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Thailand murders: Two men found guilty and face death for UK killings

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  • #31
    ^

    The court based its ruling on DNA evidence that it said linked Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun to the crime, including samples collected from Ms Witheridge's body.

    .................................................. ....

    Pornthip Rojanasunand, the head of Thailand's forensics institute, told the Koh Samui court that DNA found on the alleged murder weapon does not match that of the two accused Burmese men.

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...h-accused.html


    http://thailandchatter.com/showthrea...ll=1#post45112

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    • #32
      Thailand asks Myanmar to contain protests
      28/12/2015

      The Foreign Ministry has asked the Myanmar government to contain protests against the death sentence in the Koh Tao murder trial as demonstrators again gathered at a border crossing into Kanchanaburi province on Monday.

      The ministry sent the request through the Myanmar ambassador to Thailand and the Myanmar foreign ministry, asking Myanmar to contain protests which were spreading beyond Yangon, Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai said on Monday morning.

      Asked to comment on the request by Myanmar's armed forces chief Min Aung Hlaing that Thailand review the death sentence passed on two Myanmar citizens, Mr Don said it would have no effect.

      No country would halt the justice process midway through.

      The case could still go to the appellate court, the foreign minister said.

      Mr Don also said that with large numbers of people now demonstrating, it was impossible to identify the intentions of all of them.

      However, some demonstrations appeared to be unusually organised.

      Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha also said on Monday an appeal was possible.

      Thailand had its laws and Myanmar had asked that the case to be handled strictly in accordance with the justice system, he said.

      Hundreds of Myanmar people resumed their demonstration against the death sentence passed on Thursday last week on two countrymen, Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun, found guilty of murdering two British tourists, Hannah Witheridge and David Miller, on Koh Tao island in Surat Thani province in September 2014.

      The demonstration started at the Three Pagodas Pass border crossing in Kanchanaburi province about 7am Monday.

      It was the second such protest there.

      The first was on Saturday.

      bangkokpost.com
      http://thailandchatter.com/showthrea...ll=1#post45112

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      • #33
        No review of Koh Tao case, says Prawit
        http://thailandchatter.com/showthrea...ll=1#post45112

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        • #34
          Myanmar Rights Group Urges Thailand to Protect Condemned WorkersZaw Lin (left) and Win Zaw Htun are taken from court after hearing their sentences, Koh Samui, Thailand, Dec. 24, 2015.
          AFP
          Not guilty
          Protests continue
          http://thailandchatter.com/showthrea...ll=1#post45112

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          • #35
            David Cameron: Independently investigate the horrific murders of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller

            Over a hundred thousand signatures already!

            https://www.change.org/p/david-camer...m_medium=email
            http://thailandchatter.com/showthrea...ll=1#post45112

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            • #36
              Tuesday, 29 December 2015

              wrld_ha_2912_p21_hazlin_2.JPG

              AFP

              http://www.thestar.com.my/news/regional/2015/12/29/junta-chief-respect-verdict-prayuth-defends-thai-court-decision-in-murder-of-britons/
              http://thailandchatter.com/showthrea...ll=1#post45112

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              • #37
                From the irrawaddy archive


                SAW YAN NAING
                Tuesday, December 29, 2015



                (Photo: Reuters)


                How did you become involved in this case?
                Who else should be subject to DNA testing?
                What other requirements should be carried out in the course of fact finding for this case?

                No. Because the police said that all that evidence was destroyed already. The police said there was no evidence left to send to our institute.

                From now on, how will you and your team be involved in the process?
                You are very well respected for your expertise in DNA analysis. The Burmese public would be very interested in your comments. What is your message to them?
                http://thailandchatter.com/showthrea...ll=1#post45112

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                • #38

                  Tuesday, December 29, 2015


                  People collect signatures in Rangoon in support of two Burmese migrants sentenced to death by a Thai court last week for murder.
                  (Photos: Myo Min Soe / The Irrawaddy)


                  CHIANG MAI,Burmese officials
                  http://thailandchatter.com/showthrea...ll=1#post45112

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                  • #39
                    Thirty days to shore up Thai justice after conviction of Myanmar workers: The Nation
                    1 hour ago

                    37049102_-_27_12_2015_-_myanmar_thailand_justice_protest.jpg
                    People protest against the Thai court's death sentence for two Myanmar migrant workers in Myanmar on Dec 27, 2015.
                    PHOTO: EPA

                    The appeal period for the Myanmar accused in the Koh Tao case affords a chance to overcome public suspicion.

                    Myanmar commander in chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing has taken the unusual step of asking Thai authorities to re-examine the case against two Myanmar nationals convicted of rape and murder on Koh Tao, in what amounts to another blow to international confidence in the Thai justice system. It also provides a test for relations between these two countries, at a time when both are engaged in a process of democratic reform.

