Injustice echoes from all sides two years after Koh Tao murders

[webfact]

Injustice echoes from all sides two years after Koh Tao murders

By Teeranai Charuvastra, Staff Reporter -

 

A memorial for David Miller, 24, and Hannah Witheridge, 23, as seen on Koh Tao on Sept.18, 2014.

 

BANGKOK — One night, two years ago tomorrow, Zaw Lin and his friend Wai Phyo were playing guitar and drinking beer on a beach. Today they are locked up in Thailand’s most notorious prison for a crime they say they didn’t commit.

 

“I miss home. Too much. Sometimes I [go] crazy,” Zaw Lin, 22, said Monday during visiting hours at Bang Kwang Central Prison on Monday. “If I killed anyone, I stay here. Why am I here? I think about that all the time.”

 

Full story: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/crimecourtscalamity/2016/09/14/injustice-echos-sides-two-years-koh-tao-murders/

 

-- © Copyright Khaosod English 2016-09-14

[kingalfred]

If the family of the deceased believe or have been convinced the Burmese pair are the guilty then it's hard to see where it goes!


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[JAG]

13 minutes ago, kingalfred said:

If the family of the deceased believe or have been convinced the Burmese pair are the guilty then it's hard to see where it goes!


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

Lots of others have been following this business more closely than I have.

 

The victims families, may believe that the Burmese lads are guilty, that belief should not mean a conviction.  A conviction should need firm proof. I am not aware of any such proof. But I think you're right,  it won't go anywhere,  but because there are too many influential figures ( with money) involved. 

Edited September 14, 2016 by JAG

[drbamboo]

Justice for the family and for the innocents. Find the real murder/s ...... so easy 

[catman20]

i went on holiday to kho Tao over a year ago it seems to be common

 knowledge among the locals that these 2 poor lads are not guilty.

[robblok]

25 minutes ago, JAG said:

Lots of others have been following this business more closely than I have.

 

The victims families, may believe that the Burmese lads are guilty, that belief should not mean a conviction.  A conviction should need firm proof. I am not aware of any such proof. But I think you're right,  it won't go anywhere,  but because there are too many influential figures ( with money) involved. 

IMHO the family has had access to far more information then anyone here on the forum and also has far more at stake.. so I kinda trust their judgement. The family has had information from the UK police and other info.

 

Anyway like you I have not followed this closely but I would certainly think that the family had a lot at stake here and would have had far more information and would know more then most .. if not all.. on this forum.

 

Just because we have not seen it does not mean its not there.

[Colabamumbai]

14 minutes ago, drbamboo said:

Justice for the family and for the innocents. Find the real murder/s ...... so easy 

In Thailand there is only "injustice".

[hellstens]

It depend who is the murderer, I think many know, but not dares to talk about it! 

Money controls as usual!

 

 

[drbamboo]

in Thailand you can kill what-whoever by car or using any other instruments freely, if your bank account is fat enough.... that is too bad 

Edited September 14, 2016 by drbamboo

[Toscano]

In the same justice system , had they been Thai they would have been executed by now .  The Thai police have been accused of incompetence , the waters have been muddied !

The accused look like two innocent babes that couldn't possibly have committed such a horrendous crime .  I still believe they did it ; having consumed a fair bit of alcohol while working in the bar ; it doesn't take too much to get orientals really drunk .

[Artisi]

23 minutes ago, catman20 said:

i went on holiday to kho Tao over a year ago it seems to be common

 knowledge among the locals that these 2 poor lads are not guilty.

Anyone with only half a brain already knows that they have been set-up.

[smedly]

50 minutes ago, kingalfred said:

If the family of the deceased believe or have been convinced the Burmese pair are the guilty then it's hard to see where it goes!


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

the families are split actually and neither are equipped to make a judgement on the technicalities of legal process, as I have repeated many times - it all comes down to the inability of the prosecution to produce the original samples of DNA for verification and based on that there is no physical (produced) evidence linking the two accused to the crime, the police claim tests were a match but without the actual evidence it is nothing more than that - a claim, and therefore hearsay, the conviction was based on physical DNA evidence that was never produced to the court, lets no go there again as it has been done over and over

[Artisi]

16 minutes ago, drbamboo said:

in Thailand you can kill what-whoever by car or using any other instruments freely, if your bank account is fat enough.... that is too bad 

And the fatter it is and the way it is dispersed it,  the more you can stay clear of the law and do what ever you want.

