Myanmar men jailed for murder of British tourists on Koh Tao taken off death row

 

Myanmar migrant workers Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun leave after the hearing at the Nonthaburi provincial court in Thailand, August 29, 2019. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/Files

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Two migrant workers from Myanmar on death row in Thailand for the 2014 murder of two British backpackers had their sentences commuted to life in prison on Friday thanks to a royal decree, their lawyer said.

 

The two workers, Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun, were sentenced to death for the murder of David Miller and the murder and rape of Hannah Witheridge, whose bodies were discovered on a beach on the popular tourist island of Koh Tao in September 2014.

 

The two men were convicted and sentenced in 2015 and the verdict was upheld by an appeals court in 2017 and the Supreme Court in August 2019.

 

The convictions were mired in controversy with supporters of the two men arguing that they had been framed and that they had initially confessed to the crimes under duress.

 

Their sentences will be reduced to life imprisonment after a royal pardon decree was published on Friday, their lawyer Nakhon Chompuchat told Reuters.

 

"The two are eligible under a section in the royal pardon decree to get their death sentences reduced to life imprisonment," Nakhon said.

 

"They will also have a chance to get their sentences reduced further on good behaviour."

 

The decree published on Friday said the royal pardons were granted to commemorate the king's birthday on July 28 and to "illustrate the king's clemency".

 

It was not immediately clear how many prisoners were eligible for pardons or reduction of sentences under different criteria listed in the decree.

 

(Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat; Writing by Patpicha Tanakasempipat; Editing by Nick Macfie)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-08-15

 

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Do they qualify after a few years in jail to be sent back to Myanmar to finish their sentence? Then they can tell the real story

The Thai culture just doesn’t take accountability seriously....

a travesty of justice ... scapegoats comes to mind.

Where's Nomsod?

12 minutes ago, ChrisY1 said:

Where's Nomsod?

Living the high life and free to kill again, like most hi-so criminals in Thailand. 

Well, they probably should not have been there in the first place...

There compassion knows no bounds

Edited August 15, 20205 yr by grumbleweed

35 minutes ago, steven100 said:

a travesty of justice ... scapegoats comes to mind.

Yup!

No Red Bull, little rich brat clemency and privilege's here!

I wonder if the Thais expect them to be grateful for such "clemency" given the way they stitched them up in the first place?

Deflection from the Red Bull scandal ....

Migrant workers are the preferred scapegoats here, to make the police force seem to be capable of doing their jobs.

 

They learned from the Kirsty Jones case that is much better in the international press to have a suspect.

 

Always have my doubts when another migrant worker gets framed. 

 

 

Edited August 15, 20205 yr by Paiman

I don't know ... if it were me, I'm not sure that I would be rejoicing over the decision, to spend the rest of my life in a Thai Jail, I think I'd rather die !

No surprise, the prosecution knew the burmese men was innocent from the beginning but needed scapegoats to save face regarding "Thais don't commit this kind of murders" especially not the village chief's son. Now they can just wait another 6 years and give them a royal pardon and send them back to Burma. Case closed, Thailand saved face again.

Sentenced to death first and then taken off death row ... ?

There were a lot of doubts about them being guilty of that crime ... many think they were scapegoats for the real murderer , may be a member of an influential family on Koh Tao ... their guilt has never been proven 100% .

But . if the real murderer would have been a Thai national , it would have damaged ' Thailand's reputation ' , a ' loss of face ' .

That cannot be allowed of course .

Anyway it will never be proven beyond doubt who killed the british couple on Sairee beach ...

 

 

58 minutes ago, grumbleweed said:

There compassion knows no bounds

Do you mean 'Their compassion knows no bounds'?

1 hour ago, ChipButty said:

Do they qualify after a few years in jail to be sent back to Myanmar to finish their sentence? Then they can tell the real story

So who stopped them from telling the real story? Their lawyers? Andy Hall? The several judges? Newspaper reporters who spoke with them? What is your theory of why they went through three court levels and spent years on death row, but still refused to tell anyone including their families "the real story"?
 

1 hour ago, ChipButty said:

Do they qualify after a few years in jail to be sent back to Myanmar to finish their sentence? Then they can tell the real story

They are probably better off in a Thai prison.. Telling the real story is why they won't be sent back.. I think.. 

