Within hours of the verdict against two Myanmar migrant workers sentenced to death on Thursday for the murder of two British backpackers, the families of both victims – David Miller, 24 and Hannah Witheridge, 23 – released statements.
And in a sign of how complex, mystifying and unresolved this case has always been, the reactions were stark in their differences.
Miller’s family completely backed the decision of a panel of judges to convict Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun (aka Wai Phyo) for the murder of Miller and the murder and rape of Witheridge on the Thai island of Koh Tao in 2014.
Sue Miller (front L), Ian Miller (background R), and Michael Miller (background L) – the respective mother, father and brother of slain British backpacker David Miller – are accompanied by an unidentified woman as they arrive at the Koh Samui Provincial Court in Koh Samui on December 24, 2015. Photo: AFP / Nicolas Asfouri
“We believe that the result today represents justice for David and Hannah,” their statement says, adding later that “the judges have been invariably diligent, attentive, fair and extraordinarily hard working.”
“David always stood up for justice, and justice is what had been delivered today. We respect this court and its decision completely.”
Describing the suspects: “They raped to satisfy their selfish desires and murdered to cover up that fact.”
“They have shown no remorse during the trial. Initially they confessed for almost two weeks and then recanted in an attempt to avoid justice.”
There are no such assurances in the Witheridge family’s reaction, which is marked only by grief and an undercurrent of frustration with the proceedings.
“As the trial concludes and the verdict is delivered, our family, once again, find ourselves in the path of a whirlwind of emotions and difficulties. In these challenging times, we try to concentrate our efforts on remembering our beautiful Hannah for the fun, vibrant and incredible young woman that she was,” the statement says.
The family announces an academic award in Witheridge’s name, and says it needs time to “digest” the court’s decision.
“The past year has served as an unimaginably impossible time for our family. We have found the trial process extremely difficult and our trips out to Thailand, to attend court, made for particularly distressing experiences. We found listening to proceedings very challenging and we have had to endure a lot of painful and confusing information. We now need time, as a family, to digest the outcome of the trial and figure out the most appropriate way to tell our story.”
For one family, it seems, there is some closure. For another, the word closure doesn’t come to mind.
After taking back confessions said to be made under duress, the Koh Tao defendants, both 22, have maintained their innocence. Their lawyers plan on appealing the decision.
The trial has foundered on different pieces of evidence, an aspect highlighted, indirectly, by the different statements issued by the families in the aftermath.
