Pol Lt Gen Thanate Pinmuangngam, acting chief of Police Region 8, said In the Dallemagne case, the cause of death was suffocation. Police recovered the body and took it to the neighboring island of Koh Phangan. [1] Police revealed that the samples from Witheridge's body were used up,[62][27] but were able to provide DNA samples from the murder weapon. Irregular Burmese migrant workers were now required to register with the police in an attempt to discourage illegal workers and prevent bribery. While he claimed she "kissed the gun" and that it was an accidental suicide, others - including . [25] There were no known eyewitnesses to the murders. In a statement following his hearing, James Gissing, who was in Thailand with Luke, said he felt police were covering up as it was the death of another foreigner on Koh Tao, referring to the Witheridge and Miller murders. I have created a Facebook page and a YouTube channel dedicated to looking into tourist deaths on Koh Tao. Revealed on Thursday, Elise Dallemange, 30, was found dead in the jungle on the island in April, having been half-eaten by lizards, eight days after she said she was leaving to return to her native home in Belgium. [63] They plead not guilty to the charge at the trial, but Wai Phyo changed his plea to guilty during the proceedings. [85][15][86] Prayut said that British and Burmese government representatives were "limited to observation" and had to "respect our processes". With crystal-clear waters, perfect sandy beaches, palm trees and great nightlife. He was found hiding on the boat later on 2 October. On 15 September, the bodies of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller were found on Sairee Beach on the island of Koh Tao, between 4 and 5 am, a few hours after their deaths. (415 ratings) Regular Price: 38.99 USD. On tiny Koh Tao, there are some 2,000 expats alongside the 2,500 registered Thais, according to Mayor Chaiyan Turasakul. Here are the names of some of the other outsiders who died on Koh Tao: Ian Jacobs 2000; Alex was charged with Maggie and Paul's murders days after he was formally disbarred by the South Carolina Supreme Court. [1][31] Pornthip Rojanasunand, a Thai forensic scientist, testified at the trial that the crime scene was poorly managed. She said: "I would tell them to do everything in their power to stop them going. [15] Public prosecutors initially rejected the report, asking for "certain flaws" to be fixed, more information to be supplied, and for the report to be made "more succinct". They also found a suicide note at the scene. [23] Local residents blocked the pier to prevent the unidentified killers from leaving the island. 0. Some of these workers said they can earn more money in Thailand compared to Myanmar. He said more security cameras would be installed on beaches. She had checked into the hostel on February 11 and was due to check out on February 16, but failed to do so. "There has been lots of chit-chat on the internet. As we continue with our plans for our beautiful Hannahs party, our thoughts are with David Millers family who are suffering the same indescribable agony. [51] This decision was criticised by the Solicitors International Human Rights Group, one of the observers at the trial. The brutality of the killings made headlines worldwide and cast a shadow across Thailands image as a safe and carefree destination for 20 million foreign visitors a year. Fears over the safety of idyllic Koh Tao were heightened after the killings of Brits Hannah Witheridge and David Miller in 2014. German Bernd Grotsch's body was found at his home deep in the jungle in the Mae Haad part of Koh Tao. Ten days after he went missing from Sairee Beach on Koh Tao, the body of Swiss tourist Hans Peter Suter, 44, was washed ashore at Talay Ngam beach in Lang Suan district of Chumphon province on Tuesday, November 18, 2014. The crime's brutality amid Koh Tao's insular, backpacker charm caused an international sensation and threatened to further weaken a tourist industry already reeling from the military coup of. Zaw Lin was said to have entered between 2011 and 2012, and Wai Phyo in 2012. On 15 September, the bodies of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller were found on Sairee Beach on the island of Koh Tao, between 4 and 5am, a few hours after their deaths. Nicola Gissing, who was also on holiday with Luke when he died, has claimed her friends death was no accident. On Thursday, the New York District Attorney released crime scene photos showing blood spatter and the knife allegedly used by nanny Yoselyn Ortega to kill two young children in her care. [51][21] The trial was attended by external observers, including representatives from Amnesty International and the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Police chief Apichart Boonsrirote said he assigned teams to check all surveillance cameras around the hostel and on the island to find out where she was last seen, The Phuket News reported. The items were still there are 3 am and he called the police. Rockefeller Audio 2022. The Death Of Lana Clarkson. Controversially, Surat Thani governor Auaychai Innak dismissed as untrue some foreign news reports which claimed reptiles had eaten half of Dallemagne's body. [33][34] Over 200 individuals on the island, many of them migrant workers, were tested in mass DNA testing. I shall post a link to your podcast on my Facebook page. Defence lawyers had asked for the samples to be independently verified but have now been told there is nothing left of them to re-test. Posts on social media said Dallemagne had booked a ticket to Chumphon province, on the mainland, and that her luggage arrived after her death, raising questions