Myanmar migrants Win Zaw Htun, right, and Zaw Lin, left, both 22, arrive at court in Koh Samui on Thursday.
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KOH SAMUI, Thailand (AP) – A Thai court on Thursday sentenced two Myanmar migrants to death for the murder of two British backpackers on a resort island a year ago, in a case that raised questions about police competence and the treatment of migrant workers in Thailand.
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The battered bodies of Miss Witheridge, 23, and David Miller, 24, from Jersey, were discovered on the idyllic holiday island of Koh Tao on September 15 past year.
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Human Rights Watch referred to as the verdict “profoundly disturbing”, citing the defendants’ accusations of cops officers torture in that have been by no means investigated & questionable DNA proof linking them to the crime.
The prosecution did not present photographs of the crime scene, autopsy or DNA analysis processes and there was a lack of evidence on forensic laboratory procedures, they said.
The pair were grim faced as the verdict was read out while the mother of one of them cried from the gallery as the sentence was passed.
The men were arrested on October 2 after a high-profile police probe, which saw authorities come under intense pressure to solve a case that shocked the Thai public.
Miller was struck by a single blow and left to drown in shallow surf while Witheridge was raped and then bludgeoned to death with a garden hoe.
“We believe the result today represents justice for David and Hannah”, Michael Miller said outside court. That will live with us forever.
“It will be named the “Hannah Witheridge Award for Clinical Excellence”. David always stood up for justice and justice is what has been delivered today”, he said in a statement on behalf of his family.
Mr Miller’s family said he would be remembered as a “hard-working, bright and conscientious man”.
Mr Hall said they were prepared to go all the way to the Supreme Court with an appeal to protect the men from the death penalty – which could take up to five years.
Speaking before the verdicts were announced, Andy Hall, an global affairs adviser with the Migrant Worker Rights Network (MWRN) which has represented the defendants said the two suspects felt “confident” about the hearing.
BREAKING: Two Myanmar Men Convicted of Koh Tao Murders and Rape.
“We believe the correct verdict has been reached”, the statement said.
The pair denied killing the tourists, with defence lawyers accusing Thai police of bungling their investigation and using the migrants as scapegoats. An expert witness testified that the hoe contained DNA from two males, but not the suspects.
After about a week of the crime police arrested the two Burmese migrant workers, Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Tu, who were working in the hospitality industry on the island.
Defense lawyer Nakhon Chompuchat said an appeal would be filed within a month.
The ruling caused outrage in Myanmar and dozens of police were deployed to guard the Thai embassy in Yangon amid calls on social media for a protest.
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According to the Thai Corrections Department there are 456 prisoners on death row in Thailand and the last execution was carried out in 2009.
