BOILING WATER AND BEATINGS – CLAIM FRIENDS OF BURMESE ON MURDER AND RAPE CHARGES

Posted on by Andrew Drummond
PLEASE DON’T CLOSE THIS CASE!



Three of the out of group of nine Burmese who were friends of the two who now face the death penalty in Thailand for murder of two British backpackers were tortured by Thai police six days ago, it was claimed today.


Praying and begging for forgiveness (Khao Sod)  Or is this staged?

As police prepared to showcase their investigation into the barbaric murders of Hannah Witheridge, 23, and David Miller,24 and the double rape of Hannah, a statement from the Burmese community on the island claimed that three friends of Win and Saw, the accused, were tortured by Thai police who beat them physically and poured boiling water over them.

They were all playing the game of takroh (kicking a ball made out of bamboo cane) when the game was raided by police last Saturday night. And the two suspects now facing death by lethal injection were innocent, says the Burmese community

Their statement was backed by Aung Kyaw, President of the Myanmar Migrant Labour Association in Thailand who said: ‘There are very suspicious circumstances’* and called for an independent investigation to verify Thai police claims.

Early today the statement by the unnamed Burmese was issued to the British and Burmese Embassies in Bangkok. It has been seen by British Ambassador Mark Kent. The statement and photos have also been seen by this site and are in limited circulation.  Aung Kyaw has called for an independent investigation and independent monitoring of the DNA.

There is a genuine fear of reprisals among the Burmese on Koh Tao. Police have yet to fully name the two suspects in their custody although they have now paraded them for the media.

The statement, the source of which has been identified to the Ambassadors read:


“On 27th September at 7pm night, nine Rakhine ethnic migrant workers living and working on Koh Tao irregularly (without documents) were accosted by a group of Thai police officers, who tried to catch them when they were peacefully playing cane ball (takroh).

“Six among the nine migrants trying to run away were caught by police. Another three migrants were able to run away from the police to escape from the arrest.

“Three migrants from the six migrants caught were physically beaten and their bodies scolded through pouring over hot boiling water as a means to get information about the three people who had run away from the police arrest. All were then they were released.”

“(Name redacted), an elder of the Rakkhine migrant community Rakkhine who (redacted) recorded three Rakhine victims and their wounds from beating/scolding and sent their photos to Myanmar embassy.

“As soon as he sent to the Myanmar embassy, the Embassy called to Thai police department for the abuse and Thai police replied to Myanmar embassy that they didn’t know which group had been beaten and who beat the migrant workers and they said that they will investigate the case.

“According to (name redacted), the three Rakhine victims who were abused were told that the problem will become bigger if the Myanmar embassy were involved in the current case. Also they didn’t have any firm evidence so they didn’t wish to report their case to the embassy.

“(name redacted) then met the 3 Rakkhine workers who had ran from police and found that they had no documents so he suggested them to leave from Ko Tao Island as soon as possible if they didn’t have a passport and also no employer. He also reminded them that Thai police were searching to catch them. One of the three immigrants then left the island urgently as they had no documents.

“As for yesterday/today information in the media about arrests, the community then rang us vigorously and said that 3 Rakhine guys were caught by police; two were caught in the jungle, one was in Surat Thani, and all have been accused of murder. The migrant community very upset as they believe the three migrants have been framed for the murders.”



Captives were told to run because they had no papers

(Update) Later Than Hlaing, one of the six Burmese migrants who were questioned by Thai police last went on record with ‘Irrawaddy Online to confirm the allegations.

“They [the police] beat all of us while interrogating us. Three of us were seriously injured. But some got minor injuries,” Than Hlaing said. 


 “They detained us for one night. They collected our records and took pictures of us. [Then] they finally told us that we were not guilty and released us.”

After hearing the news that two Burmese migrants were suspected of committing the murders, migrants living and working on Koh Tao expressed fears for their safety.

“Most Burmese stayed on the island because although they were scared of the Thai police they knew their DNA could not match,” said a Burmese migrant contacted by mobile phone. But over the last seven days we have been getting scared because police did not seem to be able to catch anyone.”

After the murder of Kirsty Jones, 23, from Brecon, in Chiang Mai in 2000 a Burmese Karen was taken to a private house by Thai police and tortured for a confesson. They demanded he masturbate but when he refused Thai police tried to do it themselves to gather sperm evidence.
Burmese workers were also the first suspects in the rape and murder of Katherine Horton, a Reading University student on Koh Samui six years later.