[Brer Fox]

Just to remind people of the initial direction of the investigation.

 

http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/one-tourist-murder-suspect-now-arrested-another-run/

 

Then immediately after that a complete change in the direction of the investigation.

Like the old saying "he who pays the piper calls the tune".

[madmitch]

8 minutes ago, Toscano said:

In the same justice system , had they been Thai they would have been executed by now . 

Why do you say that? I don't think anyone on death row has been executed this decade.

[bluebluewater]

Koh Tao used to be my favorite island in Thailand.   I will never go there again.

[phuketandsee]

1 hour ago, kingalfred said:

If the family of the deceased believe or have been convinced the Burmese pair are the guilty then it's hard to see where it goes!


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

 

Only David's family believe the verdict. Hannah's most definitely do not.

[DM07]

35 minutes ago, robblok said:

IMHO the family has had access to far more information then anyone here on the forum and also has far more at stake.. so I kinda trust their judgement. The family has had information from the UK police and other info.

 

Anyway like you I have not followed this closely but I would certainly think that the family had a lot at stake here and would have had far more information and would know more then most .. if not all.. on this forum.

 

Just because we have not seen it does not mean its not there.

First: it is ONE family that has swallowed the explanation by courts and RTP, hook, line and sinker!

Second, I really get aggressive, when I hear this BS- argument!

They have seen more than the public has?

And why is that?

One of the most high profile cases, that gaines international interest...IF there was anything, that the families have seen, that is so much more convincing than anything that was published so far...wouldn't it be in the interest of ALL (RTP, courts, public, even the families of the victims...all 4 of them!), that this overwhelming evidence would be made available?

There was not hing more, than the muppet show, we all followed!

And that is the end of it!

A travesty, a perversion of justice and a very, very sad joke!

[fxe1200]

58 minutes ago, hellstens said:

It depend who is the murderer, I think many know, but not dares to talk about it! 

Money controls as usual!

 

 

 

Why was Panja Mamen removed from the investigation, at a time when the culprits are known?

 

http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/one-tourist-murder-suspect-now-arrested-another-run/

Edited September 14, 2016 by fxe1200

[NextStationBangkok]

Sad thing is, the real culprit is still free and enjoying due to the high level connection.

 

This is one of the eye opener for Thai society that anyone have money and connection, never gone to jail.

 

Hope UK will press the charges, and two innocent Burmese victims are freed.

[teacherpaul]

56 minutes ago, robblok said:

IMHO the family has had access to far more information then anyone here on the forum and also has far more at stake.. so I kinda trust their judgement. The family has had information from the UK police and other info.

 

Anyway like you I have not followed this closely but I would certainly think that the family had a lot at stake here and would have had far more information and would know more then most .. if not all.. on this forum.

 

Just because we have not seen it does not mean its not there.

If the victims' family believe the Burmese men are guilty, then they have been conned. Ask yourself this question - who is in a better position to judge; locals on the island who know what really goes on, or the jetlagged victims' family who have no knowledge of Thailand or its corrupt systems? Not rocket science, is it.

 

1 hour ago, JAG said:

Lots of others have been following this business more closely than I have.

 

The victims families, may believe that the Burmese lads are guilty, that belief should not mean a conviction.  A conviction should need firm proof. I am not aware of any such proof. But I think you're right,  it won't go anywhere,  but because there are too many influential figures ( with money) involved. 

 

[z42]

An absolute and utter disgrace from start to finish. As if the wanton slaughter of 2 innocent travellers wasn't bad enough, the fitting up and railroading of 2 wholly innocent young lads has compounded the issue and shown the justice system to be an institution that is rotten to its core and at every conceivable level.

The worst part is that injustices like this are continuing to happen here. So pathetic, sad, and unjust

[scorecard]

50 minutes ago, Toscano said:

In the same justice system , had they been Thai they would have been executed by now .  The Thai police have been accused of incompetence , the waters have been muddied !

The accused look like two innocent babes that couldn't possibly have committed such a horrendous crime .  I still believe they did it ; having consumed a fair bit of alcohol while working in the bar ; it doesn't take too much to get orientals really drunk .

