Three Myanmar witnesses are to testify in advance on Koh Tao murder case

[Tatsujin]

Someone right at the top needs to step in quick and sort this out once and for all before this farce goes on any longer . . . or those tourists numbers you are all so desperate for (but continually downplay and deny are important to you) will be dropping even more . . .

The Top Bloke said it was a perfect investigation. So fat chance. The way this investigation is going to end is sick. A total disgrace.

It is a disgrace ... but the "top man" you mentioned is not who I was thinking of ... he's just a lackey ...

[wilcopops]

Yet another step that erodes public confidence in the Thai legal system and the accused chances of getting a "fair trial".

it seems that the faults in the Thai legal processes are so ingrained that many high-ranking figures are simply unable to comprehend to concerns expressed by the international community.

[appleman]

As the majority who post here, I am not familiar with how the Thai judicial system works. But I do know that in the U.S. there is something called a Grand Jury. There, the prosecutors can call witnesses to determine whether a case should be brought to trial. They cannot be cross examined by the defense. If it is determined that there is enough evidence then the accused will stand trial. In the U.S. the Grand Jury testimony is secret.

It is my guess that that is what is meant that the three witnesses will testify. It is not a trial testimony. I looked for a link to the Thai news story where this was translated from but there was none. So many of the misconceptions about this case have come from poor translations from the Thai. I have a feeling this is just another one of those.

Let me give one example of a mistranslation. A police spokesman is quoted as saying the it was a "perfect investigation". I am assuming that this is a translation of the Thai word "somboon". One of the definitions of "somboon" is "perfect". Like I hit a perfect golf shot. But the more useful definition in this context is "complete" or "thorough". So If the police spokesman was quoted as saying the investigation was "thorough" would there be the same kind of outcry?

[Ve37]

I don't think the defendants defense team has been finalized yet so how can they call witnesses early? Who is going to cross examine these people? (If there is such a thing in Thailand?)

Still so many questions with so few credible answers!

These are the witnesses eligible for the 700,000 baht reward,....by getting their reward processed quickly sends a signal the two scapegoaters that all is OK,...and their families will get a huge sum of money....and the case can be officially closed.

Of course, the two alleged killers, who have been tortured to extract confessions, will likely be dead within the week, as the Police Chief has instructed other inmates to look after them.....he said:

"I have instructed other inmates to monitor the two Burmese men. I am afraid they may commit suicide, because they show signs of stress,"

[oneday]

One has to wonder if these witnesses were paid or worse...threatened for their testimony or if it is even close to totally voluntary. Who is going to believe anything about this case now?

[catweazle]

The travesty continues... I am still in a kind of shock about the sucide warning.

The so-called witnesses names most likely are Hui Waterboard, Tsu Electricute and Solo Bruised... or the actual murderers step forward as witnesses, anything goes as long as it saves the face of the investigating officers in this shocking travesty.

It's all a sick joke!

[hellyes2oo2]

Very curious these 3 witnesses have already said that they were tortured by the police ( scalding water poured on their feet) to make them implicate the 2 burmese boys. But they refused to do so and were eventually released. They showed their injuries to the myanmar ambassador. So are the rtp saying that they now have suddenly found 3 new witnesses.

[cup-O-coffee]

Is it possible that the three witnesses will be heard to determine if the prosecutor will file a case to the court or not ?

Yes... it is possible, if you understand that the prosecutor would be conducting a trial without a judge, without a jury, without defense attorneys, without circumstantial evidence, without witness testimonies, without cross examining, without a properly prepared defense - to object to the prosecutor's illegal and unethical trying of the accused - and without the ability for any defense to demand to a judge that the prosecutor be disbarred and thrown into jail for this.

This has gotten so out of hand it is now a full-on ludicrous comedy.

I actually look forward to tomorrow; to read what other utterly stupid things they will do and say. The more their inner workings get laid threadbare by this kind of transparency, the more the world will see them for what they truly are, and it is not a pretty thing.

The human conscience can only bear so much. My disgust reaches new lows at every utterance and act from these ilk, and I am actually beginning to have genuine sympathy for these two boys.

