Murders on Koh Tao: UK, Myanmar 'can observe'

[Robby nz]

I am going to say that I don't believe the lawyers for the accused were in court yesterday to hear the evidence from the witnesses.

I base this on the statement :

Before the session began, Hall asked that the testimony be postponed for another month, as two lawyers had been newly assigned by the Lawyers Council of Thailand to represent the defendants after their lawyer, Phailbook Nunraksa, withdrew his services.

Andy Hall is the human rights man and not one of the lawyers, that it was him that stood up and asked for a postponement and not a lawyer makes me think no lawyers were present, after all lawyers would not be shy of leaping up on their hind feet and speaking for themselves or their client.

That will mean there has been no chance given to question or cross examine the witnesses and should they disappear before a trial there never will be.

Whether the accused were in court to hear testimony against them is another thing, perhaps we will find that out later, if they were not present the witness statements will be completely unchallenged. Although the accused would not have got a chance to speak even if they had been there.

Another travesty of justice ?

Andy Hall was in court so he should have a recording of proceedings, that should mean that what went on should get into the public arena, we wait to see.

It seems I was wrong in the above assumption as it is reported this morning that both the accused and their lawyers were in court yesterday and were given the opportunity to question the witnesses.

I wait with interest a report on what was said.

[jdinasia]

Police stated they did not have the ability to identify race and could only identify gender and this is the reasasn they said it would be sent to Singapore. Later they announced it was from an Asian. Regardless if it went to Singapore, we do know it went to multiple labs and dozens, if not more, have seen the results and been involved in the testing and and this will be part of the official case in court where there lawyers can challenge results and have their own tests run .... if the admitted murdering rapists don't plead guilty.

I don't think anybody reasonable thinks that they admitted anything.

Human rights organisations in 3 countries including thailand have expressed their belief that the 'confessions' were obtained under duress & torture. Amnesty International is the most respected human rights organisation on the planet & does not tend to make mistakes if it can possibly help it.

I'm sure that the Americans, Aussies, British & most other nationalities here will admit that beatings in police stations have been used to extract confessions from time to time in their own countries so why is it so hard for you thai sympathisers to accept that it may have happened in this case.

Your last sentence suggests that you've hung these 2 kids already & if that's true I feel quite sorry for the people around you.

Officials from the Burmese embassy in Bangkok on Monday travelled to the neighbouring island of Koh Samui to meet the two Arakanese migrants who have been remanded in custody pending murder and rape charges. The embassy officials, led by second secretary Htun Aye, were accompanied by Thai and Burmese lawyers, as well as migrant rights activists.

Lawyer Aung Myo Thant said the pair, Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun, both 21, from the Arakanese town of Kyaukphyu, told a Burmese embassy legal team they had murdered English tourists Hannah Witheridge and David Miller by bludgeoning them to death with a hoe on 15 September.

Kyaw Thaung, a representative of the Myanmar Association in Thailand, who attended the interview with the defendants, said, We went to the prison [on Koh Samui] and were allowed to meet with the two freely. They confessed to committing the crime under the influence of alcohol. When asked for further details, they said they bashed the victims two or three times each with the blunt end of a hoe, but not with the sharp end. They said they did it because they were drunk but did not intend to kill the couple.

https://www.dvb.no/news/koh-tao-murderers-were-tortured-says-burmese-embassy-lawyer-burma-myanmar/44781

And regardless of if they were mistreated their DNA matched and they certainly didn't look beaten in their reenactment but it is possible police have conspired with doctors who checked the admitted murdering rapists when they were arrested and after hey confessed.

Your source is as it stood on the 7th October & you deliberately edited out the words below in bold from the article;

Lawyer Aung Myo Thant said the pair, Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun, both 21, from the Arakanese town of Kyaukphyu, told a Burmese embassy legal team they had murdered English tourists Hannah Witheridge and David Miller by bludgeoning them to death with a hoe on 15 September. However, he said, their stories were “somewhat inconsistent” and “their faces portrayed fear”.

Seriously? What's wrong with you? You not only dig up week old news but then edit it to try to prove your point & show that they're guilty? You do realise that lives are at stake here don't you.

