Murdered British backpacker’s parents ‘GRATEFUL’ killers’ death sentences reduced to life in jail

[holy cow cm]

1 hour ago, Hi Tea said:

It could be taken another way!  What you posted was exactly opposite to what the PM had said, and to what you meant, that's not my fault.  If you had written it with another negative it would then have said what you meant, in a very convoluted way!

Ok. I think I am just going to ignore your post and move on. Have a good night. 

[cleopatra2]

2 hours ago, brewsterbudgen said:

True.  And when they did in 2009 it was two Thai drug dealers.  Barbaric.

The last execution in Thailand was in the last 12 months.

 

Correction  

It was in 2018, Theerasak Longji was the name of the person executed.

Edited August 17, 2020 by cleopatra2

[harrymcgarry]

It is a real shame for the lives that have been lost and the lives of everyone who is left behind to have to deal with this and I include the two Burmese convicted murderers. The chances are they did it as the out cry from Burma who be a lot louder. Either way a tragic scenario to be in. I guess we will never accept what happened as gospel.

[Steve Vincent]

Clearly David’s parents not thinking straight,.allowing the supposedly convicted killers to live and serve out there life sentences in a thai prison is beyond me ... I’d be banging down the doors and exacting my own punishment ! Premeditated murder should always carry the death sentence.  That said I’ve my reservations about the conviction in the first instance as there’s so many discrepancies it’s scary - if held say in a European court the killers would have walked free. Thailand judicial system will always have a dark cloud hanging over them. Corruption is a big problem in Thailand therefore question marks will always remain 

[IslandLover]

4 hours ago, Hi Tea said:

"Scrape goats" [sic].  Animal abuse. 

 

By the way, they were men, not boys.

By the way, "Boys" is often a colloquial expression for young men - ditto "kids".  "Boys" when referring to the cops can mean men of any age, e.g. BIB (Boys In Brown, Boys In Blue).

 

As the B2 were in their early 20s when the murders were committed, they can rightly be described as boys.

 

[IslandLover]

4 hours ago, Hi Tea said:

The UK police could not investigate this case, or any other case out of their jurisdiction, it was not in the UK.

Yes, they were in Thailand as observers only.

[IslandLover]

4 hours ago, maxcorrigan said:

Plus the sister of the murdered girl died of cancer not so long ago, so they have lost both daughter one being murdered one of cancer, terribly unfortunate i believe the two girls were their only offspring, after going through that i don't think i would want to talk to anybody either!

Correction the family have a son as well!

 

Correction: The Witheridges have another surviving daughter as well as a son.  And, Laura Witheridge Daniels did not die of cancer, she died of a heart condition.

[IslandLover]

4 hours ago, Hi Tea said:

Wow, "the real story"?  An anonymous Reddit post with so many unknown and anecdotal elements.  It's credibility, taken on it's own without influence from unsubstantiated internet rants, is less than zero.

 

Examples of the total lack of rational credibility from that anonymous Reddit poster...

"I have no idea..."

"For the life of me I can't remember..."

"...and can find no reference to it on the Internet..."

"I was never explicitly told..."

"I don't know..."

"Here's my take on what happened..."

"I don't remember exactly the time..."

"I'm fairly sure..."

"I asked what had happened, he wasn't 100% sure..."

I can't remember exactly...

but I didn't know them well enough to comment on them...

I genuinely think she is telling the truth...

...the facts which I believe to be true..."

"I can only guess..."

"I personally think..."

"I believe they met up whilst drunk..."

"I think one, or both of them said or did something..."

"I doubt the definitive version of the story will ever emerge..."

"I think this conclusion..."

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are certain inaccuracies in that Reddit post concerning the B2 that make the whole story less believable to me.  The only parts which are believable is that the guy was a diving instructor and living on Koh Tao at the time of the murders. As such, he would have had some local knowledge. I don't doubt he glimpsed Hannah's body too (David's was in the water and presumably outside his line of vision).

[Searat7]

This is the biggest miscarriage of justice I have seen during my years in Thailand. They most certainly know who is really responsible 

[IslandLover]

3 hours ago, brewsterbudgen said:

True.  And when they did in 2009 it was two Thai drug dealers.  Barbaric.

There was another one a couple of years ago.

 

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/thailand-execution-death-penalty-lethal-injection-amnesty-international-a8405711.html

[elliss]

14 hours ago, Somtamnication said:

Surreal. If anyone killed a family member of mine, death to them!

 

I would prefer , the sentence was a long slow death ..

.

[Arkady]

17 hours ago, Reigntax said:

I wonder if a 'negotiated' admit your guilt to save the face of the RTP and your sentence will be reduced situation. Given the choice of death or admission to committing a crime you didnt the choice is easy.

This case has as many inconsistencies as......well every high profile Thai case that stinks of corruption and incompetence from every angle.

