Koh Tao murder suspects retract confessions: 'interpreter assaulted us'

[webfact]

Interpreter assaulted us, say Koh Tao suspects
Suwannee Bandisak,
Phumpetch Roumjit
The Nation


File Photo

Lawyers' council agrees to assist Myanmar men accused of murders

BANGKOK: -- TWO MEN from Myanmar accused of killing two British tourists on Koh Tao last month yesterday denied the charge and insisted they were assaulted during a police interrogation. They said this to three representatives from the Lawyers' Council of Thailand during a lengthy prison visit.

Thanu Akekachote said the suspects alleged they were assaulted by an interpreter while being questioned by the police. The lawyer declined to give details of the methods of the physical abuse used, and did not provide details about the police unit involved in this particular session.

Offer of assistance

The suspects also asked for the council to represent them, and Thanu said it had agreed to assist them. The council will now be their legal representative after a court-appointed lawyer recently withdrew.

Thanu and two other lawyers met with the suspects for a six-hour visit, which began at 10am.

He said the suspects wished to lodge complaints - that they did not have full legal representation after being detained - with public prosecutors.

The Lawyers' Council team reportedly asked Koh Samui prison to allow the two suspects to have X-rays taken after reports that one of them had a bruise on his chest. Thanu did not give details on this, or whether the X-rays would be done.

Earlier, British Ambassador Mark Kent met with Amara Pongsapich, a National Human Rights Commission member. She later quoted Kent as saying he welcomed the NHRC's participation in the murder probe as a third party independent from the Thai police.

She said detectives from Britain would arrive in Thailand next week, and would take part in the murder probe merely as observers. Details about how the Thai and British police will work together would be later decided.

A police spokeswoman said police from New Scotland Yard had yet to contact Thai police about how or when their detectives would start "work" with them. Pol Lt-Colonel Chanchai Rattanaphanich said all details on the case including crime-scene investigation had been readied for them.

An official at Koh Samui prison said the two suspects had been given special care, including inspection of their food and extra security during their detention.

The case prosecutors said the indictment would probably be filed against the pair by this week if there were no legal flaws found in the police investigation report, according to Thawatchai Siangjaew, director-general of the Office of Regional Public Prosecution in Region 8.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Interpreter-assaulted-us-say-Koh-Tao-suspects-30246007.html


-- The Nation 2014-10-22

[webfact]

Koh Tao Murder Suspects Retract Confessions, Describe Torture
By Khaosod English


The 2 suspects were forced to "re-enact" their crime for police on 3 Oct 2014.

SURAT THANI — The two Burmese men accused of murdering a pair of British tourists in southern Thailand last month say they are innocent and were forced to confess under duress, their lawyer said today.

Rassada Manurassada, a human rights lawyer, visited the suspects in prison today to question them about their alleged role in the brutal murder of David Miller, 24, and rape and murder of Hannah Witheridge, 23, on the island of Koh Tao on 15 September.

According to Rassada, after five hours of questioning the two suspects said they were innocent.

"The suspects said they did not do the crime they were accused of," Rassada told Khaosod upon leaving the prison. "This is very important."

Thai police have insisted that the two suspects, named Win Saw Htun and Saw Lin, voluntarily confessed to killing the two tourists and raping Witheridge. They also say DNA traces found on Witheridge's body implicate the pair.

However, according to Rassada, the 21-year-old migrant workers only confessed because they were abused during the police interrogation, for which no lawyer was present.

"The suspects said they were beaten during the police interrogation. The interpreter kicked them in the chest," Rassada said, adding that the interpreter was of different ethnicity than the suspects and spoke a different dialect, leading to some confusion during the translation.

The "interpreter" initially used by police turned out to be a local food vendor of Rohingya descent, not a professional.

Full story: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.php?newsid=1413896452&typecate=06&section=

-- Khaosod English 2014-10-22

[tullynagardy]

Lies! This was a perfect police investigation and you farrangs just need time to understand.

Happiness in the Kingdom now sits at 120% and corruption has been eradicated.

Love live the Generalissimo

[terryp]

about time a high profile case like this got into the international media .... showing what the RTP truly are (on a side Immigration also need to be thoroughly investigated from their corrupt practices to the ignorant manner they conduct their daily paper shuffles....they also take and assist in the persecution of migrant workers)

Thailand Karma LOL...well over due

[Fred Flinstone]

Execute these men and your tourism industry will not recover next year -

Catch the real killers and apologise - Hold a ceremony for the Dead and televise it and publicly beg forgiveness -

You would be forgiven .

Tourism will bounce back.

You have a choice between , Loss of face - and enormous money lost - reputation destroyed- Thailand damaged badly

[daveAustin]

Guessing the police were hoping they'd commit suicide in prison, or at least wished for a fast-track trial. Tough on them and I hope it all comes out and destroys careers and KT tourism (until it's thoroughly cleansed).