If the two Burmese would have anything to do with the murder, they could have left the island unhindered during the first part of the investigation and the day they were accused. Here is the last report before Panya Mamen was taken off the case, transferred, replaced, and silenced.   Interesting that Panya Mamen or Panya Maman undertook extensive trips to Europe in 2018 and 2019, according to his facebook site.

1 hour ago, British Bulldog said:

I don't know ... if it were me, I'm not sure that I would be rejoicing over the decision, to spend the rest of my life in a Thai Jail, I think I'd rather die !

When death knocks at the door, I am sure one might have a different, less rational, approach

Sacrificial cows if ever there were such a thing. Even the victim's families don't believe they have the right people. Another example oof impunity for the rich in Thailand. In this case, the mafia families that run Koh Tao. Sad. 

1 hour ago, wandasloan said:

So who stopped them from telling the real story? Their lawyers? Andy Hall? The several judges? Newspaper reporters who spoke with them? What is your theory of why they went through three court levels and spent years on death row, but still refused to tell anyone including their families "the real story"?
 

They were told that if they comply with the story, they would get a lenient sentence 

Unfortunately, this case shows exactly what's wrong with the legal system in this country, and in Thai society in general. 

Any place where a serious crime is committed by a person of importance, or their family member, any transient workers in that area need to be very worried. 

Will they ever get justice I doubt it 

Should never have been convicted on suspicious evidence in the first place another fiasco that needs re-visiting regarding investigation . RTP might be good at Road fines but bloody useless and corrupt and incompetent when it comes to major crime investigation 

 

Sairee beach how bazaar 

1 hour ago, wandasloan said:

So who stopped them from telling the real story? Their lawyers? Andy Hall? The several judges? Newspaper reporters who spoke with them? What is your theory of why they went through three court levels and spent years on death row, but still refused to tell anyone including their families "the real story"?
 

+1. Kindly anyone here tell us some non-emotional facts or reasoning based on logic why these two fine gentlemen are "framed".

If they indeed are framed, that is a real tragedy to be solved.

Seems the only reasons why they are innocent, according to ppl here, is bc they are immigrants, in other words, that fits nicely to make another "the Thais are corrupt" made up story.

 

WAKE UP,  THESE TWO PEOPLE MOST LIKELY ARE GUILTY OF MURDERING AND RAPING TWO INNOCENT TOURISTS.

 

Disapointed to see a Royal Pardon! Better pardon and free all the poor Thai suckers who are thrown in jail on petty non violent drug charges. 

 

 

3 minutes ago, herwin1234 said:

+1. Kindly anyone here tell us some non-emotional facts or reasoning based on logic why these two fine gentlemen are "framed".

If they indeed are framed, that is a real tragedy to be solved.

Seems the only reasons why they are innocent, according to ppl here, is bc they are immigrants, in other words, that fits nicely to make another "the Thais are corrupt" made up story.

 

WAKE UP,  THESE TWO PEOPLE MOST LIKELY ARE GUILTY OF MURDERING AND RAPING TWO INNOCENT TOURISTS.

 

Disapointed to see a Royal Pardon! Better pardon and free all the poor Thai suckers who are thrown in jail on petty non violent drug charges. 

 

 

This is a few years back so maybe my memory isn't perfect, but I remember that village headman's sons were initially accused after being recorded on CCTV. One of them fled to Bangkok and produced a video that he was in Bangkok at the time, despite that video being proven to be a fake (the date stamp on it was very clumsily altered). The police investigator was confident beyond doubt that the 2 sons of Koh Tao headmen did it, but then he was abruptly removed from investigation and another one appointed, who blamed the Burmese. The DNA test made in Singapore lab did not match any of the 2 Burmese suspects but when challenged, the results were "lost". Does this still look like "WAKE UP,  THESE TWO PEOPLE MOST LIKELY ARE GUILTY OF MURDERING AND RAPING TWO INNOCENT TOURISTS." ?

2 hours ago, Phuketshrew said:

Deflection from the Red Bull scandal ....

Deflection, or a sudden gnawing realisation that possibly, just possibly, they might be innocent and the entire judicial system corrupt....and begining to fray at the edges?

2 minutes ago, Grusa said:

Deflection, or a sudden gnawing realisation that possibly, just possibly, they might be innocent and the entire judicial system corrupt....and begining to fray at the edges?

I think that everyone knew the two kids didnt do it , everyone including the authorities and Judge etc.

Quite expected that the death sentence wouldnt be carried out