THAILAND-BRITAIN/MURDER-COURT ARRIVALS Myanmar men arrive in court for second day on trial for murder of UK tourists

Record ID: 147778

  • Title: THAILAND-BRITAIN/MURDER-COURT ARRIVALS Myanmar men arrive in court for second day on trial for murder of UK tourists
  • Date: 9th July 2015
  • Summary: KOH SAMUI, THAILAND (JULY 9, 2015) (REUTERS) PRISON BUS DRIVING UP TO COURT DETENTION ROOM SUSPECTS SITTING IN BUS PRISON GUARD OPENING BUS DOOR/ SUSPECTS GETTING OFF FROM BUS MYANMAR SUSPECTS, ZAW LIN AND WIN ZAW HTUN, GETTING OFF BUS AND WALKING INTO COURT'S DETENTION ROOM OFFICIALS STANDING PRISON BUS PARKING VARIOUS EXTERIORS OF KOH SAMUI COURT
  • Embargoed: 24th July 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Thailand
  • Country: Thailand
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVAD99BY439JW6FNEDN9UXLMMAC9
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Two Myanmar men accused of murdering two British holidaymakers in Thailand arrived at court on Thursday (July 9) for the second day on trial in a case that caused outrage in Britain and raised questions about the competence of the Thai police and the treatment of migrant labourers.
    British tourists David Miller, 24, and Hannah Witheridge, 23, were murdered last year on Koh Tao, or Turtle Island, a popular tourist destination in southern Thailand.
    Thai police said in October that Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun, two migrant workers from Myanmar, had confessed to the killings. The confessions followed weeks of speculation and pressure on police to solve the murders.
    Police said DNA found on the two victims matched the suspects but the two men later retracted their confessions, saying they had made them while being tortured.
    The pair, who deny charges of murder, rape and robbery, could face the death penalty if found guilty.
    Rights groups say the trial is a test case for Thailand's treatment of the 2.5 million migrant labourers, many from poor neighbouring countries, on which it relies.
    Others fear the pair are being used as scapegoats and will not receive a fair trial in a country where the poor and disenfranchised are rarely afforded justice.
    A verdict is expected in October.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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