My Facebook page is called KOH TAO DEATH ISLAND. Elise's heartbroken mother, Michele van Egten, has now proclaimed she does not believe police account of events. Local police claimed he had fallen 50 feet and . The items were still there are 3 am and he called the police. After unsuccessfully trying to find their possessions, they walked towards Mau Mau's house through the shortcut, which resulted in them being caught on CCTV. The official story is they were walking back to their hotel at night and were jumped by 2 Burmese men. [95] The mayor of the island, Chaiyan Turasakul, announced a new police station and staffed it with 40 full-time officers, compared to five previously. Dimitri Povse 2015; Associate Professor Charnkanit Krittiya Suriyamanee, a criminologist and lecturer at the faculty of social science and humanities of Mahidol University, said he doubted the suicide theory citing some irrelevant evidences, according to Chiangrai Times. Defence lawyers had asked for the samples to be independently verified but have now been told there is nothing left of them to re-test. The young backpacker had been living at a yoga and tantra retreat, which neighboured the party island of Koh Phangan, in between travelling round Asia, for two years. [1][96], Although tourist arrivals to Koh Tao dropped in the months immediately following the murders, there was little lasting effect on tourism to the island.[92]. It is always challenging to bring ACCURATE & RELIABLE information about violent crime on Koh Tao because too many people are frightened to speak out publicly and still others try to SHOOT THE MESSENGERS . The Davidson County Sheriff's Office has released photos of the Corbett home taken the night Jason Corbett was bludgeoned to death in his bedroom. Hannah was a University of Essex student from Hemsby in Norfolk, UK, and David was a civil and structural engineering graduate, from Jersey. This story was huge at the time in the UK as they were both British. [35][84] Despite not initially being permitted to assist with the investigation,[33] British police observers including homicide detectives from the Metropolitan Police and a forensics expert were eventually permitted into Thailand to observe the investigation. What really happened there? The governor of the island said he had instructed the district chief to file criminal charges against the local online news outlet Samui Times in 2017 after it ran an article that questioned the police account of deaths and referred to Koh Tao as Death Island. The authorities said he had died after striking the diving board from which he was jumping. The . Elise's death is the latest in a string of seven fatalities in three years on the island. The Koh Tao murders involved the death of two British tourists in Thailand in 2014. SUPAPONG CHAOLAN DNA tests have failed to provide a match. Pathologist Dr. Michael Biggs told the hearing that there were many injuries on Nick's body, including to the head, limbs, and face. Allegations about police brutality rocked the countrys economy that almost solely relies on tourism. Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo were sentenced to death for the killings. [94] She suggested using identification wristbands for tourists to improve safety, but the idea was quickly scrapped. Police major general, Surachate Hakparn, said in an interview that the police have cracked down on crime syndicates on Koh Tao since the backpackers double killing. But Elise had disappeared. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. The police investigation and criminal trial were widely criticised by international media, human rights organisations, and legal experts. I should add that I was not representing the accused men so I am not presenting arguments on their behalf in any lawyer/client relationship. Some sources also refer to Wai Phyo as Win Zaw Htun. On Thursday the 29 th of August 2019, the Supreme Court of Thailand handed down its decision to uphold the death penalties for Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo, the Burmese migrant workers found guilty of the rape and murder of British holidaymaker Hannah Witheridge and the murder of fellow countryman David Miller in September 2014 on Koh Tao in Thailand. The suspects were initially denied access to legal counsel, and alleged that police used torture and threats to secure a confession. Our family have been further traumatised by reports that there are numerous unnecessary and senseless photographs circulating across the internet. [64], Several CCTV cameras near the crime scene were reported to be nonfunctional, and cameras near the pier were not checked by the police. [25] There were no known eyewitnesses to the murders. [74], The investigation was met with criticism by international media, human rights groups, and legal experts. senseless" photos of the crime scene, they say, which show her body . The defendants have repeatedly stated their innocence over the murders, with the defence alleging they were framed. Picture: Facebook DEATH ISLAND VICTIMS REVEALED Photographs appear to show the mobile phone of Hannah Witheridge submitted to police by her friends, despite police claims it was found in one of their suspect's possession. [6] Miller had just completed his undergraduate degree in civil and structural engineering at the University of Leeds and was starting a masters degree. David Miller 2014; Here's a timeline of the other suspicious deaths and