Thai murders: DNA on weapon 'does not match suspects'

The head of Burma's military has called on the Thai government to review the conviction of two men for the murders of two British backpackers.

Burmese migrants Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo, also known as Win Zaw Htun, were found guilty last week at a court in Thailand of killing Hannah Witheridge from Norfolk and David Miller from Jersey.

The pair, both bar workers, say Thai police tortured them into confessing to the killing on September 15 last year and will appeal against their sentences.

The force has defended its investigation, but since the conviction there have been daily protests in Burma. State media has reported General Min Aung Hlaing calling for a "review of the evidence" and to "avoid a situation in which the innocent ... were wrongly punished".

This follows a statement made earlier this week by Amnesty International for a full investigation into claims the two men were tortured.

But despite the concerns, the brother of one of the victims David Miller said he felt the "correct decision" had been reached in the case.

Human rights charity Amnesty International has called for a full investigation into whether two men convicted of rape and murder after the deaths of two British backpackers were tortured.

The bodies of Hannah Witheridge, 23, and David Miller, 24, were discovered on the island of Koh Tao in September last year.

Burmese migrants Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo, also known as Win Zaw Htun, initially confessed to the murders but later retracted their statements, claiming they had been tortured.

Neither of the men - both aged 22 displayed any emotion as they were found guilty of murder and rape and issued with the death penalty. They are set to appeal, their legal team has confirmed.

Amnesty International's south-east Asia director Champa Patel said the Thai authorities needed to ensure any alleged confession obtained through torture could not be admitted in court.

A forensics expert in Thailand has said that DNA on the weapon used to kill Norfolk backpacker Hannah Witheridge does not belong to the two men who are standing trial for her murder.

Hannah, from Hemsby near Great Yarmouth, was killed alongside her friend David Miller from Jersey on the island of Koh Tao last year.

Two Burmese bar workers Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo, both 22, have pleaded not guilty.

The trial of two men accused of the murder of two British backpackers in Thailand has heard that DNA evidence can be re-tested.

The bodies of Hannah Witheridge who was 23 and from Hemsby in Norfolk and David Miller from Jersey were found in September last year.

The defence team for the Burmese Migrants Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun, who are on trial for the murders say the only thing linking them to the crime is the DNA evidence.

Thai police claimed that the samples had been exhausted and couldn't be re-tested.

But a forensic expert said in court that duplicates of some of the evidence had been made - meaning there is enough to re-test.

The two men deny the charges.

The trial of two men accused of murdering Norfolk student Hannah Witheridge has resumed in Thailand, despite confusion over evidence crucial to the defence case.

23-year-old Hannah from Hemsby near Great Yarmouth was killed on the island of Koh Tao in September last year. Fellow backpacker David Miller from Jersey also died.

Two migrant workers from Burma have denied murdering them. Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun initially pleaded guilty when arrested but later claimed they'd been tortured by the police to confess.

Their defence team want DNA evidence found at the murder scene to be independently verified, but it's emerged that samples taken at the time could well have been lost.

The trial's expected to last three months, with verdicts to be announced in October. If found guilty, the defendants face the death penalty.

The trial has begun in Thailand of the two men accused of murdering Norfolk student Hannah Witheridge last year.

Hannah was on a backpacking holiday when she was killed, along with fellow Briton David Miller.

Defence lawyers say the men were forced into making confessions, and claim there are discrepancies in the DNA evidence that was found.

The family of Hannah Witheridge from Hemsby near Great Yarmouth, who was killed in Thailand last summer, have travelled to the country for the start of the murder trial.

23-year-old Hannah was found dead alongside 24-year-old David Miller on the island of Koh Tao in September. Two Burmese men confessed to the murders and then retracted their statements.