Koh Tao: All three migrant workers confess to rape and murder of British tourists

[ttthailand]

Its sad that ...... The past behavior of the police during this and other investigations makes us all not trust them. Just look at the large volumes of people, foreign and Thai, who have commented about the lack of professionalism of this group. The Thai government needs to take a hard look at how the police force is set up and the requirements to become a policeman. This system does not function correctly and needs a total makeover.

I hope these Burmese are the right guys and this comes to an end but there will always be a shadow hanging over this that they got the wrong guys.

[6NS]

I wonder what genuine evidence they have other than the confessions.

The DNA

Planted/switched DNA.

[Norvid]

Congratulation on solving the crime!

[Neeranam]

If these 3 were working on the Island, then their DNA should have been some of the first collected and eliminated. Are they being retested? If so, why?

Is this like a school test, we will keeping testing you until you pass?

Thai PBS reported a few days ago that three hundred DNA samples had been taken. I read a couple of days ago that there were more than 2,000 foreign workers on the island. IF those reports are correct, then they didn't test the DNA of every eligible male on the island. Hopefully, the original murder scene DNA is safe (and uncorruptable) in a Singapore lab and the lab can report if the are sent a suspect's sample that matches. If this weren't Thailand, I would say that there is no way the police have the unmitigated gall to charge these individuals using anything less than DNA evidence corroborated by an outside lab. Confessions are nice but we have heard stories of how Thai police are expert at getting confessions..

The problem here is that they could have sent DNA samples from a cigarette etc that they found 1km away.

[carlpipe]

sounds like a few myanmar workers pissed off a certain high profile person and are now paying the price...

[NeverSure]

I think the key word here is 'grueling' in referring to the all day interrogation. I imagine the 3 would confess to anything after that. The Thai police have zero credibility--I would be more inclined to accept that they have caught the killers if they had included some British police in the investigation from the beginning and had them in on every part of the investigation from the evidence collection, testing,storing of evidence, interrogation, etc.

Why include the British? That would be a personal insult to the Thai police. We've had foreigners murdered in America. The baseball player from Australia comes to mind. He was shot in the back because a few punks were bored. Anyway, the Australian police weren't involved, and I seriously doubt the Americans would have wanted them involved.

I know what you're saying, and it would benefit the investigation if the Brits were involved. Still, this happened on Thai soil. The Thai police would be embarrassed and wouldn't want outside interference.

The differences are that the Australians would have been welcome, but I doubt they suspected a coverup or ineptitude. The US arrested 3 Americans without ever saying that no American could do such a thing. Australians are friends and allies of the US and the US doesn't have a culture of saving face.

Here, the US FBI has an office in Bangkok and they've been sitting there twiddling their thumbs after being told they aren't wanted.

the FBI is not there for the Thai's

the FBI is there, tracking their own work

Very early in the news of this case the Thais said they asked for help from the FBI. That was in a thread on this forum.

Almost immediately they changed their minds and didn't want the FBI involved. Why? Did they have something to hide, suddenly?

[Beetlejuice]

Mr. Kent went on to praise the Royal Thai Police in solving the case and have shown exemplary professionalism as a crime fighting unit.

People from the UK must be so proud of their ambassador to Thailand.

Well, they say ignorance is bliss and there is certainly an abundance of ignorance displayed on this thread judging by the majority of the posts, plus this also appears to have opened a perfect opportunity for all the Thai bashers to have their day.

And what else would you expect Mr Kent to have said? Something on the lines of: Sorry, if this had happened in any other country we may have believed the police, but as this happened in Thailand we cannot give the police any credibility and therefore the UK authorities will only accept a conclusion of the case from an independent report. - Because this is more or less what you are suggesting.

Another point, I would guess anyone who would have committed such a heinous crime, that the chances are this would not have been their first murder, because the perpetrators are probably born psychopathic killers of epic proportions. When these Burmese migrants and workers come to Thailand, there are no ways of knowing any of their background histories, they can be criminals, psychos, rapists, murderers or literally anything undesirable from the lowest denominations of society.

