Lawyers for two Myanmar nationals accused of murdering a pair of British tourists in Thailand yesterday said they have “deep concerns” that they will be unable to independently review forensic evidence before the trial starts.
Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Tun have pleaded not guilty to the murder of 24-year-old David Miller and the rape and murder of Hannah Witheridge, 23, on the Thai island of Koh Tao in September last year.
The pair’s defense team has long voiced concerns over the quality of the Thai police investigation, claiming the crime scene was contaminated and that their clients were tortured into confessing.
In April, a court on nearby Koh Samui approved the defense’s request to independently analyze the evidence against their clients, including DNA and physical evidence at the crime scene, such as blood stains and a shirt.
However, the lead lawyer on the defense said his team had been told by the court that they would only find out whether they can access the evidence on Monday next week — the first day of the trial.
“The defense lawyers urgently need both crucial information gained from the re-examination of forensics evidence in this case and also adequate time to consider this information prior to the trial beginning. I am now deeply concerned at this developing situation,” defense attorney Nakhon Chomphuchat said in a statement released yesterday.
“Forensic evidence is central to this case. Without reexamination of this evidence ... the ability of the two defendants to defend themselves against the serious crimes they are charged [with] will be seriously impeded,” he added.
The court was unreachable over the weekend.
The defendants, both aged 22, confessed to the crimes after their arrest in October last year, but later retracted the admission of guilt, alleging it had been extracted under duress.
Rights groups have accused Thai authorities of using the men as scapegoats.
However, both police and prosecutors have defended their investigation and insist that the forensic evidence is solid. The victims’ families have also said they have seen strong evidence against the suspects and expressed confidence in the case after British detectives traveled to Thailand to observe the investigation.
Miller and Witheridge’s corpses were discovered on a Koh Tao beach on Sept. 15 last year. Police said both had been bludgeoned to death, while Witheridge’s body showed signs of sexual abuse.
The accused, who have been in custody on Koh Samui since October, face several charges, including murder, rape and robbery.
The murders further damaged Thailand’s image as a tourist haven after months of political protests followed by an army coup in May last year.
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese