The two Myanmar suspects accused of murdering two British tourists on Koh Tao in Surat Thani should be allowed to seek another DNA test, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said yesterday.
Gen Prayut suggested the new tests hoping to end growing concerns the police investigation was riddled with problems, from allegations of torture to questions about the mass collection of DNA.
"We will allow the suspects to fight the case however they want," Gen Prayut told reporters after the weekly cabinet meeting. "We have no problem conducting another DNA test if sceptics think the DNA results released to date were not correct or not fair."
It was not immediately clear whether the suspects, Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun, had requested a second DNA test. The parents of the two Myanmar suspects, who are now in Thailand, have said their sons are being made into "scapegoats".
The parents yesterday accompanied Myanmar's ambassador to Thailand, Win Muang, to seek legal counsel from Dej-udom Krairit, chairman of the Lawyers Council of Thailand. The Myanmar government believes the suspects are innocent and wants the council to defend them in court.
Shortly after the meeting, Mr Dej-udom said the council will set up a 12-member committee, which he will chair, to oversee the case. He vowed to monitor the case closely and will meet Myanmar embassy officials again after prosecutors formally indict the suspects.
Thawatchai Siangjaew, director-general of the Office of the Public Prosecution Region 8, said lawyers were wrapping up the case and promised the prosecution would be fair to the defendants.
Police hailed a breakthrough earlier this month in their investigation of the murder of David Miller, 24, and the rape and murder of Hannah Witheridge, 23, after claiming DNA from Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Tun matched samples taken from the body of Witheridge. Police said the men had confessed.
But last week the men, both migrant workers in their 20s, retracted their confessions, alleging they were obtained under torture. Criticism of the police handling of the case has swirled both in Thailand and overseas, especially in the UK.
However, Thai authorities have denied using the pair as scapegoats, insisting the case is built on solid evidence. British police were allowed to observe the investigation after the UK expressed concerns and offered to help with the probe.
Gen Prayut said yesterday the British investigators were satisfied and had expressed those sentiments to their Thai counterparts.
He claimed British officers had said Thai authorities had done better than they expected and that the investigation had been carried out the same way they would have done it.
British and Thai police studied from the "same textbooks", Gen Prayut said.
Meanwhile, rumours persist that the son of a Koh Tao village headman was involved.
Woraphan Tuwichian, the Moo 1 village headman on Koh Tao, said he will accompany his son to meet national police chief Somyot Pumpunmuang today for a new DNA test, in a bid to dispel the rumour.