The result of a DNA test on the son of a village head who was accused of possible involvement in the Koh Tao murders will be known today, as police warned they could take action under the Computer Crime Act if damaging speculation about the case persists.
Warot Tuwichian, 22, was accompanied by his father, Woraphan, a village headman on the island, for a DNA test at Police Headquarters on Thursday.
Blood tests and mouth swabs were taken from the young man. They will be tested at Police General Hospital, Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Siriraj Hospital, and Ramathibodee Hospital, with the results expected Friday.
- Earlier report: Koh Tao youth gives DNA sample
Some social media observers argue Mr Warot was the man seen in CCTV footage in front of the bar where British tourists, Hannah Witheridge and David Miller, partied on the night of the murders. Mr Warot's DNA will be compared with that found in Witheridge's body.
National police chief Somyot Pumpunmuang said Mr Warot had never been summoned for a DNA test because authorities were confident he was not on the island on the night of the murder.
National police chief Somyot Pumpunmuang personally directed DNA sampling and fingerprinting of Warot Tuwichian, the son of an influential figure from Koh Tao, and warned would-be internet critics at a press conference that followed. (Photo by Somchai Poomlard)
Mr Warot's lawyer had handed over security footage from his apartment in Bangkok to prove he was in the city on the morning after the murder. Mr Woraphan, also known as Phuyai Wor, owns AC Bar on Koh Tao where a quarrel was reported shortly before the British tourists were found slain nearby on Hat Sairee beach early on Sept 15.
Police have arrested two Myanmar workers on Koh Tao and charged them with the murders. The suspects confessed under interrogation but later retracted their confessions, asserting they had been coerced.
Police say they could take legal action if netizens continue to circulate claims on social media that police have stitched up the pair. Pol Gen Somyot insisted Thai police had gained the confidence of their British counterparts when they visited the island to observe their investigation process last week. He warned that posting or sharing false information could result in action under the Computer Crime Act.
Mr Woraphan said his family has cooperated with police from the beginning but his family was still being attacked on social media.
Meanwhile, Suwit Choey-ubon of the Lawyers Council of Thailand (LCT), said pinning down the whereabouts of the suspects on the night of the murders was growing more difficult as the value of forensic evidence faded with time. Mr Suwit said the suspects were not informed of their basic rights and nor were they given the chance to consult with a lawyer at the time of the investigation.