Burmese accused must not be sacrificed so country 'saves face'
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Are the two men accused of the high-profile murder of two British tourists being set up for murder most foul? Their prison chief says, "I am afraid they may commit suicide, because they show signs of stress. They may be feeling guilty for the crime they h
That certainly is one possibility for their feelings. But perhaps they really haven’t done anything wrong, and know that their deaths in jail will be most convenient for the Koh Tao police, whose handling of the case has been much criticised locally and abroad, with Amnesty International alleging that police used torture to extract the since recanted “confessions”, with extensive body bruises to prove it.
Also, Samui chief prosecutor Phaibul Achawananthakhun has said the “confessions” were deficient and insufficient even to charge the men in court.
The Koh Tao defendants should be placed under suicide watch, for their own safety.
If they come to harm while in the hands of the authorities, it would be a definite high-profile black mark against both the police, and PM Prayut personally, for putting his reputation on the line by defending the cops’ handling of the case.
We must not sacrifice two persons who are presumed innocent until proven guilty just to save face.
Burin Kantabutra
Bangkok
