- Title: Thai court upholds death penalty for Myanmar workers in British tourist murder
- Date: 29th August 2019
- Summary: NONTHABURI PROVINCE, THAILAND (AUGUST 29, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF CONVICTED MYANMAR MIGRANTS ZAW LIN AND WAI PHYO WALKING BEHIND FENCE, LEAVING COURT VARIOUS OF PRISON VANS LEAVING / SECURITY DEFENDANTS' LAWYER, NAKHON CHOMPUCHAT, SPEAKING TO MEDIA OUTSIDE COURT (SOUNDBITE) (Thai) DEFENDANTS' LAWYER, NAKHON CHOMPUCHAT, SAYING; "We will submit a petition request for a royal pardon for them not to be executed." MEDIA WITH NAKHON (SOUNDBITE) (Thai) DEFENDANTS' LAWYER, NAKHON CHOMPUCHAT, SAYING: "We are trying to ask for them not to be executed, because there are many people with strong evidence proving they are guilty who are not sentenced to death." CHOMPUCHAT SPEAKING TO MEDIA OUTSIDE COURT
- Embargoed: 12th September 2019 08:44
- Keywords: Thailand Koh Tao British murder case migrant workers court
- Location: NONTHABURI PROVINCE, THAILAND
- City: NONTHABURI PROVINCE, THAILAND
- Country: Thailand
- Topics: Crime/Law/Justice,Judicial Process/Court Cases/Court Decisions
- Reuters ID: LVA001AU9RRD3
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Thailand's Supreme Court on Thursday (August 29) upheld the murder convictions of two migrant workers from Myanmar in the killings of two British backpackers that drew world attention to the tourist island of Koh Tao.
The workers, Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun, were sentenced to death for the September 2014 murder of David Miller, 24 and the murder and rape of Hannah Witherridge, 23, on the Thai island, a haven for divers.
In their verdict, a panel of two judges said the death sentences handed down by lower courts would be upheld as the men had been found guilty of murder and rape on the basis of evidence and forensic results. The verdict was read at a court in the province of Nonthaburi, just north of Bangkok, the capital.
The lawyer said they would seek a royal pardon within 60 days, as provided in Thai law.
A pro-bono legal team defending the men has said evidence collected by police was unreliable and not in accordance with internationally accepted standards, arguing it should not have been used to convict them. Thai courts have rejected accusations of torture and ruled that DNA evidence linked the workers to the crime.
(Production: Prapan Chankaew, Athit Perawongmetha, Joseph Campbell) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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