Thread: Two Tourists Brutally Murdered on Koh Tao, One Raped: Police Spark Thailand Manhunt

I suspect one of the UK redtops will be happy to fund the families appearance at the trial.

Originally Posted by Dan

Originally Posted by septimus

Why was the original chief of police transfered the next day. After announcing they new who the perpetrators were, one was in custody and one had fled to Bangkok and the shambles goes on and on.

Because he had publicly implicated an innocent party, and arrested another!

Of course he could expect to be removed from the investigation after such an embarrassing (public) blunder.


The new guy came in, and after a week or so of investigating the case and going through the evidence, made the arrests of those who would go on to confess their guilt.

Not much money in that though, is there, try to take back their confessions and watch all the money roll in.

Oh right. Pom kow jai.
sep

Capital punishment concerns raised over Thai backpackers' murder case
Peter Walker

Human rights activists express alarm about British police evidence supplied to Thai authorities investigating murders of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller

LONDON: -- Human rights activists have expressed alarm after it emerged that British police might have breached legal guidelines by providing evidence to Thai authorities which could potentially help them execute suspects accused of murdering two British backpackers.

The investigation into the deaths of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller in September on the holiday island of Koh Tao has already prompted concern following claims that the two young Burmese migrant workers arrested for the crime were tortured by Thai police to secure confessions, which they then retracted.

The suspects, Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo, both 21, face trial in July, and Thai prosecutors say they will seek the death penalty. Under a British government protocol,British police and officials should not normally provide evidence when defendants face capital punishment in a foreign jurisdiction without getting assurances a death sentence will not be carried out.

However, in an email to the rights group Reprieve, the Foreign Office (FCO) said it had learned that four English police forces conducted interviews about the case at the request of their Thai counterparts and passed on the information. Reprieve says it does not believe assurances over execution were sought. The FCO declined to comment on this point.

More widely, Reprieve claims British police and officials have been giving “one-sided assistance” by handing information to Thai authorities but refusing to share any of it with the defence team.

Witheridge, 23, was raped and beaten to death while Miller, 24, was struck on the head and left to drown in shallow surf. During a frantic two-week investigation, Thailand’s military prime minister, General Prayuth Chan-ocha, said he believed migrant workers were the culprits. Soon afterwards, two young Burmese men were arrested.

Full story: http://www.theguardi...murder-thailand

-- The Guardian 2015-03-02[/b]

Far worse happened with the Australian Federal Police telling the Bali police that Australians were carrying drugs, in the full knowledge that the death penalty applied. Hardly appropriate. Those guys are just about to be executed.

Originally Posted by Latindancer

Far worse happened with the Australian Federal Police telling the Bali police that Australians were carrying drugs, in the full knowledge that the death penalty applied. Hardly appropriate. Those guys are just about to be executed.

I see no wrong in the Aus police squealing to the Bali police. They did the Aus tax payers a service and took two pieces of shit out of circulation. What do you think the Aus police should have done, kept quiet and let them get away with it?

Originally Posted by Pragmatic

Originally Posted by Latindancer

Far worse happened with the Australian Federal Police telling the Bali police that Australians were carrying drugs, in the full knowledge that the death penalty applied. Hardly appropriate. Those guys are just about to be executed.

I see no wrong in the Aus police squealing to the Bali police. They did the Aus tax payers a service and took two pieces of shit out of circulation. What do you think the Aus police should have done, kept quiet and let them get away with it?

Picked them up on return.

Given them a good 12 months on probation, then a house for their troubles.

Originally Posted by Latindancer

Hardly appropriate. Those guys are just about to be executed.

Jesus, amazes me the shite the do gooders dream up.

So planning to smuggling 8 Kg of smack back into Australia and at the same time recruiting 7 young dumb mules to carry the shit is appropriate ?

They get to die and be free of it whilst the rest rot in Bali penitentiary.

So the interviews that were conducted, does that mean the witnesses that will be coming back to Thailand to testify.?

Originally Posted by septimus

Capital punishment concerns raised over Thai backpackers' murder case
Peter Walker

Human rights activists express alarm about British police evidence supplied to Thai authorities investigating murders of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller

LONDON: -- Human rights activists have expressed alarm after it emerged that British police might have breached legal guidelines by providing evidence to Thai authorities which could potentially help them execute suspects accused of murdering two British backpackers.

The investigation into the deaths of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller in September on the holiday island of Koh Tao has already prompted concern following claims that the two young Burmese migrant workers arrested for the crime were tortured by Thai police to secure confessions, which they then retracted.

The suspects, Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo, both 21, face trial in July, and Thai prosecutors say they will seek the death penalty. Under a British government protocol,British police and officials should not normally provide evidence when defendants face capital punishment in a foreign jurisdiction without getting assurances a death sentence will not be carried out.

However, in an email to the rights group Reprieve, the Foreign Office (FCO) said it had learned that four English police forces conducted interviews about the case at the request of their Thai counterparts and passed on the information. Reprieve says it does not believe assurances over execution were sought. The FCO declined to comment on this point.

More widely, Reprieve claims British police and officials have been giving “one-sided assistance” by handing information to Thai authorities but refusing to share any of it with the defence team.

Witheridge, 23, was raped and beaten to death while Miller, 24, was struck on the head and left to drown in shallow surf. During a frantic two-week investigation, Thailand’s military prime minister, General Prayuth Chan-ocha, said he believed migrant workers were the culprits. Soon afterwards, two young Burmese men were arrested.

Full story: http://www.theguardi...murder-thailand

-- The Guardian 2015-03-02[/b]

It seems pretty easy to distract some peoples' attention.

The actions of the Australian Federal Police were highly questionable. It is beside the point that the Aussies...the "Bali 9" were carrying drugs. The point is that police action was highly inappropriate. I'm talking about the police action....not whether the smugglers deserve to be executed.

Interesting summary so far.....

Introduction to Koh Tao Investigation 15th Sept 2015

Here's the article ...

JUSTICE THAI-STYLE
- Questionable Investigation of Ko Tao Crime of Sept. 15, 2014 -
Intro: The following text endeavors to shed light on the investigation of the double murder and rape which happened at the Thai beach resort island of Ko Tao, during pre-dawn Monday of September 15, 2014. Two young British tourists were killed: Hannah Witheridge (23) and David Miller (24). Hannah was most likely gang raped.

Below are conflicting summations of what purportedly happened, according to investigating authorities and other interested people. This text is not an attempt to articulate all details of the investigation. Indeed, even if that were the intent, it would not be possible, because there are obfuscations by officials and others. Some of those omissions and mis-directions are intentional, whereas others are unintentional and/or the result of incomplete or inept investigative work.

Anyone reading this, who would like to add to this text, is welcome to do so. The points put forward within this text are open to clarification. Just add your content in the comments below.