Here's some more recent news from the past 2 days.

the two men told a Burmese lawyer that they only confessed to the murders after they were tortured and beaten by police on the resort island of Koh Tao.

http://www.thejournal.ie/koh-tao-suspects-claim-torture-confessions-1715719-Oct2014/

THE MYANMAR lawyers of the two men charged with the Koh Tao murders of two British tourists have asked Thailand's National Human Rights Commission and the Myanmar Embassy in the Kingdom to push for British police to conduct independent DNA tests in the case, as they believe their clients are innocent.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Lawyers-want-DNA-tested-by-UK-police-30245295.html

& then we have;

Following the arrest of two Myanmar nationals for the murders of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller last month, a lawyer on the Myanmar Embassy’s legal team, who met the two, said that one of the men alleged police beat and threatened him with electrocution.

Numerous sources have reported further acts of torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of other migrant workers from Myanmar arrested by police in connection with the investigation.

http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/thailand-must-investigate-police-torture-allegations-and-not-violate-rights-tourist-murder-prob

Your judgement is obviously much better than Amnesty International's though isn't it.

You keep mentioning AI as if they have determined torture to have taken place. Straw man.

[timewilltell]

Why is it conspiracy theorists can't grasp the fact that these two admitted murdering rapists have lawyers who can run whatever DNA tests they want including getting the UK involved in the defense.

Well the Defence lawyers are lucky in one respect. Thailand has no discovery process in their crumbled legal system, meaning you cannot t get any documents from the Defence even with a court order unless you have details. For instance if you are suing someone for fraud you cannot demand to see their bank account statements covering the period unless you know the account numbers and bank. You cannot get the bank details of the fraudster through court order either. In other words any documents the Defence have are safe from investigation.

In this case the defendants are accessible to the Defence lawyers and hopefully the UK took samples of DNA from the victims - one has to hope the UK authorities had the foresight to do that with permission from their families which I cannot see the families denying. So it should be a simple matter for them to check the DNA independently.

There are two issues here though. First is the lawyers are Thai. I could say a lot about the professionalism of members of that particular profession here but suffice to say the case has massive ramifications for Thailand and you can bet the farm there is pressure on those lawyers to avoid any national embarrassment. Can you imagine how Thais would think about the lawyers if they proved the DNA was not from the defendants and blew holes in the prosecution resulting in a successful Defence? I cannot see how anyone can think the lawyers are even in a position to defend these two guys nor even if they would want to because it would destroy their careers and maybe also their lives are at risk such are the stakes.

I wonder why the original lawyer representing them withdrew. I can hazard a few guesses!

This legal representation needs to be overseen and controlled-by a Myanmar lawyer, a British lawyer would be better but no hope there as the defendants are Burmese. At least there needs to be some way to ensure evidence is obtained because one of the prime ways Thai lawyers help Thais accused by foreigners is simply not getting the evidence required to win the case nor sometimes even using evidence you give them. Thai Rak Thai mentality runs a whole lot stronger than any idea of the moral right or justice or what is right under the law. It needs to stop.

Sent from my iPad using ThaiVisa app

[JacknDanny]

It would appear the 3 'star' witnesses, who have been under house arrest since the murders, have given evidence at a court hearing.

Bottom line, they saw nothing, they know nothing of the crime scene and do not believe the accused are guilty.

http://www.irrawaddy.org/burma/offering-little-insight-koh-tao-witnesses-released-lawyer.html

Again another job well done by the BIB!!

Thankfully the witnesses are now in safe custody of the Burmese embassy.

[utalkin2me]

Thailand has been here before. They are waiting. They are telling themselves to be calm, it will pass. It always does too, hopefully this time they are finally wrong. I mean it too I am really hoping on this one. It is like a scene at the end of a movie where you want to see the bad guy finally get what he has coming to him after 2 hours of torturing everybody in sight.

[ParadiseLost]

As there are more Myanmar guys on KT than Thai, don't you think the Thais should be a little nervous? How many are they going to exploit, torture, frame before the underdog starts to bite back?

If you believe some of the reports these are dangerous, sexually deprived, uneducated people with nothing to lose. And you let them outnumber you? Good luck with that...

[boomerangutang]

.... if the admitted murdering rapists don't plead guilty.

