Thai police defend Koh Tao murders investigations

[FangFerang]

If there had been no human trafficking of Burmese as slaves, if there had been no unfair treatment of Burmese workers coming to Thailand, if there had been no history of police cover-ups, nor instances of "special people" getting "special treatment" --none of these questions would have become protests.

It's instant Karma, with fangs.

[Dumbastheycome]

If there were the chance I think the TVF Kangaroo Courtiers would provide a performance way in excess of the RTP ! Conjecture does not replace evidence. If it could there would never be convictions anywhere anytime.

Provide evidence in defense or <deleted> .

Ex Spurts of opinion are.........slow Drips!

Yeah...so I am guilty too !

[alfalfa19]

If there were the chance I think the TVF Kangaroo Courtiers would provide a performance way in excess of the RTP ! Conjecture does not replace evidence. If it could there would never be convictions anywhere anytime.

Provide evidence in defense or <deleted> .

Ex Spurts of opinion are.........slow Drips!

Yeah...so I am guilty too !

and aptly named as well!

[bangrak]

What did anyone expect else from the side of the ones holding ...the backhoe by the shaft?

Not to 'contaminate' the samples taken from the poor raped victim, maybe?

I'm so sad for the so many good people living here and for beautifull Thailand! What a disgrace!

[Dumbastheycome]

If there were the chance I think the TVF Kangaroo Courtiers would provide a performance way in excess of the RTP ! Conjecture does not replace evidence. If it could there would never be convictions anywhere anytime.

Provide evidence in defense or <deleted> .

Ex Spurts of opinion are.........slow Drips!

Yeah...so I am guilty too !

and aptly named as well!

Am happy to oblige your wit.

[bangrak]

If there had been no human trafficking of Burmese as slaves, if there had been no unfair treatment of Burmese workers coming to Thailand, if there had been no history of police cover-ups, nor instances of "special people" getting "special treatment" --none of these questions would have become protests.

It's instant Karma, with fangs.

I'm very sorry to have to fully agree with you!

...Except with your conclusion! 'Instant Karma', in your dreams! 'With fangs', toothless, NOTHING can touch these people, they're not above the Law, they ARE the Law (or rather just the anti-thesis of it)! 'To serve and protect' ...our own interests!

[Mudcrab]

Vicki Lawrence says it pretty well for those of a certain age

Seems I couldn't up load the video file....google Vicki Lawrence "that's the night the lights went out in Georgia"

Edited December 28, 2015 by Mudcrab

[Dumbastheycome]

Vicki Lawrence says it pretty well for those of a certain age

Seems I couldn't up load the video file....google Vicki Lawrence "that's the night the lights went out in Georgia"

And that reference reveals it can happen.....

[Broeno]

a butcher who inspect his own meat.

They make themself more ridiculus then they where already.

[peterb17]

They're quite correct, DNA doesn't lie, just their reporting of the DNA results, which is why the DNA suddenly was all used up so no independent testing could be carried out

The concept of the DNA sample 'being used up' does not really make sense to me.

A DNA sample can be obtained from a cigarette butt or a tiny drop of blood ( red blood cells do not contain DNA ) there may be a very few white blood cells which do have a nucleus.

The minute quantity of DNA is then amplified through a process called the polymerase chain reaction - a PCR machine is pretty standard equipment .

This gives sufficient DNA for the fingerprinting process - which actually looks at the difference in the molecule in gaps between genes- so called Jefferey's sequences .

A decent forensics lab should have taken time to ensure there was always a sample found at the crime scene left and kept for further analysis if required.

It all seems a bit convenient?

[Khun Riki]

Lies come from their mouths for ages. And you know what? They don't care your opinion.

[arrowsdawdle]

"We work based on the principle of transparency and fairness," he said.

He said the public could have confidence in Thailand's judicial process because there were effective check-and-balance mechanisms in the process.

"They could be made to accept the most flagrant violations of reality, because they never fully grasped the enormity of what was demanded of them, and were not sufficiently interested in public events to notice what was happening" .

George Orwell

Thais love vagueness. No definition to remember. They can talk and nod knowingly without fear of being challenged. This is how they gave birth to Thainess. And it is how they continue boasting the "green" mantra, not because of any ecological commitments, but because saying you are "green" is a smoke and mirrors means to a marketing end. You see how Thais bandy the word democracy around the same way, and the latest "let's pretend we are" is centering around transparency and fairness. In their minds, saying it is so makes it so. This is culturally understandable when criticism and demands for truth often result in defamation litigation or prison.

