British backpacker murderers make fresh appeal against sentence (video)

[koele2]

All the Thais are saying it was the rich family’s son who did it.  Probably because he lost face or some dumb reason where he didn’t get what he wanted from her.  Lots of witnesses but no one came forward.  Too scared.  That island is run by mafia Thais from what everyone is saying.  The family or families own the cops, the govt officials, the land, everything.  But farangs don’t know this so they keep going for the nice beaches.  And then some get drugged and raped, even killed.  All the Thais and long time expats know the stories about koh tao.

[ryandb]

6 hours ago, Harsh Jones said:

Why can't they just agree to slip these poor bastards out the back door and back to Burma

The problem with that is so many people are aware of the injustice, so many appeals and there would be conspiracies after not being heard from for a few years that the Thai government has shut them up for good. They need to be either granted good behaviour release to run cover for the official narrative or a complete exoneration which is unlikely.

[Foreign Jim]

16 hours ago, Rampant Rabbit said:

wasnt it the headmans kid who did it then jumped on a boat to BKK "allegedly"

Let's not mince words. "Fresh Milk"  Warot – son of Woraphan Tuwichien. He killed them.  

[neeray]

14 hours ago, Goat said:

They were not a couple.

Hannah had a boyfriend back in England who could not make the trip.

She had only met this David fella there in Koh Tao.

Terrible price to pay but if she had of been a faithful girlfriend she would still be alive today.

 

RIP

How is it that you know that she was unfaithful?

[smedly]

16 hours ago, smedly said:

agree, this was not a simple rape and murder - it was revenge with Malice and retribution by someone who was refused by Hannah in the bar - do you know who I am

I try to avoid mixing with Thais on a night out - impossible on Koh Tao, they are literally preying on young western girls, i'd be willing to bet that even though we have heard nothing about KTao these last few years - there have incidents that go unreported - 100% certain 

[Foreign Jim]

Why did Asean roll over and report Win and Zaw as murderers in the headline? They are not murderers.  They are scapegoats.  Everyone knows they are scapegoats. Foreigners living in Thailand know they are scapegoats. Thais know they are scapegoats.  You even had Thai cops complaining that Win and Zaw weren't being 'good scapegoats' because of the fuss they were kicking up about ....drum roll....being scapegoats.

Edited April 2 by Foreign Jim

[TheFishman1]

They had to blame somebody these two kids from Burma unfortunately was escape code back. Then everybody was saying it was the sons of the head guy who runs the place TIT

[smedly]

6 minutes ago, neeray said:

How is it that you know that she was unfaithful?

from what I understand  David and Hannah were just new friends, they stayed at the same residence 200m from the beach where they were both murdered, Hannah left the bar before David, what happened after that is guessing, another resident heard screaming on the beach, David likely heard it too on his way home and decided to investigate, these cowardly thugs murdered them both, David is a hero.

 

the wounds that were on Davids arms were very compelling - puncture wounds about 2cm long - I know what caused those wounds - ingnored by autopsy because they were told to ignore

[hotchilli]

18 hours ago, webfact said:

Two Burmese bar workers were accused of murdering British couple David Miller and Hannah Witheridge on Koh Tao Island in 2014. The bar workers, Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Tun, who have consistently maintained their innocence, stated they have spent a decade behind bars for a crime they did not commit.

A travesty of justice, not only were innocent migrants jailed, the real killers stay free, and the murdered couples families have no real closure.

[Foreign Jim]

28 minutes ago, neeray said:

How is it that you know that she was unfaithful?

He doesn't know. He doesn't know his ass from his elbow.

[Crash999]

17 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

Not sure anyone believes they were the murderers, imagine that, being in prison for a crime you didn't commit 

Anyone who was paying close attention to the case isn’t so sure of that. There was the Met police investigation, the changing timelines of the defense, that the man’s phone was found at the Burmese residence (despite them saying they left before the couple would have walked past), the defense declined to retest DNA after it was possible, the testimony of the third Burmese, the running away and changing appearance before anyone accused them, and so on. 
 

Reason people didn’t hear about this stuff is that the Samui Times was on a crusade to free these two despite what the facts said. And international media assumed ST was a local news source instead of a blog being run from overseas. 
 

The court verdict and more importantly statements by the father who attended the trials explain everything. 

 

 

 

[thesetat]

15 hours ago, jollyhangmon said:

 

What the ... ???

 

You're definitely a heck of a fick suck fella!

 

Although you are correct. There is truth to his comment. She would not be dead if she had remained faithful and was not off with that man. The comment was not made to justify her being killed but rather points out a simple fact.

Whether or not the Burmese did this  crime will forever be lost. But i do recall the case about how the Thai man disappeared in the middle of the night on an unscheduled boat trip ending him in Bangkok with reliable witnesses. 

 

[Kim Jones]

Let these 2 go back to Burma. Everyone knows what actually happened.