I see Mr Kent's name mentioned again. Why? And why is he still ambassador even?

I bet the British bobbies are relishing working with the Thai police. I hope they are familiar with this place as it'll be easy to run them around if not. They'd be better off being chaperoned by the army. RTP should take a backseat or, better still, get out of the car!

[englishoak]

Earlier, British Ambassador Mark Kent met with Amara Pongsapich, a National Human Rights Commission member. She later quoted Kent as saying he welcomed the NHRC's participation in the murder probe as a third party independent from the Thai police.

She said detectives from Britain would arrive in Thailand next week, and would take part in the murder probe merely as observers. Details about how the Thai and British police will work together would be later decided.

A police spokeswoman said police from New Scotland Yard had yet to contact Thai police about how or when their detectives would start "work" with them. Pol Lt-Colonel Chanchai Rattanaphanich said all details on the case including crime-scene investigation had been readied for them.

Whos the spokesman for who again ?

[NongKhaiKid]

The so called interpreter potentially has a lot of answers as to how the ' confessions ' etc were obtained so let's hope he can be made available for any court hearings and just doesn't just ' disappear '. There are a couple on possible interpretations of this so I'll leave to members to decide as they see fit.

Incidentally BBC World Television is covering the story that the suspects have retracted their confessions etc.

[Somtamnication]

"A police spokeswoman said police from New Scotland Yard had yet to contact Thai police about how or when their detectives would start "work" with them. Pol Lt-Colonel Chanchai Rattanaphanich said all details on the case including crime-scene investigation had been readied for them."

Can't wait for the UK bobbies to read the Engrishee translation of those thousands of pages. They will go nuts reading "two peoples has killd two peoples". "kon burma very maidee and run with from away bodys" and the ever incredible "DNA of two kon burma maidee bad have on them and on bidys of two peoples and all police peoples love uk peoples and wes too".

[jaltsc]

"The two Burmese men accused of murdering a pair of British tourists in southern Thailand last month say they are innocent and were forced to confess under duress..."

C'mon...If you can't believe the police, who can you believe in Thailand?

Have I gone deaf? This is the longest moment of silence I have ever experienced in my life.

[northernjohn]

[Robby nz]

So now they have proper legal representation, an interpreter they can understand and trust and without the cops leaning over their shoulders things have changed somewhat.

Can see why it was so important for the witnesses, including the interpreter, to give early evidence as they may want to leave the country.

The prosecutor wants more evidence.

Then there was the court appointed lawyer who got out, a little to hot for him, save his skin while he still has it.

And the plod will arrive next week "To observe" can just see them sitting quietly looking on without asking questions, yea right.

A closer look at the DNA evidence would be the next step.

[SteveFong]

DNA has likely been faked, and destroyed as this would implicate the police tampering.

Expect the two boys to be released soon and the real sweating on Kho Tai to begin,

They have one week to let the kids go

[bkkgooner]

Let the evidence speak for itself I say, I have no doubt they have been assaulted in police custody but I do worry sometimes about people rushing to conclusions about their complete lack of involvement in the crime.

The DNA evidence is the key to the whole case and getting it checked again is going to be the decisive factor

Isn't the interpreter just some local pancake seller?

[SteveFong]

Let the evidence speak for itself I say, I have no doubt they have been assaulted in police custody but I do worry sometimes about people rushing to conclusions about their complete lack of involvement in the crime.

The DNA evidence is the key to the whole case and getting it checked again is going to be the decisive factor

Isn't the interpreter just some local pancake seller?

the so called interpreter may be floating down river as we speak, as he is now a liability

[kurnell]

Perhaps the RTP buffoons would have had an outside chance of the world believing them if they hadn't chosen 2 scapegoats that look like 13 year old kids.

[Thai at Heart]

Guessing the police were hoping they'd commit suicide in prison, or at least wished for a fast-track trial. Tough on them and I hope it all comes out and destroys careers and KT tourism (until it's thoroughly cleansed).

I see Mr Kent's name mentioned again. Why? And why is he still ambassador even?

I bet the British bobbies are relishing working with the Thai police. I hope they are familiar with this place as it'll be easy to run them around if not. They'd be better off being chaperoned by the army. RTP should take a backseat or, better still, get out of the car!

Stop believing that the embassy never does anything .

They have quite cleverly managed to get access for thr British police without annoying anyone in thailand. They have made their statements about the problems with the case quite firmly and diplomatically.

What would you like them to do? Send in thr SAS?

[ABCer]

First Interrogation.

Than Confession.

Than a public show - re-enactment.

Than claim of torture and retraction of Confession.

Sloppy job. Give them a couple more days in interrogation.

Than a retraction of a Retraction will take place.

2014 - 1984 = 30 years of RND in Public Show Orchestration. I call this Progress.

