The Cross Cultural Foundation, a non-governmental organization, has voiced concern over the arrest of two Myanmar workers in Koh Tao on alleged rape-murder charge of two British tourists, reasoning there was no transparent justice procedure in making arrest and feared the duo might be scapegoats.
Director of the CCF Ms Pornpen Kongkachornkiat said she received complaint about the mass arrest of migrant workers in Koh Tao by the police after the murder of the two tourists, particularly information related to the three Myanmar suspects in the murder.
She revealed that she received complaint saying that on September 27, nine migrant workers were playing “Takraw” when the police came and rounded up all the migrant workers.
Three migrant workers who have no identification documents and work permits were advised by their colleagues to flee.
She said the three were later followed and kept under surveillance by the police and later arrested. They turned out to be the murder suspects of the British tourists.
She claimed she has information that migrant workers were rounded up to have DNA tests, thus forcing the migrant workers in Koh Tao to live in fear.
She questioned the forced DNA test whether the police have followed international standard or not as DNA results were known in very short time, contradicting to earlier DNA test of foreigners which took 3-4 days to know.
Is this a discriminated practice, she asked.
She added that right now the Thai authorities were more concerned about the drop in tourist arrivals than justice that the suspects should be treated with no discrimination.
She said the pursuance of the case by the British embassy and its lawyer has inevitably turned a pressure on the Thai police that could jeopardize confidence in the country’s justice system.
http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/ngo-questions-two-myanmar-suspects-scapegoats/
Comments