Thai Police say however they are happy they have caught the killers and rapists and have DNA and CCTV evidence to prove it, plus Hannah’s mobile phone, which they claim was found on their premises. They also claim to have a witness, but that probably does not mean a witness to the murder. It can be anything from a witness saying they were seen in the 7/11 to a witness seeing them run up and down the street.

Andrew Drummond, registered correspondent for the London Evening Standard, has also been providing cover on this case for: ITN News, BBC Regionals, London Broadcasting, Daily Express, Daily Mail, Sun, Mirror, Good Morning Scotland, and BBC Radio Five Live.




Independent Investigation called for: Petition

Related Posts

71 thoughts on “BOILING WATER AND BEATINGS – CLAIM FRIENDS OF BURMESE ON MURDER AND RAPE CHARGES”

  1. But it must be true, has not the British ambassador of Great Britain, that most excellent,of plenipotentiaries, the wonderful, all wise and most Solomonesque of men, Mark " Superman " Kent not already congratulated the police upon their sterling work and pronounced it as professional and accomplished as practiced elsewhere in the world and typical of the Royal Thai Police?

    Gosh, was it only two weeks ago when the same police were publicly theorising that the victims were responsible for their own deaths perpetrated by a British homosexual friend acting in a sex crazed frenzy of envy, jealousy and rage?

    Perhaps Kent was unconscious in his compound restoring those kryptonite batteries?

    Interesting though that His Excellency, representative of a country noted for being the mother of parliaments, democracy and a rule of law based upon habeas corpus should profess himself satisfied that the investigation has been conducted well. Beatings, threats, intimidation, detention without representation and curous practices concerning chains of evidence are presumably all British techniques currently in force in Albion?

    Or, may it be this incumbent is just an arse?

    I cannot recall being so ashamed to be British.

    1. Whether his idea or not I do not know, but Kent is unfollowing twitter followers that use the socialmedia to keep in touch. The FO wants citizens to keep in touch. Kent apparently doesn't. And I agree his comments on the murders and police involvement are disgraceful. We need a heavyweight in the diplomatic service – a Churchill like character not a wimp that's in it only for the pension and the glory. Quite why he is being protected from criticism I know not.

  2. Buying a packet of L an M fags at 7/11 is hardly water tight evidence given every second Thai guy who smokes buys that brand at a 7/11 somewhere. The key evidence is the DNA. It needs to be handed over to an independent authority to be confirmed and checked against the suspect's. As the case stands now, many people are saying these guys are patsies. The public must be assured the right people are charged as otherwise two rapist murderers are still on the loose. Long time readers of this site have every reason to be sceptical about the case given what we've seen in the past from the Thai police.

    1. Actually LM is mid-range in poshness…. A poor migrant would be more likely to smoke The cheaper stuff like Wonder or Krongthip.

  3. There should be an intervene from UK law enforcemwnt.This is turning ugly.I believe they might be acessory to murder,but there must be more.It seems to be premeditated.Why would Sean Mcanna who had blood on him and his guitar near the time of the murder said "owner of AC bar did it." ??

  4. The police said they were looking for an offender at least 170cm tall. That's about 5'6" but these two kids look a lot shorter than that. Look at the photo in the latest Bangkok Post story. They are a lot shorter than that Thai copper who looks only about 5'5" himself. They both look about 5' tall.

  5. It's now a matter of public record that one of Hannah's friends handed Hannah's telephone to the police the day the murders were discovered. The friend was carrying it for her during the previous night because they were all in a group and Hannah was not taking her handbag. The friend, now in England having returned the day after the murder, states the she gave it to the police because they asked for it and she also provided the pass code.
    This farce of a prosecution is going to end in two more deaths unless someone in authority in Britain intervenes on behalf of the family.
    It is really a dreadful travesty. Hannah's telephone was not found by the police near the alleged suspects' premises at all. It is a lie and a fabrication.

    1. Its been claimed, er, in public. But not verified. Nevertheless its not the first time a mysterious mobile phone has come up in this enquiry. Stranger things have happened though.

    2. There is a picture of Hannah''s phone on the desk of one of the interviewing police officers on the day of the murder – I do not know how to attach it but yo can email me and shall send it to you – please look further into this – these children have been poorly set up

  6. The DNA if done 'correctly' has to be pretty much definitive. Don't know how much integrity tge trading has though….

  7. Have a look on Teakdoor which has posted pics of the phone – with Hannah on her last night and on the table next to the police officer who took it from her friend the next day.

    This is bad. Quite how the British embassy can continue with their silence is beyond me. The victims' families really must start to attack the Foreign Office or those boys are dead. It must be desperately difficult for them but if they want justice for their children they had better realise now that the Foreign Office is not their friend nor a reliable ally.

