Tourists murdered on Koh Tao

[Jack Sprat]

Bristolian...An interesting article from the Telegraph indeed.....
Quote....
Following the arrests last Friday, PBS, Thailand’s state-run broadcaster, claimed that Mark Kent, the British ambassador in Bangkok, had praised how the country’s police had “shown exemplary professionalism as a crime fighting unit” in solving the case.

Mr Kent denied having made those comments on Monday and they were subsequently deleted from the PBS website without explanation.....Unquote.

I wonder why the British are not demanding an independent inquiry, since there seems to be so much discrepancy of the facts in this sad case.
Maybe a petition should be started to achieve this end?

[margaretcarnes]

backed by properly conducted DNA analysis

And there lies the problem.

Never a truer word spoken.....

[Bristolian]

Bristolian...An interesting article from the Telegraph indeed.....
Quote....
Following the arrests last Friday, PBS, Thailand’s state-run broadcaster, claimed that Mark Kent, the British ambassador in Bangkok, had praised how the country’s police had “shown exemplary professionalism as a crime fighting unit” in solving the case.

Mr Kent denied having made those comments on Monday and they were subsequently deleted from the PBS website without explanation.....Unquote.

I wonder why the British are not demanding an independent inquiry, since there seems to be so much discrepancy of the facts in this sad case.
Maybe a petition should be started to achieve this end?

There is an online petition for an independent investigation. There are already in excess of 47,000 signatures, many are concerned Thai citizens
http://www.change.org/p/the-government- ... e_petition

[Bristolian]

Andrew Drummond
http://www.andrew-drummond.com/2014/10/ ... -up-i.html

Thai police case against the alleged killers of two British backpackers in Thailand was dealt another devastating blow today after their key witness said he had no knowledge of the murder – even though he too was beaten by Thai police.

Ko Maung Maung’s statement throws another spanner in the works of the Thai policed investigation which has been ridiculed worldwide.

British Ambassador Mark Kent has declined to comment on the investigation. It seems likely that defence lawyers will seek help from British police to secure a new test of the DNA of the killers.

My thoughts are that this is going to get a lot messier and is not going to go away, there is simply too much international interest and pressure.
The police have said that they would have been quicker to find the suspects if it had not been for social media. They were not referring to forums such as this but more specifically a Facebook page that is being used by Thai amateur sleuths to compare evidence, video, photos and police statements that have become all too easily available on the internet.

Comment on one of AD’s reports

“There is a facebook page called CSI LA community which is run by Thais. They are going over this case with every piece of evidence being looked at. I saw it on the Thai news and the authorities know their every move is being looked at and they're not happy about it. Young social media savvy Thai youngsters are very suspicious of what has been happening in this case. They even translate important posts so Farangs can follow them”

[Nereus]

Hmm, get this lady offside and they had better watch out! If what she is saying is correct, in any western country the case against the boys would never get to court.

Porntip rips Koh Tao investigation

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/crime/4 ... estigation

Thailand’s most-respected forensics specialist cast doubts on the police investigation into the death of two British backpackers on Koh Tao Thursday, saying investigators erred when they neglected to involve a forensic pathologist.

Khunying Porntip Rojanasunan, director-general of the Central Institute of Forensic Science, told the Manager news agency that police did not understand the investigation in the bludgeoning death of Hannah...

[lomuamart]

I think she's the lady who has consistently put a spanner in the works of numerous high level police cases including the initial police findings after the Canadian shootings in Pai a few years ago.
If that's the case, then maybe......?

[Khundon1975]

"Pornthip was a vocal supporter of the GT200 "bomb-detector," a device that has since been called fraudulent by the US government.[5] She said she had used the device to "detect" explosives and dead bodies in several high-profile investigations."

I think this from WIKI, if true, would make me doubt her forensic credentials.

[GLCQuantum]

I've been thinking recently (yes, sometimes I do hurt myself) that... What if the guys they've got in custody now ARE actually the right guys and, people, including myself, questioning this may ultimately be part of getting some murderers off the hook?

Thankfully I realised that, be them the right guys or the wrong guys, it's all down to the police's piss poor handling of the case from the very first minute, as to why people are questioning everything they've come up with. That and their horrible, well deserved reputation.

