Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo – innocent in the 'trial by social media'

[Jack Garbo]

Yes we all know about this now , but what is the meaning of the article ? That the "social media trial" was right ?

Those of us who know the game can guess who did it. Question: lmmediately after the rape & murders the former Kamnan's son disappeared. Never interviewed. Still not available. You work it out.

[JLCrab]

About post 89 to JLCrab - pink box wont let me reply to you.

I know that JL. I think they lied. I think they do know who did it. They should have told the truth. There is still time. Who was I last week? What does that mean?

I think that if they do in fact know who did it and have any direct knowledge of that fact, that they have received some very poor legal advice. BTW Welcome new member of only 3 days.

[gandalf12]

What happened to the UK coroner reports?

Didnt know there were any. The UK police were brought in just to observe

The death of any UK citizen, even on foreign soil still involves the UK coroner

It should do but not convinced it was in this case. From what I remember the UK Coroner received the report from Thailand. I could be wrong in that though but it is what I remember

[sidboy]

About post 89 to JLCrab - pink box wont let me reply to you.

I know that JL. I think they lied. I think they do know who did it. They should have told the truth. There is still time. Who was I last week? What does that mean?

I think that if they do in fact know who did it and have any direct knowledge of that fact, that they have received some very poor legal advice. BTW Welcome new member of only 3 days.

I agree. Poor legal advice indeed. Thanks for your welcome.

[frank83628]

Question for anyone who can give a reasonable answer without the smart comments. These guys, let's say they are guilty for arguments sake, have been given the death penalty. Thai's who commit murder I never hear of getting the death penalty. Maybe they do and it just isnt reported I dont know but the thing is the sentence looks very biased. If you get the death penalty for murder, and I have no complaints about tat, then every murderer should be executed, so what makes these guys so special?

Dead men can't talk.

Yes -- but they are alive now and they still haven't talked if they have anything to talk about.

Probably because they want to remain alive. And they want their families to remain alive. Maybe they are prepared to serve the sentences because they have much guilt about what they know and possibly saw but dare not speak of. Lucky escape for Maung Maung (if he's still alive that is).

yeah right.!

[Sooo Upto Me]

Slow news time in Samui? I can't think of any other reason why this article of reconstituted issues should be published at this time.

How can the people/person who did this terrible crime live with himself? He has two people in prison under the sentence of death for something they clearly did not do. He murdered two people for his own psychopathic desires and has caused endless pain, emotional and otherwise to many people. It is beyond me to countenance such mentality. It's about time the Thais fingered him and put an end to the misery that this has caused.

Haha don't make me laugh. Thais never admit to anything,an certainly not murder.

[JAYDOUBLEYOU]

Many, many aspects of this very sad case remain open to question…that is why the topic will always spark such a massive response on Thai

Visa, and any other forum.

Whatever views you have, the one certainty is that in ANY Western Justice system the jury would never have found the two Burmese guilty

…because there is a REASONABLE DOUBT.

The Thai system is as flawed as the investigation.

[sidboy]

Reports have said that David Miller 'fought for his life' and 'was involved in an intense struggle moments before his death'. Does it look like these two were on the receiving end of it? Face and arms most vulnerable body parts when fighting but no evidence here.

[harleyclarkey]

I saw the Channel 4 doc on this.

A Thai Forensic specialist for the defense has stated in the court that no DNA from either of the convicted was found on the hoe....the murder weapon. She also stated that no forensic specialist was present at the scene of the murders which as we all know as destroyed by the local cops and the island headman. He himself stated on camera that he was the very first person to arrive on the murder scene and the first to see the bodies. How convenient!

He was also clearly shown with the police within the taped of area and right on top of crucial evidence. He stated that it was right for him to be within the murder area as to help the police.

The doc also went into many more murders, all not properly investigated, on Koh Tao....including the French victim with his hands ties behind his back and "suicide" with a shoe lace. That was by the way loose around his neck.

The poor NZ girl who the police said died as a result of mixing antibiotics with an excess of alcohol. They did not carry out toxicology tests of any kind.

The man who was found dead in the sea after an accidental drowning. They say he fell from his bungalow at night. However he had no broken bones and there is a huge rock which would have broken his fall to the beach/water below.

There is something dark and dangerous on this island.....and the finger points to the village head and his son.

The chief policeman who initially investigated and stated there was evidence to suspect this head..... has been moved.

[wvavin]

How the authority is now staying low on this case because they could not come out with anything.

[BlindMagician]

What a crock of <deleted>.... This is not "trial by social media"

This is the public standing up against the completely and probably deliberate mis management of the crime scene and evidence... And the subsequent arrests...

The "evidence" should have been clear...why did they need to mess it up....?

Fingers and questions should be raised at those responsible in the Thai Police ... And heads should roll...!!!