disappearances on Koh Tao: On New Year's Day, 2014, before the Miller and Witheridge case first brought infamy to Koh Tao, 25-year-old Brit Nick Pearson was found dead in the water not far from the scene of that subsequent double murder. [79] Rumours began to circulate, with residents on the island saying the island is controlled by a mafia who "have information about the true culprits", and claimed that the police is covering for them. Zaw Lin, front, and Wai Phyo (also known as Win Zaw Htun), rear, arrive at the court in Koh Samui, Blinken and Lavrov meet for first time since invasion, Explosive found in check-in luggage at US airport, Harry and Meghan told to 'vacate' Frogmore Cottage, Whiskey fungus forces Jack Daniels to stop construction, Tulsa massacre survivors granted Ghana citizenship, Seven in hospital from US plane turbulence, Same-sex marriage ban not discrimination - Japan PM, Messages reveal battle over Covid school policy. But among some foreigners, Koh Tao has taken on a more sinister reputation. [63] They plead not guilty to the charge at the trial, but Wai Phyo changed his plea to guilty during the proceedings. Amnesty International has demanded the Thai authorities investigate the torture allegations after one suspect reportedly said he was beaten and threatened with electrocution. They are said to have confessed to the crime but later retracted their statements. But, his sister Maria and the family told the BBC they would not rely on what Thai police said as there was still speculation over the circumstances surrounding the death - and that they had received 'different versions' of what might have happened. We won't comment on the trial process. wordlist = ['!', '$.027', '$.03', '$.054/mbf', '$.07', '$.07/cwt', '$.076', '$.09', '$.10-a-minute', '$.105', '$.12', '$.30', '$.30/mbf', '$.50', '$.65', '$.75', '$. In a statement following his hearing, James Gissing, who was in Thailand with Luke, said he felt police were covering up as it was the death of another foreigner on Koh Tao, referring to the Witheridge and Miller murders. Their bodies were found on a beach on the island of Koh Tao last September. They raped and killed Hannah, and killed David who was attempting to fight them off. Alex was charged with Maggie and Paul's murders days after he was formally disbarred by the South Carolina Supreme Court. Expats dont want to lose their time in paradise, Earley tells Time, as its cheap, its nice living, and its very easy to ignore what happens". 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One of the men Mau Mau resided nearby. Attempted murder by Thai diving instructor, Santi Khokpool in the Fishbowl Beach Bar, Koh Tao on 28-year-old British tourist on 15 August 2020. Despite claims of a fall, he had no broken bones. Police chief Apichart Boonsrirote said he assigned teams to check all surveillance cameras around the hostel and on the island to find out where she was last seen, The Phuket News reported. Also, he noted that the several pieces of rope which were used in the suspected suicide appeared to be different which might suggest that the death was not caused by suicide. The hoe was then used to knock Witheridge unconscious, after which the defendants used force to hold her down and took turns raping her, before killing her with the hoe. [20] Both bodies were found semi-naked;[21] a pile of clothes was found nearby. Fears over the safety of idyllic Koh Tao were heightened after the killings of Brits Hannah Witheridge and David Miller in 2014. We'll be dignified for David. [15] Public prosecutors initially rejected the report, asking for "certain flaws" to be fixed, more information to be supplied, and for the report to be made "more succinct". [55], The defence claimed that the investigation was flawed due to mishandling of forensic evidence, lack of legal representation during interrogations, use of threats and intimidation to secure a confession, and intimidation of witnesses. Rockefeller Audio 2022. [51][56][57] They argued that the defendants, since they were vulnerable as illegal migrant workers, were scapegoated by the police for the crime. They think our country is beautiful and safe and they can do whatever they want, wear bikinis wherever they like, the prime minister said. Thai police said a post-mortem examination showed he drowned. Their parents must be going through hell just like we are and we have been for the last almost two years. These are the first pictures of the British tourists murdered on a paradise beach in Thailand. Andy was assisting the defence lawyers. GRAPHIC crime scene photos showing the corpses of English backpackers Hannah Witheridge and David Miller have surfaced online, traumatising their families. [48], The guilty verdict resulted in widespread protests in Myanmar. September 23, 2014 5:57 AM EDT T he brutal murder of British tourists Hannah Witheridge, 23, and David Miller, 24, on the Thai resort island of Koh Tao, has reverberated around the world.. Police concluded she wanted to break a deep-diving record at more than 24 meters. As investigators descended upon the apartment, one of them picked up a camera and photographed the scene. [30] Thailand's National Human Rights Commission said "the circumstances surrounding the arrest of the two Myanmar workers were dubious, leading to impressions the suspects were not aware of their rights and that justice had not been done". 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