Scenario I: According to Thai officials:
Hannah and David were out partying Sunday night (September 14), as is the custom among the dozens of backpackers who flock to the popular beach resort on the small tourist island. They left the beach-side AC bar together in the wee hours. The two lovers strolled past a group of late-night partyers which were gathered around a campfire on the beach. At the party, were at least two young Burmese migrant workers playing and singing music, with a guitar accompaniment. Hannah may have shared a cigarette with one of the migrants, as a cig butt was later found on the sand, which purportedly had DNA from both Hannah and one of the migrants. The couple then strolled down the beach, southward toward a group of standing rocks at sea’s edge. The couple took their clothes off and were about to, or were already engaged in having sex.

Two of the migrants (age 21) from the beach party snuck off to follow. When the migrants saw the two Brits naked and sexually involved, the migrants became uncontrollably stimulated and proceeded to kill David, and then went to gang rape Hannah. One migrant would have had to have held Hannah (and covered her mouth to squelch screaming?), while the other overpowered David, using a garden hoe. One or both migrants killed (or nearly killed) him, dragged him to the water’s edge, and drowned him. They both proceeded to rape Hannah, and then bludgeoned her to death with the blunt end of the garden hoe found nearby.

Scenario II: According to British Experts:
There has been no official announcement from British experts thus far (March ’15) so the only way to gauge what British experts are thinking, is to judge from the people they’re obligated to share the crime info with: the victims’ families. According to a press release from the victims’ families, in December 2014, it appears British authorities concur with Thai authorities. In fairness, the British were not allowed to do any investigative work re; the crime. As far as can be surmised, British authorities’ overview of the crime comes from what Thai authorities told them. British authorities did want to do some investigating early on, but were forbidden from doing so by the Thai PM who stated publicly: “British experts will be allowed to come to Ko Tao, but will be allowed as ‘observers only’” ….not as investigators.

So, it stands to reason; the crime scenario painted by Thai authorities is the scenario believed by designated British investigators to be true. Note, British authorities are under no obligation to report to the general public on this matter. Their only obligation is towards the victims’ families. It may happen, in coming months, that British authorities will add some useful items/insights to the investigation, but at the time of this writing, they’ve contributed nothing that we, the public, have heard about.

Two useful ways the British could contribute to the investigation are: A. Interviewing possible witnesses, and B. Forensic findings, particularly by the British Coroner’s Office. Both those things can be done without the restriction of the Thai PM (mandating ‘observer-only status’) because both those things can be done outside of Thailand. Those of us who seek truth and justice in this case are hopeful the British will come forth in the near future with useful findings, but nothing is for sure.

Scenario III: According to Majority of Concerned Observers:
Hannah and David were in one or both of the beachside bars until well past midnight. There have been some unofficial reports of hassles going on in those bars. Indeed, it’s unusual if a typical night does not have some hassles, where bar-roomfuls of hard-drinking youngsters conjugate at night. Stories of fights and drug dealings, and mickeys (drug clandestinely slipped in to an unsuspecting woman’s drink) are common in those clubs. Young men and women pairing off to go have sex on the beach or elsewhere, are also common, as one would expect at nearly any party beach at a tropical tourist beach resort. David seems to have left the AC bar to go back to his guest house room. Awhile later, close to 4:15 am, David may have been concerned about Hannah’s whereabouts and safety, and went looking for her.

Hannah left the AC bar sometime around 3 am, and likely hung out for a while at the beach party where the migrants and others were singing songs. David’s friend Sean may have been at that party, as he was a hardy-partier and liked to play guitar and sing.

Lurking near the beach party were one or more of the other ‘regulars’ (besides Sean) of the two bars. They were Thai, and will be referred to in this text as the Headman’s people (H’s people). They are comprised of two or more of the following: Nomsod, Mon, ‘Stingray Man’, Mon’s cop friend (a.k.a. ‘Big Ears’), and M. There may be others, but those are the primary ‘persons of interest’ related to the Headman either as family members or associated with the Headman’s bar(s).

For those that don’t know by now, Hannah was young, bright, petite, lively, pretty, and blond. She was probably seen as flirty (in the view of horny Thai men), though in reality, that may have just been the perky friendliness that so many young farang backpacker women exhibit when traveling and partying at exotic tourist destinations.

Back to that fateful night: David and Hannah were not girlfriend and boyfriend, though they may likely were attracted to each other. David had a girlfriend in England. In photos of them on that night, prior to the crime, they were not seen sitting together or carousing as lovers, and no witnesses have claimed they were. Similarly, in CCTV footage from that evening, there were several videos of them walking up and down the promenade, but none showing them together.

Probably while David was away from the campfire, one or more of the Thai men (Headman’s people) were able to goad Hannah away to stroll down the beach. Whether or not she was drugged beforehand (slipped a mickey) by more than alcohol (everyone on the scene at that time was drunk) – it would not necessarily be difficult to get a young woman to move away from the campfire. The Thai men who successfully seduce dozens of young farang women, would have some slick lines in their repertoire. Something like, “have you seen the stars from the rocks?” ….whatever.

On the way, or upon getting to the seclusion of the rocks, about 80 meters south, along the beach from the campfire, Hannah probably suspected things weren’t right. There may have been some date-rape sort of coercion initially. Then David showed up. While away, he was likely concerned about Hannah, and sped back to the beach area to see what was going on. He likely heard her calls of alarm (at being violated) and ventured to go to her aid. Note: Sean later said, “David was a real hero that night.”

One or two of the H’s people held Hannah while one or two others attacked David. David was punched in the right side of the neck by a fist with a blade-like device (a sharks tooth ring or a similar weapon held in the attacker’s fist). If the attacker was facing David, the attacker had to be left-handed. Both Mon and Nomsod are left-handed. David had other wounds besides the several stab wounds to his neck. One or more blows to his head may have been from the bloody hoe, though there was none of David’s DNA on the hoe, according to Thai forensics. However, the back of the hoe was quite likely used to crush Hannah’s skull, probably after she was raped (though she may have been raped post mortem), as her blood was found on the hoe. Apparently, no fingerprints or DNA from anyone else was found on the bloody hoe.

It’s been deduced that Sean heard commotion, and went to see what was going on. He may have been stabbed in his lower right arm by the same man who stabbed David, as the wounds on the two men look identical. Sean later claimed his arm wound was from one or another accident, but both stories he put forth are fishy.

Alternative Scenarios
Besides some variations of ‘Scenario According to Majority of Concerned Observers’, there have been a few other scenarios floated. One revolves around the supposition that a gay man was jealous of David being attracted to Hannah. The Headman has another son, other than Nomsod, who is gay. In that scenario, jealous rage led to the crimes. Yet another scenario claims one or both of the murders took place in a guest house room, and then the freshly killed bodies were taken to the crime scene. However, there’s no evidence of a bloody room or trail. Both those scenarios are less plausible than even the scenario put forth by Thai officials.