                    It is rare for leaders in Naypyitaw to express concern over the fate of citizens who find themselves in trouble abroad. Thailand is home to about three million workers from Myanmar, many of them undocumented migrants, but little attention has been paid to their plight at the hands of our justice system.

                    So it came as a surprise when General Min wrote to Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan and Supreme Commander Sommai Kaotira over the weekend. He urged a review of the sentencing of the two Myanmar nationals to death for the attack on two British backpackers. The verdict met with widespread anger in Myanmar.

                    Last Thursday (Dec 24) the Samui Provincial Court found the two men - Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Tun - guilty of killing Hannah Witheridge, 23, and David Miller, 24, on Koh Tao in Sept 2014. Witheridge was also sexually violated.

                    The case had been dogged by controversy, with the accused claiming their confessions were obtained under torture, and renowned forensic pathologist Dr Pornthip Rojanasunand calling into question DNA evidence and police investigative procedures. After the verdict, thousands of protesters besieged the Thai Embassy in Yangon, claiming the convicted men had been made scapegoats.

                    Migrant workers often have a precarious legal status in Thailand and, as such, find themselves at the mercy of unscrupulous law-enforcers and court officials. This dismal fact only fuels suspicions over the verdict whenever a foreigner is convicted of a serious crime here.

                    General Min expressed respect for Thailand's judicial process, but stressed the need to avoid a situation in which innocent men might have been wrongly convicted.

                    Myanmar's top military commander also expressed a belief that justice will be eventually done thanks to the mutual respect and friendly relations between the two countries.

                    He could have delivered his message in private to Thai top brass, with whom he enjoys friendly relations. That he chose to make his plea public, via his Facebook page and the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar Times, indicates just how seriously Myanmar authorities view this case.

                    Bangkok must not take the signal from Naypyitaw lightly. Justifications for the verdict offered so far by the Thai Foreign Ministry, the embassy in Yangon, the police and the Samui court have not cooled tempers in Myanmar.

                    Police spokesman Pol General Dejnarong Sutticharnbancha insisted that the investigation had been fair and transparent and that checks and balances in place meant the public could have confidence in the judicial process.

                    His words are not enough to restore public faith badly damaged by the police's failure to effectively refute allegations of torture during interrogation and an absence of legal representation for the convicted men during the preliminary stages of the probe.

                    Samui court spokesman Suebpong Sripongkul has said the death sentence can be appealed and is not a final ruling. The defence team has 30 days in which to launch an appeal. What happens during that period will be crucial to the credibility of the Thai justice system and also to continuing friendly relations with our neighbour to the west.

                    straitstimes.com
                    http://thailandchatter.com/showthrea...ll=1#post45112

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                    • #40
                      Heated Rhetoric at Koh Tao Verdict Protest in Rangoon
                      LAWI WENG
                      Tuesday, December 29, 2015


                      U Pamaukka, a senior monk within the Ma Ba Tha movement, addresses protesters in Rangoon on Tuesday.
                      (Photo: Myo Min Soe / The Irrawaddy)

                      RANGOON
                      http://thailandchatter.com/showthrea...ll=1#post45112

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                      • #41
                        As Koh Tao protests spread, foreign ministers call for calm
                        29/12/2015

                        c1_810372_620x413.jpg
                        A man displays a placard as others sing Myanmar national anthem during a protest rally against the Thai court ruling sentencing two Myanmar migrant workers to death, in Yangon, Myanmar, Tuesday.
                        (AP photo)Protesters display placard calling to boycott Thai products, right and centre, and a sign reads as "Release our people immediately", left, during a Koh Tao case protest rally in Yangon Tuesday.
                        (AP photo)

                        Protesters threatened to call for a boycott of Thai goods if the courts refused to review the case, saying that the two men did not deserve the death sentence.

                        In Australia's capital city Canberra, about 35-40 Myanmar protesters also submitted petitions to the Thai embassy there after a rally that lasted an hour and ended at noon local time Tuesday.

                        On Monday, Malaysian police barred a group of Myanmar protesters from gathering at the Thai embassy in Kuala Lumpur and asked them to move to stage a protest at the Myanmar embassy instead.

                        Seventy-two Myanmar monks in Sri Lanka's capital Colombo also handed a protest letter to the Thai embassy there on Monday, the ministry said.

                        Meanwhile, acting deputy spokesman for PheuThai Party Anusorn Iamsa-ard lashed out at Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon for speculating that a political group in Thailand may be instigating protesters in an attempt to destabilise the government.

                        Mr Anusorn said the government should not use its so-called "information operations" to defame or discredit any group, as it would affect reconciliation efforts and a constructive political atmosphere in the country.

                        He said Pheu Thai had nothing to do with the protests in Myanmar or elsewhere.

