Exculpatory evidence of two migrant workers are weak: says manager of Ranong Murder Special Investigation Committee

24 Sep 2019

Myat Win Kyaw | DMG
24 September, Yangon
 
Ko Win Zaw Tun and Ko Zaw Lin, two migrant workers in Thailand who have been sentenced to death by the Thai court for murders on Kho Tao Island, could not present hard evidence to show they are not guilty of wrongdoing, said U Kyaw Thaung, manager of Special Investigation Committee for Ranong Murder.

The committee and  lawyers from the Thai Lawyers’ Council, who advocated for Win and Zaw’s case and the Ranong murder case in which four Myanmar migrant workers were convicted and released recently, held a press conference in Yangon’s Lotte hotel on Monday.

“We still feel sorry for the pair because we found that they did not have strong witnesses to show their innocence. We could not get solid evidence for them because of the lack of Myanmar government’s help and insufficient funds,” U Kyaw Thaung said.

The Koh Samui Court convicted Ko Win Zaw Tun and Ko Zaw Lin of the September 2014 murders of two British nationals on Koh Tao Island and were sentenced to death in December 2015 for rape, murder, theft and illegal entry to Thailand.

Win and Zaw filed appeals to courts step by step, all the way up to the Supreme Court, but finally it upheld the punishment sentenced by lower courts.

“According to the judiciary system in Thailand, both sides cannot dispute the decision of the Supreme Court. There is an exception, if new evidence is found, each side can request to examine the case from the start,” the Thai legal team said in the press conference.

They added that they have already drafted the clemency application to submit to his majesty the king before 28 October. 

“If a convicted party appeals to the king for clemency, the death penalty can be reduced to imprisonment,” a Thai lawyer said.
 
They added that documents from their original ward and schools they went to prove their good moral behavior can be added to the petition. The Myanmar government can request the Thai government to suspend the rule of the court.

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