You must be referring to the Headman's people, aren't you? Except they havent admitted anything, and why should they incriminate themselves? They're shielded from even being suspects, so they can keep going to the bars every night, getting sweet with the prettiest farang girls, slipping mickeys in their drinks (along with getting them drunk), and having some sexy fun on the beach after closing hours. Heck, even if it gets ugly and they wind up killing some uppity farang (who offends/angers them), mai pen rai, they can literally get away with murder. And there are an endless number of cute young farang girls coming in to the bars to party, so the only problem is choosing which chick is most flirty and vulnerable. What a great life!

If I was guilty, I would avoid DNA test as much as possible, and I'd like to have a friend like JTJ who shields me from harm, regardless of truth of the situation.

[hardyh]

It would appear the 3 'star' witnesses, who have been under house arrest since the murders, have given evidence at a court hearing.

Bottom line, they saw nothing, they know nothing of the crime scene and do not believe the accused are guilty.

http://www.irrawaddy.org/burma/offering-little-insight-koh-tao-witnesses-released-lawyer.html

Again another job well done by the BIB!!

Thankfully the witnesses are now in safe custody of the Burmese embassy.

From that article: "The two defendants have been accused of rape, murder, looting and illegally entering Thailand."

Presumably the police will also be arresting and charging whoever was facilitating their continued presence by illegally employing them?

[BritTim]

It would appear the 3 'star' witnesses, who have been under house arrest since the murders, have given evidence at a court hearing.

Bottom line, they saw nothing, they know nothing of the crime scene and do not believe the accused are guilty.

http://www.irrawaddy.org/burma/offering-little-insight-koh-tao-witnesses-released-lawyer.html

Again another job well done by the BIB!!

Thankfully the witnesses are now in safe custody of the Burmese embassy.

I am sure the police can find plenty more where they came from. Next time, they simply need to be more precise in their questioning.

[jdinasia]

It would appear the 3 'star' witnesses, who have been under house arrest since the murders, have given evidence at a court hearing.

Bottom line, they saw nothing, they know nothing of the crime scene and do not believe the accused are guilty.

http://www.irrawaddy.org/burma/offering-little-insight-koh-tao-witnesses-released-lawyer.html

Again another job well done by the BIB!!

Thankfully the witnesses are now in safe custody of the Burmese embassy.

From that article: "The two defendants have been accused of rape, murder, looting and illegally entering Thailand."

Presumably the police will also be arresting and charging whoever was facilitating their continued presence by illegally employing them?

There is only a fine for that offense. I think the MOL handles it. Not the police.

[heyexile]

10685502_305398199669640_606094175184416399_nxx.jpg

CSI LA posted the above without text, implying some scurrilous allegation, no doubt, but I'm too stupid to understand what. Anyone know? Looks like a werewolf transforming itself into a human. No matter anyway, as I am reliably informed by someone important that only crazy people believe social media.

Come now. No well connected, influential werewolf could have done this.

No need for transformation, his masters love it as he is.

Werewolves have strict defamation laws I hear. Don`t go out on a full moon night, some wolves bite., although

howling at the moon may help your attitude.

[lcp0761]

Looking for UK feedback: --- official UK comments from investigators or the parents of the deceased re: what they have been briefed, investigators opinions if the right suspects have been apprehended, or Thai "smoke and mirror" cover-up?

[theguyfromanotherforum]

Through all this I don't understand one thing.

Why would 2 Burmese admit to a killing?

Sorry, but to me they do not look tortured at all.

If they were paid off (or their families) then it says a lot about their credibility.

Why the hell would you admit to a murder if you didn't do it? Who does that?

[kaobang]

Through all this I don't understand one thing.

Why would 2 Burmese admit to a killing?

Sorry, but to me they do not look tortured at all.

If they were paid off (or their families) then it says a lot about their credibility.

Why the hell would you admit to a murder if you didn't do it? Who does that?

many tortures dont let signs....

[phuketandsee]

This has now made the New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/15/world/asia/hearings-open-into-killings-of-two-british-tourists-on-thai-island.html?_r=0

"The suspects chose a team of 20 lawyers on Monday." Wow, 20!

"We hit them with the handle of a hoe two or three times." If this is accurate, how come the metal part of the hoe was covered in blood? And for sure the handle would not have made those wounds on David.

I'm beginning to think this is not going to go away so easily and could haunt Thailand for a long time.

[Aceicol]

The brits are here. The burms are here. The truth has many eyes now.