These culprits that they have will be the last attributed to this case, so it's either them or no one at all that's charged for this crime.

If only the post mortem and subsequent findings could have been conducted by a respected professional and a team of first world investigators, then none of this needed to happen.

[HHTel]

She earned a degree in forensic anthropology in Washington. Then a degree in forensic pathology at the same place.
She pioneered the use of DNA to solve crime in Thailand, where many criminals were convicted on the basis of allegedly coerced confessions.

She was arrested in 2009...... It beggars belief. The authorities are uncomfortable with her honesty.

According to police, Dr Pornthip stated in a 2004 interview for Channel News Asia that “everyone must die sometime.” The statement was made in response to a question about how she felt about the importance of her job as a forensic investigator.

However, police believe that, if applied to sensitive topics, the statement might cause panic and disorder among the Thai public, which could threaten national security.

“To simply state that everyone must die is a malicious and unpatriotic attack on sacred institutions,” said a police spokesperson.

It appears that she is well respected in her field in many western countries.

The fact is that she is an embarrassment to the so-called authorities here. She will be taken note of around the world so whatever she says can have a massive effect.

I've heard her many times in interviews both here and abroad. IMO she does know her stuff and is not afraid to speak out. (Mind you, not sure about her fashion!)

[Jack Sprat]

Bristolian......many thanks for pointing out the petition that is currently running.
Everyone, like myself, on this forum should sign it.

http://www.change.org/p/the-government- ... e_petition

[Bristolian]

Here we go….
Is there a playbook that these guys work with?

http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.ph ... 1412859323

Prison Chief Fears Koh Tao Suspects May Commit Suicide
SURAT THANI — The two Burmese men who were accused of murdering two British tourists in southern Thailand last month are being monitored to prevent possible suicide attempts, says the director of the prison where they are being held.

"I have instructed other inmates to monitor the two Burmese men. I am afraid they may commit suicide, because they show signs of stress," said Chanin Liangsuwan, chief of Koh Samui District Prison. "They may be feeling guilty for the crime they have done."

According to Chanin, the two suspects are being held in a general holding cell with other inmates, but he stressed that wardens are doing their best to keep the suspects under watch

"They are a special case because they are charged with a serious crime, which carries a high penalty," Witthaya said. "Even the food they eat has to be checked thoroughly to prevent any incident. I also want officials to set up CCTVs and guards to monitor their safety when they sleep.

[Bristolian]

http://thainews.prd.go.th/centerweb/new ... 0100010015
SURAT THANI, 10 October 2014 (NNT)

The Office of the Attorney-General Region 8 is reviewing the case of the murder case of two British tourists on Koh Tao after Surat Thani prosecutors rejected the police report on it. Citing the case's high profile, prosecutors told the police the report was flawed and needed to be fortified with more relevant information.

The southern Office of the Attorney-General is today sending police a list of flaws in the report and is requesting more information on specifics of the investigation. More testimonials and statements from the case need to be submitted to prosecutors within the next 7 days before a final review of the case can begin, said the Office.

Human rights organizations have also been urging Thai authorities to initiate an independent, effective and transparent investigation into allegations of torture and other ill-treatment of suspects by police

[Nereus]

I am afraid they may commit suicide, because they show signs of stress," said Chanin Liangsuwan, chief of Koh Samui District Prison. "They may be feeling guilty for the crime they have done."

If reported correctly, this is exactly the sort of logic that hangs innocent suspects!
The suspects have not been proven to have done anything: they have not even been charged yet!
Just maybe they are "stressed" because of being reportedly beaten up, and do not understand just what is happening. Idiots!

[Big Boy]

True? Or jumping on the Band Wagon?

Thailand beach death: Parents convinced son murdered – and his killing covered up to protect tourism

Source: Mirror

[richard]

So now it's time to go backwards

Further doubts have emerged about the police investigation into the murder of two British backpackers in Thailand, after a Burmese official said the two migrant workers arrested for the crime had now retracted the confessions that were “beaten out of them”.

Source...The Guardian
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/o ... on-retract