The September 15 murder of Ms Hannah Witheridge, 23, and, Mr David Miller, 24, on a beach on the Thai island of Kao Tao, 410 kilometres south of Bangkok, has thrown a spotlight on tourist safety in Thailand and the resulting police investigation has raised questions in the media over the process.

Migrant rights activist Mr Andy Hall in Thailand said in an email interview with Mizzima on October 5: "We have organised an independent team of lawyers, migrant activists and Myanmar translators to undertake a mission to ensure the rights of the accused are protected according to Thai and international law during this investigation.”

The Migrant Worker Rights Network, based in Thailand, will seek, in cooperation with Thai officials, to gain access to the accused migrant workers, known as Win and Saw, to interview them on their past and present treatment, as well as ensure these persons understand fully their rights as accused persons under Thai law, according to the British rights activist. Another suspect known as Maw, has also been arrested.

"The team has already arrived on the ground and started work. Our mission shall seek to cooperate where necessary also with the Myanmar and British embassies, but it's important to stress that the mission itself is completely independent of any government or Thai officials," Mr Hall added.

Mr Hall is at pains to point out that accusations of physical abuse of various murder suspects allegedly by the authorities connected with this case over the last couple of weeks do not apply to the two or three men in custody.

Some Myanmar migrant workers on the island do not believe the two suspects, recently paraded in a police “re-enactment” of the crimes, committed the crimes. The suspects, who have been working on the island for a few months, are said to have performed poorly in the re-enactment October 3.

Locals claim the island is too small to easily conceal a crime.

The Thai authorities examined all Myanmar workers on the island the day after the crime.

“The actual murderers would not stay on the island after they had committed the crimes,” said a restaurant waiter, talking to Mizzima, referring to the fact that the two suspects had not fled.

The Thai police said the two workers confessed to killing the British tourists, adding the suspects' DNA matched samples collected from one of the victims.

Police also said October 5 that the mobile phone of Mr Miller had been retrieved from the room of one of the two Myanmar suspects.

However, doubts have spread on social media because some pictures appeared online showing a friend of Ms Witheridge having brought a mobile phone earlier to a police official during the investigation.

Critics of the investigation seek clarity and allege that Thai officials are bungling the probe and that the suspects may be scapegoats, according to Thai and British media. The suspects could face the death penalty if found guilty.