Thai beach murders case ‘rigged against suspects’

The families of two Burmese workers accused of the murder of two British tourists in Thailand have insisted they are innocent and claimed the case against them has been “rigged”.

Court proceedings began this week against 21-year-old bar workers Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun, who are accused of murdering David Miller, 24, and Hannah Witheridge, 23, on the island of Koh Tao last month.

Mr Miller, from Jersey, died from drowning and a blow to the head, and Miss Witheridge, from Great Yarmouth, died from head wounds.

The families of the accused men have said they believe they did not commit the crime. Lin’s mother told the BBC: “The case has been rigged against my son.”

Htun’s mother said the ordeal has left her suicidal, telling her son: “You know how much I love you. Tell them the truth — you’re not guilty.”

Thailand’s military ruler General Prayuth Chan-ocha yesterday rejected a British offer of help in the police investigation.

During a meeting between Thai diplomat Nadhavathna Krishnamra and Foreign Office minister Hugo Swire this week, concerns were raised about how the investigation had been handled, including Thai police speaking freely to the media.

Amnesty International has called on the Thai authorities to launch an independent investigation into claims that police tortured the suspects.

The human rights group cited a lawyer from the Burmese embassy’s legal team, who met the suspects, as saying that one of them “alleged police beat and threatened him with electrocution”.