the 2 guys from burma

[Smiles]

Ollie, if there was ever a member on this and other boards who rightfully deserves personal abuse, it is you. And for you, just you, I'll be quite happy to oblige.

[Gaybutton]

the Burmese victims

What makes you so sure they are innocent? The families of the murder victims were there for the entire trial - with translators - and they saw and heard all the evidence. They are convinced the two boys are guilty. I can't believe the families would accept seeing the wrong people convicted while the criminals who actually committed the crime get away with it.

[arsenal]

Gaybutton: I think you're quite wrong with your assertion that families of murder victims are only interested in the right people being convicted. My belief is that they simply want a conviction. It's the only way they can move forward. Recent British history has had a whole spate of convictions overturned and the families are rarely, if ever magnanimous towards those who have been found innocent often giving interviews to the fact they still believe the by now proved innocent person did it.

[billyhouston]

The families of the murder victims were there for the entire trial - with translators - and they saw and heard all the evidence.

I think that should read "One of the families......"

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...er-victim.html

At least one Grauniad reader on this board will not read the article because it appears in the Daily Telegraph!

[Gaybutton]

My belief is that they simply want a conviction.

I hope that's wrong. Maybe there's something psychological that I don't understand, but if it were me, I would want to be damned sure that the people who really committed the crime are the ones convicted and punished for it.

In any case, no matter what the reason might be that the families believe these two boys committed the crime, that doesn't mean those boys are innocent. I don't know whether they're innocent or guilty, but I'm not going to be among those convinced these boys are merely scapegoat victims of some sinister plot to at least convict somebody, regardless of whether they're really the ones who committed the crime or not.

[arsenal]

It;s worth pointing out that UK police were involved in the aftermath of the arrest. And UK police are actually pretty fucking tippy top.

[billyhouston]

I, too, have insufficient information to draw any conclusion about the guilt, or otherwise, of the two Burmese. What I do know is that Pornthip Rojanasumand was unimpressed by the Thai Police's investigation and that it's all too easy to pin the blame on migrants. After all, Thais wouldn't do that sort of thing, would they?

[Oliver]

You have to be pretty gullible not to be aware of the way minorities tend to be "the usual suspects" when crimes are investigated., particularly And frequently they are young and ignorant of their rights, particularly in the crucial first few moments of arrest.
And it's not just in Thailand. Hence Black Lives Matter. And in the case of the Hares boys.

https://haresboys.wordpress.com/the-story/

[fountainhall]

I do not understand how one can state without doubt that these two were guilty. We all know how many times the BIB have extracted confessions that were later rescinded. In this case, the DNA evidence was also shot to pieces by none other than Thailand's best-known forensic scientist! Yet the judges ruled that the DNA evidence conformed to international standards! When that evidence has been described as "worthless", how can anyone have any faith in the judgement?

[Gaybutton]

You have to be pretty gullible not to be aware of the way minorities tend to be "the usual suspects" when crimes are investigated.

Be that as it may, it has nothing to do with whether these boys killed those two tourists. While they might be oppressed minorities, it doesn't mean they didn't commit the crime. What are you trying to say? The police say they did. The court says they did. The families of the tourists say they did. But they are minorities. Therefore they didn't.

I hope in the end it turns out they were wrongly convicted and will be released. But if they didn't do it, isn't anyone as curious as I am about who did?