The "evidence" should have been clear...why did they need to mess it up....?

And who says it isn't? Social media. People emotionally involved with large FB followings.

What turned my thinking around was the initial narrative, " Police planted evidence..." that then- after the verdict- became police messed with lab results ( and the police lab is ISO accredited - another lie put out that it wasn't)

So police planted DNA evidence, or otheriwse created a false chain and then either were incompetent or faked test results. Is that what you're arguing happened?

From the above Post #1: "No mention was made of what a great relief it was that two psychopathic killers were no longer on the loose, and the beaches of Koh Tao were once again safe to enjoy."

Since the two murders last September 2014 and the arrest of the 2 now convicted of those crimes, no one has fortunately similarly been bludgeoned to death and left on the beaches of Koh Tao. When that has ever been mentioned before on these pages, the response has generally been:

Those psychopathic killers still on the loose are clever and just biding their time.

Headslap. You really think that is evidence of their guilt?

Well every natural and accidental death since ( some completely fabricated even) has been used in attempts to exonerate them, so why not?

Why not? Well, because if blindingly simple and obviously logic. That's why not.

Face you in staring the.

[sweatalot]

And here we go again.

All said/written already countless times. Obviously, media cannot wait for for the appeal court proceedings or have nothing else to write about and before the ink gets dry just stir old stories back up again.

Anyway, one may ask oneself what the real status is and hence better take a look at this for example:

http://www.irrawaddy.com/burma/thai-court-sets-final-appeal-deadline-for-koh-tao-murder-case.html

If social media rules this planet mankind will be doomed for sure.

you screwed it up

I guess you wanted to say " If Thai police and Thai justice rules this planet, mankind will be doomed for sure"

[sweatalot]

Slow news time in Samui? I can't think of any other reason why this article of reconstituted issues should be published at this time.

Oh, I can think of many reasons.

The main reason is that the matter is not closed because the main suspects have not been properly investigated and no real proof of the guilt of Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo has been demonstrated.

The case can not be closed until the real perps have been found guilty with evidence beyond reasonable doubt of their crime and really got their just punishment

Until then articles ... like this need to show up again and again

[sweatalot]

Seem the crackdown on influential people has been highly selective.

... or is not finished yet

(I like to be optimistic)

[sweatalot]

The key is the fact that the police/prosecution have never been able to produce the "original" DNA samples that they claim match B2, the prosecution did offer up some already processed samples which for verification purposes are useless because there is no way to tell where they came from, they could in fact be processed samples of the B2's saliva, the defence rightly refused to accept these for retest

The original claimed DNA samples would/should have been huge in quantity - massive by DNA standards and yet they no longer exist.

These original samples would have been bagged and tagged from the crime scene and the autopsy and yet they cannot be produced. There is something fundamentally wrong with that no matter how you look at it.

A quick Google search shows that the DNA evidence was finally presented to the defense after the 'all used up' controversy. Yet when it was available they declined to test.

... some DNA , that could have been easily manipulated was presented from a source that has been found lying many times

[sweatalot]

The real killers will never be charged. The evidence has been so corrupted, the truth has forever disappeared into the national sinkhole of lies and cowardice.

I prefer to stay optimistic - even if they will never be charged - their karma will get them - and I hope we all shall witness this

[atyclb]

By Ian Yarwood, Solicitor, Aussie Lawyer SOME INSIGHTS INTO THE MURDERS OF TWO BRITISH BACKPACKERS ON THE THAI ISLAND OF KOH TAO

http://thailandjustice.com/insights-into-the-murders-of-british-backpackers-on-koh-tao/

snippet

in my opinion, and with the greatest of respect to the Court, the so-called “DNA evidence” should have been ruled as inadmissible. The police and prosecutor had none of the alleged original mixed DNA samples that they said were recovered from Hannah’s body. In the circumstances, all the “results” flowing from such samples could not be verified or tested by the defence team. It matters not that the prosecutor says that he had “amplified” DNA as one cannot be sure of the original source. It would be easy for the police to simply compare the DNA taken from cheek swabs of the defendants then compare it with other amplified DNA that was sourced from cheek swabs taken from the defendants. That will ensure a “match” but it won’t be a match of the defendants to any original mixed semen samples.

[DiscoDan]

Nice propaganda piece by Suzanne Buchanan of Samui times, No real facts just the way the truthers like it.

