Thai PM says Hannah accused WILL get a fair trial

Thailand's Prime Minister is insisting the men accused of killing Norfolk student Hannah Witheridge will be given a fair trial.

His comments came amid growing concern over the way the investigation is being handled. Two Burmese migrant workers have been charged with murdering Hannah and fellow British tourist David Miller last month.

Their pre-trial hearing started today, with defence lawyers failling in attempts to get it delayed because of fears there hadn't been enough time to prepare a case

The men accused of killing Hannah Wiitheridge and David Miller arrived at court on the island of Koh Samui today - alongside suspects in other cases.

This was the start of their pre-trial hearing. with the Thai police arguing that witnesses to the murder might run away if the authorities granted defence requests to postone it for a month.

The two migrant workers from Burma are charged with murdering the British tourists on the neighbouring island of Koh Tow last month.

Hannah Witheridge from Hemsby in Norfolk and David Miller from Jersey were discovered on a beach with head injuries.

Soon after their arrest, the men were paraded in front of the cameras, having apparently pleaded guilty But reports suggest they were tortured and have since retracted their confessions,

It's been reported that the Foreign Office has expressed their fears to the Thai authorities about whether the men would receive a fair trial.

That concern was echoed by British human rights activist Andy Hall when he met a senior Thai police officer before the start of today's hearing at which a number of potential witnesses were interviewed.

You can watch Malcolm Robertson's piece on the latest developments below.

In addition to international condemnation, Thailand's also facing a significant loss of tourism following last month's events.