The British Government has now officially raised its concerns over the Thai investigation into who killed Hannah Witheridge and David Miller on the island of Koh Tao.
Foreign Office Minister summonsed the Thai Charge d’Affairs in London and in particular raised concern about the behaviour of the Royal Thai Police and it’s dealing with the media. This is believed to relate to multiple statements in relations to suspects in the case.
Diplomatically although the statement is worded politely this is a severe rebuke to the Royal Thai Police. The British Government has further stated that British police ‘stood ready’ to assist in the case. A team is already operating out of Norwich Police station in Norfolk – and it is believed that the British Police may also have DNA of the killers, or at least rapists of Hannah.
If the Thai Government wishes to show that its investigation is transparent it will now be under very strong public opinion pressure to allow British detectives to enter the investigation.
The statement from the Foreign and Commonwealth Offices is as follows:
Minister for the Far East and South East Asia Hugo Swire summoned the Thai Chargé d’Affaires to the UK, Mr. Nadhavathna Krishnamra, to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office today, to raise his concerns about the investigation into the murders of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller on Koh Tao on 15 September. The summons followed Mr Swire’s call to the Thai Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, Tanasak Patimapragorn, on 9 October.
Mr Swire stressed that there was a real concern in the UK 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. Mr Swire emphasised how important it was that the UK and Hannah and David’s families received regular updates on the investigation’s progress. He also noted his concern about the way that the police had engaged with the media on the case and reiterated that the UK police stood ready to assist with the investigation and subsequent legal process.
Two Burmese migrant workers are due in court in Koh Samui tomorrow. It is expected they will be remanded in custody every 12 days until their trial.
Thai Prime Minister General Prauth Chan-Ocha has backed the Thai police investigation completely said he was ‘excited’ when he discovered how Thai Police quickly found the killers.
Question of the Month: Will these murders affect tourism in Thailand.
Answer: No, but they will when Thai police start investigating.
Don't hold your breath waiting for any admission of wrong doing from either the Thai Government or Thai police. History has shown admitting guilt or wrong doing is impossible for Thai officials. In Northern Asia in countries like Japan and Korea, officials caught out in corrupt dealings will often offer a tearful apology and immediately resign. It is not unknown for people to commit suicide in an act of repentance.
Compare that to Thailand, where we see denials, scape-goating and outright lies offered when corruption is exposed. If officials are caught red-handed in photos they are fake, if caught on video, the video has been doctored. It's always a 'misunderstanding,' like the millions of baht arriving at a judges office in a cake box. That wasn't a bribe or an attempt to pervert the course of justice- just a 'misunderstanding.' Thai officials are like alcoholics or dug addicts in denial, pretending all is fine whilst the system crumbles into a corrupt mess around them.
Like a majority of Thai people, I hold the most contempt for the Thai police. In particular the higher ranked officers of which many are multimillionaires. The Thai police by any reasonable definition resemble a criminal organisation. They are involved in protection rackets, extortion, prostitution and gambling. The recent arrests of two high ranking drug enforcement officers in possession of large quantities of drugs only reinforces the notion the whole police force is hopelessly corrupt. Not only protecting illegal activity but actively participating in it. Is it any wonder the Thai masses have nothing but utter contempt for their police force.
What we see today is a perversion of a traditional system where the victim of a crime would go with the village headman to the police to seek a settlement or compensation. The police were mediators and saw people were punished or compensated. Now what we have is a system so corrupt, backward and slow, people would much prefer to pay for a problem to disappear. This had led to the police enriching themselves in a system where justice is determined by social status and bank balance.
We have numerous cases where the police are major suspects in murder and kidnapping. There are too many cases to mention.
Eloquently put 🙂
Yes. Well put, Weapon.
As all old Thailand hands will know, the issue has become one of finding a way of not losing face while not appearing to be backing down. Maybe they’ll claim a misunderstanding. Difficult given the confessions and the DNA evidence they say they have. But they’ll have to deal with the pressure mounting from the West and from the Thai people themselves.
Then I noticed this morning something that has not been widely reported ( though it’s in The Telegraph, Mirror and the Scottish Express.) They refer to CONSPIRACY to murder and not murder itself. I give the links.
“The two suspects, both aged 21, are charged with conspiracy to murder, conspiracy to rape and robbery.” (source The Week, a UK publication) Also reported in The Mirror. Scottish daily express, and the Telegraph.
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-29604685
“The men, named in reports as bar workers Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun, were accused conspiracy to murder, conspiracy to rape and robbery”.
A first step in not convicting the Burmese?
Now, thai police even go further steps and they have recently added another charge that these two Myanmar accused have committed deception that Thai police have abused them to confess to be murderers. And they also announced that the two suspects will get lighter punishments if they confessed, really pushing these two Burmese scapegoats to confess.
Thailand claims to be a Buddhist country yet much of what we see in modern Thailand is the antithesis of Buddhist teachings. Buddhism has a number of core principles such as anicca and anatta. Anicca means impermanence or transience. Everything born must grow, age and die and we can see all appearances of life are temporary. So the idea of greedily accumulating lots of possessions and money is seen as ignorance to the true Buddhist. This concept has been conveniently ignored by many in Thailand.
The principle of anatta is even more important as it gets to the core of every human problem. The principle states that there is no 'self,' 'ego' or 'personal entity' that exists. It is an illusion. This has actually been proved by modern brain science which agrees the idea of an individual with free will and autonomy is at best just an illusion created by thought.
The Buddha pointed out this sense of self and ego creates all man's problems. The ego has desire and needs to sustain it's fictional existence. This idea of 'face' is a joke. The only face that exists is the imaginary ego and that is just a collection of programs and inputs society has given via parents, schooling and religion. By the time a child is 3 or 4 this ego sense has concreted into a seeming individual and goes through life seeking the status, wealth and power it thinks it deserves.
You can clearly see this becomes a serious problem in a hierarchical society like in Thailand. The so called upper classes can't seem to admit they are capable of doing anything wrong. They have egos so big and strong they will lie, scape-goat and deny any wrongdoing in a pathetic attempt at 'saving face.'
They can't see the face they are trying to save is notional at best. In reality they are coming across as shameless people. People so 'self-obsessed' and proud they will do anything to protect that image they have of themselves as omnipotent and omniscient . They cheat, lie, defraud, punish the innocent and greedily accumulate, all in the name of a fictional 'me' they think is so important.
If someone like a Buddha did show up in modern Thailand he would be disgusted in what he sees done in his name.
On the Islands of Koh Tao, and Koh Phanyang, most of the guest houses sell Cannanibs, Opium and Magic Mushrooms. The musrooms are not as strong as the ones grown in the UK, the pot is not as strong as that grown in the Uk and the Opium is like dreamy Valium.
But the main issue is, a lot of Police or ex policemen own or supply these guest houses. Everything is perfectly taken care of for the backpackers. But when caught at the full moon party they are threatened with jail unless they hand over thousands of pounds.
The Thai's protection of face is another contradiction. Buddihsm has a teaching called 'accept the defeat and offer the victory' i.e Take the moral high ground.
What the hell is this face thing all about, the Thai's are so petulant and weak minded. The leaders of this country need a kick up the arse.