CCTV Footage Near Crime Scene:
Some of the most important footage is footage none of us will see. It’s been reported that there were CCTV cameras set up at the AC bar. The bar manager is friends with one of the islanders who sells and installs CCTV cameras. Yet, right after the crime, police claim the bar’s manager refused to hand over the CCTV footage claiming “it’s private property.” All reasonable people know that, in a serious crime investigation, any applicable CCTV footage should be made available to investigators. But alas, the crime happened in Thailand, and the general public has to rely upon Thai police to be professional…. As this text will show, there are many instances where objective professionalism is alien from Thai police work.

All CCTV which has been released or otherwise obtained by the public is at least partially edited. News reports started with still shot ‘grabs.’ Later, a few brief security videos were released. However, by that time, they were partially edited. Probably the most important video of the ten or so videos released, takes place right after the presumed time of the crime (the crime is believed to have taken place between 4:25 and 4:58 am, Monday).

The fixed camera shows the walkway in front of a convenience store and the time is a few minutes before 5 am. The right side of view is toward beach. A thin young man wearing just baggy light-colored shorts is shown walking fast to the right. He has an almost indented chest and a bit of a bulge at his belly. He swings his right arm, straight and to near-shoulder height. His left arm is mostly bent at the elbow and the hand is close to his belly. His hair is curly and bushy and his sideburn is pointed to the front of his face (only the right side of his face is shown). There is similar footage from the same CCTV camera, showing the same young man running in the same direction, an hour earlier, and another showing the same man running to the left.

To most observers, the so-called ‘running man’ videos show Nomsod, the headman’s 20 yr old son. Probably because of that, Nomsod’s uncle, Mon (the Headman’s brother) purportedly claimed the CCTV showed himself (Mon). It stands to reason that Mon, knowing that his nephew is a prime suspect, would try to divert attention away from Nomsod. Mon and Nomsod have similar physical appearances and haircuts. However, Mon is a 40-something man, whereas Nomsod is a thin young man. The video clearly shows a thin young man.

Also: Besides being left-handed, Nomsod has been shown (in photos taken prior to the crime), as having a peculiar mannerism of often bending his left arm at the elbow and seemingly sheltering his left hand in his belly region. There are several still shots of him, prior to the crime, showing that mannerism.

Mon concocted a story (of himself being the man in the photo) with the attendant story of him (Mon) rushing to the beach (minutes after the crime?!) after being alerted to the crime by some woman. We don’t know who the woman is, but it doesn’t matter, because it’s probably a concoction. As to why he’s purportedly moving suspiciously away from the beach (not towards it!) wearing nothing but baggy shorts – Mon says he was in such a hurry that he forgot to put on a shirt. Just as important to the whole fairy tale, is Mon is a big man on the island. He’s friends with police, up to and including the top brass, so he and everyone who’s interested, knows he’s essentially untouchable regarding crime.

Crime Scene Just After the Crime
Police did not arrive until hours after being notified. Mon is shown in photos to be walking over the crime scene (sometimes walking in a hurry). Only one of several people on the scen (a forensic expert?) is shown wearing rubber gloves. Mon could very well have been walking around the crime scene in the hours before police arrived. By being busy all over the crime scene, Mon (whether knowingly or not) is giving himself an ‘out’ if/when he’s ever brought to trial for the crimes. If his DNA is found at the scene or on the bodies, his lawyer can discount it by saying, “Mon may have contaminated the crime scene by being on the site right after the crime. So if his DNA shows up, then that could have unwittingly happened after the crime.”

Besides the two victims’ bodies, there were several items found at the scene. There was a pair of shorts purportedly belonging to David. The shorts, and some of the other clothing items looked so clean, they could have been laundered that morning. Even so, it appears David’s shorts were off when he was attacked, otherwise they would have had blood on them. It’s been reported that David was taken/dragged to the sea water. However, it’s doubtful that sea water would clean all blood and DNA off bloody clothing. The hoe may also have been washed/rinsed in the sea – though if someone went to the trouble to do that, why wouldn’t they throw away the hoe, or otherwise dispose of it? It’s odd that there was only Hannah’s blood on the hoe, but no trace of any other DNA or fingerprints. Then again, perhaps not so odd, considering the many screw-ups by Thai authorities.

DNA was taken from Hannah’s body, both internally and externally. Initially RTP claimed they didn’t have the equipment to properly type the DNA. There was even talk of asking the FBI to assist, but that idea was scrapped. Supposedly, the DNA samples were sent to a lab in Singapore to be typed. Yet, with everything about the DNA, we (the general public) don’t know for sure. It’s been reported that bodily fluids from the scene were stored in the Headman’s fridge or the fridge at the bar. A few days later, it was determined that there were bodily fluids from two suspects – taken from Hannah (later, a third person’s sample was mentioned, being on her chest).

Sometimes police would report that it would take several days to get DNA typed. Other times police would get results in a half day. It depended on whether the DNA was indicating who they, the police, wanted implicated. In other words, if the DNA might implicate one of the Headman’s people, that DNA would be slow to be taken and the results would be days in coming forth. Alternatively, if the DNA was taken from someone who the police wanted implicated, that DNA typing would be processed quickly.

Arguably Thailand’s leading forensic scientist, Ms Porntip, was not asked to join in the investigation. She has a reputation for doing good science and for not wilting under pressure from police brass who often demand a particular conclusion to a crime. Ms Porntip spoke up, weeks after the investigation was under way, and claimed to see faults in the way the DNA was being handled by Thai police. She asserted that trained technicians should have gathered and processed DNA.

In Thailand, there are no independent detectives. Detective work is done in-house by police. If top brass want to see a certain result from a crime scene, his underlings are compelled to oblige. Objective professionalism takes a back seat to subjectivity based, among other things, on a ‘person of interest’s’ social status and/or their relation to authorities (police, politicians, power-brokers, and the rich).

The Headman and His People
It’s no secret that, in Thailand, village headmen wield power. If a headman is particularly rich and influential, then it’s no surprise if that person is able to manipulate a crime investigation on his turf. Around the world, families are important, and no less so in Thailand. The patriarch of a family will do all he can to protect his family. It’s particularly true in an Asian country like Thailand. Issues of ‘what’s right or what’s wrong’ are secondary.

In the initial investigative phases of the crime, two close family members of the Headman were prime suspects. Naturally, the whole family was alarmed. The headman denied any of his family were involved, and even went so far as to offer a million baht to anyone who could prove involvement by any of his people. The veiled threat was plain to anyone with an inkling of how things happen in Thailand, particularly when it involves big shots who are rich and influential – or their families.

There are more than a few true stories of serious crimes being committed in Thailand by sons of rich and influential men, ….and the sons being let off without even a slap on the wrist. There are even more stories of rich people paying big bribes to protect their family members from getting implicated in a crime – which it appears they’re involved in.

