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| Hannah Witheridge and David Miller murders: Thai court charges pair | |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| A court has charged two Burmese men with the murder of two British tourists in Thailand earlier this year. | |
| Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun, both 21, are accused of killing Hannah Witheridge and David Miller on the island of Koh Tao in September. | Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun, both 21, are accused of killing Hannah Witheridge and David Miller on the island of Koh Tao in September. |
| In October the two men retracted confessions initially made to police. They deny killing the tourists. | |
| The suspects, both migrant workers, could be executed if found guilty. | The suspects, both migrant workers, could be executed if found guilty. |
| BBC Southeast Asia correspondent Jonathan Head said the investigation had been marred by allegations of police incompetence and of confessions extracted by torture. | |
| Thursday's indictment was unexpectedly brought forward by three hours, meaning the suspects did not have time to be brought from prison to hear the charges, our correspondent added. | |
| They were arrested two months ago and this week a lawyer for the suspects urged friends of the victims to come forward with information. | |
| Nakhon Chompuchat said the victims' friends "should know many things" about what happened and could "prove the true situation". | Nakhon Chompuchat said the victims' friends "should know many things" about what happened and could "prove the true situation". |
| The public prosecutor has sent the police dossier back three times asking for better evidence, but now says the case against the accused is solid. | |
| Thai police have been criticised for their handling of the case, and Mr Zaw's mother has said her son is being made a "scapegoat". | Thai police have been criticised for their handling of the case, and Mr Zaw's mother has said her son is being made a "scapegoat". |
| As well as the alleged murders and rape, Mr Zaw and Mr Win are also accused of conspiracy to murder, conspiracy to rape and robbery. | As well as the alleged murders and rape, Mr Zaw and Mr Win are also accused of conspiracy to murder, conspiracy to rape and robbery. |
| The suspects - from Myanmar, also known as Burma - confessed to the murders, which they later retracted, claiming they had been tortured. | The suspects - from Myanmar, also known as Burma - confessed to the murders, which they later retracted, claiming they had been tortured. |
| The bodies of Miss Witheridge, 23, from Hemsby in Norfolk, and Mr Miller, 24, from Jersey, were found on a beach in the popular tourist destination on 15 September. | The bodies of Miss Witheridge, 23, from Hemsby in Norfolk, and Mr Miller, 24, from Jersey, were found on a beach in the popular tourist destination on 15 September. |
| Post-mortem examinations found Mr Miller died from drowning and a blow to the head, while Miss Witheridge died from head wounds. | Post-mortem examinations found Mr Miller died from drowning and a blow to the head, while Miss Witheridge died from head wounds. |
| Koh Tao | Koh Tao |