Lawyers for the two Myanmar suspects in the murder of two British tourists on Thailand’s Koh Tao island say the men have retracted their confessions and claim they were assaulted.
Migrant rights activist Andy Hall, who has visited the suspects, said Zaw Lin Oo and Win Zaw Tun's statement to prosecutors says they confessed under duress or violence and now fully retract their confession.
Mr Hall, tweeting developments in the case, said the two men had signed a statement to the prosecutor stating they did not kill or rape the victims and were not at the crime scene.
The men retracted their confessions after five hours of questioning by lawyers at Samui prison, where they are being held, said Mr Hall, referring to questioning by representatives of the Lawyers' Council of Thailand.
Mr Hall said lawyers for Zaw Lin Oo and Win Zaw Tun have just now filed an urgent motion with the public prosecutor to halt all progress in pending prosecutions.
The two Myanmar migrant workers, both aged 21, were arrested on 3rd October over the murders of British tourists Ms Hannah Witheridge, 23, and Mr David Miller, 24, on the Thai island on 15th September. They are charged with conspiracy to murder and rape, plus robbery, and could face the death penalty if found guilty.
This latest surprise in this controversial case that has stirred international media attention comes as the parents of the accused plan to fly to Bangkok where they will be briefed at the Myanmar embassy by lawyers handling the case before traveling to Samui island.
Mr Hall expressed “deep concern” that the suspects were being “shackled 24/7 with heavy chains on their feet.” Lawyers informed him that such treatment of people not convicted of any crime seems “unlawful and unfair,” he said.
Shackling is standard practice for suspects in jails in Thailand.
According to local Thai media, an official at Samui prison claims the two suspects have been given special care that includes inspection of their food and extra security during their detention.