 

Unless you can share proof of this then it's just your wild and unsubstantiated assumption they drank a fair bit of alcohol while working in the bar?

 

Do you also assume their employer would allow staff to get drunk every night when they should be doing the background work that keeps the place operating for the paying customers? 

 

It's rather doubtful these two your Burmese workers would have the funds to drink all night on the night in question or any night (my assumption). 

 

"it doesn't take too much to get orientals really drunk." Again an assumption, a blanket assumption. 

 

On the other hand would the customers or the bar owner be paying for their drinks? I suggest that's very doubtful (again my assumption).

 

I just wonder if this is another wild assumption that seems to have been a hallmark of this sad situation. 

 

Edited September 14, 2016 by scorecard

[gandalf12]

The Thai justice system will only become credible when money is not an issue. I think that a great number of years will pass before that happens

[DM07]

18 minutes ago, NextStationBangkok said:

Sad thing is, the real culprit is still free and enjoying due to the high level connection.

 

This is one of the eye opener for Thai society that anyone have money and connection, never gone to jail.

 

Hope UK will press the charges, and two innocent Burmese victims are freed.

But didn't you read?

Nom Sod and his family have to live with all these unfounded accusations every single day...while roaming the island and the country freely!

This is sure a much harsher fate than being locked up in a prison for 2 years and counting!

[robblok]

8 minutes ago, DM07 said:

First: it is ONE family that has swallowed the explanation by courts and RTP, hook, line and sinker!

Second, I really get aggressive, when I hear this BS- argument!

They have seen more than the public has?

And why is that?

One of the most high profile cases, that gaines international interest...IF there was anything, that the families have seen, that is so much more convincing than anything that was published so far...wouldn't it be in the interest of ALL (RTP, courts, public, even the families of the victims...all 4 of them!), that this overwhelming evidence would be made available?

There was not hing more, than the muppet show, we all followed!

And that is the end of it!

A travesty, a perversion of justice and a very, very sad joke!

 

The family has had talks with the English cops that were investigating, they were also informed by the cops. 

 

Anyway you got your opinion and I got mine. 

[DM07]

2 minutes ago, robblok said:

 

The family has had talks with the English cops that were investigating, they were also informed by the cops. 

 

Anyway you got your opinion and I got mine. 

Investigating?

I hope you are not talking about the smoke-and-mirror-show, including the 7 day holiday for some police men who were expressively not allowed to investigate ANYTHING!?

[ddavidovsky]

Seems like most people here wouldn't be happy unless the perpetrator was someone linked to the local power network.
Seems like the Burmese are considered innocent simply because they are Burmese and therefore the usual suspects.

In other words seems like the objections are mainly based on prejudice against the authorities.

If there were other suspects who had been let off I might understand it, but no one is naming alternate suspects. It's all supposition.

Possibly the Burmese didn't do it. But am I the only one requiring more than prejudicial feelings to prove it?

 

Btw,  perhaps just to show some prejudice of my own, I think this case has got so much attention mainly because the two victims are beautiful people. If two slovenly blokes were killed it would quickly have been forgotten.

[sweatalot]

1 hour ago, robblok said:

IMHO the family has had access to far more information then anyone here on the forum and also has far more at stake.. so I kinda trust their judgement. The family has had information from the UK police and other info.

 

Anyway like you I have not followed this closely but I would certainly think that the family had a lot at stake here and would have had far more information and would know more then most .. if not all.. on this forum.

 

Just because we have not seen it does not mean its not there.

So if there is information that shows the guilt of the two Burmese - why is it not public?

 

If this "information" which would mean evidence were available - Thailand, the island mafia and the court would happily make it known to everybody.

 

I believe

The family has had access to a lot of persuasion and fairy tails , may be also money or threats

Edited September 14, 2016 by sweatalot

[BuckBee]

How many illegal workers are still working AC Bar.

Any charges made on AC Owners/Employers employment crimes !!!

Can only hope people will make right choices & koh tao poor trade brings out the truth.

Way way more to events than we will ever know unless people start talking .

Being thailand chances of these guys getting off even if produced a HD video of real event is unlikely :-/

Very sad & made every thai id holder at every level look like scum .