In this text, reference to the ‘Headman’s people’ (H’s people) refer not only to his son (Nomsod) and the Headman’s younger brother (Mon), but also to Thais who are involved with the operations of the bars he owns/oversees. That would include ‘Stingray Man’ (who wears a weapon-ring featuring the tip of a stingray barb, though I think it’s actually a sharks tooth), and M, who is a bouncer at one of the beach bars. Both men are young and strong. One or both have been photographed, since the crime, grinning while holding replicas of a hoe. All the men mentioned in this paragraph are handsome, and have probably been successful at seducing many young pretty backpacker tourist girls – whether by guile or by physical force.

Thai police don’t seem to be interested in attempting to recreate the scenario in the beach bars on the night of the crime. That’s not only proven by their ‘so what’ attitude towards not getting hold of CCTV footage from bars and premises, but it also fits with their overall plan to shield the H’s people from scrutiny.

Sean Cornered and Gone
A week after the crime, Sean McAnna, a Scot friend of David, claims he was pursued and cornered behind a convenience store counter. The pursuers were Mon and a police friend of Mon’s (nicknamed ‘Big Ears’). Sean actually took a photo of the two – who were looking down at him (Sean) cowering in fear near the floor. Sean claims the men threatened his life. Sean posted on his FB site, “The mafia are trying to kill me.”

Sean claims the men told him, “You will die tonight. It was you who killed them. You’ve got two people’s deaths on your hands. You’re going to hang yourself tonight and we are going to watch.” Sean believed that if he killed himself by hanging, as suggested by his assailants, that it would look to the world like he (Sean) committed suicide – overcome by remorse for committing the (double murder) crime , which would therefore take the heat off the real killers. When asked by an interviewer why he thought he was threatened, Sean responded; “They needed a scapegoat. I think they know who it was (who committed the crime).”

Sean hid out in the woods that night, and was eager to leave the island – to get away from danger. The next day he was questioned by police (the interview was not published), and officials allowed him to leave Thailand as quickly as possible. He has been in Italy ever since, and has been laying low.

British police could have found and questioned Sean, but at this time, we don’t know if they have done that. Thai police, if they really wanted to get as much info as possible on the crime, would have detained Sean, because there are many indications that he knows things about the crime. Some of those things may be first-hand witness accounts. However, letting Sean go so quickly is indicative of a cover-up by police, as well as a desire to not get to the bottom of the crime.

Nomsod And His Alibi
When the CCTV footage (first still ‘grabs’ and then a video clip) of ‘running man’ in the white shorts was first viewed, soon after the crime, police announced they were looking for the man shown. Police focused in on finding Nomsod, who resembled the man in the video. Very soon after the crime, the Headman was asked where his son was, and the Headman responded that his son had gone back to college in Bangkok on Monday morning (the day of the crime). When it was shown (within seconds?) how important it was to show that Nomsod was not on the island on Sunday night/early Monday morning, the Headman quickly retracted what he said – because (what he said just moments earlier) gave the impression that his son was on the island, yet quickly returned to Bangkok.

This is a good time to mention there have been essentially two Thai police teams investigating the crime, in sequence. There was the initial team, which appeared to be doing a somewhat good job of investigating the crime. They were looking closely at evidence, and seeking to apprehend the men who appeared, from evidence, to be most responsible. The second police team will be described later in this text. They did make some mistakes (like; not doing full body searches, not searching Mon’s premises, not looking for bloody clothes, not checking phone records, etc.), but overall seemed to be interested in solving the crime.

The first group of investigators were focusing on two men who they designated as prime suspects. Mon, and his nephew, Nomsod (Thai word for ‘fresh milk’). Mon was already on the island, and was questioned for three hours, then released without indictment. The transcript will probably never be released to the public.

Concurrently, Nomsod was being sought and could not be found for a week. He and his family knew, at the time, he was wanted by police. When he was caught, in Bangkok, he had a new haircut (probably to distance himself from the CCTV images), he had a lawyer close by his side (speaking for him, of course), and he had two still shots from CCTV taken in Bangkok which supposedly proved he was in Bangkok later Monday morning, the day of the crime. If Nomsod had any injuries from an altercation a week earlier (at the crime scene), his body would have had a week for the injuries to heal. That’s moot, because it’s very unlikely police, when they caught up with him, did a full body search for injuries.

So Nomsod had a week to come up with those two still ‘grabs’ from the University CCTV camera. A bit later, an actual clip of one was released. The CCTV clip showed a young man (probably Nomsod) walking through an open glass door and taking two or three steps through an apartment lobby, located close to the university. The time-stamp on the video looks altered. More telling: there is furniture shown in the lobby, whereas the same furniture had been removed weeks earlier, according to people who are familiar with that setting – further indicating that the CCTV footage (used as Nomsod’s alibi) had been altered or faked.

Part of the investigation of the initial police team focused on speaking with speedboat operators – who drive people to and from Ko Tao island. It goes without saying that residents like Mon and Nomsod would know some of those drivers – as they’re all natives of the small island. Getting a fast boat from the island to the mainland, and then getting a vehicle to drive up to Bangkok would not be difficult – and the entire hurried trip could be done in a matter of hours. The crime was done by 5 am. It’s not difficult for a determined person with connections and money, to get from the island to Bangkok in four hours – in time for Monday’s first U class.

Nomsod’s teacher, at the Monday morning class, claims Nomsod was there. Besides the fact that Thai U teachers rarely take roll call, there’s the issue that in the CCTV showing Nomsod walking to exit the building, he’s carrying nothing – no books, folders or papers.

Months later, a split screen comparison was arranged by someone, who posted it on YouTube. It’s only seconds in duration, but it shows the CCTV footage of Nomsod strolling out of the apartment lobby in Bangkok, alongside the Ko Tao CCTV video of the mystery ‘running man’ in white shorts – taken minutes after the crime. Both videos shows the man/men walking right to left. The resemblance is uncanny. The gait is identical. The straight right arm swings up to near shoulder height, while the left arm is bent at the elbow, with the hand drifting toward the belly. It should be seen to be appreciated:

Scapegoats:
When Sean was interviewed, right after he was cornered (by Mon and Mon’s cop friend who suggested he kill himself), he was asked “Do you think they did it?” Sean responded, “I think they’re looking for scapegoats.”

In the history of Thai crime investigations, finding and convicting scapegoats is not a rarity. This is particularly true when sons of rich and well-connected families are facing criminal proceedings. There are even stories of scapegoats willingly serving prison time for a well-connected person who’s facing a conviction – or just been convicted and sentenced. Naturally, there are payments involved. Note: it’s not being alleged here that the Burmese men facing trial for the Ko Tao crimes are willingly staying in prison for payments.