So far during this investigation the media reports have been sketchy and confusing and therefore it has been impossible to draw any conclusions from these reports so far. I am waiting until all the results have been properly collated and then presented before I draw my own theories and judgements.

[MrJohnson]

Oh gosh if any of the BS posts in this thread are to be bought, the we have makings of some great crime drama screen writers. What the hell is to call in to question the arrest with evidence and confession of one suspect who immediately implicates is buddies. This all in 18 days. Koo Doos to the RTP. Check yourselves and consider equally horrible crimes in your own home countries and how often your police services stay on it like rabid dogs like RTP did and with idiots from the media misquoting and publishing guesses and dreams as fact. Get real folks and watch the chips fall where they may.

You clearly know very little about the antics of the RTP. They are well documented. Take a look and get back to us.

[Tazwa]

Just watched the HD Youtube video of the crime scene on Facebook (CSI LA).

Were there two blood-covered hoes found?

In the video, the bloodied hoe is lying at the base of a large tree. There are plenty of photos from early in the investigation that show a bloodied hoe within the fence of a small garden bed.

[fayou]

I want to hear from Sean McAnna,

it may be that he fingered the guys arrested and that is why he was threatened

Sean also said he was among a group of people playing guitar on the beach near the scene. He must have seen or heard, and known, the other Guitar players on the Beach. I guess not many Guitar players where on this beach during the Night. The police where looking for the Guitar players from the beginning.

[boomerangutang]

Wouldn't take a beating during confession... Why do expats think that Asians would handle an interrogation like that?? Asia 101,, "this money is gonna take care of your dirt poor family if you confess".

Both. Like sweet and sour sauce. I've seen Thai cops beat suspects, particularly hill tribers and Burmese. I assume they're less likely to hit fellow Thais, and would never hit a hi-so. Thailand has always been and will always be very stratified socially. I've seen 'lower class suspects' hit by rolled up magazines, knee to the groin, and other ways which don't show up blatantly as wounds. And money always talks. It would fit (in this case) if the cops promised there would be no death penalty along with a sizable cash offer, if they pled guilty. That way, even if in prison for many years, the scapegoats would think their families in Burma are getting a load of cash. Of course, whether any money really gets paid as promised is a big question mark.

Even death, for an Asian, is not too big a price to pay for the idea of channeling a lot of money to poor relatives. Case in point. True story. A Thai pilot was worried sick about money and family. He took out the biggest insurance policy he could get on himself. Then, on a flight from Vietnam to Thailand (full of passengers) he crashed the plane.

[catweazle]

Judging by the replies it seems to me that some posters on here have been on here so long that it has fried their brains.

I have seen this lot on other topics who come up with all these conspiracy theories even if people are guilty or not guilty as long as they can argue and try a get a rise out of posters that makes their day.

Never any credit where credit is due just the same old drivel and abuse of anyone who dares disagrees with their views .

I particularly liked the theory where I have planed my post or maybe it was I'm a troll all because I said if this is true then congrats to the police.

Wow boys there is a life beyond the cyber world of the internet.

Anyway go and hire a Mel Gibson movie called conspiracy theory and if these guys are indeed found guilty I hope you have the go nads to come back on here and apologise for being wrong.

Switch on your brain and stop stuttering, parrot! There is absolutely no reason whatsoever for a guilty non-Thai who knows that his life is not even worth a hundred Baht here in Thailand and that he has no voice and no lobby to remain on that island and simply wait until he is caught. The cigarette butts prove nothing and could have been planted, perhaps even by the real killers who were chasing a foreign guitar guy and tried to pin it on him. A good 90% of the posts here say that it smells fishy and someting is wrong here. Other forums follow suit. I would give you a bit more credit if the numbers were 50/50. If it all would be so easy, the Three L&M Stooges would have been in the slammer from day one!!!!!!

