Interpreter assaulted us, say Koh Tao suspects

TWO MEN from Myanmar accused of killing two British tourists on Koh Tao last month yesterday denied the charge and insisted they were assaulted during a police interrogation. They said this to three representatives from the Lawyers’ Council of Thailand during a lengthy prison visit.
Thanu Akekachote said the suspects alleged they were assaulted by an interpreter while being questioned by the police. The lawyer declined to give details of the methods of the physical abuse used, and did not provide details about the police unit involved in this particular session.

Offer of assistance
The suspects also asked for the council to represent them, and Thanu said it had agreed to assist them. The council will now be their legal representative after a court-appointed lawyer recently withdrew.
Thanu and two other lawyers met with the suspects for a six-hour visit, which began at 10am.
He said the suspects wished to lodge complaints – that they did not have full legal representation after being detained – with public prosecutors.
The Lawyers’ Council team reportedly asked Koh Samui prison to allow the two suspects to have X-rays taken after reports that one of them had a bruise on his chest. Thanu did not give details on this, or whether the X-rays would be done.
Earlier, British Ambassador Mark Kent met with Amara Pongsapich, a National Human Rights Commission member. She later quoted Kent as saying he welcomed the NHRC’s participation in the murder probe as a third party independent from the Thai police.
She said detectives from Britain would arrive in Thailand next week, and would take part in the murder probe merely as observers. Details about how the Thai and British police will work together would be later decided.
A police spokeswoman said police from New Scotland Yard had yet to contact Thai police about how or when their detectives would start “work” with them. Pol Lt-Colonel Chanchai Rattanaphanich said all details on the case including crime-scene investigation had been readied for them.
An official at Koh Samui prison said the two suspects had been given special care, including inspection of their food and extra security during their detention.
The case prosecutors said the indictment would probably be filed against the pair by this week if there were no legal flaws found in the police investigation report, according to Thawatchai Siangjaew, director-general of the Office of Regional Public Prosecution in Region 8.