[arrowsdawdle]

When this item appeared in my mail box it showed up as "Thai Police defend koh tao murders."

Not yet, I thought, not yet, they can't be that brazen.

Then when I opened the item, I saw the complete headline, "Thai Police defend koh tao murders investigations."

Just to be clear - it the death sentence is carried out (formally or informally) and if the two Burmese are in fact innocent (after the botched court case, I have no idea about who the murderers are, but I have an even more diminished opinion of the RTP), then we are looking at four murders, not two.

I hope the appeals process is allowed to run its course, and that it inspires more confidence in its integrity than what we've seen in the police investigation and the court case so far.

After living in Samui for 9 years, I wouldn't believe a word of what the RTP say-- and certainly not a Judge!

Sorry, but the past history of saving face and covering up is too prominent in my memory.

There is no substitute for experience.

[MaxLee]

Lies come from their mouths for ages. And you know what? They don't care your opinion.

Yep, they just shut you down....

[gigman]

They need another 20 years of no corruption to make me to believe ....in such statement

[jing jing]

Ok, here is my take on the overall trajectory of events since the murders and initial discovery of the bodies:

Cops on the scene unable to resist posting grisly, sexually explicit photos of the victims on FB

First glimpse of the guiding principle used in identifying the "true" perpetrators of this crime: "a Thai person would never do something like this"

Initially, every attempt is made to find a "foreigner" suspect to arrest, but worldwide media attention makes this more difficult than usual, and those early "likely suspects" prove too unlikely even by RTP standards.

One of the RTP's more competent senior investigators, Colonel Panya Mamen, is given the unenviable task of solving this crime in a manner acceptable to an international audience.

Despite the rapid progress he is able to make in tracking down the perpetrators, whose identities are not a secret for very long, the investigation hits an insurmountable roadblock when it becomes evident who their families are and how far up the food chain their connections really go.

Plan B not having panned out, it's back to Plan A: find some Burmese laborers who were somewhere in the vicinity sometime that night. No need to look very far; helpful Uncle Mon knows a couple of his Burmese employees were around the bar just before the murders - maybe they could take the fall?

The deal is done, Thai style - arrangements are made by power brokers behind closed doors, the details of which may be speculated about forever but will never actually be known. At this point the "investigation" is over and the result of the "trial" is already a foregone conclusion.

Cheer up folks, because here's the good part: the door has been left open for face to be saved and still give the Burmese scapegoats a reprieve. Thai authorities have said all along, and are again reminding us, that the process is not over - there will be appeals.

Mark my words, there may yet be a measure of mercy shown - albeit exclusively as a result of the intense international backlash against the scapegoating of the Burmese.

probably all part of the plan, then we get to hear later how generous and kind someone is. total bs of course.

It seems that this is how the system works here.

Have you ever noticed how incredibly rare it is in Thailand that a "not guilty" verdict is rendered in the initial trial phase? Such a result would imply that the police and prosecutors had not done their jobs properly, thus causing an unacceptable loss of face.

This is simply not done here, particularly if the police or prosecutors involved are powerful enough to inflict dire consequences upon any lawyer or defense team who dares question the veracity of officialdom too strongly.

After all, the defense lawyers are Thai and hope to have good future prospects to continue practicing law in Thailand - not to mention their future prospects for continuing to be alive if they happen to implicate the wrong people.

As the case moves up through the appeals process, those judges who will have the discretion to overturn the original verdict are a step removed from the local sphere of influence which determined the initial results.

The further up the legal system a case goes, the less local influence can be wielded to sway the outcome. This is how "checks and balances" are expected to be implemented, Thai-style.

[aRobotnamedWAR]

all i see is a bunch of monkeys. all agreeing to something they were paid to agree with.

[Kiwisailor]

Shakespeare said it all http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=the+lady+doth+protest+too+much

[Alwyn]

They're quite correct, DNA doesn't lie, just their reporting of the DNA results, which is why the DNA suddenly was all used up so no independent testing could be carried out

The concept of the DNA sample 'being used up' does not really make sense to me.

A DNA sample can be obtained from a cigarette butt or a tiny drop of blood ( red blood cells do not contain DNA ) there may be a very few white blood cells which do have a nucleus.

The minute quantity of DNA is then amplified through a process called the polymerase chain reaction - a PCR machine is pretty standard equipment .

This gives sufficient DNA for the fingerprinting process - which actually looks at the difference in the molecule in gaps between genes- so called Jefferey's sequences .

