TTom911

strangely enough you are arrested in Australia if you consort with wanted criminals, in Thailand these same criminals are allowed to run political parties, take legal action against others, are issued with govt approved passports personally by the govt officials and the govt takes no legal action against them. Really sums up why there is so much corruption here I suppose and how little thai law is respected by the rest of the world, it really is one big joke.

Coz here they all have skeletons in the closet... many heaps of them... they might need a passport themselves one day... so,probably wise to not push it too far...maybe...

found the "ignore list" aka "stink button" ... Praise the Lord... best feature on TV... got unusable without it....

mr. moderator, can I ask something?

can we have a "stink" button here, if if enough people, democratically, decide it "stinks" then the "stinker" can only post at a certain reduced "stink rate" on the forum.

can we do that, mr moderator?

That used to available on this forum but got pulled because it turned into carnage.

A bit like this thread.

Good one on EADT, Tom. Keep an eye out in the Jersey Evening Post as well.

sure, will check...

a pity regarding the "stink button" though... coz now we have the carnage AND the stink... pretty unbearable at times...

I find this a rather extraordinary public statement from the UK government:

... we are very concerned by the allegations of corruption and mistreatment of the suspects and it is very important that whoever committed these murders is brought to justice. We call for the investigation to be conducted in a fair and transparent way, in line with international standards."....

http://www.eadt.co.u..._case_1_3820462

The UK government would NEVER use that language UNLESS they have pretty solid information. I am absolutely certain of that. This is the hardest slap in the face diplomatically possible before official proof of guilt, which is unfortunately still an ongoing process...

Yes I agree, for them to use the word corruption suggests that they are taking this very seriously. Yes they do say "allegations of corruption", but if they are speaking about this, and taking some action then I think they see some credence in it.

Its about as strong as you can get without making direct accusations which would just not be appropriate unless they are ready to present the evidence they have. Read any official statement from organisations such as the UN Security council when making a statement on atrocities in Syria or wherever, the wording is always very similar. Diplomatic speak for we know whats going on.

EXACTLY !!!

I find this a rather extraordinary public statement from the UK government:

... we are very concerned by the allegations of corruption and mistreatment of the suspects and it is very important that whoever committed these murders is brought to justice. We call for the investigation to be conducted in a fair and transparent way, in line with international standards."....

http://www.eadt.co.u..._case_1_3820462

The UK government would NEVER use that language UNLESS they have pretty solid information. I am absolutely certain of that. This is the hardest slap in the face diplomatically possible before official proof of guilt, which is unfortunately still an ongoing process...

Yes I agree, for them to use the word corruption suggests that they are taking this very seriously. Yes they do say "allegations of corruption", but if they are speaking about this, and taking some action then I think they see some credence in it.

and they must know something concrete... Diplomats mince their words very carefully. They dont say a single word, sure not in writing, they do not need to say or which does not carry a message... and this DOES carry a message...

An official written statement from the UK government, and given the necessity for diplomatic language the message can hardly be clearer...:

...." How confident is the FCO that those responsible for the killings will be brought to justice?

We want to see the perpetrators of this crime brought to justice and we have asked the Thai authorities to keep our Embassy in Bangkok closely informed on their investigation. The British government cannot interfere in Thailand’s judicial proceedings, just as other governments are unable to interfere in our own judicial processes.

That said, we are very concerned by the allegations of corruption and mistreatment of the suspects and it is very important that whoever committed these murders is brought to justice. We call for the investigation to be conducted in a fair and transparent way, in line with international standards."....

http://www.eadt.co.uk/news/foreign_commonwealth_office_answer_our_10_questions_on_the_hannah_witheridge_case_1_3820462

Actually this is just the one of many instances where you have suggested the police did not say the DNA matched the semen. And once again, I show you that you are wrong (unless you think all the news sources including CNN mentioned above are lying) and once again you try to shift the debate. I expect more of the same from you tomorrow including once again suggesting police never said the semen matched their DNA.

CNN was merely quoting a Thai policeman!! Doesn't exactly make it the truth of the decade!!

best to not honour guys like JTJ with responses, he doesn't know better and will not learn a bit... let him speak to himself and "his friend"... waste of time and bandwidth otherwise...

seems the Scotland Yard paid yesterday and today ("unofficially" already before? who knows...) a visit to Koh Tao. As per Bangkok Post, which seems we can't link here

Any more news on the son of the mafia guy?

Apparently he has booked a flight on Jetstar Airlines to fly to Austraila for the 26th Oct .

If the police don't stop him it is one more strike against them.

On the other hand he will be in farang land and Australia and England are very close friends, same Queen. It the British police have enough evidence on him they might just arrest him and send him to England to face charges.

It would not surprise me

IF he is involved as so many suspect, then he can run, but he can't hide (for long)... once he is out of Thailand it might even make it easier to take him to justice... question is how strong evidence would have to be for an interpol "red alert"/international arrest warrant to be able to start such proceeding...

I just hope (but doubt) that the British police have a good idea how things work here, and know how not to be taken for fools.

They wouldn't be fools,... They might not know first hand (yet) but they will have had a good brief, and it wouldn't take long for them to see it all "live and in colour"... they will learn quickly... and they will surely be "amazed"... TAKE A BREATH and GOOD LUCK ...!

