Myanmar wants Koh Tao probe reopened
Embassy files official request with Justice Ministry seeking answers
MYANMAR officially called for Thai authorities to reopen the investigation into the murder of two British tourists on Koh Tao as there are many unanswered questions in relation to the arrest of the two Myanmar citizens.
Lawyer Aung Myo Thant told the Norway-based Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) that the Myanmar Embassy in Bangkok had filed the request with the Justice Ministry on Monday on the basis that suspects Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Tun had allegedly confessed to the crimes under duress.
“The kids [Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Tun] have told the Thai human rights commission, the lawyers, our embassy team and their parents on every occasion that they were beaten by police,” he said.
“Therefore, we request that a special team be formed to reinvestigate the case. We presented a written letter of request to a ministry official,” the lawyer said.
Officials from the embassy along with the suspects’ parents met with members of the Lawyers Council of Thailand and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to discuss the matter, recounted Aung Myo Thant, who was also at the meeting.
The NHRC said recently that the suspects had been tortured during police interrogation to get them to confess the crimes of raping and killing the tourists. However, police insisted that the suspects had confessed of their own free will and refused to provide any details of the interrogation to the NHRC.
“The [Thai] Human Rights Commission requested the Thai Lawyers Council and us to present any information we may have,” Kyaw Thaung, a member of the Myanmar Embassy’s team, told DVB on telephone. Kyaw Thaung is also a member of the Myanmar Association in Thailand.
“They also asked for any evidence that might contradict the DNA tests. We exchanged information about the details of the case.”
Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Tun were charged with the murder of David Miller, 24, and the rape and murder of Hannah Witheridge, 23, after the tourists’ battered bodies were found on the southern island of Koh Tao on September 15. Police claimed that DNA taken from Witheridge matched the two suspects and insisted that they be prosecuted.