A decent forensics lab should have taken time to ensure there was always a sample found at the crime scene left and kept for further analysis if required.

It all seems a bit convenient?

Exactly! It's all b*llox

[T_Dog]

The Koh Tao "anonymous" petition on change.org has one of the best summaries on the case I have seen yet. Already 107,000 signature, although it is confusing on what authority would have the clout to do the independent investigation.

Edited December 28, 2015 by T_Dog

[waldroj]

Already 107K signatures!

Looks like busy times ahead for the enforcers. As noted in another TV article (http://news.thaivisa.com/thailand/koh-tao-verdict-protests-stirred-up-thai-govt/126121/), Deputy Premier and Defence Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan revealed that he had already instructed soldiers and police to track people who spurred sentiment against the court verdict.

[rhythmworx]

You know how it works, time to move out if you're offended by Thai justice

Posting your disgust on a forum wont change the future.

Move to Colombia or somewhere

[jing jing]

You know how it works, time to move out if you're offended by Thai justice

Posting your disgust on a forum wont change the future.

Move to Colombia or somewhere

I do know how it works, and am well prepared to deal with it.

Personally I am more disgusted by those self-styled pundits who seem to have no comprehension of how it works, yet are prepared to enthusiastically endorse the execution of likely scapegoats.

[rhythmworx]

You know how it works, time to move out if you're offended by Thai justice

Posting your disgust on a forum wont change the future.

Move to Colombia or somewhere

I do know how it works, and am well prepared to deal with it.

Personally I am more disgusted by those self-styled pundits who seem to have no comprehension of how it works, yet are prepared to enthusiastically endorse the execution of likely scapegoats.

Yes I agree execution of likely scapegoats is wrong.

One thing I would like to ask though is, how would you deal with it if it was you on the end of the firing line so to speak?

[rhythmworx]

Would you get your lycra slingshot out and fight?

[Norvid 1950]

Are these statements are nothing more than apologies of police?

Maybe they want to believe what they say?

To me sounds like it.

[Emster23]

we may wonder who would have so much clout that this charade continues. I think it is result of gradual piling up of BS and face, that protecting local powers now has expanded to covering the whole system. They won't back down now. As Shakespeare wrote:

“I am in blood stepped in so far that should I wade no more, Returning were as tedious as go o’er,” (Macbeth:Act 3)

[Norvid 1950]

It sounds like police is trying to believe what they are saying. Strange ! Especially strange since most people can't believe and accept the verdict with so many mistakes and discrepancies police made during the time of investigation, that in the West the case will be through out of court in no time.

Maybe these are their own apologies for what is coming?

[jing jing]

You know how it works, time to move out if you're offended by Thai justice

Posting your disgust on a forum wont change the future.

Move to Colombia or somewhere

I do know how it works, and am well prepared to deal with it.

Personally I am more disgusted by those self-styled pundits who seem to have no comprehension of how it works, yet are prepared to enthusiastically endorse the execution of likely scapegoats.

Yes I agree execution of likely scapegoats is wrong.

One thing I would like to ask though is, how would you deal with it if it was you on the end of the firing line so to speak?

Once an individual who does not have "untouchable" status becomes caught up in the legal system here they are at the mercy of the powers that be. At the very least, one should expect to be bled dry financially. Alternatively, one may come to terms with what is meant by, "if you can't do the time, don't do the crime."

Realistically, it is highly unlikely that the BIB would select a relatively affluent westerner to pin a murder rap on, when there are so many easier targets available. Drug or other vice-related offenses, well... that's a different story.

[rhythmworx]

You know how it works, time to move out if you're offended by Thai justice

Posting your disgust on a forum wont change the future.

Move to Colombia or somewhere

I do know how it works, and am well prepared to deal with it.

Personally I am more disgusted by those self-styled pundits who seem to have no comprehension of how it works, yet are prepared to enthusiastically endorse the execution of likely scapegoats.

Yes I agree execution of likely scapegoats is wrong.

One thing I would like to ask though is, how would you deal with it if it was you on the end of the firing line so to speak?

Once an individual who does not have "untouchable" status becomes caught up in the legal system here they are at the mercy of the powers that be. At the very least, one should expect to be bled dry financially. Alternatively, one may come to terms with what is meant by, "if you can't do the time, don't do the crime."

Realistically, it is highly unlikely that the BIB would select a relatively affluent westerner to pin a murder rap on, when there are so many easier targets available. Drug or other vice-related offenses, well... that's a different story.

You never answered my question.

Are you untouchable?