[arithai12]

Stop believing that the embassy never does anything .

They have quite cleverly managed to get access for thr British police without annoying anyone in thailand. They have made their statements about the problems with the case quite firmly and diplomatically.

What would you like them to do? Send in thr SAS?

Not my country nor my business, but wasn't the "access" granted only after the General met with Cameron in UK,

without any involvment of the UK embassy?

[Suriya4]

The interpreter did it. The rape, the murder, the beating. Now he disappear.

[SteveFong]

Stop believing that the embassy never does anything .

They have quite cleverly managed to get access for thr British police without annoying anyone in thailand. They have made their statements about the problems with the case quite firmly and diplomatically.

What would you like them to do? Send in thr SAS?

Not my country nor my business, but wasn't the "access" granted only after the General met with Cameron in UK,

without any involvment of the UK embassy?

They didn't "meet"

the Thai PM was summoned

[shawndoc]

Has more come out on the DNA testing? I remember originally they said it was sent to Singapore for the analysis. The reason I ask, is that means some of the original DNA might still be in the Singapore lab outside of the BIBs reach, that would give a true sample to test against.

[6NS]

The fact it was the interpreter that beat the phony confession out of them allows the police to regain there face,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, it wasn't them!!!

The police need a way to release the scape-goats before the British police show up.

[bangkokheat]

i cannot imagine (and i do have a great imagination) the RTP pulling the wool over these outside investigators

[Tanlic]

Maybe I missed something but yesterday it was reported they got a slap in the face without a mention of a kick in the chest so tomorrow are we to be told the blue and the red were attched to their lower regions?

[Tatsujin]

Guessing the police were hoping they'd commit suicide in prison, or at least wished for a fast-track trial. Tough on them and I hope it all comes out and destroys careers and KT tourism (until it's thoroughly cleansed).

I see Mr Kent's name mentioned again. Why? And why is he still ambassador even?

I bet the British bobbies are relishing working with the Thai police. I hope they are familiar with this place as it'll be easy to run them around if not. They'd be better off being chaperoned by the army. RTP should take a backseat or, better still, get out of the car!

Stop believing that the embassy never does anything .

They have quite cleverly managed to get access for thr British police without annoying anyone in thailand. They have made their statements about the problems with the case quite firmly and diplomatically.

What would you like them to do? Send in thr SAS?

The British Embassy and/or Mark Kent are next to useless and have done very little other than mouthing a few platitudes.

The British Police were allowed to be involved only AFTER the Thai PM met Cameron, that had nothing to do with Mark Kent or the British Embassy.

Quite honestly, the UK Govt and Embassies need to stop pussyfooting around and being so diplomatic that they achieve next to nothing. A little more forcefulness would be good to see occasionally. A little more give and take instead of the current just taking things (mostly) lying down in fear of upsetting the "host" nation.

[catweazle]

And the shit finally has hit the fan - for the RTP !!!

Let's hope that this cesspit full of corrupt brown crooks will be stirred up properly and that heads will roll accordingly.

[Franky Bear]

Guessing the police were hoping they'd commit suicide in prison, or at least wished for a fast-track trial. Tough on them and I hope it all comes out and destroys careers and KT tourism (until it's thoroughly cleansed).

I see Mr Kent's name mentioned again. Why? And why is he still ambassador even?

I bet the British bobbies are relishing working with the Thai police. I hope they are familiar with this place as it'll be easy to run them around if not. They'd be better off being chaperoned by the army. RTP should take a backseat or, better still, get out of the car!

Stop believing that the embassy never does anything .

They have quite cleverly managed to get access for thr British police without annoying anyone in thailand. They have made their statements about the problems with the case quite firmly and diplomatically.

What would you like them to do? Send in thr SAS?

The British Embassy and/or Mark Kent are next to useless and have done very little other than mouthing a few platitudes.

The British Police were allowed to be involved only AFTER the Thai PM met Cameron, that had nothing to do with Mark Kent or the British Embassy.

Quite honestly, the UK Govt and Embassies need to stop pussyfooting around and being so diplomatic that they achieve next to nothing. A little more forcefulness would be good to see occasionally. A little more give and take instead of the current just taking things (mostly) lying down in fear of upsetting the "host" nation.

Cameron wouldn't have got involved with out consulting Kent first

[SteveFong]

Maybe I missed something but yesterday it was reported they got a slap in the face without a mention of a kick in the chest so tomorrow are we to be told the blue and the red were attched to their lower regions?

it was reported that they stood on the chest of one of the witnesses and possibly the now suspect victims as well,

the report of the interpreter kicking them in the chest is new

it is possible one of them has a broken rib

[alfalfa19]

I bet the RTP are considering bumping off the visiting UK detectives, as that is how they like to make problems disappear. Doubtful it would work in this case, however.