However, Zaw and Wai retracted their confession after they were allowed legal counsel, with a consulate lawyer for Myanmar alleging their clients had been beaten, tortured, and threatened to make the admissions necessary to close the widely publicized case. Migrant workers convicted of murdering Hannah Witheridge and David [1][96], Although tourist arrivals to Koh Tao dropped in the months immediately following the murders, there was little lasting effect on tourism to the island.[92]. Hannah met David Miller by chance when they and their friends stayed in adjoining rooms of the Ocean View Bungalows, a small backpacker complex overlooking the white sand sweep of Sairee beach on the Thai island of Koh Tao. Indian officials wife distraught as his killer is freed. [1] After initially failing to find a match to one of the migrant workers, the police focused their attention on Western tourists related to the victims. According to reports, the police sought his friend, who shared a room with David, in the double homicide, and a nationwide manhunt was launched. A mute Burmese beach cleaner stumbled upon the bodies shortly after dawn. They toil in slavelike conditions for pitiful wages in occupations typically described as 3-D dirty, dangerous, degrading. The exact area where there bodies were found was the village of Hat Sat Ri. What Have Happened to Hannah Witheridge and David Miller? Where Have The police quickly elicited a confession and, after a macabre reconstruction of the murders before a swarm of media including a staged session of penitent prayers by the accused probably hoped that the case looked closed. Turtle Island's Dark Secret: The Case of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller Call Us Today! Pathologists and legal experts criticised the police for mishandling the evidence, allowing contamination of the crime scene and failing to use experts to collect forensic evidence. Complaining about wrongdoing may invite official questions and demands for passports and documentation. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our, Digital Thai king commutes sentence of UK pairs killers, Russia launches missile attacks on Ukraine, Air strikes pound Sudan capital as truce extended, MasterChef Australia host Jock Zonfrillo dies. [42][48] Amnesty International stated that Thailand "must initiate an independent, effective and transparent investigation into mounting allegations of torture and other ill-treatment by police". In December 2015, the pair were convicted of the murder and sentenced to death. Some sources also refer to Wai Phyo as Win Zaw Htun. bubble tea consumption statistics australia. However, the event did not materially affect tourism to the island over the following years. The trial drew wide criticism from the international press and human rights groups. Drugs play a key role. [1][15][16] Miller's body was found floating in the water, and Witheridge's on the beach;[17] the bodies lay approximately 20 metres apart and 30 metres away from their hotel (Ocean View Bungalows). Dabid had also suffered deep lacerations to his skull before drowning in the shallow surf. Officials deny claims of torture and reports that men accused of killing Hannah Witheridge and David Miller withdrew confessions Jamie Doward Sat 11 Oct 2014 07.15 EDT Last modified on Sat 2 Dec . [46] The police then forced the suspects to re-enact the murder in front of media,[34] a move condemned by legal experts as prejudicing a fair hearing. Thailand: Koh Tao Murder Trial Exposed. Ugly Truth of 'Land of Smiles And right in the foreground, rising proudly from sliver sands, protrude a scattering of granite boulders, a furtive relic of this tranquil 21-sq-km (8 sq. ITV reports that the suspect may be a friend of either Witheridge or Miller. Ill never meet anyone like her. Lucy and Hannah were both receiving training to help people with speech difficulties, and Lucy said Hannah wanted to go on to work with children. They were at the bar with around 50 people mostly foreign tourists before they left together after 1:00 am. [42] In the trial, the prosecution said the phone was found smashed at the home of a friend of Zaw Lin's. Burmese bar workers Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Tun were found guilty of murder in 2015. By the time dawn broke over Koh Tao, the beach had been . 2040 / 2557", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Koh_Tao_murders&oldid=1150069590, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 16 April 2023, at 05:03. [6] Miller had just completed his undergraduate degree in civil and structural engineering at the University of Leeds and was starting a master's degree. Koh Tao's dark side: dangers of island where Britons were murdered These rocks are no strangers to explosive secrets. [31] Media reports speculated that was because the defence was wary of calling on foreign experts fearing it could appear as undermining the Thai justice system, and could bias the judges against their case. Witheridge is a native of Great Yarmouth in the Southwest coast of England. The two men were convicted and sentenced in 2015 and the verdict was upheld by an appeals court in 2017 and the Supreme Court in August 2019. [52] The suspects were defended pro bono by two lawyers from the Lawyers Council of Thailand. And the shambolic investigation also didnt help.. Both men, in their early 30s, are presumed to be serving their sentence in some Thailand prison. The officers also charged Wai with stealing Davids mobile phone. One belonged to David, and one belonged to an unknown Asian male. Koh Tao murders, which created an international frenzy when two young British tourists, Hannah Witheridge, and David Miller, were found murdered in September 2014. Most populous nation: Should India rejoice or