Police to blame for Koh Tao sceptics
The Thai police have only themselves to blame for public mistrust of their handling of the Koh Tao murders.
Past cases involving the murder of tourists remain unsolved. In some, innocent people have been jailed as a result of faulty evidence and witnesses presented to the court – by the police.
The murder of British tourist Kirsty Jones in Chiang Mai in 2000 and the brutal killing of Thai-American teenager Sherry Ann Duncan in 1986 in Bangkok both saw scapegoats prosecuted and jailed as a result of testimony from “witnesses” unearthed by the police. And these are just two of many such cases.
The Prayut Chan-o-cha government can no longer afford to be complacent about inefficiency and corruption in the police force.
Widespread accusations among the international community that there is a miscarriage of justice going on here must be addressed and resolved quickly and decisively.
Vint Chavala