That WILL be interesting, no doubt about is... No one will let go of this easily now... Let's see what the outcome will be...

yeah, statements obviously start to change a bit once a plastic bag is removed from someones head for a few days and once a lawyer is even allowed to show up, giving a sense of hope that you might even have a chance to survive the next night... I guess that's what they mean with "we are not fazed, confessions are recounted frequently"...? or did I get that wrong...?

Thai law "allows" them whatever they fancy, including casually ignoring it all together... no news here...

Indonesia, a country with a worse human rights record than Thailand (remember East Timor?), won over Thailand. What a loss of face that was!!

Take that view and there wouldnt be anyone eligible.

Its not about past times its about the current.

Example is Indonesia has moved in the right direction since those times, of all the 5 options only Thailand has continued to get significantly worse.

Right decision.

What about Qatar's current record?

it's not testimony to the real "quality" of human rights in these other countries, but is is a clear vote on how FAR DOWN THE LIST Thailand is seen internationally in that respect

Just translate that vote as in "TH - the worst of the bad"

Does anyone know when or why Eighth Region Command commissioner Pol Lt Gen Panya Mamen was pulled from the case?

what's your guess........... ?

sure that survey has "an objective"... who we think would run such a poll NOW, ehh....? Human Rights Watch ...? AI...?

yeah, that's why the big shots are smiling and don't see any reason to change.

IF such a survey is representative then "we" f... get what "we" deserve and "we" just shut up and complain... coz we don't deserve any better... if "we" don't care, why would "they" care...!!?

Dead tourist is not really an issue for them if the tourists keep coming, proven plenty of times ....

Pretty hard to be a above ground anti government movement as it's illegal under this appointed PM

Prayuth was elected as the 295h PM of Thailand; NOT appointed.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/Prayuth-elected-as-the-29th-PM-30241419.html

Elected by the people he appointed to elect him.

called "Thaimocracy"

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ok then....Amazing Thailand....

Wasn't the interpreter a roti seller?

The so called interpreter potentially has a lot of answers as to how the ' confessions ' etc were obtained so let's hope he can be made available for any court hearings and just doesn't just ' disappear '. There are a couple on possible interpretations of this so I'll leave to members to decide as they see fit.

Incidentally BBC World Television is covering the story that the suspects have retracted their confessions etc.

Apparently so and if I've got it right of Rohingya descent which could see him conveniently deported. I'm not sure if his status here was ever explained.

The suspects and staff from the Myanmar Embassy said he couldn't speak the suspects dialect and since they are Buddhists and he's Muslim there's no love lost.

Depending on where this all goes it could be interesting to hear how the BIB justify his use.

They will have a very difficult time justifying his use, and this presents a big problem for the prosecutor because it is one of several factors that will make it difficult for the prosecutor to persuade the judge(s) and the courtroom observers that the accused men's original confessions were reliable "beyond a reasonable doubt".

The defense lawyer should be able to call the translator as a witness for all to observe in court, and the defense lawyer will argue and present evidence in support of the following:

• The translator was not registered or licensed as an official translator (which in another Thai case I recently read about--British businessman in Pattaya--made the confession inadmissible ... albeit after he spent a long time in prison on what he says were trumped up charges)
• The translator's entire existence and livelihood on Koh Tao (and probably in Thailand) depended on the local authorities, so if they were unhappy with his "translation" he stood to lose everything
• The translator was the only person in the room who spoke Arakanese other than the suspects; so he is the only witness as to what the two accused men said that day
• Since there is no video or audio of the confessions, the translator's own paraphrasing and translation from Arakanese to Thai (neither of which is his original language) is the only evidence of the confessions
• There is a long-running conflict between members of the translator's ethnic group and that of the accused
• For the reasons stated above, the translator is an inherently unreliable witness, and therefore his translation of the confessions is unreliable
• For all of these reasons and more, there is a reasonable doubt as to whether the confessions are reliable.

The defense lawyer will also be able to question the translator regarding everything he witnessed surrounding the arrest, interrogation, re-enactment etc.

I think this, along with the potential unreliability of all of his other key evidence, is why the prosecutor has sent the file back to the police for more circumstantial evidence to support his case in court.

VERY good points indeed !!

That's where, next to everyone else, the UK police, even with her "observer" status, can dig in and add some very important punch to the fight.

They here would laugh and walk over such "irrelevant small issues in their "perfect" (sic...!!!) case" and probably convict anyways if left alone ...

But, also with the authority of a reputable UK police force behind it, such "findings" would drill MASSIVE wholes into the (non) due process and gives hard evidence how botched that entire "perfect" investigation is...

And that BESIDE all the other huge factual issues ("lost" CCTV, really conclusive DNA?, really all suspects followed.......?, possible torture of the Myanmar guys, etc etc etc.... all"). I try to word it (too?) politely....

The RTB will get red ear's if they get all their own indisputable mess rubbed under their noses....

It's time the PM sacrificed some high ranking cops. Thailand knows the case is a cockup, the Western world knows it's a cockup, he still has time to regain the publics support while saving face.

"It's time the PM sacrificed some high ranking cops"

ABSOLUTELY ! NOW !!!!

seems I can't stop "wish-dreaming"...

but, if they are smart, THIS could be the avenue to "save face - saving face through PROPER ACTIONS (not a cheap "just let me get away with it" kinda face saving...)

Let the prosecutor press for better, OBJECTIVE, INCLUSIVE investigations... If the Thai don't want to allow the British police to take the "glory" for straightening a botched "investigation"

HERE they can do it all by themselves and show to the world that there is actually a judicial process, deserving the name...

I know, I am still wish-dreaming...