[Suffinator]

Pol Maj-Gen Apichart Boonsriroj, commander of Surat Thani provincial police, said today (Thursday) that the three Myanmar migrant workers were under the care of the police and the public prosecutor had been asked to seek the court’s permission to bring the three witnesses to testify in advance.

Sure I'd want to be in that situation considering the allegations of torture inflicted on the two suspects ( or guilty parties as the Thai Police refer to them).

[Bernard Flint]

This particular case will end up as a suicide or murder in the prison,these guys have no chance, guilty or not.

[KIWIBATCH]

I don't believe for a second that there are 3 more witnesses,

What I do believe is,

there should have been blood on that phone

there should have been blood in their shower stalls

there should have been blood on a hand rail on a staircase by their apt.

where did these alleged rape-killers clean up?

and......something I simply cannot believe is why....(if the two lads did in fact commit this horrendous crime)...did they not hightail it off the island?

I mean......anybody with a quarter of a brain would realise that the police would be piling onto the island to investigate this crime........and as reported in the media when the police did arrive they also "found" over 6000 illegal workers...

So the heat was definitely going to go on.....on 2 fronts...

[jaywalker]

Someone right at the top needs to step in quick and sort this out once and for all before this farce goes on any longer . . . or those tourists numbers you are all so desperate for (but continually downplay and deny are important to you) will be dropping even more . . .

The Top Bloke said it was a perfect investigation. So fat chance. The way this investigation is going to end is sick. A total disgrace.

But, but, but...He SAID it, so it must be true!

I just watched a documentary about Germany 1946-1949 today & some of the former German soldiers were "re-indoctrinated" to THINK for themselves. One said it was a completely alien concept to him.

Sounds like lots of folks all over are that way these days, but seem to stand out in this particular case.

[Rykbanlor]

As the majority who post here, I am not familiar with how the Thai judicial system works. But I do know that in the U.S. there is something called a Grand Jury. There, the prosecutors can call witnesses to determine whether a case should be brought to trial. They cannot be cross examined by the defense. If it is determined that there is enough evidence then the accused will stand trial. In the U.S. the Grand Jury testimony is secret.

It is my guess that that is what is meant that the three witnesses will testify. It is not a trial testimony. I looked for a link to the Thai news story where this was translated from but there was none. So many of the misconceptions about this case have come from poor translations from the Thai. I have a feeling this is just another one of those.

Let me give one example of a mistranslation. A police spokesman is quoted as saying the it was a "perfect investigation". I am assuming that this is a translation of the Thai word "somboon". One of the definitions of "somboon" is "perfect". Like I hit a perfect golf shot. But the more useful definition in this context is "complete" or "thorough". So If the police spokesman was quoted as saying the investigation was "thorough" would there be the same kind of outcry?

Yes. They seem to have ignored plenty of things a normal investigation would have - primary one being that they did not call in a forensic pathologist instead doing that theselves.

Neither perfect nor thorough

[hellyes2oo2]

I think the reason they didn't hitail it off the island was because they knew they had not done anything wrong, and this was proved because they were among the 300 burmese people tested for dna on the first day, and the police stated that no match was found amongst these 300. So why would they run, but suddenly they are re-tested, not the other 297 by the way, only these 3, and hey presto a mtch is found, anything sound suspicious to you.

[pedro01]

"the three Myanmar migrant workers were under the care of the police"

So not incarcerated but not arrested?

Conditions of their release are?

[outsider]

So they're getting three Burmese to 'rat' on two of their countrymen. No foreigners involved. And the Thais are just sitting on their sorry arse watching this like a damned lakorn.

[trainman34014]

http://1clicknews.com/thailand-beach-death-parents-convinced-son-murdered-and-his-killing-covered-up-to-protect-tourism/

BOYCOT KOH TAO!

After reading this lot it seems the two Patsy's are now saying they didn't do it and the RTP beat confessions out of them. Surely once the World's press gets hold of this the whole case is blown wide open, and not a minute too soon.

[JenniferSG]

I don't believe for a second that there are 3 more witnesses,

What I do believe is,

there should have been blood on that phone

there should have been blood in their shower stalls

there should have been blood on a hand rail on a staircase by their apt.

where did these alleged rape-killers clean up?

Perhaps in the surf?