Regarding the Ko Tao crime of September 15, 2014, the investigators have consistently tried to stay focused on implicating one or more Burmese migrant workers. On several occasions Thai officials have announced that issue specifically, while inferring that a Thai person could not have done such a heinous crime. If local islanders are asked, they’ll likely say they don’t think the perpetrators were Burmese migrants. Locals would likely venture that the perpetrators are connected to the Headman, either as family members or friends, or involved with one of the Headman’s or Mon’s bars.

However, locals know well not to declare such things openly, as the sorts of people who would murder or shield a murderer, are the same sorts who would kill someone who implicated them to police. The word ‘mafia’ comes to mind, and actually that’s a ‘tap sap’ (A Thai word or phrase taken from a foreign language). All adult Thais know the word ‘mafia’ and what it means.

Just before the first head cop was replaced, a taxi driver on the island made news by claiming that he had been offered Bt.300k to give false testimony. He also said he was beaten by cops – trying to get him to comply. The taxi driver refused to take payment for false testimony, and sought shelter with the Headman.

That was part of the reason why the first head cop was taken off the case. However, the three bigger reasons were: #1. He hadn’t indicted anyone yet, despite promises of imminent indictments, and #2. Tourism revenue was thought to be threatened by the on-going doubts about suspects. Probably the primary reason the first head cop was taken off the case: His team kept focusing on Mon and Nomsod (who are two of the H’s people) as prime suspects.

There are some observers who claim the first head cop was taken off the case in its second week because he was already slated to be ‘promoted.’ First off, when a person gets promoted, that doesn’t mean they automatically get pulled off the job they’re working on. Secondly, the only reason a chief gets abruptly pulled off leading a crime investigation, when it’s only 10 days old, is if he’s doing a bad job or his higher ups don’t like the direction the investigation is going. In the Ko Tao case, the investigation (though trying mightily to indict Burmese migrants) kept focusing on the people who most likely did the crime. Those two people were Mon and Nomsod (Headman’s family members). It became clear that higher ups in Bangkok (and others) were not happy with that direction, and abruptly pulled the head cop off the job, and replaced him. Being a good uniformed player, the first head cop didn’t complain.

As soon as the replacement head cop was instated, several things happened. Three Burmese young men were taken to what was oddly called a ‘safe house’ on the island. There, they were intensely questioned. One of the three, muang muang, was let go. We’re not sure why, but likely because he didn’t succumb to pressure as well as the other two. The other two (Wai Payo and Zaw Lin, both 21) alleged later that they were threatened with torture and thereby signed a form (which they couldn’t read) admitting guilt. There were no attorneys present.

Thai cops needed an interpreter, so they found a pancake vendor who spoke both Thai and Burmese. After the interrogation, the two Burmese (B2) claimed they were more afraid of the interpreter than the cops. It so happened the interpreter was from a different Burmese clan, which are rivals of the B2’s home clan. The interpreter brought in the idea that a broken bottle was used to cause the cuts on David’s neck and body. A broken bottle will very likely break when used as a weapon. There was no glass found at the crime scene, and no one had mentioned a broken bottle prior.

DNA
One of the most damning bits of evidence against the Two Burmese suspects (B2), was the announcement by Thai officials, that their DNA matched DNA taken from semen found within Hannah. Defenders of Thai police investigators claim that is solid evidence and is proof in itself of guilt. Admittedly, it is damning, but there could be some deception in those findings.

If Thai officials (and the Headman’s peoples’) were eager to find scapegoats, then obviously they would need some ‘evidence’ to back it up. DNA matches between the B2 and DNA found in/on Hannah would be convincing. But is the DNA trail reliable? Ms Pontip, Thailand’s foremost forensic expert, has already come forth to say she doubts the veracity of the DNA trail in this crime, and how it’s been handled.

Some of us concerned observers would go a step further and venture that the DNA could have been purposefully altered in order to get the matches wanted by RTP and the H’s people. Contrary to some RTP supporters protests, intentionally skewing the DNA trail would not have to involve a large conspiracy of deceivers. Indeed, it would only need one or two top police brass to make it happen. Here’s a possible scenario:

Someone could gain access to the two DNA typing ‘cards’ or computer files which are labeled, “DNA found in Hannah.” After getting DNA typing from the B2, they could erase the files named ‘DNA found in Hannah’ and place the B2 DNA files there, and rename them ‘DNA found in Hannah.’ To do that, all a person would need is access to the computer which holds those files. Defenders of the RTP claim the DNA data was originally sent out to labs and specialists all over. Was it? We don’t know. However, if there was a clandestine switch of files names (or something similar to that described above), then the files would likely then be sent out to other authorities – in order for the RTP to strengthen their allegations.

Within military and police ranks, it’s required for lower ranks to be obeisant to higher ranks. In other words, if a higher ranked officer gives an order or makes a claim, lower ranked officers are obligated to go along. This is true in Thai uniformed ranks as much or more so than officials from other countries. It harkens also to the Thai educational system, where teachers teach largely by rote system. In such a system, students listen and learn, but are discouraged from speaking out, and certainly don’t challenge the teacher on any points.

Injuries to Perpetrators.
When men get in to serious fights, it’s rare when anyone doesn’t have any bruises or other injuries. As far as we concerned observers (CO’s) know, there were no body searches of ‘people of interest’ after the crime. It’s unlikely that any of the H’s people were full-body searched, and certainly Nomsod wasn’t – as he wasn’t apprehended until a week after the crime. This is a breach of investigative protocol. The Burmese young men were probably were body-searched for injuries, and as far as we’ve heard, no injuries were found.

Bloody clothes
Other than the clothes on Hannah, there were no bloody clothes found at the crime scene. Similarly, no bloody clothing was ever found away from the crime scene. There was blood on the victims, and blood on the sand and on the hoe, but that’s all. It’s incredulous that no bloody clothing were found, and as far as we know, none was looked for. One would think that an investigative team, immediately after a crime, would search high and low for anything with blood on it. As far as we CO’s have heard, there was no searching and nothing of that sort found. No checking with people who might have done laundry or had laundering facilities nearby. No searching (with dogs) of places where clothing might have been burned or buried. Yet another of the long list of basic things that Thai investigators appear to have not done.

Phones
Everyone has a mobile phone. Certainly the Headman’s people had phones. When something dire happens, people are inclined to communicate with others. There must be ways to find out who called who. The easiest way is to look at individual phones and their calling histories. If the H’s people made calls that morning, it’s very likely they erased their calling histories. They may have even thrown their phones and/or sim cards away. Yet, it would seem the phone companies (Thailand has 3) would have records of calls. If any of that has been looked into, the general public hasn’t heard about it. Yet another failing of the police investigators.

Reenactment
Soon after the two Burmese young men became the prime suspects, Thai authorities arranged for a ‘reenactment’ of the crime. Reenactments are common procedure, in regard to serious crimes in Thailand. The reenactment for the Ko Tao crime took place, naturally, at the crime scene – on Sairee beach at Ko Tao.

