Police address criticisms over arrest of Myanmar suspects

SURAT THANI, 6 October 2014 (NNT) - Koh Pa-Ngan provincial police have addressed criticisms raised over alleged inconsistencies in the arrest of two Myanmar workers for the murder of two British tourists.

Locals and foreigners have voiced their criticisms over the flaws in the arrest after police claimed the mobile phone of the female victim was found in the suspects’ living quarters. There have been reports that the mobile phone was submitted to the police by her friend a day after the crime took place.

Koh Pa-Ngan Superintendent Police Colonel Prachum Reungthong said the mobile phone of the dead woman was submitted to the police and returned to her family on September 18. The phone police confiscated from the Myanmar suspects on the other hand belonged to the male victim.

He added that investigators would tomorrow sign a document confirming that the DNA samples given by the two Myanmar men matched those found on the victim’s body. The matter will be forwarded to the Office of the Attorney-General on October 8. The men will be held in police custody on Koh Samui in the meantime.

Police announced last week that the two illegal migrant workers admitted that they had killed David Miller, 24, and Hannah Witheridge, 23 whose bodies were found on September 15.

-- NNT 2014-10-06

maybe if they allowed an independent dna test to be performed we might believe them but as long as they keep sticking to their current "we did nothing wrong" testaments we all know its simply a cover up for their pathetic attempts to satisfy their "no thai did this" statement and the total unprofessional way they investigated it along with the way they allowed suspects to muddy the waters.

What they need to do is allow an agency from outside Thailand to go over the so called evidence as well as check the supposed dna samples taken from the local "mafia" and to take fresh dna samples for the supposed killers. This needs to be above board and not the current corrupt crap we are seeing.

Edited October 6, 201411 yr by seajae

"He added that investigators would tomorrow sign a document confirming that the DNA samples given by the two Myanmar men matched those found on the victim’s body."

I can sign for them any document they like, but would that be the truth?

I still doubt it very much.

Please lets have an independent investigation by the British police.

The more police speaks, the more it's blur. Now, the telephone of the poor girl becomes the one of the poor boy. Maybe it's true but it's so lame, so unprofessional.

1. They found the men first day, and questioned and released though they said they were close to the victims singing, why not they tested the DNA of these men on the same day, instead of chasing the scared farang men running away from Kho-Tao after the murder happened ?

2. How the verified DNA report, the samples from Victims body on the 8th and samples from the men on 15th. Who is the witness for this ? Police alone cannot give witness. Doctors and medical staff should witness the proof.

For 20 years, Thai Police have bad reputation from Saudi theft and murder incident. More than saving the tourism by pointing some scapegoat victims, they should come up with real truth to make sure Thailand is having a fair judicial system.

I feel sorry for the migrant staff here, they work for low salaries on maid/labor visa and no other benefits they can get except spending their money here. Please show some mercy on them rather than using them and making them scape goats!

The more police speaks, the more it's blur. Now, the telephone of the poor girl becomes the one of the poor boy. Maybe it's true but it's so lame, so unprofessional.

Exactly what I thought. Does the left hand know what the right hand is doing as they both scurry to cover up (or make up). This gets dodgier and dodgier. There's only one way to resolve this and that's an independent (as in off-shore) review.

Edited October 6, 201411 yr by Snig27

So 'addressing the criticisms' actual means just changing the story they gave out previously because they had been caught out.

There are some many inconsistencies that the only and definite way to clear the RTP from cover up suspicions is to have the DNA tested independently. Simple and straight forward. Any other blah blah will not help. RTP are notoriously incompetent and corrupted, the 2 arrested Burmese are scapegoats. Collusion between the local Koh Tao mafia and the RTP. Anyway RTP is a mafia and not only in Koh Tao. Pattaya, Phuket, Samui and so on and so on... A few years ago, Thai People used to say "TOGETHER WE CAN" so they should wake up and stand up to refuse this total farce, a disgrace and disrespect for the victims and their families. I am sure there are plenty of Thai people sick of the way this investigation has been conducted and the whole story covered. It is morally not possible to accept that this horrific murder of 2 innocent young kids is covered up in the name of money and business.

Most Thai people KNOW what to do if a family member is accused of a serious crime!

The more police speaks, the more it's blur. Now, the telephone of the poor girl becomes the one of the poor boy. Maybe it's true but it's so lame, so unprofessional.

Exactly what I thought. Does the left hand know what the right hand is doing as they both scurry to cover up (or make up). This gets dodgier and dodgier. There's only one way to resolve this and that's an independent (as in off-shore) review.

By my count, now four phones; a pink one, Hanna's handed to the police by her friend, a black one on the beach next to David's body, another one found in David's luggage and the mystery one in the bushes!

I accept the possibility of David having two phones, one found with hair on it, at the beach, sent for testing, another in his luggage, possible, and now the one being used as evidence!

There are photographs of three phones on this enormous thread, but I personally have not seen the one in the luggage.

If the DNA evidence is infallibly conclusive, why did they need to beat confessions out of the Burmese boys?

I don't know why people keep going on about these phones.

More curiously is why davids DNA is confirmed not on the hoe that is said to be the murder weapon.

