Thai police chief: DNA evidence in Koh Tao murder trial ‘is not lost’
Thai Police chief Gen. Somyot Poompanmoung. Pic: AP.
Thailand’s top police official insisted Friday that crucial DNA evidence linking two Burmese migrants to the murders of British backpackers David Miller and Hannah Witheridge has not been lost.
Gen. Somyot Poompanmoung’s comments came after reports emerged Thursday that the evidence had been lost or destroyed. One police officer had reportedly told the BBC that the samples had been lost, or that they were only suitable for one test.
“It is not lost,” Somyot said.
The comments came on the third day of the trial in a case marred by questions of police and judicial incompetency and claims that the accused were tortured into confessing.
The availability of the DNA evidence for independent testing, as requested by the defence, has emerged as a key element in the trial Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo, both 22.
After two days of delays, the court was expected to rule Friday on a defense request to re-examine the DNA evidence.
Earlier Friday Hannah Witheridge’s father wept as images of his daughter’s body were shown to the court and a forensic police officer described the severe injuries she sustained. He also said there was evidence she had been raped.
Burmese migrant workers Zaw Lin, center front, and Win Zaw Htun, rear center, arrive at a provincial court in Surat Thani province, Thailand Wednesday. Pic: AP.
Speaking to reporters Friday, David Miller’s mother, Sue, said attending the trial, which is taking place on the neighboring island of Koh Samui, has “been very, very hard”.
His father, Ian, said: “We’ll go with the flow as much as we can. We won’t comment on the trial process. We’ll be dignified for David.”
The bodies of Miller, 24, and Witheridge, 23, were found on Sept. 15 on a beach on Koh Tao last year. The Burmese defendants were charged in December after confessing to the murders, but later retracted their confessions claiming they were tortured.
Additional reporting from Associated Press
