith in our police

 

Writer: Sanitsuda Ekachai

 

After so many twists and turns in the Koh Tao beach murder case over the past three weeks, police finally arrested two young migrant workers from Myanmar. However, many believe they are scapegoats.

 

The police have only themselves to blame. Such overwhelming public scepticism was not caused solely by the police's poor handling of the investigation, which became an international farce, but more significantly,...

 

 

BKK Post

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Spoke to my bed warmer tonight and she said that all Thai people know Myanmar men not do. Those man who do very powerful. Thais don't usually go into bat for the Burmese but apparently these two are not very liked even by the thais.

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Very surprised that the BKK Post published this, very worthwhile FB group to visit with lots of good information and articles relating to the Koh Tao murder case;

 

Police stop talking about Koh Tao murder case, but amateur super-sleuths continue investigation online

 

BKK Post

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Amnesty International is getting involved, I wonder how long the Thai police and gvnmt can keep up appearances;

 

Amnesty asks Koh Tao torture probe

 

 

Human rights group Amnesty International urged Thailand on Wednesday to investigate allegations that police tortured a pair of suspects who reportedly confessed to killing two British tourists on a southern island last month.

The tourists were found dead on the rocky shores of Koh Tao on Sept 15, and police last week arrested two migrant workers from neighbouring Myanmar who they said had admitted responsibility for the killings. Police deny suspects were tortured, and say they have DNA evidence that backs up the confessions.

The arrests followed weeks of pressure on police to solve a case that dealt the latest blow to Thailand's tourism industry, which has been struggling to recover since the army staged a coup and imposed martial law in May.

Amnesty cited a lawyer from the Myanmar Embassy's legal team, who met with the suspects, as saying that one of the migrants "alleged police beat and threatened him with electrocution."

The group also said that "numerous sources have reported further acts of torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of other migrant workers from Myanmar arrested by police in connection with the investigation."

"Thai authorities must initiate an independent, effective and transparent investigation into mounting allegations of torture and other ill-treatment by police,'' Amnesty said.

"The pressure to be seen to be solving an appalling crime that has garnered considerable attention should not result in the violation of rights, including to a fair trial."

On Tuesday, national police chief Somyot Poompanmuang held a press conference in Bangkok to quash speculation and allegations on social media that his officers had framed the suspects or were seeking scapegoats.

Another officer denied the torture allegations, and on Wednesday Police Lt. Gen. Jaktip Chaijinda, the head of the investigation team, told The Associated Press "there was neither torture, nor threats against the suspects in this case."

 

BKK Post

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Christopher Harkins just posted an update on the petition you signed, The Government of the United Kingdom: Independently investigate the horrific murders of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller.

 

Win and Saw recant their confessions and reveal they have been tortured.

As we have suspected all along, the Thai police have tortured Win and Saw into signing false confessions. Aung Myo Thant, a Burmese lawyer who is part of a legal team sent by the Burmese Embassy in Bangkok, has witnessed firsthand multiple bruises on the falsely accused and has been refused access to a third man in custody, Maung Maung, a friend of the accused that is being used by the police as a witness .It has been reported that Maung Maung has been badly beaten by the police and it is both highly suspicious and clearly obvious why they won’t allow him access to a lawyer or the media.

 

Also, The Human Rights Commission of Thailand is asking anyone with any knowledge of the events leading up to, including and the aftermath of the murders of David Miller and Hannah Witheridge to please report anonymously to Dr. Niran Head of the NHRC Thailand

0818767099 Penpun_i@yahoo.com

 

Together we will continue to put the pressure on the Thai and UK governments to bring the real culprits to justice and to free the falsely accused. We are currently close to 45,000 signatures and a link to our petition has been seen on the telegraph which is proof we are being heard. With the help of those that have contacted me privately we were able to translate our petition into Thai and are currently working on a Burmese and Japanese version.

 

Links to the stories mentioned above are below. Thank you so much for signing and please continue to share.

 

http://bangkok.coconuts.co/2014/10/07/koh-tao-murders-accused-men-recant-confessions-tell-embassy-lawyer-they-were-tortured

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/thailand/11145536/Thai-police-deny-cover-up-of-Britons-murders.html

 

http://www.irrawaddy.org/burma/burmese-suspects-koh-tao-murders-tortured-interrogation-lawyer.html

 

 

Read more

http://www.change.org/p/the-government-of-the-united-kingdom-independently-investigate-the-horrific-murders-of-hannah-witheridge-and-david-miller/u/8368664?tk=1cBdYMOsxrbWWgoCXQAzomEzAVCGYZyKFap4hBqI6Jw&utm_source=petition_update&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=petition_update_email

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