There are many police who want this cleared too.

Stop complaining and give them all a chance. There comes a time when one must accept.

'The Brits are here' is supposed to instill confidence? Where were the Brits when Hong Kong was being handed over to China. By treaty, HK (the region southward from Boundary Road) should have stayed within the Commonwealth but the 'Pewter Lady' Marge Thatcher didn't hang tough.

RE; Ko Tao: if it comes down to hanging tough to see that justice is done verses allowing Thai officialdom to frame the Burmese men, Brit authorities will choose the latter. Diplomacy and 'not embarrassing one's host is more important than sticking up for justice.'

One end result: the true murderers/rapists will continue to hang out and party with our sisters and daughters.

She'd have hang really tough, she left office in 1990 and Hong Kong wasn't handed over until 97.

[bigjules007]

Police stated they did not have the ability to identify race and could only identify gender and this is the reasasn they said it would be sent to Singapore. Later they announced it was from an Asian. Regardless if it went to Singapore, we do know it went to multiple labs and dozens, if not more, have seen the results and been involved in the testing and and this will be part of the official case in court where there lawyers can challenge results and have their own tests run .... if the admitted murdering rapists don't plead guilty.

I don't think anybody reasonable thinks that they admitted anything.

Human rights organisations in 3 countries including thailand have expressed their belief that the 'confessions' were obtained under duress & torture. Amnesty International is the most respected human rights organisation on the planet & does not tend to make mistakes if it can possibly help it.

I'm sure that the Americans, Aussies, British & most other nationalities here will admit that beatings in police stations have been used to extract confessions from time to time in their own countries so why is it so hard for you thai sympathisers to accept that it may have happened in this case.

Your last sentence suggests that you've hung these 2 kids already & if that's true I feel quite sorry for the people around you.

Officials from the Burmese embassy in Bangkok on Monday travelled to the neighbouring island of Koh Samui to meet the two Arakanese migrants who have been remanded in custody pending murder and rape charges. The embassy officials, led by second secretary Htun Aye, were accompanied by Thai and Burmese lawyers, as well as migrant rights activists.

Lawyer Aung Myo Thant said the pair, Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun, both 21, from the Arakanese town of Kyaukphyu, told a Burmese embassy legal team they had murdered English tourists Hannah Witheridge and David Miller by bludgeoning them to death with a hoe on 15 September.

Kyaw Thaung, a representative of the Myanmar Association in Thailand, who attended the interview with the defendants, said, We went to the prison [on Koh Samui] and were allowed to meet with the two freely. They confessed to committing the crime under the influence of alcohol. When asked for further details, they said they bashed the victims two or three times each with the blunt end of a hoe, but not with the sharp end. They said they did it because they were drunk but did not intend to kill the couple.

https://www.dvb.no/news/koh-tao-murderers-were-tortured-says-burmese-embassy-lawyer-burma-myanmar/44781

And regardless of if they were mistreated their DNA matched and they certainly didn't look beaten in their reenactment but it is possible police have conspired with doctors who checked the admitted murdering rapists when they were arrested and after hey confessed.

Your source is as it stood on the 7th October & you deliberately edited out the words below in bold from the article;

Lawyer Aung Myo Thant said the pair, Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun, both 21, from the Arakanese town of Kyaukphyu, told a Burmese embassy legal team they had murdered English tourists Hannah Witheridge and David Miller by bludgeoning them to death with a hoe on 15 September. However, he said, their stories were “somewhat inconsistent” and “their faces portrayed fear”.

Seriously? What's wrong with you? You not only dig up week old news but then edit it to try to prove your point & show that they're guilty? You do realise that lives are at stake here don't you.

Here's some more recent news from the past 2 days.

the two men told a Burmese lawyer that they only confessed to the murders after they were tortured and beaten by police on the resort island of Koh Tao.

http://www.thejournal.ie/koh-tao-suspects-claim-torture-confessions-1715719-Oct2014/

THE MYANMAR lawyers of the two men charged with the Koh Tao murders of two British tourists have asked Thailand's National Human Rights Commission and the Myanmar Embassy in the Kingdom to push for British police to conduct independent DNA tests in the case, as they believe their clients are innocent.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Lawyers-want-DNA-tested-by-UK-police-30245295.html

& then we have;

Following the arrest of two Myanmar nationals for the murders of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller last month, a lawyer on the Myanmar Embassy’s legal team, who met the two, said that one of the men alleged police beat and threatened him with electrocution.