But what do you expect from someone who has got themselves to emotionally involved

[DiscoDan]

By Ian Yarwood, Solicitor, Aussie Lawyer SOME INSIGHTS INTO THE MURDERS OF TWO BRITISH BACKPACKERS ON THE THAI ISLAND OF KOH TAO

http://thailandjustice.com/insights-into-the-murders-of-british-backpackers-on-koh-tao/

snippet

in my opinion, and with the greatest of respect to the Court, the so-called “DNA evidence” should have been ruled as inadmissible. The police and prosecutor had none of the alleged original mixed DNA samples that they said were recovered from Hannah’s body. In the circumstances, all the “results” flowing from such samples could not be verified or tested by the defence team. It matters not that the prosecutor says that he had “amplified” DNA as one cannot be sure of the original source. It would be easy for the police to simply compare the DNA taken from cheek swabs of the defendants then compare it with other amplified DNA that was sourced from cheek swabs taken from the defendants. That will ensure a “match” but it won’t be a match of the defendents to any original mixed semen samples.5

This was written by a PROPERTY lawyer from Perth who did not attend any of the court sittings, the defense was offered to retest DNA from the victim and they declined. and they never used the above reason as excuse either.

[montrii]

What a pile of garbage. All these same issues all over again.

Like lack of witnesses... Does the author truly believe that there would be witnesses to the murder hanging around that cove in the middle of the night? It's almost as if the author wasn't familiar with the case at all and just read some conspiracy Facebook pages.

This response angers me. I hate "conspiracy theories" in general, am a true skeptic. But to write something like this is to say you yourself have not followed the case. Or maybe you're not familiar with the kind of "sweeping under the rug" that is the absolute norm here. But I have more than 50 years' experience in Thailand, and I am convinced the police case stinks to high heaven and low hell. I'm 99% sure these poor cats are getting railroaded and are likely to lose their lives, very likely to protect someone who has pockets deep enough to deflect blame from the true culprit. I suggest that this poster is actually the one unfamiliar with the case.

[AleG]

Slow news time in Samui? I can't think of any other reason why this article of reconstituted issues should be published at this time.

The author of the article is planning to release a book about the case, so one reason would be to prime the market.

[AleG]

Decisions handed down by the court of social media are non binding.....for a lot of reasons.

Chiefly among them the strange fruit they can bear.

[sidboy]

Slow news time in Samui? I can't think of any other reason why this article of reconstituted issues should be published at this time.

The author of the article is planning to release a book about the case, so one reason would be to prime the market.

Really? Could you give us a link to that info please AG?

[Jonmarleesco]

Let's hope justice prevails and these guys are released!

That would be half-prevailed. What would be helpful would be the British government - and a few others, given this is a tourism issue, with the same dangers awaiting other visitors to Koh Tao - applying some less-than-subtle pressure. It would undoubtedly produce the desired result. But I doubt it'll happen.

[mikiea]

Yes we all know about this now , but what is the meaning of the article ? That the "social media trial" was right ?

when someone tries to explain to you what you already know to be the truth , what is the purpose i ask ? this is just inconsequential babble . will not change anything . if the author is serious , well start a movement . or target oversea's people with said babble , they may find it interesting or not .

[TheLobster]

Slow news time in Samui? I can't think of any other reason why this article of reconstituted issues should be published at this time.

The author of the article is planning to release a book about the case, so one reason would be to prime the market.

I have heard one or two whispers also that there is a plan for a book but have been told it is about what seems to be a miscarriage of justice and a belief that the actual killers are still at large.

[sidboy]

Who got rid of the clothing on the beach before official photos were taken? A light coloured pair of jeans is on the rocks on one of the photos in the leading article here. A dark pair of jeans features on the sand in other unofficial photos of the crime scene on the web. Official photo of clothes found at beach showed one pair of cream shorts, pair of trainers, underwear (male and female), pink flip flops, purse, and tee shirt. Two pairs of jeans it seems vanished. Who would want them out of the way, who had access and why? Someone left the beach while police were there carrying articles of clothing they didn't want found. Wouldn't think there were any Burmese traipsing over the crime scene stuffing them up their shirts in a bid to protect the two Burmese men! Why hasn't this been bought up by the defence?

[JLCrab]

Why? -- maybe because the trial is over and this is now in Appeals mode for which it states:

The Thai Criminal Procedure Code Section 193: An appeal on questions of fact and questions of

law shall lie to the Appeals Court against any judgement or order of a Court of First Instance ...

An Appeal is not a new trial.

[captspectre]

Thai authorities might want to ask themselves how they will look if/when these guys are shown to be innocent or another perpetrator is found......and they have executed them.......little bit too final considering the amount of debatable content surrounding this case

in a word, the thai authorities will not give a tinkers dam what people think as long as gullible, ignorant charlie tuna type tourist keep going there! this type of crime happens every tourist season.

[bhatmasterson]

I wiĺl add my 2 cents again. They got the right 2. No mafia...just 2 dirtbags and they got caught. The british police got involved and no way would they not have said something if they knew these 2 were innocent! Stop already and execute them and be finished.

There should be a red button next to the green one which says "Don't like this".