Representational Image.
Koh Samui, Thailand:
The high-profile trial of two Myanmar migrants charged with killing two British holidaymakers in Thailand will kick off Wednesday, throwing a spotlight on the grim case that has tarnished the country's reputation as a tourist haven.
Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Tun are accused of murdering 24-year-old David Miller and the rape and murder of Hannah Witheridge, 23, on the southern island of Koh Tao in September.
Both men, who worked in Koh Tao's tourism sector, face several charges including murder, rape and robbery.
If found guilty at their trial on the nearby island of Koh Samui - where they have been held in custody since October - they could face the death penalty.
The lifeless, battered bodies of Miller and Witheridge were discovered on a beach just a few hundred yards from the main tourist drag in Koh Tao, a beach-fringed idyll in the Gulf of Thailand popular with backpackers and divers.
Miller's beaten body was found in shallow surf while Witheridge's was located slightly further up the beach. Police say she was raped as well as beaten.
The killings happened just as the country's vital tourism industry was beginning to recover after months of violent street protests that culminated in the May 2014 military coup.
Investigation criticised
The case also shone a light on the many migrant workers from Myanmar who work in Thailand's tourist trade -- many underpaid and often exploited.
Rights groups expressed concerns that Lin and Tun may have been scapegoated by a police force under pressure to show progress in their investigation.
The pair's defence team have long criticised the police investigation, claiming the crime scene was contaminated and that their clients were tortured into admitting guilt.
Both men retracted their initial confessions, saying they were coerced into making them.
The defence team also complain they have not been given access to the forensic evidence, despite the court initially ruling in April that they could run their own independent tests.
But in late May they were told a final decision on the forensic evidence would only be made on the first day of the trial.
"There's no reason why this information should be withheld from the defence team," Andy Hall, an activist with the Migrant Worker Rights Network, which is helping to fund the pair's defence, told AFP.
"There's a real lack of adequate disclosure by the prosecution and that worries us about whether there will be a fair trial," he added.
Nonetheless Thai police and prosecutors insist they have charged the right men, saying the forensic evidence strongly points to them as the perpetrators.
The victims' families have also said they have seen strong evidence against the suspects and expressed confidence in the case after after British investigators reviewed the case following a visit to Thailand.
It is not known whether they will attend the trial, but Witheridge's family set up a crowd-funding website to help finance future trips to Thailand for the court hearings.
They have raised more than 15,000 pounds (US$23,400), beyond their initial 10,000-pound target.
The trial is expected to take place over 18 days between July and September with the verdict due in October. The prosecution will lay out their case over 12 days, while the defence have been given six days.
Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Tun are accused of murdering 24-year-old David Miller and the rape and murder of Hannah Witheridge, 23, on the southern island of Koh Tao in September.
Both men, who worked in Koh Tao's tourism sector, face several charges including murder, rape and robbery.
If found guilty at their trial on the nearby island of Koh Samui - where they have been held in custody since October - they could face the death penalty.
The lifeless, battered bodies of Miller and Witheridge were discovered on a beach just a few hundred yards from the main tourist drag in Koh Tao, a beach-fringed idyll in the Gulf of Thailand popular with backpackers and divers.
Miller's beaten body was found in shallow surf while Witheridge's was located slightly further up the beach. Police say she was raped as well as beaten.
The killings happened just as the country's vital tourism industry was beginning to recover after months of violent street protests that culminated in the May 2014 military coup.
Investigation criticised
The case also shone a light on the many migrant workers from Myanmar who work in Thailand's tourist trade -- many underpaid and often exploited.
Rights groups expressed concerns that Lin and Tun may have been scapegoated by a police force under pressure to show progress in their investigation.
The pair's defence team have long criticised the police investigation, claiming the crime scene was contaminated and that their clients were tortured into admitting guilt.
Both men retracted their initial confessions, saying they were coerced into making them.
The defence team also complain they have not been given access to the forensic evidence, despite the court initially ruling in April that they could run their own independent tests.
But in late May they were told a final decision on the forensic evidence would only be made on the first day of the trial.
"There's no reason why this information should be withheld from the defence team," Andy Hall, an activist with the Migrant Worker Rights Network, which is helping to fund the pair's defence, told AFP.
"There's a real lack of adequate disclosure by the prosecution and that worries us about whether there will be a fair trial," he added.
Nonetheless Thai police and prosecutors insist they have charged the right men, saying the forensic evidence strongly points to them as the perpetrators.
The victims' families have also said they have seen strong evidence against the suspects and expressed confidence in the case after after British investigators reviewed the case following a visit to Thailand.
It is not known whether they will attend the trial, but Witheridge's family set up a crowd-funding website to help finance future trips to Thailand for the court hearings.
They have raised more than 15,000 pounds (US$23,400), beyond their initial 10,000-pound target.
The trial is expected to take place over 18 days between July and September with the verdict due in October. The prosecution will lay out their case over 12 days, while the defence have been given six days.
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