Numerous sources have reported further acts of torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of other migrant workers from Myanmar arrested by police in connection with the investigation.

http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/thailand-must-investigate-police-torture-allegations-and-not-violate-rights-tourist-murder-prob

Your judgement is obviously much better than Amnesty International's though isn't it.

They did not retract their confessions during this meeting where police were not present but embassy staff, lawyers and human rights group were.

Police should not beat or threaten people regardless of what degree but they did confess and the DNA matches and what ever abuse they did receive was not too severe as doctors examined them and they looked fine just days later at the reenactment.

When they almost surely don't recant their confessions in court and plead guilty and their lawyers don't contest the DNA, just curious what your defense will be of these admitted murdering rapists will be?

Why do you keep harping on about the DNA? Have u seen a copy of the results?. I have about as much faith in the DNA tests being carried out in a professional manner with no contamination as I have in the Thai Police, that's no faith at all.

As far as im concerned the dna evidence the police have collected might as well be pixie dust.

Lets see what the U.K Reveal when they compare tests with the RTP, if and when they do.

[bigjules007]

It would appear the 3 'star' witnesses, who have been under house arrest since the murders, have given evidence at a court hearing.

Bottom line, they saw nothing, they know nothing of the crime scene and do not believe the accused are guilty.

http://www.irrawaddy.org/burma/offering-little-insight-koh-tao-witnesses-released-lawyer.html

Again another job well done by the BIB!!

Thankfully the witnesses are now in safe custody of the Burmese embassy.

If this is true then its brilliant news, put that in your pipe and smoke it apologists! !

[Aceicol]

This has now made the New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/15/world/asia/hearings-open-into-killings-of-two-british-tourists-on-thai-island.html?_r=0

"The suspects chose a team of 20 lawyers on Monday." Wow, 20!

"We hit them with the handle of a hoe two or three times." If this is accurate, how come the metal part of the hoe was covered in blood? And for sure the handle would not have made those wounds on David.

I'm beginning to think this is not going to go away so easily and could haunt Thailand for a long time.

It would also probably be the best thing for Thailand long term. Dunkin donuts like ThailandJohn are obviously happy with the Status quo that is currently going on in Thailand, but the likelihood is that it leaves murder(ers) still out in the open and a lot worse place, great until it happens to someone he cares about.

Most people with a brain understand that there are bad people from every corner of the world, Thailands unwillingness to admit they have their own will leave a lot worse lasting damage for the country.

This case blowing up in their face will force the powers that be to address the situation, until then it'll just carry on as normal.

[kaobang]

This has now made the New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/15/world/asia/hearings-open-into-killings-of-two-british-tourists-on-thai-island.html?_r=0

"The suspects chose a team of 20 lawyers on Monday." Wow, 20!

"We hit them with the handle of a hoe two or three times." If this is accurate, how come the metal part of the hoe was covered in blood? And for sure the handle would not have made those wounds on David.

I'm beginning to think this is not going to go away so easily and could haunt Thailand for a long time.

It would also probably be the best thing for Thailand long term. Dunkin donuts like ThailandJohn are obviously happy with the Status quo that is currently going on in Thailand, but the likelihood is that it leaves murder(ers) still out in the open and a lot worse place, great until it happens to someone he cares about.

Most people with a brain understand that there are bad people from every corner of the world, Thailands unwillingness to admit they have their own will leave a lot worse lasting damage for the country.

This case blowing up in their face will force the powers that be to address the situation, until then it'll just carry on as normal.

you missed the " thais couldnt do such a thing" part

[SteveFong]

Wait until the UK reporters get a look at this

You don't need DNA to prove who this is,

the mystery man who "allegedly" wasn't on the island that night,

CSI LA has broken this case wide open

good thing they didnt kill those two innocent boys yet

[balo]

Wait until the UK reporters get a look at this

You don't need DNA to prove who this is,

the mystery man who "allegedly" wasn't on the island that night,

CSI LA has broken this case wide open

good thing they didnt kill those two innocent boys yet

You must be joking right ? Do you believe everything you see without questioning it?