panic? (Both families declined to comment when contacted by TIME.). Zaw Lin, as pimply as any teen, chats eagerly of his love of Manchester United and star Portuguese winger Nani. Witheridge was travelling with three other friends, and Miller with two others. This is troubling when set against the allegations of torture made by the accused. Miller had scratches on his back and water in his lungs indicating drowning. Hannah Witheridge and David Miller's bodies were found on a beach in Koh Tao in September 2014 Two Burmese migrants convicted over the killings had their death sentences reduced to life. His dad, Ian Miller, said, Its quite likely David was stepping in to assist a girl in trouble. The Supreme Court of Thailandupheld the sentence in August 2019. He was travelling Southeast Asia with a friend after completing a six-week work placement in Australia with a mining company,[6][8][9] and arrived in Thailand in August. The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. David Miller, 24, from Jersey, was found murdered alongside Hannah . [77], An opinion piece in Bangkok Post wrote that "practically no one believes [Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo] really brutally murdered English tourists", adding "in Thai media of all kinds, the consensus is that Win and Zaw Lin are scapegoats. A royal commutation does not require an admission of guilt, says the BBC's Jonathan Head in Bangkok. Thailand backpacker murders: David Miller and Hannah Witheridge - two In general, tourists are almost comically unaware of this malevolent undercurrent. 2145/2559, "Two British tourists found dead on Thai island of Koh Tao", "Suspects in Thai Tourist Murders Face Dubious Trial", "Manhunt underway after brutal murder of 2 British tourists on Koh Tao", "Thailand's paradise island murder mystery", "What the Murder of Two British Tourists Tells Us About Thailand's Dark Side", "Thailand's Supreme Court upholds death penalty for men convicted of murdering British backpackers", "Koh Tao DNA evidence & international standards", "Thai court upholds death penalty for murder of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller", "Thailand backpacker murders: Burmese workers sentenced to death", "Thailand beach murders: A flawed and muddled investigation", "Koh Tao murders: DNA matches, confessions obtained, crime re-enacted", "Hearings Open Into Killings of Two British Tourists on Thai Island (Published 2014)", "Thai king commutes death sentence for Myanmar men in British tourist murder case", "Burmese men confess to killing British tourists on Koh Tao, Thai police say", "The Investigation Into Thailand's Backpacker Slayings Is Officially a Farce", "Migrants accused of murder of British couple in Thailand recant confessions", "Thai Dictator Faces Ire Over Murder Probe", "Koh Tao murder suspects plead not guilty", "Burmese pair to be executed for murder of British tourists on Koh Tao, Thailand", "2 Sentenced to Death in Killing of British Tourists in Thailand (Published 2015)", "Thailand murders: Two men found guilty and face death for UK killings", "Thai beach murders: Convicted men lose death sentence appeal", "Thai beach murders: Death sentence upheld by Supreme Court", "Backpacker's family 'grateful' for Thai king's clemency", "Koh Tao pair claim they were tortured before confessing", "Thai beach murders: DNA investigation into death of British backpackers Hannah Witheridge and David Miller 'incompetent at best', "Koh Tao murders: suspects in killing of David Miller and Hannah Witheridge say they were framed", "Koh Tao's dark side: dangers of island where Britons were murdered", "Thai Paradise Gains Reputation as 'Death Island', "Foreign Office calls in Thai diplomat over murder inquiry concerns", "Thailand murder suspects can't have British police report: UK judge", "Thai officials on alert as Myanmar protests spread", "Prayut lashes out at Myanmar Koh Tao protestors", "Thailand's Migrant Worker Woes Exposed in Koh Tao Murder Case", "Govt vows "high-tech" defence against hackers", "Island killings prompt stiffer worker rules", "Contesting narratives: the Koh Tao tourists murders", "Unofficial translation of Koh Samui Provincial Court No. However, the defense counsel argued all the evidence against the defendants was circumstantial, and the police had no known eyewitness to the murders. [1][15][21], During an hours-long interrogation, during which the police used Burmese food vendors as interpreters[35] because the pair could not speak Thai,[41] the suspects confessed to the murders. The family said it had brought to a close a "lengthy and disturbing period" where activists on social media had attempted to influence justice in Thailand and public opinion elsewhere. "[78] Another commentary in the paper stated that the "overwhelming public skepticism stems from the police's longstanding notoriety for arresting poor and powerless scapegoats to save rich criminals who can afford to buy their innocence". The pairs trial began on July 8, 2015, with the prosecution highlighting the DNA evidence and police findings as their primary strategy. They had no prior criminal records. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. The episode tries to deconstruct the complex case for the listeners as it narrates the incidents chronologically and questions several alleged incompetencies in the murder probe. Backpacker's family 'grateful' for Thai king's clemency - BBC News "We hope that these two murderers will now spend a very, very long time in jail where they cannot harm other families and will have time to reflect on the consequences of their acts.". The head of the country's Central Institute of Forensic Science found that the DNA on the hoe did not match the defendants.

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