It is customary for onlookers to attend, particularly locals. More often than not, attending locals will voice their anger at the suspect(s), and it’s not unusual for things to be thrown, to express anger. For that reason, the two suspects were given bullet proof vests and police motorcycle helmets to wear, for their protection. All during the reenactment, despite the fact that dozens of locals turned up to watch, not one angry word was shouted, nor anything thrown at the suspects. The impression given: locals knew the suspects were scapegoats. If locals even suspected the two Burmese young men were guilty, they would have expressed their pent-up anger and disgust towards the suspects, as so often happens when crime reenactments take place in Thailand.

Not only were locals affected emotionally by the heinous crime, as proven by many of them showing up right after the crime at a make-shift shrine, to show their condolences, but locals (all of whom are involved in the tourist business) were then, and are still experiencing the effects of bad publicity for the small tourist island.

Before the reenactment, the two suspects were taken to a shrine and compelled to kneel down to ask Buddha’s forgiveness. There are some still photos of the two dimimuitive young men bowing down, while a dozen to twenty (most of them uniformed) authorities stand close around, all stern-faced, and several with fists clenched. Mon is among that crowd of condemning men.

The actual reenactment on the beach involved about 20 uniformed men and the two suspects. Mon was not there. Perhaps by that time, authorities realized it wouldn’t look good to have a former prime suspect right there co-directing the reenactment. Actually, authorities did more than direct the action that morning. It was as though the two small young men were life-sized marionettes without strings.

At all times they were physically manipulated by their handlers. There were times when each young man had a pair of handlers, one on each side, physically holding on to, and manipulating the suspect’s every movement: walking, stooping, direction, etc. Directions were shouted by several of the officers on the scene. There is at least one photo which shows the two small men with their police helmets, pointing in a questioning manner to the left (as if asking, “do you want us now to go to the left?”), while a Greek chorus of uniformed officials standing inches behind them, are pointing to the right, stern-faced, as always.

Two farang were picked from the crowd to play the parts of David and Hannah. They dutifully strolled down the beach, hand in hand. Note: it was established earlier, by several eyewitnesses, that David and Hannah were more friends than they were a romantic couple. Then, the actors depict taking their clothes off and having sex on the beach.

Along come the two Burmese young men with their handlers framing them. Seeing the farang couple about to have (or having) sex, compels one of them to grab a garden hoe and, using its sharp end, proceed to chop in to David’s body. Then one or both men drag David to the water’s edge – to drown him (and wash off blood?). That whole time, Hannah is apparently waiting there, or perhaps she’s being held by one of the migrants while the other is disposing of David. It should be noted that David is about two feet taller than either migrant, and his shoulders are near twice as broad. No blood gets on the clothes of the suspects, even after bludgeoning Hannah with the back end of the hoe. Oh, they’re also accused of raping Hannah before killing her.

Weapons
Anyone who is familiar with a heavy-type Asian hoe, and who wants to use it as a weapon, will know that its blunt end is more deadly. The sharp end of the a blunt hoe, of the type found at the beach, will cause harm in the form of gnarly gashes along with bruising. It’s like hitting someone with the edge of a frying pan. Most of the injuries to David, particularly to his neck, indicated shallow blade-cuts. Those jabs were uniformed size, about 4 to 5 cm wide X 1 cm gap, and showed no extended bruising alongside. Not what would be expected from a blunt dried-cement-encrusted garden hoe. Plus, as mentioned above, none of David’s DNA was found on any part of the hoe. Yet, the hoe is the weapon which gravely injured David, according to Thai forensics.

Many of us concerned observers (CO’s) were hoping to get findings on such things from the British Corner’s Office, but as of this writing, nearly six months after the crime, nothing has come forth from the Coroner (to the public) in this case.

From looking closely at photos of David’s wounds, it appears that a shallow sharp blade caused most or all of them (except bashing on top of his skull). The most likely weapon was a weaponized ring or a weapon held in the fist or hand. Those types of weapons are openly sold in Thailand, particularly by sidewalk vendors at tourist venues. The weapon ring worn by one of the H’s people called ‘Stingray Man’ (shown in several photos of him prior to the crime) looks to be made from a shark’s tooth, though the ring is allegedly made from the tip of a stingray barb, hence the moniker given to him. As for Mon or Mon’s cop friend, or Nomsod or M (a bouncer at AC bar), Sean, or even the Burmese suspects – any one of them could have had similar weaponized rings like that. Of course, none would be wearing them now, but that whole topic should be another aspect of the crime investigation. No one would be surprised if Thai investigators have not looked in to any of that.

British Coroner
One of the job descriptions of the British Coroner’s Office is to do forensic investigations of British subjects who die suspiciously, whether domestic or overseas. They’re supposed to do that as soon as the bodies are received at their labs. The bodies of David and Hannah were shipped to Britain days after the crime. Whether or not the bodies had been kept properly refrigerated or whether they had been embalmed, we (CO’s) don’t know.

There are only a few things with the British Coroner is required to do. Determine; who died, where it happened, how it happened (what weapons?), and whether there were odd chemicals/drugs in the blood.

There was announcement by the British Coroner’s Office, soon after the crime, that (at least) preliminary autopsy findings would be revealed by January 6, 2015, which would be nearly 4 months after the crime, and 3 months after the Coroner received the bodies in London. Just before Jan. 6, the Coroner’s office announced they would not release any findings before October 2015, which would be 13 months after the crime. And even October wasn’t for sure, as they said they may delay the findings even longer, depending on what happened at the criminal trial.

It’s no secret that Thai officialdom want to control, squelch or delay release of forensic findings as much as they can. The reason: such findings will likely implicate one or more of the H’s people in the crime.

Less than a month after the Ko Tao crime, there were discussions at highest diplomatic levels, regarding the crime investigation. Britain’s PM spoke with Thailand’s PM in person about it. At that meeting, Britain’s PM offered the services of British crime investigators to investigate. The Thai PM reluctantly agreed. However, a day later, when the Thai PM returned to Thailand, he announced that “British investigators would be allowed as ‘observers only.’” In other words, no British investigators would be allowed to do any investigating while in Thailand. They would be allowed to go to Ko Tao, but only to ask questions of Thai officials. No independent investigating, no following leads, no interviews allowed with anyone other than their Thai police contact.

Legal Issues Leading up to Arraignment in Court, December 2014
For weeks before the arraignment of the Burmese suspects, the prosecution team had sent back the police report several times, to police investigators, to be re-written. Apparently, the first several drafts were deemed not incriminating enough and/or there were items for which the prosecutors needed clarification. This took place during the weeks between mid-October and early December 2014. A draft of many pages was finally submitted and approved by official prosecutors, and a court date was set, to stand in front of a judge or two (most court cases in Thailand are heard and decided by two judges, with no jury).