of her intentions to take her own life. Find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out. One of the most famous Hollywood murders of recent memory was that of Lana Clarkson, the actress and model. [67][21][68] The conviction was primarily guided by the DNA evidence,[67][69] and the court said it did not consider their confessions in making the judgement. A Thai police officer who was called to the scene of the killing of two British tourists on Koh Tao island in September 2014 testified on Wednesday, the first of dozens of witnesses who . Island authorities sued the online news site for violating the Computer Crime Act, which outlaws uploading false information online. The suspects were initially denied access to legal counsel, and alleged that police used torture and threats to secure a confession. Photographs appear to show the mobile phone of Hannah Witheridge submitted to police by her friends, despite police claims it was found in one of their suspect's possession. [82][83] The UK government expressed concerns with the investigation, and summoned a Thai diplomat in London to discuss them. [7] Witheridge had completed undergraduate studies in education at the University of East Anglia and had started post-graduate studies in speech and language therapy at the University of Essex. The official story is they were walking back to their hotel at night and were jumped by 2 Burmese men. At the end of the trial's third day, the judge said police had informed him all the samples taken on the island were "finished" - meaning they could not be analysed again. Police have, however, agreed to hand over the garden hoe which was the murder weapon, along with a shoe and a plastic bag. He said that the victim had been drunk to the extent that he was unable to control himself, he would not have been able to tie himself up so tightly that he died of suffocation. Or is Koh Tao just unlucky for visitors or is there something more sinister happening on the beautiful Thai island and haven for Scuba divers? A judge found the workers guilty and sentenced them to death despite questions about DNA evidence and the police handling of the case. Dimitri Povse 2015; Zaw Lin, front, and Wai Phyo (also known as Win Zaw Htun), rear, arrive at the court in Koh Samui, Blinken and Lavrov meet for first time since invasion, Explosive found in check-in luggage at US airport, Harry and Meghan told to 'vacate' Frogmore Cottage, Whiskey fungus forces Jack Daniels to stop construction, Tulsa massacre survivors granted Ghana citizenship, Seven in hospital from US plane turbulence, Same-sex marriage ban not discrimination - Japan PM, Messages reveal battle over Covid school policy. Suter had been a regular snorkeler and his death was totally unexplained. [52] The suspects were defended pro bono by two lawyers from the Lawyers Council of Thailand. [83] A 2016 study said the case, which it described as a litmus test of Thailand's justice system, "seriously damaged the image of Thailand and of its forces of law and order on the global level". Valentina Novozhenova 2017; The body had to be identified using dental records and previous X-rays. Her mother, Michele claimed that Elise used a fake name of 'Elise Dubuis' to check into the Triple B Bungalows next to Mae Head Pier on Koh Tao. Administratively it is a subdistrict (tambon) of Ko Pha-ngan District (amphoe) of Surat Thani Province. [42][48] Amnesty International stated that Thailand "must initiate an independent, effective and transparent investigation into mounting allegations of torture and other ill-treatment by police". Thailand is one of the worlds most popular tourist destinations with around 35 million visitors each year and promotes itself as the Land of Smiles. The government is sensitive to criticism that could undermine the countrys reputation. The victims have been named by Thai authorities as 23-year-old Hannah Witheridge from Great Yarmouth . Christina Annesley 2015; Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Pool photo, 0130 exhibit 29 They believed he had accidentally drowned and he was thought to have been dead for around 12 hours when his body was retrieved. Thai police say the man on the left matches the one seen acting suspiciously on CCTV A Scottish man is being kept in protective custody in Thailand after a photo he took could identify the. [21][25] There was tearing present at the vulva, bruising on the perineum, and a bite mark on her right nipple. But her parents slammed Thai authorities for failing to investigate the death. Hotel owner Rakeshwar Sachathamakul has been found dead along with his wife in a luxury resort on Koh Tao. It just doesn't go away.". The robbery took place on Koh Tao island's Sairee beach at the same spot where islanders found the disfigured bodies of David Miller, a 24-year-old from Jersey, and Hannah Witheridge, a. [5][40] The commutation was welcomed by Miller's family. Complaining about wrongdoing may invite official questions and demands for passports and documentation. The two men were convicted and sentenced in 2015 and the verdict was upheld by an appeals court in 2017 and the Supreme Court in August 2019. However, according to Rhys Bonney, an immigration adviser to expats in Thailand, the legality of the businesses are an extremely grey area. [66], On 24 December 2015, Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo were found guilty of murdering Witheridge and Miller by the three judges, and were sentenced to death. [20] Both bodies were found semi-naked;[21] a pile of clothes was found nearby. Deaths have been explained away by the authorities as unfortunate accidents or suicides. 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