[aussieinthailand]

HAS any trace DNA been collected by British forensics?

I wouldn't be surprised if all had been removed so independent testing can't be done?

Why the hell would three guy's supposedly after raping and killing two people sit and wait almost 3 weeks after the crime as the BIB are targeting migrant workers and DNA testing being done, why oh why would a guilty person stay and wait?

[chotthee]

I am not speculating if the Black Burmese did or did not murder that Essex Blonde.

It only prove that they (more than two) had sex and a cigarette before/after that.

Please uphold western standard on innocent until proven guilty.

[FredNL]

Police officers then led the two to a safe-house where they were intensively interrogated waterboarded.

But after a grueling daylong interrogation waterboarding after the first suspect who confessed implicated his colleagues.

[Kru Baa]

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"Win stated that he was curious and grabbed a garden hoe and went to sneak a peek of the couple making out."

Curious, so grabbed a garden hoe??

Oh sure I always grab my garden hoe when I go to instigate something that is totally not out of the ordinary one none of my business, you know, just incase I decide i want to do some gardening or rape and murder after. You never know. Only a Thai could make that up. These poor fools are patsies for sure.

[Mammon]

The investigators have achieved everything they set out to achieve ie; confusion, smoke screens, illusions, innuendo, allegations, inference, speculation etc etc....pretty much everything but the facts and the truth. The results being a disbelieving, bewildered and perplexed audience of onlookers who can no longer see the forest for the trees, ultimately making it easier for the investigators to build a plausible case and bury the facts and the truth.

[MrJohnson]

It ain't over until the fat lady sings - so as I said earlier on - let's just watch how this pans out, thru due process.

There is no 'Due Process' where there is a confession. That is why confessions are very popular with the RTP.

[SinCityGr8One]

Since these heinous murders where Capital Crimes committed during a State of Martial, if found GUILTY as charged, the penalty for all 3 murderers should be death by Firing Squad. The sooner the better!

[SteveFong]

I want to hear from Sean McAnna,

it may be that he fingered the guys arrested and that is why he was threatened

Sean also said he was among a group of people playing guitar on the beach near the scene. He must have seen or heard, and known, the other Guitar players on the Beach. I guess not many Guitar players where on this beach during the Night. The police where looking for the Guitar players from the beginning.

I am also a guitar player,

if I was on that island, I would know every guitar player, especially after 18 months

if one killed two people, it would be passed along fast, assuming anyone saw it, which, Sean may have

Sean's post to facebook about not seeing david that night may have been false, but, he may have fled because he was going to get killed, because he was the only witness

[6NS]

Some naive people here ask what benefit or reason it would have for an innocent non-Thai to confess...

Get real people, this is real life, not Teletubbies!

Perhaps the reason was to stop the pain of the "grueling investigation" in the "safe house", or the promise to get life instead of the shooting squad, or perhaps they promised the "migrant workers" to leave their families back home in Burma alone, as otherwise a friend over there would visit mom, dad and the baby sister? Or perhaps it was just to survive that one day in the "safe house", regaldless of what comes next, because they told him he'll gonna die tonight if he won't sign.

If it smells like a rat, it most likely is. This was a hate crime, an act of revenge - not a romantic "I got aroused" story!

Over and out!

Exactly, an I'LL GET YOU BUDDY and , he did.

[Anthony5]

The Burmese would have run if they did it.

Bothered to read the OP ?

While this was going on another team of police officers arrested the third man at a Surat Thani municipal pier after it was discovered that he had boarded a boat and left Koh Tao Island late last night.