Going back to early October, soon after the B2 had supposedly signed confession statements, some legal professionals showed up to assist the B2 who, prior to that, had no legal reps. In October, a team showed up from Myanmar. However, just before that meeting, a Thai official met Burmese young men. This was directly after their stressful interrogation at the ‘safe house’. The Thai official claimed the B2 reiterated their confession to the crime. This was a day or two before the B2 met with Myanmar representatives.

The purported ‘second confession’ may be further proof of the B2’s culpability in the crime. However, from a different perspective, it may show the effectiveness of Thai-style crime interrogations. To wit: Suspects in serious Thai crimes (which carry a death penalty), when being interrogated by cops, are often given two plain choices: Either confess to doing the crime, and therefore save court time/costs, and be given a long prison sentence, but avoid execution – OR, hang tough, don’t confess and, if found guilty, face the death penalty.

At that early juncture (when meeting with the Thai government rep), the B2 had just gone through a grueling interrogation with fist-clenching angry police in a room, with no lawyers. They purportedly confessed to the crimes, because confessing would grant them avoidance of execution (and also end the alleged torture). So, a day or two later, they’re again with a Thai authority (remember, this is before they had spoken with any attorneys), so when asked if they did the crime, it’s understandable if they maintained the same stance as they did hours earlier, under duress.

As soon as they gained the benefit of legal counsel, they became apprised of their legal rights. They retracted their confessions and haven’t wavered since, from that stance. Thai officials have stated that retracting their confessions has no bearing on their (officials’) intent to take them to court and find them guilty.

Members of the Myanmar political establishment made clear they would be willing to pay bail for the B2. No bail arrangement has been offered at any time by Thai officials, so it was a moot point. Thai officials responded quickly to the Burmese authorities by saying; ‘no bail.’ It was a snub.

At the arraignment, in December, 2014, the banter between the B2 and the judge were brief. At one point, the judge asked, “If you didn’t do the crime, do you know who did?” One of the young men responded, “No Sir. We were drunk. We went home. We don’t know who did it.”

The B2 probably have a good idea who did the crime, but it was wise to keep it brief and simple (probably from advice from their lawyer), when responding to the judge. If they had responded ‘yes, we know who did it,’ – that may have opened a can of worms. For example, deigning to say ‘yes, we know who did it’ might get a response from the court: “well, that doesn’t matter, because those other people are not on trial. You are.” Additionally, because the men who should be prime suspects are in, or connected to a mafia-like family, it could be unhealthy to finger someone in their group. It’s not unusual for an inmate in a Thai prison to die from mysterious causes.

The judge set the trial to start in June 2015, and wind up four months later, in October. That’s part of the reason the British Coroner chose to delay release of forensic data until October – and the Coroner’s data may be delayed further still, depending on her views on the matter. Another reason: because the trial could result in death penalties, it puts it in a special category in the eyes of British officialdom. There could also be pressure from Thai officials – for the British Coroner’s Office to delay, but that’s conjecture. The reasoning is; for the same reasons Thai officialdom didn’t want British investigators do any investigating, or for US FBI (or Ms Porntip) to deal with any DNA data ….would explain why Thai officials want as little data released by the British Coroner – as possible.

It all fits with the theory that there’s a cover-up by Thai officials. A cover-up would necessitate shielding the Headman’s people as well as framing the two young Burmese men. You can’t have just one of those three actions be plausible, without the other two included.

Though it’s not likely the British Coroner’s Office is influenced by top Thai officials, it’s also not impossible. Plus, obfuscation can happen by degrees. In other words, the British Coroner could be vague instead of being as specific. She could be vague with the supposed murder weapon (“it appears to be some sort of stabbing blade, but we can’t be sure”) and/or she could be that way in regard to the DNA (“we can’t say with certainty whose DNA was found in Hannah, because of the time lapse between the crime and the time we received the bodies…”). Whether those types of statement, if they should come forth, are completely honest, we may never know for sure.

Sharing Investigative Information
At the time of the initial draft of this text (early March 2015), a report from a British newspaper told how British authorities did interview some witnesses to (or people who otherwise had inside knowledge of) the crime. The interviews were apparently in Britain (so, they didn’t fall under the restrictions of the Thai PM), though there may have been contact with Sean in Italy. As expected, British authorities aren’t being transparent about what they know or don’t know, so we (CO’s) have to be content with what we find in media reports. The newspaper article asserted that Brit authorities shared interview (and other?) info with Thai officials, but not with the B2’s defense team.

The newspaper article’s slant was concerned with the fact that the B2 are facing death penalties, therefore British law precludes British officials’ involvement in the case, particularly if it would contribute evidence toward asserting death penalties. The reason: Britain doesn’t condone death penalties for any offenses, in any countries.

However, the issue that’s just as relevant, is the allegation that British authorities are sharing investigative info with Thai officials, but not with the B2’s defense team. Thai officials, by definition, are working hand-in-hand with the prosecution. It’s the same team doing the forensics in Thailand, and are able to skew the investigation in any direction they choose. One could also say the judge is part of the same mix, in the sense their salaries are all paid by the government/taxpayer coffers, and they know the power structures which are built-in to the Thai political system.

In sum, if British authorities are giving investigative info only to Thai authorities, then they’re giving it to the prosecution, to the detriment of the defendants, who stand to be executed, if found guilty. If the Brits are doing that, then it appears they’re influenced by Thai authorities, and they’re playing favorites. It’s not only the two defendants who may be unfairly harmed by that activity, but in the bigger picture, it allows the former prime suspects (who are quite possibly the guilty men) to roam free and kill/rape again, knowing they’re essentially untouchable.

Even since the murders of Hannah and David, there have been several mysterious deaths of at least two other young tourist backpackers on Ko Tao – in the span of a few months – on one small island. Maybe the deaths weren’t murder – but maybe they were. One death (of a pretty young British backpacker) happened at the AC guest house, which adjoins the AC bar mentioned in this text. Surely, British authorities don’t want to enable killers and rapists to roam around the island at will. However, the actions of British authorities are possibly enabling that to happen.


Other Mysterious Backpacker Deaths at Ko Tao in 2014

Besides the murders of Hannah and David, there have been several other mysterious deaths on Ko Tao – in the span of just over a year (since Jan. ’14) – on one small island. Maybe the deaths weren’t murder – but maybe they were. The following list was submitted by someone who uses the moniker ‘IslandLover’ on ThaiVisa.com:

1. Nick Pearson was a young British man who fell to his death and drowned – but there are inconsistencies in the police report (claiming suicide), and Nick’s parents believe he was murdered.
2. Hanspeter Suter was a Swiss dive master who drowned while snorkelling off Sairee beach, Ko Tao, in shallow water.
3. Christine Annesley, a young and pretty British gal – found dead in Mon’s In Touch guesthouse after allegedly taking large quantities of alcohol and valium.
4. Frenchman found hanged – allegedly committed suicide. Yet how does someone commit suicide with hands tied tightly behind their back? Yet another oddity of that ‘suicide’ was the absence of a chair or nearby furniture. How does a single person go swinging from a rope, without a means to do so?