[Colabamumbai]

Village headman son did it and fled to Bangkok, we all know that. 

[smedly]

I will finnish with this

 

 

when the defence asked for the DNA samples which they are entitled to do to have it inependently tested - it was no longer available, are you <deleted> kidding - huge samaple that just dissapeared, ?????

 

Then before the cops got on the scene the hoe was not where it was supposed to be (murder weapon) it was moved by the gardener, 200m from the murder scene, but a certain individual had already decided it was the murder weapon ?????? and went looking for the gardner to have him put it back against the tree ..................... that is some #### genius detective work right there 

[Ironmike]

A true miscarriage of justice these guys didn't do it everyone knows it was the village heads son that did and it wasn't just the Thai police that set this up but also the British police Sent over 2 officers to investigate this crime but they were to busy getting laid in the bars to really do anything. 

[Gandtee]

18 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

Not sure anyone believes they were the murderers, imagine that, being in prison for a crime you didn't commit 

A good argument for not having the death penalty. At least they are alive.

[thesetat]

Just now, Gandtee said:

A good argument for not having the death penalty. At least they are alive.

Hmm.... Do you really think a lifetime in a Thai prison is better than dead? I think I would prefer dead. 

[ChrisY1]

Where's Nomsod now? Probably been laughing for the past 10 years!

[Neeranam]

18 hours ago, Rampant Rabbit said:

wasnt it the headmans kid who did it then jumped on a boat to BKK "allegedly"

The head policemen aid that but was thn trafesereed  offt thhe island

[Foreign Jim]

4 hours ago, ChrisY1 said:

Where's Nomsod now? Probably been laughing for the past 10 years!

He was laughing then, too. Smug little <deleted>. That family has all the political connections to make it go away. Asean seems to be in their pocket, too. LOL Nice headline. The Burmese "boys" are not murderers. They are scapegoats. 

[edwinchester]

17 hours ago, Jack100 said:

Sounds familiar to the  Hanratty case in the UK ! Contaminated or botched DNA ! 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Hanratty

 

Appears he was guilty.

[stupidfarang]

42 minutes ago, thesetat said:

Although you are correct. There is truth to his comment. She would not be dead if she had remained faithful and was not off with that man. The comment was not made to justify her being killed but rather points out a simple fact.

Whether or not the Burmese did this  crime will forever be lost. But i do recall the case about how the Thai man disappeared in the middle of the night on an unscheduled boat trip ending him in Bangkok with reliable witnesses. 

 

what a load of rubbish, you are saying it was all her fault? Why do you keep spreading these "if she had remained faithful" comments, what facts do you have?

 

Can a person not be escorted back to her hotel by a friend?

 

To be honest your comments are disgusting and victim blaming, you are a very sad excuse for a human to make comments about a person who has been murdered and is unable to defend themselves against your repeated comments.

[stupidfarang]

16 hours ago, Goat said:

They were not a couple.

Hannah had a boyfriend back in England who could not make the trip.

She had only met this David fella there in Koh Tao.

Terrible price to pay but if she had of been a faithful girlfriend she would still be alive today.

 

RIP

what a load of rubbish, you are saying it was all her fault?

[frankie machine]

As I recall, "big joke" went along with the farce.   I wonder how big his payday was? 

[charleskerins]

19 hours ago, webfact said:

 

The British backpacker murderers have made fresh appeals against their sentence claiming they are innocent of beating an English couple to death in Thailand ten years ago.

 

Two Burmese bar workers were accused of murdering British couple David Miller and Hannah Witheridge on Koh Tao Island in 2014. The bar workers, Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Tun, who have consistently maintained their innocence, stated they have spent a decade behind bars for a crime they did not commit.

 

The alleged murderers, now both 29, penned letters to the Thai authorities appealing against their sentence, claiming they were framed for the two murders on the notorious backpackers’ destination Koh Tao, also known as “Death Island.”

Zaw Lin wrote to his legal team pleading with them to make a fresh appeal.

“I have been in prison [for] almost 10 years for nothing, it’s unbelievable. Could you please retrial again my case? I’ve never seen the people who died on the beach at Koh Tao.”

 

The accused killers criticised Thai detectives for conducting a “botched” investigation. The Daily Mirror disclosed that they have received visits from a delegation of solicitors in prison, which includes a British justice campaigner.

 

Picture of Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo at the public reenactment of the crime

Zaw Lin has written several letters from Thailand’s notorious Bang Kwang jail, also known as the Bangkok Hilton, demanding he be freed because he claims he is innocent.

 

“I will be 29 this month. It’s so sad to know that I am wasting my young life away for nothing. I think I will get out of prison in a few more years… as I have already been in prison a long time. They should set me free now. I am sad to think I wasted my young life in prison for nothing.”

 

David, originally from St Helier, Jersey, and Hannah, hailing from Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, both travelled independently to Thailand where they crossed paths during their journeys. David embarked on his trip after completing his undergraduate degree in civil and structural engineering at the University of Leeds. Scheduled to start a master’s degree, he was backpacking with a friend following a six-week work placement in Australia.