                        bangkokpost.com
                        http://thailandchatter.com/showthrea...ll=1#post45112

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                        • #42
                          Vid from the border :

                          https://www.facebook.com/hlaingb/vid...4384068632886/


                          FrgRKJI.jpg
                          http://thailandchatter.com/showthrea...ll=1#post45112

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                          • #43
                            D n a

                            Thailand beach murders: A flawed and muddled investigation
                            Jonathan Head
                            24 December 2015

                            snip

                            The most important question though, hung over one piece of evidence which did tie the defendants to the crime: the alleged match between their DNA, and that recovered from semen found on Miss Witheridge's body.Less than three days after the crime, police announced they had extracted the DNA profiles of two men from the semen. They also said these matched DNA found on a cigarette butt near the scene.

                            In court, a police officer testified those samples were received on the morning of 17 September and started DNA extraction at 08:00 local time. This seems unlikely as the pathologist only started his autopsy at 11:00. The successful profiling of two men was announced at around 22:00.

                            It suggests remarkably rapid analysis, in less than 12 hours, from samples in which at least three people's DNA - the victim and the two men - were mixed.

                            The DNA profiles were used to match cheek swabs taken from the two Burmese defendants after they were detained on 2 October.
                            Jane Taupin, a renowned Australian forensic scientist brought in by the defence team, questioned the plausibility of working this quickly, saying extracting DNA from mixed samples was difficult and time-consuming.

                            Ms Taupin was not allowed to testify, one of several inexplicable decisions by the defence, but she highlighted several important aspects of DNA testing which neither the defence team, the police, nor the judges appeared to understand.


                            How DNA testing works

                            DNA analysis is a complex procedure which requires meticulous care and documentation. Contrary to popular belief, it does not offer "perfect matches", only statistical probabilities.

                            Almost all DNA - 99.9% - is likely to be the same between two people . That distinct 0.1% is made up of what are known as "short tandem repeat" sequences. These are isolated and examined for patterns which offer a statistical likelihood of a match to other DNA samples.

                            Usually a reference sample from a third party is also analysed.

                            The statistical likelihood of the match must be demonstrated in court, with full documentation showing methodology, proof the samples have not been contaminated and peer review.

                            In the Koh Tao case, the prosecution provided only a one-page summary of their DNA tests, some of it handwritten, with parts crossed out and corrected, along with four supporting pages.



                            "The case files of the Thai forensic lab should have been provided to the defence," Ms Taupin said.

                            "This is so the scientific data contained within, and used to provide conclusions, could be examined for a scientific review.

                            "The essence of scientific method is the testing and review of hypotheses. If these are not viewed, or even stated, then this does not inspire confidence in the scientific analysis.

                            "A one-page table with alterations is not a suitable document to provide to a court. A report should not have alterations, especially handwritten ones, with no explanation as to why they were altered."

                            There were other problems too. The date of the original DNA analysis was said to have been 17 September, but the report submitted to court was dated 5 October. This was two days after the police had announced a positive match with the two Burmese defendants.

                            That unexplained discrepancy inevitably raises suspicion that perhaps the result was manipulated.

                            Image copyright Reuters Image caption The case has generated widespread media attention in Thailand and abroad These weaknesses in the prosecution case should have given the defence a field day in court, but they were not raised until the closing statement.

                            The two police forensic witnesses were not cross-examined over the doubtful timings nor the scrappy and incomplete DNA documentation.

                            Had Ms Taupin been called, she could have exposed these flaws. Instead, she had to sit in the lawyers' room, largely ignored, and then fly home without testifying. Whatever views the three judges formed of the quality of the prosecution's evidence, it was never properly challenged in court.

                            I have asked one of the defence lawyers about their bafflingly non-adversarial tactics. He did not offer a convincing explanation.

                            Perhaps they were nervous of being seen to take too much advice from a foreigner, for fear they would lose sympathy from the judges.

                            Everyone in that court was aware how much Thailand's reputation was on the line, and discrediting the police in such a public way might have felt like a dangerous step to take. We just don't know.

                            This remains one of a number of frustrating unknowns about this murder case. These can only have added to the suffering of the victims' families.

                            bbc.com
                            http://thailandchatter.com/showthrea...ll=1#post45112

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                            • #44
                              Foreign Minister Calls in Thai Envoy for Koh Tao Talks
                              Wednesday, December 30, 2015


                              Protesters hold posters and shout as they protest in support of Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo outside the Thai embassy in Rangoon, Dec. 25. (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters)
                              http://thailandchatter.com/showthrea...ll=1#post45112

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                              • #45
                                Koh Tao Verdict: Lingering Questions as Protests Continue
                                SAW YAN NAING
                                Wednesday, December 30, 2015


                                Protesters outside the Thai embassy in Rangoon on Dec. 25.
                                (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters)

                                CHIANG MAI,But the facts remain.
                                http://thailandchatter.com/showthrea...ll=1#post45112

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