Thai police question Myanmar men over grisly murder of British tourists

BANGKOK // Thai police questioned three Myanmar men over the murder of two British tourists on the southern resort island of Koh Tao on Tuesday, as their bodies were due to arrive in Bangkok for forensic tests.

David Miller, 24, and Hannah Witheridge, 23, were found naked and beaten to death on Monday near a beachside bungalow on the island, a diving hot-spot near Koh Phangan in the Gulf of Thailand.

A bloodied hoe was discovered 35 metres from the murder scene.

“Three male Myanmar migrant workers are under police detention for investigation,” southern regional police commander Panya Maman said.

Contrary to UK media reports, police said they were not looking for a British man who had travelled with Miller.

“All of the British nationals are now on their way home,” provincial police chief Kiattipong Khawsamang said, adding they had been cleared as suspects.

Thai television reports that police had seized an iPhone and blood-stained jeans after raiding rooms used by the Myanmar suspects could not be confirmed.

Thai authorities frequently accuse migrants from Myanmar and Cambodia of committing crimes in the kingdom, where they make up a vast, poorly-paid and low-status workforce.

The bodies of the victims, who arrived in Thailand on August 25, were due in Bangkok on Tuesday for forensic tests.

Koh Tao, home to stunning white sand beaches and azure waters, is popular with divers but is smaller and more laid-back than neighbouring Koh Phangan – which draws hordes of backpackers to its “full moon” party.

On Tuesday, Thai junta chief and prime minister Prayut Chan O Cha appeared to call into question the victims’ conduct in addition to the perpetrators of the attack.

“We have to look into the behaviour of the other party too because this kind of incident should not happen to anybody and it has affected our image,” he said, referring to the two tourists.

He said Thai authorities must tell “tourists when the safe times are to be outside”.

Police earlier said the pair had been seen partying at a local bar just hours before they died.

The murders are likely to heap more misery on Thailand's lucrative tourism industry, which has been battered in recent months after a prolonged political crisis ended in a coup.

It is rare for tourists to be murdered in Thailand.

Dismayed Kho Tao locals said the grisly crime was the first of its kind on the normally sleepy island.

Television footage late Monday showed many residents wearing black as a sign of mourning.

* Agence France-Presse