For Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun — the migrant workers sentenced to death by the Thai court in relation to the deaths of two British tourists — the new year brings with it a glimmer of hope. Aung Myo Thant, the lawyer in charge of the case, confirmed to 7Day yesterday that Thai authorities have extended the deadline by which the defendants can file the final appeal for their case.
After being handed the death sentence last December, Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun had made an appeal to the Thai Appellate Court, citing accusations that officials had ‘bungled’ the investigation by declining to test key pieces of evidence, refusing to allow independent examinations, and failing to properly collect and preserve DNA samples. However, the Appellate Court officially stated on February 23 that the initial sentence would be upheld — an announcement that caught even the defendants’ attorneys off-guard.
Following the Appellate Court’s decision, the defendants were given 30 days to submit another appeal for their case to the Supreme Court, the final court. Although the pair’s lawyers immediately began work on the Supreme Court appeal, they argued that the March 23 deadline was not enough time.
An initial petition for an extension was granted and the pair was given a new deadline of April 23. However, their attorneys argued that that still wasn’t enough time to prepare a comprehensive appeal, and filed yet another successful petition. The team now has until May 23 to put together their case.
Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Tun were found guilty of killing David Miller, 24, and the rape and murder of Hannah Witheridge, 23, whose battered bodies were found on a beach on the southern diving resort of Koh Tao in September 2014. Miller had been struck by a single blow and left to drown in shallow surf, while Witheridge had been raped and then bludgeoned to death with a garden hoe.
While the death penalty is technically still legal in Thailand, it is rarely carried out.
Reader Interactions