Regional News
Murder Trial of British Backpackers to Commences this Week in Koh Samui
SURAT THANI – The trial of Burmese migrant workers Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo accused of killing British tourists Hannah Witheridge and David Miller on Koh Tao island last September is to start this week.
The high-profile case has thrown the spotlight on Thailand’s legal failings and distressed the grieving families.
The criminal trial of Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo will begin on Wednesday at a court on the nearby and larger island of Koh Samui and is expected to end on 25 September. A verdict is expected in October.
The legal team representing the 22-year-old bar and restaurant workers is made up of pro-bono lawyers and human rights activists who accuse Thai police of improperly collecting evidence at the crime scene, intimidation and abuse of witnesses and suspects, and not sharing key forensic evidence with the defense, a move they say seriously impedes a fair trial.
Thai police have denied any wrongdoing, continue reading click here