A 12-member delegation from Myanmar arrived in Bangkok Sunday to assist and observe the case against two migrants due to go on trial for the Sept 15 murder of two British tourists on Koh Tao.
Headed by Upper House speaker Khin Aung Myint, the group of of legal and forensic experts met with Myanmar embassy representatives and lawyers who already involved in aiding their detained compatriots, the Democratic Voice of Burma reported Monday.
Myanmar Upper House speaker Khin Aung Myint, left, shakes hands with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha as he visited Government House on Monday. He and other members reportedly plan to meet two Myanmar suspects on the Koh Tao murder. (Government House photo)
Khin Aung Myint and his team arrived with a collection of donations from Myanmar MPs. Lawyer Aung Myo Thant said the money will be used to bail out the defendants.
Team members plan to speak to the two suspects, Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Tun, and meet with the National Human Rights Commission and the Lawyers Council of Thailand.
The two suspects claim they are innocent of charges of rape and murder and claim they only confessed after being beaten and threatened by local police.
Khin Aung Myint met with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha at Government House and National Reform Council chairman Thienchay Kiranandana at parliament Monday.
There were no reports that the Koh Tao issue was taken up during talks between the two.
British tourists Hannah Witheridge and David Miller were bludgeoned to death in the early hours of Sept 15 on a secluded part of Sairee beach on Koh Tao in Surat Thani province. Witheridge was also raped.
Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Tun are detained at the Koh Samui prison as state prosecutors wait for more evidence from police before making the decision on indictment.
Myanmar's parliament has sent an official letter to National Legislative Assembly president Pornpetch Wichitcholachai, requesting justice in the high-profile case, according to DVB.