The police said right from the start, the hoe was not the weapon used on David.

Now, they insist it was.

Second curiosity is , there is not a scrap of DNA or evidence putting David and Hannah physically together in any way shape or form.

As they would have everyone believe in the re-enactment.

Forget about the phones.

DNA on the hoe is the question.

A suggestion to RTP....in future, when u start an investigation....never ever start it by saying no thais would ever do it.

A suggestion to RTP....in future, when u start an investigation....never ever start it by saying no thais would ever do it.

and next time you claim a dna match,claim it matches somebody you havent just checked and cleared less than 2 weeks prior

"He added that investigators would tomorrow sign a document confirming that the DNA samples given by the two Myanmar men matched those found on the victim’s body."

I can sign for them any document they like, but would that be the truth?

I still doubt it very much.

Please lets have an independent investigation by the British police.

Oh believe me, the AG will want much more proof than anything stated in some document forwarded by the police

Good that the police cleared that up.

So that's one conspiracy you guys cross off your list after about 1000 posts.

Now let's move onto the DNA.

It's stands for national dyslexics association you know.

Anyway the noose is getting tighter around these scumbags necks as more will revealed in the days ahead.

Even perry mason would get these guys off.

Investigators will sign tomorrow ... does that mean the chemists who carried out the tests and why didn't they certify their findings immediately ?

Other investigators cannot certify the work they did not carry out, except maybe here.

Did the results have to be approved first ?

Exemplary professionalism indeed.

Good that the police cleared that up.

So that's one conspiracy you guys cross off your list after about 1000 posts.

Now let's move onto the DNA.

It's stands for national dyslexics association you know.

Anyway the noose is getting tighter around these scumbags necks as more will revealed in the days ahead.

Even perry mason would get these guys off.

Not at all, didn't you find them guilty /

Maybe TV poster will take all the words back. Seems like this story and conspiracy, maybe is all wrong

The police will sign off on the case this week. That's comforting. It's like a politician signing a document to assure that he is not corrupt. Case closed!

That's nice of them to address the phone issue, even though the story keeps changing.

How about addressing the many other questions aired on the CSI LA facebook page?

How about saving their good name and putting an end to all this speculation by allowing an independent agency to test the DNA and look at the facts of the case?

How about testing the DNA of all the special people on Koh Tao to rule out relatives of the Untouchables?

Maybe TV poster will take all the words back. Seems like this story and conspiracy, maybe is all wrong

No conspiracy, the RTP are not that clever, just a big cock up and a desperate attempt to frame the innocent.

lets hope and pray that the british government get seriously involved.

Do the RTP not realise how much blood would be flying around as these brutal attacks were taking place? The perpetrators would have it all over themselves and their clothes, but the police don't seem to have found any trace of blood on anything but the hoe.

Does anyone else find this rather curious?

Do the RTP not realise how much blood would be flying around as these brutal attacks were taking place? The perpetrators would have it all over themselves and their clothes, but the police don't seem to have found any trace of blood on anything but the hoe.

Does anyone else find this rather curious?

Yes I do. Where's that Sean guy and his guitare? Do the RTP have blood splatter analysts? Are you a Dexter fan?

Do the RTP not realise how much blood would be flying around as these brutal attacks were taking place? The perpetrators would have it all over themselves and their clothes, but the police don't seem to have found any trace of blood on anything but the hoe.

Does anyone else find this rather curious?

Yes I do. Where's that Sean guy and his guitare? Do the RTP have blood splatter analysts? Are you a Dexter fan?

Maybe it's reaching an affordability factor as in who can pay how many baht?

Do the RTP not realise how much blood would be flying around as these brutal attacks were taking place? The perpetrators would have it all over themselves and their clothes, but the police don't seem to have found any trace of blood on anything but the hoe.

Does anyone else find this rather curious?

Yes I do. Where's that Sean guy and his guitare? Do the RTP have blood splatter analysts? Are you a Dexter fan?

If Dexter was involved there would be a lot of dead Thais before all was said and done.

Do the RTP not realise how much blood would be flying around as these brutal attacks were taking place? The perpetrators would have it all over themselves and their clothes, but the police don't seem to have found any trace of blood on anything but the hoe.

Does anyone else find this rather curious?

One of those arrested was arrested in the same shirt he was wearing in the store footage the night of the murder yet his shirt is not blood stained.

The more police speaks, the more it's blur. Now, the telephone of the poor girl becomes the one of the poor boy. Maybe it's true but it's so lame, so unprofessional.

Its amazing what you can do with a 300 baht samsung throw away.

Do the RTP not realise how much blood would be flying around as these brutal attacks were taking place? The perpetrators would have it all over themselves and their clothes, but the police don't seem to have found any trace of blood on anything but the hoe.

Does anyone else find this rather curious?

One of the Burmese guys had the same t shirt on a 7-11, the same one on the day after when pictured and the same one when being arrested.

Even if washed itd still have blood on it.

Yes I do. Where's that Sean guy and his guitare? Do the RTP have blood splatter analysts? Are you a Dexter fan?

If Dexter was involved there would be a lot of dead Thais before all was said and done.