Are your brain cells off for holiday? If you are a group of let's say three Brit architects on an assignment on an Indonesian island. A terrible rape and double murder happens and it appears that a group, not a single culprit was involved, police is stumbling around blindly and "pretends" to be unable to find the murderer, three weeks pass, police getting anxious while you and your friends who are clean and have absolutely nothing to do with the case have nothing to fear. Police suddenly takes in one of your two co-workers (let's call him Paul) and after a day of "grueling investigation" newspapers announce the police have found one of the rapist murderers and he confessed. You know, that Paul was playing Poker that night together with you and your other friend who is nicknamed "Pops" until early morning... You read or hear that they now are looking for the rest of the "group". You know that the confession must have beaten or waterboarded out of your friend as he could not have been the victim. You know that they are coming for you next - what would you do? Run or stay???? This explains why none of the three ran right that night or later, after day two or three, when the "lockdown" stopped. Don't you think they would be long gone by now if they would be the true killers?

My brain cells are well alive and kicking, but I don't put my hand in a fire to claim the same from most other posters in this thread.

Did you notice in the OP by any chance that ii is announced that the guy departed the island the night BEFORE the other two were arrested, and that he was arrested and confessed AFTER his companions had been interrogated and had not yet confessed to the crime.

Did you notice that in the OP is written that the group had been observed for some time already BEFORE an arrest was made?

Now I understand that you and most other TV members have additional confidential information, but I only can read what is made public.

Want to talk again about brain cells being off for holiday ?

[boomerangutang]

If we all think it is a set up, we could hire a lawyer between us for the 'Myanmar 3'. A good lawyer could get some light shed on things.

Would only be a few baht each.

I thought of that and am 100% behind the idea. I'm low income and have zero coming in from farangland, but would donate Bt5,000 in a minute. Where is the fundraiser?

[dieseldave1951]

Police officers then led the two to a safe-house where they were intensively interrogated.

This is the scary bit . . . . . probably admit to anything while there.

I think padded-house sound proofed

[balo]

Well done to the Royal Thai Police , and shame on you on this forum speculating if the DNA is false evidence etc,

Yes I know all of you wanted it to be a hi so influential Thai but sometimes the truth can be hard to swallow .

What is the fact is that 80% of the workers on the island are immigrants and most of them from Myanmar .

It should come as no surprise that the killers are immigrants .

Without a DNA match the discussions would have continued forever here on TV.

Now we will follow the trial until the end , and it will most certainly end in life sentence for the Burmese guy who is the killer , do you really think they want to be scapegoats when their life will end in a prison for the rest of their lifes? Not even 10 million baht will be worth it.

Again well done to the police.

[Cuchulainn]

I don't believe this for 1 second. An absolute frame up.

This hellhole will never get 1 satang from me as I will never set foot on this place and will tell any friends from overseas to avoid it like the plague!!

[catweazle]

If we all think it is a set up, we could hire a lawyer between us for the 'Myanmar 3'. A good lawyer could get some light shed on things.

Would only be a few baht each.

Very noble, but to rip this case wise open, you will need millions and "connections". If they not even allow British investigators in, then they will rip a smalltown lawyer, hired by some disgruntled TV members, apart in mid air!

Thanks for showing a good heart though!!!

[lucaswallachia]

I want to hear from Sean McAnna,

it may be that he fingered the guys arrested and that is why he was threatened

Sean also said he was among a group of people playing guitar on the beach near the scene. He must have seen or heard, and known, the other Guitar players on the Beach. I guess not many Guitar players where on this beach during the Night. The police where looking for the Guitar players from the beginning.

I am also a guitar player,

if I was on that island, I would know every guitar player, especially after 18 months

if one killed two people, it would be passed along fast, assuming anyone saw it, which, Sean may have

Sean's post to facebook about not seeing david that night may have been false, but, he may have fled because he was going to get killed, because he was the only witness

Ive come to believe that Sean was telling the truth and news sites have actually just made up certain statements

[oldsailor35]

Right ! now that the police have got confessions from Burmese workers, the son of the village headman (Local mafia) called Mon can now go ahead and give a DNA sample, which he has previously refused to do. The said sample will prove that he is innocent and his daddy, the head man come bar owner can go and sue the media , as he has been saying he will.

[Card]

"Police officers then led the two to a safe-house where they were intensively interrogated."

Tortured out of sight.