 

During a police investigation, the two perpetrators were compelled to reenact the crime. Clad in crash helmets, police vests, and handcuffs, they demonstrated how they brutally attacked Hannah and David with a garden hoe.

Hannah, holding a first-class degree from the University of East Anglia, was pursuing a master’s degree in speech and language therapy in Essex.

 

David and Hannah were last sighted at the AC Bar with friends before departing together after 1 am on September 15, 2014. Their lifeless bodies were discovered on Sairee Beach, close to their hotel, around 4.30 am by a beach cleaner. Hannah had suffered blunt force trauma to the head, while David had sustained head injuries and drowned.

 

Death Island

 

The murders brought attention to Koh Tao, a tourist hotspot dubbed “Death Island” due to a series of fatal incidents. Zaw Lin and Zaw Tun were apprehended and confessed initially, but later recanted their statements, alleging torture. Prosecutors presented DNA evidence from cigarette butts connecting them to David’s murder and the rape and murder of Hannah.

 

However, their trial in Koh Samui revealed that DNA from two distinct individuals was found on the garden hoe believed to be the murder weapon. Advocates argue they were framed by Thai authorities keen on maintaining the country’s tourist-friendly reputation.

Zaw Lin asserted that the forensic evidence connecting him to the garden hoe was flawed.

 

“The DNA they found out is probably from cigarettes and not from the dead bodies [sic]. They didn’t actually have any other concrete evidence to convict and give me [the] death sentence.

 

“Amnesty is for all who stay with good behaviour in prison. I think just [a] few people were released with the amnesties over the years… and go home. The rest never saw the amnesties which were delivered between 2020 and 2023. I hope the next amnesties won’t be like that as the Government has changed.”

 

The Burmese migrants were informed that they would face execution by lethal injection in 2015. However, their death sentences were commuted in 2020 due to a royal pardon, and they were instead sentenced to life imprisonment. At that time, David’s family expressed gratitude to the Thai authorities for sparing their lives but stated their wish for the pair to spend “a very long time in jail where they cannot harm other families.”

 

Release dates

 

In January of this year, the legal team representing the killers reached out to Thai authorities seeking “clarity” regarding efforts to reduce their sentences. However, they were informed that the release dates would remain unchanged.

 

Campaigners argue that the pair should be acquitted due to contamination of the crime scene and flaws in the forensic methodology.

 

Andy Hall, an international affairs adviser for their legal defence team, confirmed that lawyers and translators recently visited the pair in prison to address “their requests for clarity in their sentence reduction.”

 

“Any further support regarding appeals against their convictions could only be explored if and when new and credible witnesses or evidence came to light or was passed to them, at which stage the legal defence team remains ready to consider such evidence and respond accordingly.”

 

 

by Bob Scott

TOP: Picture of David Miller and Hannah Witheridge courtesy of @PodcastRiddle

 

Source: The Thaiger 2024-04-02

 

- Discover how Cigna Insurance can protect you with a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment. For more information on expat health insurance click here.

 

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So at first I thought this was the story about the couple that were murdered in their little hut I think on their honeymoon but   pretty sure that story was from Bali?

[xylophone]

3 hours ago, smedly said:

David had puncture wounds on his arms  - i know how they were made, David tried to help Hannah and payed the ulitmate price - very brave a hero in my estimation 

If I recall correctly he also had puncture wounds on the back of his head which were never explained although it was speculated that these were also caused by the shark tooth ring. Also on the "scene recreation" with the police in charge, the Burmese boys did not even know where the event(s) took place and pointed in different directions............speaks volumes!

[klauskunkel]

1 hour ago, Foreign Jim said:

Why did Asean roll over and report Win and Zaw as murderers in the headline?

 

30 minutes ago, Foreign Jim said:

Asean seems to be in their pocket, too. LOL Nice headline.

British backpacker murderers make fresh appeal against sentence (video)
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By webfact
19 hours ago in Koh Samui News

 

Source: The Thaiger 2024-04-02

 

FYI, aseannow re-reports news articles from news sources in Thailand and worldwide, and presents them on a web forum. It does not create the headlines, nor the news. But you would know that if you could understand what you were reading.

[Gandtee]

1 hour ago, thesetat said:

Hmm.... Do you really think a lifetime in a Thai prison is better than dead? I think I would prefer dead. 

I have just watched the film A Prayer Before Dawn. Maybe death is preferable.

[brianthainess]

19 hours ago, In Full Agreement said:

 

Unfortunately,  in Thailand even if the actual murderers are found, I doubt these  Burmese fellows  would  receive  any compensation for their time  already spent in prison.

This is probably why they will stay in prison, so the authorities

a. Thailand won't lose face,

b. all those involved get away scot free

c. not have to pay out millions to them