GUILTY Thailand - David Miller, 24, & Hannah Witheridge, 23, Koh Tao, 15 Sep 2014

[CoverMeCagney]

The DNA from two different men was found on Hannah, and one of the men's DNA was also found on the cigarette along with Hannah's DNA (so as you said, I just wanted to clarify Hannah's DNA was the second of the two found DNA sets found on the cigarette).

So how do they know about the third person, the one who watched?!

 

[sar2them1984]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...r-admits-British-murders-Thailand-police.html

Breaking news: not sure what to make of this

 

[zwiebel]

Richard Barrow (@RichardBarrow) tweeted at 1:44pm - 2 Oct 14:

Police Commissioner Somyos will hold an urgent press conference tomorrow on Koh Tao after Myanmar worker “confessed” to killing two Brits. (https://twitter.com/RichardBarrow/status/517641286002548736)

 

[zwiebel]

Richard Barrow (@RichardBarrow) tweeted at 1:52pm - 2 Oct 14:

Of course, the so-called “confession” by the Burmese migrant worker isn’t worth much alone. They need to do proper DNA testing too. (https://twitter.com/RichardBarrow/status/517643357187620864)

 

[zwiebel]

http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/09/30/thailand-britain-murder-idINKCN0HP08T20140930


"Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul said she had approached hotels over the idea of handing out wristbands to help identify tourists that get lost or into trouble.

"When tourists check-in to a hotel they will be given a wristband with a serial number that matches their I.D. and shows the contact details of the resort they are staying in so that if they're out partying late and, for example, get drunk or lost, they can be easily assisted," Kobkarn told Reuters.

"The next step would be some sort of electronic tracking device but this has not yet been discussed in detail."

Somebody needs to point out to him there was no problem with finding and identifying the tourists in this case. They were laying there right on the Thai beach, hacked to death. And anyone who knew and loved them was given a chance to identify them before they even knew they were dead. Thanks to emergency workers being allowed to post photos of the naked, dead victims on Facebook.

I have no faith that Thai authorities can or will find the real killer, or are able to ensure the safety of visitors to their country at all. And the continued suggestions that the victims are somehow to blame are supremely offensive. Exactly how would wearing a bracelet tag have prevented Hannah being raped and killed? Is this really the best the government of Thailand can come up with to prevent and solve murders in their country?

1: Don't wear a bikini
2: Wear an identity bracelet

 

[zwiebel]

Sorry, my copy and paste is going funny again (bug-ridden ipad update). But Richard Barrow's tweets are interesting at the moment.

https://mobile.twitter.com/RichardBarrow/tweets

 

[mikkismom]

Thai police: 2 men admit killing British tourists

http:///news/world/2014/10/02/thai-police-2-men-admit-killing-british-tourists-n1899851

 

[jellybeanz]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...r-admits-British-murders-Thailand-police.html

Breaking news: not sure what to make of this

From the above link "Two other Burmese - who police said they believe to be accomplices - are denying any knowledge of the killings, but are still being interrogated in the city of Surat Thani, the closest mainland metropolis to the central Gulf Coast islands."

I really feel for these guys, especially the one that has 'confessed', most likely after severe beatings.

I am 100% sure they have all been made scapegoats here.

Sickening.

 

[Elainera]

Scapegoats is what I think too.

 

[jellybeanz]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-29461757

An inquest opened in Norwich earlier this week heard Ms Witheridge, from Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, died on the beach from "severe head injuries".

The brief hearing was told the student from the University of Essex had been identified using DNA samples taken from her parents and Thai authorities had requested the pathologist's report.

A full inquest will take place on 6 January.

From the above article, I do hope the Brits aren't taking any of this BS from the Thais and have been conducting their own wee investigation for full transparency.

Sentencing scapegoats to 'solve' this case is not justice for David and Hannah, it is absurd and an affront to their beautiful young lives.

RIP Hannah and David.

 

[dotr]

It would be surprising if the Burmese workers were in fact guilty of the crime, hoping that DNA is being treated honestly and accurately, imo.
rbbm.
http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/10/02/thailand-britain-murder-idINKCN0HR1SQ20141002

"Jaktip said the man who had confessed was being detained but had not been arrested.

"We still have to wait for DNA tests results which we expect to have in 14 hours from now in order to confirm this," he said."

 

[gia2]

So how do they know about the third person, the one who watched?!

I don't know, I've been wondering about that myself. From very early on in the investigation the police suggested there was a third attacker, but none of the evidence we've been told about seems to support that theory.

For a while the police seemed to pay a lot of attention to footprints. I did read an article which mentioned there being footprints in a garden from which the hoe was thought to have been taken. It was only mentioned in passing though. Perhaps these footprints go from the garden to the crime scene or seem to 'walk' with the footprints of the other two attackers. This is all speculation on my part though and I've not read anything that has stated this.

Some people have suggested that in one of the released CCTV recordings of the running man suspected perp there appears to be two other people following the suspect, who we never see walk completely into the shot. Again, speculation but I'll try and find out more on this.


Nothing seems to add up in this investigation. Everything we think we know just adds more confusion!

 

[rosesfromangels]

It's unlikely migrant workers would have condoms. It was probably the young british mans if anything.

 

[gia2]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-29470965

Thailand's police commissioner said DNA samples taken from Ms Witheridge's body matched those of two Burmese men who are in police custody.

 

[LolaAngelina]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-29470965

Thailand's police commissioner said DNA samples taken from Ms Witheridge's body matched those of two Burmese men who are in police custody.

Hmm, they got that DNA back pretty quick

 

[gia2]

Hmm, they got that DNA back pretty quick

I can't see any other news site reporting about the DNA match. I wonder if they've made a mistake or perhaps are the first to know :/

 

[gia2]

http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/three-migrant-workers-confess-rape-murder-british-tourists/
This article is a very informative read. It states that the 3 men arrested have all now confessed to involvement in the crime. The report discusses how the suspects link to the evidence/details we know about (the 3 men playing guitar, the cigarette, blond hair etc).

 

[gia2]

A few days ago I read (on a Thai news website) that a man claimed to have been badly beaten by the police who wanted him to confess to the killings. I can't find them now for some reason, I wondered if anyone had links to any?

It's hard to take confessions seriously after reading those reports. It sounds like the police were just going to beat people until someone confessed, knowing someone eventually would.

I really hope that the police have the real killers, but its so hard to have any confidence at this point!

 

[zwiebel]

BBC Radio Reporter at the island just said a public re-enactment with suspects has been carried out on the beach, with Thailand's top police chief drafted in to 'host' it. And authorities have firmly stated there is a DNA match.

Shrug. Maybe. I'd much prefer if DNA samples from the suspects could be sent to England, for forensic teams there to try and match with any samples obtained from Hannah's body.

 

[zwiebel]

The suspect was questioned for five hours with press - for the first time in this case - banned from taking photos in the investigation centre.

Within hours of the confession, Thailand's tourism minister announced that tourism would now improve. (It accounts for 10% of Thailand's GDP, by the way).

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/cri...uspects-confess-dna-matches-police-chief-says