THAILAND: Relatives of Thailand tourist murder suspects meet Lawyers Council members

Record ID: 708238

  • Title: THAILAND: Relatives of Thailand tourist murder suspects meet Lawyers Council members
  • Date: 29th October 2014
  • Summary: BANGKOK, THAILAND (OCTOBER 29, 2014) (REUTERS) RELATIVES OF MYANMAR SUSPECTS GETTING OUT OF VAN VARIOUS OF RELATIVES AND LAWYERS WALKING INTO LAWYERS COUNCIL OFFICE RELATIVES SITTING IN MEETING ROOM HTUN HTUN HTIKE, FATHER OF WIN ZAW HTUN, BOWING FATHER AND MOTHER OF ZAW LIN SITTING MEMBERS OF THAILAND LAWYERS COUNCIL ARRIVING AT THE MEETING LAWYERS AND OFFICIALS SITTING PRESIDENT OF LAWYERS COUNCIL OF THAILAND, DEJ-UDOM KRAIRIT, TALKING AT MEETING MYANMAR'S AMBASSADOR, WIN MAUNG, SITTING IN THE MEETING MEETING IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (Thai) PRESIDENT OF LAWYERS COUNCIL OF THAILAND, DEJ-UDOM KRAIRIT, SAYING; "The prosecutor has stepped back and is holding off pressing charges. So we (the council) think that we should put together a full team (of defense lawyers) to handle the case." MEDIA FILMING MEETING (SOUNDBITE) (Thai) PRESIDENT OF LAWYERS COUNCIL OF THAILAND,DEJ-UDOM KRAIRIT, SAYING; "We have not seen the report that mentions the suspects' DNA. There will be a lot of details we will have find out and follow up on." RELATIVES BOWING TO MEDIA AND OFFICIALS VARIOUS OF LAWYERS COUNCIL OFFICIALS STANDING WITH RELATIVES VARIOUS OF EXTERIOR OF LAWYERS COUNCIL OFFICE
  • Embargoed: 13th November 2014 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Thailand
  • Country: Thailand
  • Topics: Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA1A3OKMQ7QM3GNTHP3QCM7J8KU
  • Story Text: Members of the Lawyers Council of Thailand on Wednesday (October 29) said they would set up a team of lawyers to defend two Myanmar suspects accused of killing two British tourists on the island of Koh Tao.
    The Lawyers Council of Thailand met with relatives of the Myanmar suspects to discuss the next stage in the case.
    Win Zaw Htun and Zaw Lin, both 21, have been accused of killing Hannah Witheridge, 23, and David Miller, 24, on a beach in Koh Tao last month.
    "The prosecutor has stepped back and is holding off pressing charges. So we (the council) think that we should put together a full team (of defense lawyers) to handle the case," Dej-Udom Krairit, President of Lawyers Council of Thailand, said during the meeting.
    The two suspects retracted their confessions on October 22, adding further confusion to an investigation that has attracted widespread criticism.
    The bodies of Witheridge and Miller were discovered on September 15 by cleaners. Post-mortem examinations showed both suffered severe head wounds and Witheridge was raped.
    Police had said this month Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun had confessed to the murders and that their DNA matched DNA found on Witheridge - despite the fact that the two had yet to appear in court to face any charge and speak for themselves.
    Dej-Udom said they had not seen the DNA reports.
    "We have not seen the report that mentions the suspects' DNA. There will be a lot of details we will have find out and follow up on." said Dej-Udom.
    The inquiry has been dogged from the outset by contradictory statements by officials.
    Police were widely accused of bungling the investigation, including chasing wrong leads and failing to seal off the crime scene quickly enough, and pressure grew for them to solve the crime quickly.
    The gruesome murders have dented tourism, which generates almost 10 percent of gross domestic product, at a time when Thailand is still under martial law after a May 22 coup that had already kept some visitors away.
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