Prison Chief Fears Koh Tao Suspects May Commit Suicide Skip to main content

Prison Chief Fears Koh Tao Suspects May Commit Suicide

09 October 2014,  

 SURAT THANI — The two Burmese men who were accused of murdering two British tourists in southern Thailand last month are being monitored to prevent possible suicide attempts, says the director of the prison where they are being held.


"I have instructed other inmates to monitor the two Burmese men. I am afraid they may commit suicide, because they show signs of stress," said Chanin Liangsuwan, chief of Koh Samui District Prison. "They may be feeling guilty for the crime they have done."

The two Burmese men, identified as Saw and Win, were arrested last week and accused of killing David Miller, 24, and Hannah Witheridge, 23, on the island of Koh Tao on 15 September. They have been charged with premeditated murder, among other crimes, and could face execution. 

According to Chanin, the two suspects are being held in a general holding cell with other inmates, but he stressed that wardens are doing their best to keep the suspects under watch. 

Witthaya Suriyawong, director of the Department of Corrections, said he has instructed officials at Koh Samui Prison to be extremely mindful of the two suspects' safety. 

"They are a special case because they are charged with a serious crime, which carries a high penalty," Witthaya said. "Even the food they eat has to be checked thoroughly to prevent any incident. I also want officials to set up CCTVs and guards to monitor their safety when they sleep."

Witthaya said he received reports that Saw and Win are experiencing stress in their detention, which prompted prison officials to bring in psychiatrists to talk with the two suspects. Nevertheless, Witthaya claimed it is a "normal condition for people who are in prison for the first time."

He also said it is not necessary to move the two suspects to a maximum security prison, but suggested that they could be moved to Bang Kwang Prison near Bangkok if the court sentences them to life in jail.

Thai police’s investigation into the murder of Miller and Witheridge has been mired in controversy since day one. After several weeks of blunders, confusion, and numerous false leads, police arrested Saw and Win and accused them of murdering the backpackers.

Although police claim DNA tests and CCTV footage implicate the two men, many Thais remain unconvinced, largely due to inconsistent statements made by police and their long history of "scapegoat" arrests. The scandal took a new turn this week with an allegation from Amnesty International that police tortured Saw and Win during interrogation.   

In a sign that the investigation may face yet another setback, Attorney of Koh Samui, Paiboon Ashawanandakul, said he has asked the police to "polish" the case filed to the prosecutor's office as the files remain "incomplete" in some areas.

http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.php?newsid=1412859323&typecate=06&section
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Chronology of the Press in Burma

1836 – 1846 * During this period the first English-language newspaper was launched under British-ruled Tenasserim, southern  Burma . The first ethnic Karen-language and Burmese-language newspapers also appear in this period.     March 3, 1836 —The first English-language newspaper,  The Maulmain Chronicle , appears in the city of Moulmein in British-ruled Tenasserim. The paper, first published by a British official named E.A. Blundell, continued up until the 1950s. September 1842 —Tavoy’s  Hsa-tu-gaw  (the  Morning Star ), a monthly publication in the Karen-language of  Sgaw ,  is established by the Baptist mission. It is the first ethnic language newspaper. Circulation reached about three hundred until its publication ceased in 1849. January 1843 —The Baptist mission publishes a monthly newspaper, the Christian  Dhamma  Thadinsa  (the  Religious Herald ), in Moulmein. Supposedly the first Burmese-language newspaper, it continued up until the first year of the second Angl
Post a Comment
Read more

ARSA claims ambush on Myanmar security forces

Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) on Sunday claimed responsibility for an ambush on Myanmar security forces that left several wounded in northern Rakhine state, the first attack in weeks in a region gutted by violence. Rakhine was plunged into turmoil last August, when a series of ARSA raids prompted a military backlash so brutal the UN says it likely amounts to ethnic cleansing of the Muslim Rohingya minority. The army campaign sent some 650,000 Rohingya fleeing for Bangladesh, where refugees have given harrowing accounts of rape, murder and arson at the hands of security forces and vigilantes. Myanmar's military, which tightly controls information about Rakhine, denies any abuses and insists the crackdown was a proportionate response to crush the "terrorist" threat. ARSA have launched few attacks in recent months.  But the army reported that "about ten" Rohingya terrorists ambushed a car with hand-made mines and gunfire on Friday morning
Post a Comment
Read more

Thai penis whitening trend raises eyebrows

Image copyright LELUXHOSPITAL Image caption Authorities warn the procedure could be quite painful A supposed trend of penis whitening has captivated Thailand in recent days and left it asking if the country's beauty industry is taking things too far. Skin whitening is nothing new in many Asian countries, where darker skin is often associated with outdoor labour, therefore, being poorer. But even so, when a clip of a clinic's latest intriguing procedure was posted online, it quickly went viral. Thailand's health ministry has since issued a warning over the procedure. The BBC Thai service spoke to one patient who had undergone the treatment, who told them: "I wanted to feel more confident in my swimming briefs". The 30-year-old said his first session of several was two months ago, and he had since seen a definite change in the shade. 'What for?' The original Facebook post from the clinic offering the treatment, which uses lasers to break do
1 comment
Read more