Britain Summons Thai Envoy Over Backpacker Murders

A policeman stands beside the bodies of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller, British tourists killed on Koh Tao island, as they arrive at Bangkok’s Police Forensic Department on Sept. 16, 2014. (Photo: Reuters / Athit Perawongmetha)

LONDON — Britain has summoned the Thai charge d’affaires in London to raise concerns over the police investigation into the murder of two British backpackers in Thailand, the Foreign Office said on Monday.

Hannah Witheridge and David Miller were found dead on a beach on the island of Koh Tao in September. Miller, 24, had died from drowning and a blow to the head while Witheridge, 23, died from head wounds.

Police in Thailand have defended the arrest of two Burmese men over the murders amid concern the pair may have confessed under duress. Thai police say they have concrete evidence linking the men to the killings.

A British Foreign Office statement on Monday said that minister Hugo Swire had summoned the Thai diplomat Nadhavathna Krishnamra to express his concerns about how the investigation has been handled by the Thai authorities.

“He said that it was crucial for the investigation to be conducted in a fair and transparent way,” it said.

http://www.irrawaddy.org/asia/britain-summons-thai-envoy-backpacker-murders.html

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