Thai murders: DNA matches accused

Two Burmese men have confessed to the murders of British backpackers Hannah Witheridge and David Miller in Thailand, police have said.
Murdered ... British students Hannah Witheridge and David Miller were found naked and beaten to death on a Thai beach. Picture: AFP Source: AFP
TWO men from Myanmar have admitted to killing a pair of British holiday-makers whose battered bodies were found on a resort island last month, Thai police said.
The announcement followed weeks of pressure on police to solve a case that has threatened to damage the country’s important tourism industry.
“Two Myanmar suspects have confessed to killing the pair,” Thai National police chief Somyot Poompanmoung told AFP, adding their DNA matched traces found at the crime scene on Koh Tao island where David Miller, 24, and Hannah Witheridge, 23, were found dead on September 15.
THAI POLICE: Murdered backpacker raped twice
FINAL MOMENTS: Last photo of murdered backpackers
GRIEVING PARENTS: Victims’ families arrive in Bangkok
Final moments ... Hannah (left) and David (second right) with David's friend Chris Ware (third right) on the evening Miller and Witheridge were murdered on the Thai island of Koh Tao. The picture was taken an estimated three hours before the murder took place. Source: AAP
The two who have confessed were among three Myanmar nationals held since Thursday on suspicion of involvement in the crime, Somyot said.
“The third suspect said he left the crime scene before murder took place,” Somyot, Thailand’s top policeman said.
“DNA test results (from the two men) confirmed that same DNA was present that we found in body of the (female) victim,” he said, without giving further details.
Police are waiting for a local court to issue a warrant so the men can be charged, he added.
The pair’s murder dealt a blow to Thailand’s tourist industry, which has been struggling to recover since the army overthrew an elected government and seized power in May. Martial law remains in effect.
Trouble in paradise ... the Ocean View Bungalows hotel where the two British backpackers stayed on the southern island of Koh Tao. Source: AFP
Critics — especially among the British media — have accused Thai authorities of bungling the investigation in the near three weeks since the murders by chasing the wrong leads and failing to lock down the island in the hours following the killings.
The bodies of the two tourists were discovered in a rocky alcove along the shore close to the hotel where both were staying.
Autopsies showed that Witheridge died from head wounds while Miller suffered severe blows to the head and drowned in the surf.
Two of the Burmese workers were detained on the island and the other in mainland Surat Thani province, police said.
Police chase ... a Thai policeman takes DNA samples from a staff member at a beachside bar as part of the investigation. Source: AFP
Thai police searched for clues and collected DNA samples from more than 100 men on the island in the Gulf of Thailand.
Thai authorities frequently accuse migrants from Myanmar and Cambodia of committing crimes in the kingdom, where they make up a vast, poorly-paid and low-status workforce.
Koh Tao, which is about 410km south of Bangkok, is a quiet, small island a short boat ride from Koh Samui and Koh Phangan.
The latter is known for raucous “full moon” parties that attract young foreigners and Thais.

View the original article here