I have already explained it to you , this is not evidence at all. Its a photoshop that could be done with any asian boy with that haircut.

[SteveFong]

really,

the chin lines up,

the cheek bone lines up

the skull area around the eye lines up

the hair curls around the ear

and the ear is also, perfect match

this kid is toast

you think the General, oh sorry, Dictator, oh sorry, unelected PM is going to let this kid embarrass him worldwide?

if so, you are all screwed

[phuketandsee]

Here's a suggestion to reduce the clutter on all these threads. Can we agree to just ignore jdinasia. johnthailandjohn et al. Let them speak freely of course as they will undoubtedly keep defending the "authorities" in this appalling case no matter how many holes are revealed and blunders and ridiculous statements made. But is it really necessary to respond to them in every instance?

[balo]

really,

the chin lines up,

the cheek bone lines up

the skull area around the eye lines up

the hair curls around the ear

and the ear is also, perfect match

this kid is toast

you think the General, oh sorry, Dictator, oh sorry, unelected PM is going to let this kid embarrass him worldwide?

if so, you are all screwed

Try to use that "evidence" in the court. Not even in Thailand where you can "fix" evidence this will be good enough to convict anyone.

[SteveFong]

it is going to make people nervous

and it will force mistakes

we all see how they react to every single thing posted

[ScubaPhuket]

Here's a suggestion to reduce the clutter on all these threads. Can we agree to just ignore jdinasia. johnthailandjohn et al. Let them speak freely of course as they will undoubtedly keep defending the "authorities" in this appalling case no matter how many holes are revealed and blunders and ridiculous statements made. But is it really necessary to respond to them in every instance?

Just click your name at the top of the forum & click 'Manage Ignore Prefs'. My life's better already

[littlebw]

UK police to travel to Thailand to probe tourist murders

UK police have been cleared to travel to Thailand to investigate the murders of British tourists Hannah Witheridge and David Miller after the country's military ruler dropped his objections.

Miss Witheridge, 23, from Great Yarmouth, and 24-year-old Mr Miller, from Jersey, were brutally murdered on the holiday island of Koh Tao in September. Two men have been charged with their murders.

http://www.itv.com/n...ourist-murders/

[littlebw]

Police to examine DNA and duress claims in Thai case

British detectives travelling to investigate the backpacker murders in Thailand are expected to focus on independent checks of DNA samples central to the case against two Burmese men accused of the crime and their claims to have been mistreated.

Diplomatic sources said Thailand's military ruler accepted the sending of a delegation to investigate the killing of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller when pressed on the issue by David Cameron during their summit meeting.

Obviously it is for the Thai authorities to lead and carry out that judicial process. But it is important that it is fair and transparent and that both of the families can be reassured that it is the murderers that have been brought to justice.

There are two areas we are particularly concerned about. One is the verification of the DNA samples of the suspects, making sure there is further independent verification. And the second is the investigation into allegations of mistreatment of the suspects. What the PM secured this morning was agreement from the Thai PM that we can send some British police investigators to Kho Tao to work with the Royal Thai Police on this.

– DIPLOMATIC SOURCE

[kaobang]

Police to examine DNA and duress claims in Thai case

British detectives travelling to investigate the backpacker murders in Thailand are expected to focus on independent checks of DNA samples central to the case against two Burmese men accused of the crime and their claims to have been mistreated.

Diplomatic sources said Thailand's military ruler accepted the sending of a delegation to investigate the killing of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller when pressed on the issue by David Cameron during their summit meeting.

Obviously it is for the Thai authorities to lead and carry out that judicial process. But it is important that it is fair and transparent and that both of the families can be reassured that it is the murderers that have been brought to justice.

There are two areas we are particularly concerned about. One is the verification of the DNA samples of the suspects, making sure there is further independent verification. And the second is the investigation into allegations of mistreatment of the suspects. What the PM secured this morning was agreement from the Thai PM that we can send some British police investigators to Kho Tao to work with the Royal Thai Police on this.

– DIPLOMATIC SOURCE

i would like to see the face of that police head right now..Somyot or whatever is the name

"Foreign countries are not permitted to have investigators look into crimes that occur in Thailand, as that would be considered a violation of the country's sovereignty, Police chief Pol General Somyot Pumpunmuang said yesterday. "