  8. "They did not do it" i fully agree. It took the Police three weeks to write the script to be more or less conclusive – at least in Thai understanding. Too many queries un-answered. It is one thing to smoke, drink and play guitar and another issue to commit a vicious crime. Living illegally on a 5.000.- B salary(less 500.- for local permits) those guys do not smoke L+M cirgarettes, hm – saw a still picture of one guy but did not see any cigarettes – hm – and it took police three weeks to trace that CCTV picture? There must be many 7/11 on that Island. One guy had dyed blond hairs? I saw three guys on a motorbike with pitch black hairs…This crime was committed out of rage – probably a matter of lost face of a local wannabe "big shoot"? Probably someone got aroused and was knocked down a peg.
    I am very concerned that the two guys will not survive the next few days – one might commit suicide while the other might be beaten to death by inmates being angry about the tarnished reputation of Thailand.
    Following this story in addition to Andrew's struggle with the court system exploited by the three chicken thiefs makes me mad – " I cannot eat as much as I want to vomit"

    1. The cops say the DNA is the conclusive evidence. If so, let someone independent run some tests and put everyone's mind to rest. Some photos of the crime scene have just turned up on my facebook page and they are pretty bad. There is a Thai blog where they appear as well. I won't post a link as friends and family just don't need to see this stuff. Most of the comments seem to be ripping into the police.

      เพื่อนฝรั่งพวกนั้นแหละ มันวางแผนฆ่าเองกัน เอาเหอะเชื่อสิ ฝรั่งมันทำเนียน…….. (ปล.โถ่ๆ ตำรวจไทย)

      "It was those farangs friends, they planned to kill them themselves. Whatever you believe those farangs clearly did it." – Police Lt.Gen Thai Police

      I don't know if it is a direct quote or the kid is being sarcastic, I suspect sarcasm.

  10. This is completely makeup story.
    It hurts me to see our innocent guys are being like hopless for truth.
    I wish Hannah & Miller could talk the truth for a while.

  11. Ironically most of the support for these frightened young men comes from UK citizens. Because we believe in justice not just a convenient confession.

  14. Thailand does not execute people….. they hardly ever actually jail criminals… most likely these boys after sitting in jail until this dies down, will be given money and released into their country under orders to be silent or die.

    1. There are 18,000 prisoners in Lard Yao Prison, chakuchak, bkk
      And that is just 1 prison
      100's of prisoners have been executed in thailand over past 30yrs

  15. Andrew
    PW is now reporting police claim the phone found near the accused was Miller's, not Witheridge.

    However, I know you like Morison, but PW has also reported Miller had semen in his anus, and Hannah was wearing a white bikini. PW staff removed these reports without corrections.

  16. Please help them. I really don't know what to do. The more I listened/read/watch news on Thai TV channels and on websites, the clearer I could conclude that this is just a ""setup"". These two Burmese boys don't even understand Thai. They just followed whatever the guy in blue shirt, standing behind them told them to do. That guy spoke Burmese to the boys to pay respect (wai) in the first photo. I saw and heard it on TV. He was the one telling the boys to answer police's questions whether they admitted or not. I have been wondering who that guy in blue shirt is. He is a Burmese for sure. Is he from Burmese embassy or Burmese authority?? Or just no one, trying to gain some benefits from this crime. Why are Burmese embassy and Burmese government so quiet? Are they protecting their Army-to-Army relationship with Thailand or Thai police's reputation rather than their own innocent nationals?????? Even Thais are making joke or questioning seriously about the boys.

  17. You're right Kimberley. This has become a frequent talking point with the majority of Thais, unusually not going along with the police view. Shame on the Burmese embassy. And shame on Mark Kent's passive involvement. He is also unfollowing British citizens who try to keep in touch via Twitter. The UK needs a more effective heavyweight in post.

    2. I note you don't want my posts on Mark Kent to be published. I can categorically tell you he is unfollowing UK citizens who want to keep in touch with the embassy. And I agree with Gerry's assessment. I understand and accept that flaming, pornographic, factually incorrect, lese majeste and other comments need to be moderated and not published. But fair comment, such as Gerry's and mine, should in all fairness be aired. You have a reputation for fearless reporting and I admire that. We all do. But don't kill off free speech.

    4. Sorry to hear there have been insulting and unconstructive posts. If that's so you're right of course to forbid them. Glad your comment does not apply to me and Gerry.

  20. Need to make detail investigation. I personally suspect the Yodaya police ( Thai police) for their different talking on this crime case.