 

The prisonerhas to admit guilt and show remorse in order to qualify for a royal pardon. Having lost their appeal in the Supreme Court there was no other avenue left to them. Since Thailand would not have taken the rest of upsetting the Burmese by executing them, they would have had to remain in shackles in solitary confinement on death row for the rest of their lives. At least they can be out of solitary and out of leg irons. Can't blame them for admitting guilt in these circumstances.

[Dogmatix]

15 hours ago, mogandave said:

Guess the girl’s parents weren’t available for comment...

 

Not surprising. With the help of persuasion from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, anxious to preserve good relations with Thailand, David Miller's family found the police evidence convincing and believed they had got the real killers. Hannah Witheridge's sister, however, was not convinced and expressed her negative opinion about the police investigation publicly. Thai police showed great sensitivity for her bereavement by threatening to sue her for criminal defamation (in the unlikely event she would ever choose to take a holiday in Thailand).

 

The Witheridges had some very nasty experiences with Thai police in Thailand which must have given them some insight into police methods and motivation.  They were invited to National Police Headquarters with the pretence that they would be given some information about important new developments into the case. They were ushered into a conference room with a screen on one side. At a given signal the screen was opened to reveal the hordes of press corps, who had been charged by the police for ring side seats to see the family's agony, with flashing cameras and questions about how they felt about the murder of their loved one. Of course had no new information for them and when they got angry with a senior officer he told the parents to go home and make new babies. I am not sure what the British Embassy's role was in this appalling incident but, having allowed it to happen, there was no record of them registering a protest with the foreign ministry.  Obviously the Miller family received significantly better treatment from the police which enabled them to have faith in the investigation and evidence.  

[richard_smith237]

1 hour ago, harrymcgarry said:

It is a real shame for the lives that have been lost and the lives of everyone who is left behind to have to deal with this and I include the two Burmese convicted murderers. The chances are they did it as the out cry from Burma who be a lot louder. Either way a tragic scenario to be in. I guess we will never accept what happened as gospel.

Your only reason for believing that the two accused Burmese men are guilty is because their Military Government didn’t care about two labourers ?????

 

Thailand has a long history of blaming crimes on labourers from its bordering countries, specifically those from Myanmar. 

 

It's a common theme of sarcastic response on this forum for those who’ve lived here any amount of time and developed a cynicism for the law enforcement - 'Find a local burmese guy and blame him, Thai’s don’t do such things’ !!! 

 

 

 

[Sujo]

3 hours ago, Hi Tea said:

It could be taken another way!  What you posted was exactly opposite to what the PM had said, and to what you meant, that's not my fault.  If you had written it with another negative it would then have said what you meant, in a very convoluted way!

Its always suspicious when a poster joins at the time of a thread and only posts on this thread.

 

i will leave it to others as to a motive for that but trust the long term members are not so ill informed to give you any credit on what you post.

[Dogmatix]

I am sure there are a couple of people on Koh Tao who are disappointed they aren't going to be executed and put out of the way for ever. But the fact that they were obliged to admit guilt must be compensation for them. 

[The Barmbeker]

22 hours ago, CorpusChristie said:

From someone who was there 

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/myfavoritemurder/comments/8t192m/the_real_story_of_the_2014_koh_tao_murders/

Read it and I must say: I am not convinced about all that!

Some more interesting and plausible theories going around...

[Hi Tea]

On 8/17/2020 at 10:27 PM, Sujo said:

Its always suspicious when a poster joins at the time of a thread and only posts on this thread.

 

i will leave it to others as to a motive for that but trust the long term members are not so ill informed to give you any credit on what you post.

If you're disputing the accuracy of the comments that I made regarding holy cow cm's incorrect quote of the PM, then say what it is. 

 

My only motive for commenting (not that I need to justify my motives to you) is my opinion which is not based on internet assertions or forums' rumours as most of the posts here seem to be.  I hope that you give the unsubstantiated claims that have been made here by people who weren't there at the time or privy to the investigation the credit that they deserve.

[CorpusChristie]

14 minutes ago, Hi Tea said:

If you're disputing the accuracy of the comments that I made regarding holy cow cm's incorrect quote of the PM, then say what it is. 

 

My only motive for commenting (not that I need to justify my motives to you) is my opinion which is not based on internet assertions or forums' rumours as most of the posts here seem to be.  I hope that you give the unsubstantiated claims that have been made here by people who weren't there at the time or privy to the investigation the credit that they deserve.

What is your opinion based on ?

[transam]

17 minutes ago, Hi Tea said:

If you're disputing the accuracy of the comments that I made regarding holy cow cm's incorrect quote of the PM, then say what it is. 

 

My only motive for commenting (not that I need to justify my motives to you) is my opinion which is not based on internet assertions or forums' rumours as most of the posts here seem to be.  I hope that you give the unsubstantiated claims that have been made here by people who weren't there at the time or privy to the investigation the credit that they deserve.

