New | Two Myanmese workers charged for brutal killings of British pair in Thailand
Move comes amid criticisms over police's handling of the case and allegations the confessions were forced
Two Myanmar men were charged today with the murder of two British tourists in Thailand, public prosecutors said, the latest turn in a roller-coaster case that has been blighted by allegations of a bungled investigation and ill treatment.
Police originally charged the two migrant workers with the murder of David Miller, 24, and the rape and murder of Hannah Witheridge, 23, in October, citing DNA tests and later confessions by the pair to the crime on the diving island of Koh Tao.
But Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Tun, both in their 20s, later retracted their confessions, alleging they were obtained under duress, raising concerns over the probity of the investigation.
Prosecutors on nearby Koh Samui, where the pair are being held, had for several weeks repeatedly rejected the police file on the case, saying it was incomplete. But on Wednesday they agreed to finally indict the suspects for trial.
“[The two suspects] were charged with intentional murder,” Paiboon Archavanuntakun, Koh Samui’s chief prosecutor, said. “Tomorrow afternoon [Thursday], the order will be submitted to the Koh Samui provincial court.”
“There will then be a trial,” he added, without giving a time frame.