  22. You only have to have lived in Thailand a little while to know that generally Burmese migrants live in terrror of the Thai Police, random stop and search is common…and they are unlikely to indulge in high profile farang murder..
    And that the Thai police and Authorities would stop at nothing to "save face". How could a Thai do this?It would ruin the image of safe Thailand – which it generally is…I have to say.
    The quick blaming of the Burmese suspects the day after the murders – was clear the police were looking for a head to put on a stake ( a Burmese one!)

    1. Every Farang (foreigner) ex pat and his sister living in Thailand know that these two Burmese boys did not commit this crime. The Thai police were trying to make themselves look good in international eyes but now all they look is stupid.
      The general opinion is that some Thai bar owner, committed this crime. It smacks of jealousy and rejection and is similar to the cold blooded murder of two British back packers in Kanchanaburi back in 2006. On that occassion the culprit was an off duty Thai Police officer (sergent in fact) who also owned a bar in Kanchanaburi. He took a fancy to this guy’s pretty blonde girl friend and was rebuffed in a very strong fashion by the girls boyfriend.
      Both of the tourists paid dearly when he drove after them in his pick up and shot both of them dead with his service hand gun, not before driving over the girl and dragging her some distance with his pick up.
      He was brought to justice but got off pretty lightly because of his connections. Just recently it has been announced that he may be released shortly for good behaviour.
      Now go figure that one.
      The Thais will do almost anything to save face. Every ex pat living in Thailand knows that this is a stitch up and a scapegoat attempt. OK then, carry out a lie detector test one might say; no news on that.
      People generally have short memories but take a look at this URL below which relates to an incident in September 2013 involving a Thai Airways A330 Airbus that crash landed injuring 13 people at Suvanabhumi Airport.
      Thai Airways covered up the airline’s logo in a bid to protect its image from the media.
      Is it necessary to say more ? I rest my case.

      http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2415984/Thai-Airways-cover-plane-logo-aircraft-crash-lands-runway-Bangkok-airport.html

  23. I am Thai and I don't want to feel regret to be a part of this country. How can some people did this kind of thing without thinking of all the consequences and how the police said a lot of things that obviously doesn't make sense. I doubt that Thai people could feel safe and secure if the case is closed this way.

    1. คนไทยไม่จำเป็นต้องรู้สึกผิดมันเป็นระบบตำรวจว่าเป็นสิ่งที่ผิด !! เราทุกคนรู้ว่าพวกเขาจะไร้ความหวัง
      ประเทศไทยปกติเป็นประเทศที่ปลอดภัยคนที่อันตรายมากที่สุดที่ฝรั่งกลัวมากที่สุดคือ – ตำรวจ………

  27. First CCTV footage of Asian man running he is wearing shorts and no shirt, CCTV of 3
    Burmese on moped they are all in jeans. Not the same person. Surly this has to be addressed?

  30. Need to make detail investigation. I personally suspect the Yodaya police ( Thai police) for their different talking on this crime case.

  31. I don't think these 2 burmese guys killed..it was made up a story by thai police. ..i lived in thailand 5 years so i knew about thai police's behaviour. .

  48. Every Farang (foreigner) ex pat and his sister living in Thailand know that these two Burmese boys did not commit this crime. The Thai police were trying to make themselves look good in international eyes but now all they look is stupid.
    The general opinion is that some Thai bar owner, committed this crime. It smacks of jealousy and rejection and is similar to the cold blooded murder of two British back packers in Kanchanaburi back in 2006. The culprit was an off duty Thai Police officer (Sergent in fact) who also owned a bar in Kanchanaburi. He took a fancy to this guy’s blonde girl friend and was rebuffed in a very strong fashion by the girls boyfriend.
    Both of the tourists paid dearly when he drove after them in his pick up and shot both of them dead with his service hand gun, not before driving over the girl and dragging her some distance with his pick up.
    He was brought to justice but got off pretty lightly because of his connections. Just recently it has been announced that he may be released shortly for good behaviour.
    Now go figure that one.
    The Thais will do almost anything to save face. Every ex pat living in Thailand knows that this is a stitch up and a scapegoat attempt. OK then, carry out a lie detector test one might say; no news on that.
    People generally have short memories but take a look at this URL below which relates to an incident in September 2013 involving a Thai Airways A330 Airbus that crash landed injuring 13 people at Suvanabhumi Airport.
    Thai Airways covered up the airline’s logo in a bid to protect its image from the media.
    Is it necessary to say more ? I rest my case.

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2415984/Thai-Airways-cover-plane-logo-aircraft-crash-lands-runway-Bangkok-airport.html

Comments are closed.