[Alan653]

wow where are the rtp apologists today, clutchclark, sicophanticsteve, police chiefjtj, stutteringparrot, please come on here and tell us how this is usual procedure.

And let's not forget JTJ....John Thailand John,

because we all know that "their always right"!!

lol....

[seajae]

strange, they went from no witnesses to one witness and now all of a sudden 3, marvelous what a bit of hot water and beating will produce. I suppose after they give the prescribed evidence they will suddenly all disappear or commit suicide so they cannot be questioned by the lawyers for the accused as well, looks like the rtp are getting more and more desperate to save face.......

[Bkklocal]

Lets have an official prediction forum.

Number 1) 2 weeks from today an unfortunate accident where the boys where murdered in an unpredicted hostile event in prison . Game over .

Backup plan - carry on the effects of deaththreats torrtue to gain a given testimonie before lawyers give to much hope and destroy the farce paid for by powers at be.

2)...

[hellyes2oo2]

Trainman the worlds press have been going at this for the last 3 or 4 days now. the only place that has not been pressing it strangely enough is the bbcworldnews website.maybe under orders from spineless cameron not to say anything. At the end of the day the thai goverment and the rtp don't really give a flying <deleted> what the rest of the world think.

They will probaly delay the trial for a few months until everything has died down, then quietly find them guilty execute them job done. Or of course there is the very great possibility these 2 will commit "assisted suicide" in the next couple of days and as i have previously stated the rtp will use the prison governor as a scapegoat, saying he was negligent in not taking good care of these guys, and that the rtp have been robbed of the chance of showing that these 2 were guilty and that they were 100% right all along. wouldn't surprise me if they found two suicide notes confessing everything as well.

And then the prison governor will be retired with a huge pay-off and a monthly pension to the value of 20 times his annual salary. am i being cynical?

[iReason]

They must have been invited to spend a night at the safe house.

"... the three Myanmar migrant workers were under the care of the police..."

[sandrabbit]

Trainman the worlds press have been going at this for the last 3 or 4 days now. the only place that has not been pressing it strangely enough is the bbcworldnews website.maybe under orders from spineless cameron not to say anything. At the end of the day the thai goverment and the rtp don't really give a flying <deleted> what the rest of the world think.

They will probaly delay the trial for a few months until everything has died down, then quietly find them guilty execute them job done. Or of course there is the very great possibility these 2 will commit "assisted suicide" in the next couple of days and as i have previously stated the rtp will use the prison governor as a scapegoat, saying he was negligent in not taking good care of these guys, and that the rtp have been robbed of the chance of showing that these 2 were guilty and that they were 100% right all along. wouldn't surprise me if they found two suicide notes confessing everything as well.

And then the prison governor will be retired with a huge pay-off and a monthly pension to the value of 20 times his annual salary. am i being cynical?

The death penalty hasn't been carried out since 2009 in Thailand according to online info sites.

[JarekN]

The average IQ of those int he government has got to be around 80... Do the right thing and force em into allowing for independend DNA test to take place or tell em to &lt;deleted&gt;!

[BlackJack]

I am not critising their methods but wont this prejudice the case?

[Konini]

http://1clicknews.com/thailand-beach-death-parents-convinced-son-murdered-and-his-killing-covered-up-to-protect-tourism/

BOYCOT KOH TAO!

This is in the online edition of The Daily Mirror (UK). Not sure if it's in the print version.

[SICHONSTEVE]

What concerns me more now is that the RTP have lost so much face in this case, that dna could be planted into any dna samples. RTP cannot be wrong anymore.

With all the bruises these guys have on their bodies, it is easy to swab here and there and add it to the evidence. Just sayin'.

Have you seen these bruises??

If there are bruises then I think it likely that they were self afflicted!!

[bruceybonus]

What concerns me more now is that the RTP have lost so much face in this case, that dna could be planted into any dna samples. RTP cannot be wrong anymore.

With all the bruises these guys have on their bodies, it is easy to swab here and there and add it to the evidence. Just sayin'.

Have you seen these bruises??

If there are bruises then I think it likely that they were self afflicted!!

[Dogmatix]

So this was the group that got scalded with boiling water now drafted in after more torture to replace Maung Maung.