Myanmar Lads Found Guilty and Sentenced To Death

[Doug]

[img]This is a travesty of justice and a huge black mark on Thailand's reputation.
I don't know if the boys are innocent or guilty but I do know that the bungling of the case by the police and the prosecution does not support a guilty beyond reasonable doubt verdict.
The case should be declared "No verdict and the lads should be released, deported and blacklisted.
For me this is the final nail in the coffin. Since 1989 I have been holidaying and/or living in Thailand. Not anymore.
I have already booked my next adventure to Equador in March.

[bruce_nyc]

They don't have injustices in Equador?

[homeseeker]

According to a relative of one of the victims who followed the trial closely and who was :

' standing outside court shortly after the verdict Mr Miller's brother Michael said justice had "been delivered", and described the evidence against Lin and Phyo as "absolutely overwhelming".'

-So whilst you OP do not know if they are guilty or not, Thailand like other countries have Judges and Juries to make these decision.

[Up2U]

Thailand has no juries; you are not judged by your equals, there was a panel of three judges. The judges accepted the supposed DNA evidence and did not believe the credible evidence of a forced confession. http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-35170419

[arsenal]

One cannot put forward the opinion of an (understandably) grief stricken relative as evidence of guilt or otherwise. The whole case is murky.

[Oliver]

Worse then murky. You can sympathise with the bereaved families without condoning the behaviour of one of them-a young guy- outside the court-room. His confident assertion that the evidence was overwhelming was, to me, unwise. I'd be amazed if he was able to follow the case, or understand the defence unless- amazingly- he is fluent in Thai.
By the way, a report in today's Guardian suggests that our beloved government- I should say after Cameron's sickening Christmas message- our "Christian" government, co-operated with Thailand's famously prejudiced prosecution services to ensure a conviction. This is in defiance of their own policies regarding states that employ capital punishment.

[bruce_nyc]

This just turned..... from a double tragedy..... into a quadruple tragedy.

From a double murder of innocents..... into a quadruple murder of innocents.

[zinzone]

This just turned..... from a double tragedy..... into a quadruple tragedy.

From a double murder of innocents..... into a quadruple murder of innocents.


-What a load of crap spoken here. These "lads" are really murderers and anyone who has strong feelings otherwise and believes they are wrongly convicted should therefore be true to their beliefs and either boycott coming to Thailand or just leave immediately.

[Brad the Impala]

-What a load of crap spoken here. These "lads" are really murderers and anyone who has strong feelings otherwise and believes they are wrongly convicted should therefore be true to their beliefs and either boycott coming to Thailand or just leave immediately.

If you are suggesting that people should never travel to a country in whose legal system one does not have complete faith........that does rather limit holiday destinations. I'd prefer to keep my opinions, and my holiday destinations.

[bruce_nyc]

Exactly. Can anyone name one single country whose legal system they have complete and absolute faith in. I doubt it. I sure can't.

And what does that issue have to do with holiday travel destinations. It's a huge stretch to tie those two things together. It's not like they're rounding up tourists at random..... ( yet ). ( if you don't count the tourist password raids )

[scottish-guy]

...If you are suggesting that people should never travel to a country in whose legal system one does not have complete faith........that does rather limit holiday destinations...

Im my case it even precludes staying home, as the British justice system (often put forward as a shining example) has been shown over many years to be corrupt, inept, and completely unreliable. I could reel off a whole list of high profile convictions and judgements in the UK which were later rescinded (including historical judicial executions where there was no way back).

The fact is no legal system is foolproof, and "justice" is simply a matter of opinion.

The young man who gave the interview came across as simply seeking revenge rather than justice. In this case I rather suspect ANY accused person/s would have served the purpose, and he would have considered ANY evidence (which he almost certainly didn't fully understand) to be "overwhelming". I did not follow the case closely myself, so I can't comment further on the specifics - but I do not find it credible that he even understood the evidence and procedures never mind being qualified to endorse the trial.

I anticipate that there will be the usual right-wing reactionaries on this forum who regard wrongful convictions and even judicial executions as "unfortunate" and just something we have to live with. I would respond by saying that they would soon be changing their tune if it happened to themselves, a member of their family, or a loved one.

Yes, there are also instances where guilty people walk free - but how much better that ten guilty men walk free than one innocent man is wrongfully executed.

[bruce_nyc]

Very well said. I completely agree with everything you just said.

[Doug]

I find something unsettling about the victim's brother's statement. I believe the statement was given within minutes of the verdict. It was read from a piece of paper. How could this be done unless he had prior information of the verdict? If influential money is being splashed around, could some have fallen to the victims' families.
BTW the girl's family has stated that they will make a statement after the have studied the verdict.

[bruce_nyc]

Easy. His attorney prepared 2 statements in advance. One for each possible outcome. This is common in high profile cases.

[Up2U]

Hundreds Protest Outside Thai Embassy over Koh Tao Verdict
By LAWI WENG, SAW YAN NAING & MOE MYINT / THE IRRAWADDY| Friday, December 25, 2015 |
RANGOON тАФ Hundreds of people gathered outside the Thai Embassy in Rangoon on Friday to protest the sentencing of two Burmese migrant workers to death for the 2014 murder of two British backpackers on a Thai resort island.

On Thursday, Koh Samui court found Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo guilty of the murder of David Miller and the rape and murder of Hannah Witheridge on Koh Tao in September last year, a verdict defense lawyers have vowed to appeal.

The handling of the high-profile case by Thai police has drawn significant controversy, with the accused pair alleging they were tortured into a confession and the defense team contending key evidence was mishandled.

Protesters, including Buddhist monks, congregated outside the Thai Embassy in Rangoon from around 10.30 am, with numbers swelling over the next few hours.

Police erected barbed wire barricades on Thursday ahead of a smaller demonstration and on Friday, the road in front of the embassy was blocked where protesters gathered with placards and chants demanding justice.

One protester told security police, тАЬLet us get in front of the embassy. We will not do anything bad. We just want to kneel down and ask the Thai king to release our men.тАЭ.... (read more )....http://www.irrawaddy.com/burma/hundreds ... rdict.html (http://www.irrawaddy.com/burma/hundreds-protest-outside-thai-embassy-over-koh-tao-verdict.html)

[Up2U]

Statement from the Hannah Witheridge family.....http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.ph ... 1450938246 (http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.php?newsid=1450938246)

[Up2U]

Sun Dec 27, 2015
Thai police defend probe into British tourists' murder after hundreds protest.
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai police on Sunday defended their investigation into the 2014 murder of two British tourists after a court sentenced two men from Myanmar to death for the killings, prompting protests in Myanmar and Thailand.

Hundreds called for the release of migrant workers Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun in protests over the weekend outside the Thai Embassy in Yangon, Myanmar's biggest city, and in towns around Thailand...... (read more)...http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN0UA04P20151227

[goji]

I suppose it's better & more convenient for the reputation of Thailand if those found guilty happen to be from abroad.