May Thein, the mother of Win Zaw Htun, one of two Myanmar workers accused of killing British tourists, cries as she leaves after hearing the verdict at the Koh Samui provincial court in Koh Samui Dec. 24.
KOH SAMUI, THAILAND (Reuters) -- A Thai court sentenced two Myanmar migrant workers to death on Thursday after convicting them of the 2014 murders of two young British tourists on a holiday island in a case mired in controversy and a dispute over DNA testing.
The battered bodies of backpackers Hannah Witheridge and David Miller were found on a beach on the island of Koh Tao in September 2014. Police said Witheridge, 23, had been raped and bludgeoned to death and Miller, 24, suffered blows to his head.
Following pressure to solve the case, police arrested Myanmar migrant workers Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Tun and said the two had confessed to the crimes. Both later retracted their confessions, saying they had been made under duress.
The brutality of the murders dented Thailand's image as a happy-go-lucky holiday paradise and raised serious questions about its treatment of migrant workers.
The verdicts on Samui island, close to Koh Tao, follow an investigation that triggered allegations of police incompetence, mishandling of evidence and DNA tests and torture of the suspects.
Thursday's 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. About 10 people stood outside the building holding placards demanding their release.
Myanmar Facebook user Myo Phont described the outcome as "entirely predictable".
"Poor boys - wrong time, wrong place ...the Burmese are the scapegoats as usual."
A Facebook user named Thiri posted: "Is it real? What the hell? DNA doesn't match and still death sentence?"
As is customary in Thailand, where trials have no jury, a judge delivered the ruling and said DNA tests were carried out to acceptable standards and samples found on Witheridge's body matched that of the defendants. The judge also said the claim of police torture carried no weight.
The battered bodies of backpackers Hannah Witheridge and David Miller were found on a beach on the island of Koh Tao in September 2014. Police said Witheridge, 23, had been raped and bludgeoned to death and Miller, 24, suffered blows to his head.
Following pressure to solve the case, police arrested Myanmar migrant workers Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Tun and said the two had confessed to the crimes. Both later retracted their confessions, saying they had been made under duress.
The brutality of the murders dented Thailand's image as a happy-go-lucky holiday paradise and raised serious questions about its treatment of migrant workers.
The verdicts on Samui island, close to Koh Tao, follow an investigation that triggered allegations of police incompetence, mishandling of evidence and DNA tests and torture of the suspects.
Thursday's 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. About 10 people stood outside the building holding placards demanding their release.
Myanmar Facebook user Myo Phont described the outcome as "entirely predictable".
"Poor boys - wrong time, wrong place ...the Burmese are the scapegoats as usual."
A Facebook user named Thiri posted: "Is it real? What the hell? DNA doesn't match and still death sentence?"
As is customary in Thailand, where trials have no jury, a judge delivered the ruling and said DNA tests were carried out to acceptable standards and samples found on Witheridge's body matched that of the defendants. The judge also said the claim of police torture carried no weight.
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