Nearby crimes
250 Km southwest of Ko Tao lies another small tourist island. It’s called Ko Phi Phi (pronounced pee pee) and lies off the west coast of Thailand’s isthmus. In the past few years there have been some mysterious deaths of young backpackers there. In all those cases, no suspects were named, and none of the cases were solved. All indications are the mysterious death cases are closed, never to be re-opened.

Some of the incidents which stand out: One concerned two young Norwegian women, the other concerned two young Canadian women. All indications show they were otherwise healthy, as one would expect from sporty women in their early twenties. All four women died in their guest house rooms. RTP police initially put forth theories that one or more may have eaten some poisonous fish at a restaurant, or taken too many Ibuprofen pills. Such theories were short-lived because they were implausible.

One possible cause of death was a topic not mentioned by Thai investigators: weird mixed-drink concoctions served at the beach parties which are prevalent at Thai beach resorts. Because Thai investigators are inept at doing thorough blood tests (or perhaps they forgot to do it, or decided it wasn’t important), we will never know for sure what chemicals may have been in the deceased women’s blood. Obviously, alcohol is in the mixes. Yet, there have been reports of ground-up mosquito coils used as one ingredient. There is also at least one local intoxicant (possibly toxic) derived from a locally grown plant.

Another possible cause, in the Ko Phi Phi unsolved deaths, is a certain insecticide used in the guest houses. Apparently Canadian forensic experts found traces of the insecticide in their blood. They also found traces of the mosquito coil chemical, mentioned above, but deemed it too small to have cause death in two otherwise robust young women. Perhaps the two chemical brews (insecticide and beach cocktail) combined to be fatal. Either way, it doesn’t paint a welcoming picture for Thai beach resorts.

It’s no stretch of the imagination to picture local men, hosting or participating in a night-time beach party – seeing attractive young blond tourist women showing up to party – stimulates desires. Alcoholic drinks have been used to coerce pretty girls to having sex, since before the Fertile Triangle existed. More intense date-rape drugs (our grandparents would call it ‘slipping a mickey’) have been used in many countries, not least in Thailand – and its beach resort bars and beach parties.

There are several points which connect the dots between the Ko Phi Phi deaths and the crime at Ko Tao on Sept.15. Alcohol, date-rape drugs, RTP protection of those who should be suspects, hand-off approach re; one or more cops who may have been involved, inept investigation, …..the list goes on.

There have been other mysterious deaths, and not-so-mysterious rapes, of pretty young farang backpackers in Thailand. One young lass from Wales, Kristi, was raped and murdered in a Chiang Mai guest house and, surprise, Thailand’s detectives never brought anyone to trial, even though there were at least two (who should have been) prime suspects. The two suspects were Thai, one was a policeman and the other was also well-connected. Yet another unsolved murder – to add to a string of unsolved crimes, which put black splotches on Thailand’s reputation.

Granted, much of this text, particularly when mentioning future events, is conjecture. Yet, it’s a sad commentary on Thai investigative methods, when there are so many doubts about how this case has been handled. A few mis-steps would be understandable. However, the handling of this case goes way beyond mis-steps – and the number of screw-ups are staggering. Any reasonable person’s hopes for a fair trial or that the former prime suspects be reinstated as suspects, ….are false hopes. The cultural realities in Thailand are such that, hopes of a truly fair trial in this case are naïve.

————————————————————————–
copyright 2015 by Adventure1 Publications

CCC

Originally Posted by Chittychangchang

Interesting summary so far....

by whom.
with what agenda .
in what way interesting , anything new here ?

Originally Posted by Chittychangchang

CCTV Footage Near Crime Scene:

the so-called ‘running man’ videos ...

His hair is curly and bushy and his sideburn is pointed to the front of his face

is this him ?

I think scenario 3 fairly sums it up.
sep

Good write up ccc, and consistent with the bead the locals down there have told friends. Also consistent with this:

THAI POLICE COVERED UP FOR MAFIA, CLAIMS LEADING THAI MEDIA MOGUL - Andrew Drummond

^From the above:

"The statement by Sondhi Limthongkul, founder of the People’s Alliance for Democracy, is a significant blow to Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha’s statements that Thai Police hide caught the right people. Those statements and others made by Thailand’s police chief have been widely disbelieved."

Is he safe saying this?...Or does he need "recalibrating," or whatever they do?...

Thai killings: Witheridge family raise money to attend trial - BBC News

^Like what good is attending the trial going to do? Stay home, save your money and wait for the results which won't be any surprise...

^ They get to see the savage, rapist, murderers convicted and sentenced to death. Some closure for the family.

Originally Posted by Luigi

^ They get to see the savage, rapist, murderers convicted and sentenced to death. Some closure for the family.

No, they wont.
Not really....

They will see Thai soap opera.

April 29, 2015

The trial of two Myanmar migrants accused of murdering a pair of British tourists is set to resume Thursday on Koh Samui in Surat Thani province.

Defence and prosecution lawyers at Thursday's hearing are expected to update the court as to the progress of preparing witnesses, the Democratic Voice of Burma reported.

The court is also expected to consider the recent requests by the defence team that physical evidence be re-examined by the Ministry of Justice's Central Institute of Forensic Science, and for more information provided regarding the process of DNA analysis.

Thai police have nevertheless remained confident that DNA evidence will prove that the Myanmar pair are guilty. Results of an investigation by British police from Scotland Yard were never made public, but the families of the two murdered Britons have reportedly been in contact with British authorities and say they are convinced Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun are guilty.

full article: Koh Tao murders trial resumes Thursday | Bangkok Post: news

Take it the family haven't looked around the net, to question the prosecutions claims.

And the source of that assertion claiming the families of the victims are "convinced" the accused are guilty?

Fucking country's premier English newspaper and they write this utter shit.

^Yes, it is the country's premier English rag, but don't forget which country.

It's gonna be played out as the majority called it.

Let the dust settle, charge the innocent (in my view), then who gives a f*%k.

Will be fish and chip wrapper before you know it.

Poor sods...

April 30, 2015

A court on Thursday approved independent verification of the DNA evidence against two suspects in the murder of two British holidaymakers on Koh Tao last year, officials said.

The defence team for Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo, the Myanmar migrant workers accused of the September murders, earlier petitioned the court to have the DNA evidence re-examined.

The judge heard the argument that it was necessary to prevent a "miscarriage of justice," officials at the Samui Provincial Court said.

full article: Court OKs outside check of Koh Tao DNA evidence | Bangkok Post: news