KOH TAO MURDERS – CONFESSIONS WITHDRAWN TORTURE COMPLAINTS CONFIRMED

INTERPRETER WAS A PANCAKE SALESMEN WHO TOOK VICTIM’S CASH – AND NOW THAI POLICE CASE RESTS ON ‘SUSPECT’ DNA.

Thai police tell Win Zaw Htub and Zaw Lin to wai and ask forgiveness

Following the complete retraction of the confessions of their suspects and detailed reports of torture under interrogation assisted by a translator whose real job was selling banana and Nutella pancakes, the Royal Thai Police were left last night with uncorroborated DNA to bring to trial two migrant workers for the backpacker murders on Koh Tao.


Win Zaw Thun and Zaw Lin today emphatically denied being involved in the murders of Hannah Witheridge, 23, and David Miller, during a five hour visit, said human rights lawyer Rassada Manurassada

“The suspects said they did not do the crime they were accused of. This is very important.” 

“The suspects said they were beaten during the police interrogation. The interpreter kicked them in the chest”. 

In fact the interpreter used by police turned out to be a local roti seller of Bangladeshi descent and was not always intelligible.

Apart from allegedly beating the two suspects, the interpreter also extorted money from Win, Rassada told the Khao Sod newspaper.

“The interpreter told Win that his personal money could be confiscated, so he asked Win to give him the money – a total of 4,300 baht -and promised to send it to the suspect’s parents in Myanmar,” Rassada said. “We will investigate whether that money has really been transferred to Win’s relatives.

The parents of Win are due to fly into Bangkok tomorrow.

It is understood the two young Burmese want to present evidence of an alibi.

This leaves Thai police with what can be only regarded as ‘untrustworthy’ DNA profiles which they say match the young Burmese.

But according to Dr. Pornthip Rojanasunan ,Thailand’s Chief Forensic Pathologist, the Royal Thai Police did not employ an independent forensic pathologist from the start. That left the police able to do what they want.

“It is essential the work of the forensic pathologist is independent from the police.”

What this means is that even the original sperm DNA allegedly taken from Hannah may be unreliable.
If that is the case then the only other authority which could have the DNA of the killer is the Norfolk Coroner’s Officer.  A post mortem has been carried out in the UK.

From the CSI LA Facebook page tonight – what purports to be confession in Thai

In that case the Thai Police would not especially welcome British detectives due next week to examine a case they consider to be closed.

COMMENT: That could pose a problem for diplomatic relations. If for instance the National Human Rights Commission asked to see them they could decline seeking diplomatic immunity etc. But Britain is now a strong advocate of human rights, something the current Ambassador H.E. Mark Kent is quick to spell out. The NHCR could easily extend its brief. Or will the British police delegation just quietly come and quietly go?