So you were there, as you also know that the investigation was not fudged. 

Please tell all......I/we are all ears.....

[brewsterbudgen]

On 8/17/2020 at 8:07 PM, cleopatra2 said:

The last execution in Thailand was in the last 12 months.

 

Correction  

It was in 2018, Theerasak Longji was the name of the person executed.

No correction required. The 2018 execution was for murder.  I was referring to the two Thai men executed for drugs.

[CorpusChristie]

On 8/17/2020 at 8:49 PM, IslandLover said:

There are certain inaccuracies in that Reddit post concerning the B2 that make the whole story less believable to me.  The only parts which are believable is that the guy was a diving instructor and living on Koh Tao at the time of the murders. As such, he would have had some local knowledge. I don't doubt he glimpsed Hannah's body too (David's was in the water and presumably outside his line of vision).

What are those "inaccuracies" ?

[spidermike007]

On 8/17/2020 at 1:05 PM, CorpusChristie said:

From someone who was there 

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/myfavoritemurder/comments/8t192m/the_real_story_of_the_2014_koh_tao_murders/

I have a good friend who visited these Burmese guys on many occasions in jail. Their version of the events are very similar. The son of the headman of Sairee, who is referred to as owner of the bar is the murderer. A serial killer, it appears. Since his dad is worth about $250 million, all from stolen land sales (stolen from the +++++ bureau, who leased the land to the five families on Dark Tao, in the 1950's, at one baht per rai, per year, and later sold illegally, with the help of corrupt local land officials), nobody will touch him. He owns the police. Some things never change here. 

 

Never, ever trust the official version here. Why would you? 

Edited August 19, 2020 by spidermike007

[JRBR]

On 8/17/2020 at 7:23 AM, wendyfromoz said:

 Life in a Thai prison is far harsher penalty.

Yes... and thats exactly what they deserve...

[CorpusChristie]

1 minute ago, JRBR said:

Yes... and thats exactly what they deserve...

That is what the headmans two sons deserve , the Burmese 2 should be free

[BigC]

On 8/17/2020 at 7:03 PM, CorpusChristie said:

Was it, fair enough , hang the Burmese 2 at dawn tomorrow 

The penalty of death shoukd remain if they are ever freed then the world around them shall not be safe.

These people are serial killers.

 

Fake news has tried to make every death after this to make it look like a serial killer when it blantently wasn't 

 

Funny how fake news didbt look at people who died befire they were arrested considering the people they were  accusinf of doinf the murders were there all years round.

 

Dont get me wrong if there was cctv today come  out and ir proved they were innocents  i would accept i was wrong 

 

Right now  no one has succeeded to prove me wrong 

[Saint Nick]

1 hour ago, BigC said:

The penalty of death shoukd remain if they are ever freed then the world around them shall not be safe.

These people are serial killers.

 

Fake news has tried to make every death after this to make it look like a serial killer when it blantently wasn't 

 

Funny how fake news didbt look at people who died befire they were arrested considering the people they were  accusinf of doinf the murders were there all years round.

 

Dont get me wrong if there was cctv today come  out and ir proved they were innocents  i would accept i was wrong 

 

Right now  no one has succeeded to prove me wrong 

 

Just in case you didn't notice: this case was riddled with "mistakes" and really bad fumblings!

Can you actually say, that you have NO DOUBT, that the B2 did it?

Seriously?

Fake news?

Noone needs fake news, if people are as inane as the RTP!

If you are not convinced, you never will be!

You are just one of those guys, who are easily deceived by authority!

I pitty you!

[balo]

I still believe they were involved in the murders somehow, they were drunk and stupid, something happened, maybe they didn't kill them but they were there.  Horny teenagers , and the girl was raped before someone decided to kill them. 

[BigC]

4 hours ago, Saint Nick said:

 

Just in case you didn't notice: this case was riddled with "mistakes" and really bad fumblings!

Can you actually say, that you have NO DOUBT, that the B2 did it?

Seriously?

Fake news?

Noone needs fake news, if people are as inane as the RTP!

If you are not convinced, you never will be!

You are just one of those guys, who are easily deceived by authority!

I pitty you!

I didn't  get my information  from the RTP

 

Research done with the aid of the internet and other things that helped 

 

At first I beleived everyone  else until  I was shown a hole other side 

 

Then i see some facts blantenly covered  up by the fake news and the s. Times

 

 

[The Barmbeker]

15 hours ago, BigC said:

I didn't  get my information  from the RTP

 

Research done with the aid of the internet and other things that helped 

 

At first I beleived everyone  else until  I was shown a hole other side 

 

Then i see some facts blantenly covered  up by the fake news and the s. Times

 

 

Oh...you did some ResUrCH on the internet!

Do you also now believe that vaccines cause authism?

Get real, man!