Latest Activity. This topic is closed. Police recovered the body and took it to the neighbouring island of Koh Phangan. Coincidentally, pictures of Bernd with a snake were to be found online. No suspects have yet been arrested for killing Hannah Witheridge, 23, and 24-year-old David Miller but three people are believed to be involved. Miriam Beelte was raped and murders on the island of Koh Sichang. 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British woman, Christina Annesley, 23, was found in a room at the In Touch Resort on Jan 21, 2015. Be responsible and use common sense. But among some foreigners, Koh Tao has taken on a more sinister reputation. Pol Maj Gen Pornchai Sutheerakhun, director of the Institute of Forensic Science at Police General Hospital in Bangkok, said “There were wounds around the neck due to the hanging and some non-fatal bruises in the head and no drugs were found in the body. All previous suspects have been released and a group of Thai footballers are the latest to be questioned by police amid criticism that the hunt for the killers has stalled. Share. The bodies of Hannah Witheridge, 23, and David Miller, 24, were found on a beach on Koh Tao in September 2014. Scapegoats for murders in paradise on Koh Tao, Thailand’s Death Island. Nick's mother Tracy Pearson, told Derby and South Derbyshire Coroner's Court in the U.K., she had "a gut feeling there was foul play". WARNING CONTAINS SOME DISTURBING IMAGES OF DEATH. 8 Koh Tao safety tips. Koh Tao Murder - Thai Police, their scapegoates and tourist trade - Exposed by Anonymous - YouTube. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. A bloodstained garden hoe, believed to be the murder weapon, was found nearby. Ms Witheridge and Mr Miller did not know each other from at home in the UK and are believed to have met on holiday. A number of tourist deaths on this island in recent years have shocked the world. It covers an area of about 21 km2. The family claim the circumstances surrounding his death and the local police's refusal to co-operate with the have led them to believe the death is "suspicious". Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Last week police colonel Kissana Phathanacharoen announced the offer of a 700,000 baht (£13,300) reward for information leading to arrests. A few days later, staff checked her room to discover her mobile phone, passport and camera had all been left behind. Despite claims of a fall, he had no broken bones. Collapse. They were partially undressed and … Hans Peter Suter. He told the Daily Mail: “It has become clearer and clearer that it is quite likely David was stepping in to help a girl who was in trouble.”. Elise went 1.5 miles (2.5km) through the jungle to Tanote Bay and took a room at the Poseidon Resort where she booked another ticket for Bangkok leaving on April 24. The bodies of the young Britons were discovered in September 2014 on a beach on Koh Tao, a small island in the Gulf of Thailand. At least eleven European tourists have died or disappeared there since 2014 and it is now described as “Death Island” or “Murder Island”. “They think our country is beautiful and safe and they can do whatever they want, wear bikinis wherever they like,” the prime minister said. The men, U Zaw Lin and U Win Zaw Htun, both workers on the popular resort island of Koh Tao, were convicted of murder, rape and unlawful entry into Thailand… Controversially, Surat Thani governor Auaychai Innak dismissed as untrue some foreign news reports which claimed reptiles had eaten half of Dallemagne's body. Anonymous slams ‘ugly corruption” of Thai authorities over Koh Tao case. Frenchman, Dimitri Povse, 29, was found hanging from the beam of a rented house on January 1, 2015. Respect the Thai people and their culture. Friends and family remain suspicious of the police investigation and the insistence that Dimitri committed suicide, especially as his hands were tied behind his back. Respect the Thai people! The economy of the island is almost exclusively centered on tourism, especially scuba diving. The convictions were mired in controversy, with supporters of the two men arguing they had been framed because their initial confessions were made under duress. Hannah was raped before she was killed. Koh Tao Mayor Chaiyan Thurasakul said the website is accused of “damaging Koh Tao’s reputation by calling it Death Island”. He had been dead about 10 days and had left to snorkelling alone on November 8. There were no signs of a struggle or rape, or other human DNA. A Thai villager lays flowers during a memorial service for two murdered British tourists on Koh Tao island, Two Myanmar migrant workers Win (left) and Saw (right) are suspects in the killing of two British tourists, Two Myanmar migrant workers suspected of killing two British tourists participate in a crime re-enactment, The two suspects (wearing hard hats) during a re-enactment of the alleged crime, Thai policemen conduct DNA tests on staff from two beachside bars as part of the investigation on the murder of two British tourists on the southern resort island of Koh Tao, Police chiefs look at a beach near the spot where bodies of two killed British tourists were found on the island of Koh Tao, Police in Koh Tao said they were liaising with officers in Bangkok to try and detain the second man, A Thai villager lays flowers during a memorial service for two murdered British tourists at the crime scene on a beach of Koh Tao resort island, A police searches for clues near the spot where bodies of two killed British tourists were found, on the island of Koh Tao, Thai workers carry the bodies of two British tourists on Koh Tao island in the Surat Thani province of southern Thailand, Hannah Witheridge, 23 was killed on the small island of Koh Tao on 15 Septembe, David Miller, 24, was killed on the small island of Koh Tao on 15 September, Thai PM suggests 'attractive' female tourists are not safe, Thai police will conduct DNA tests on every man on island, Thai police offer £13,000 reward for information, {{#verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}}, Thailand: Hannah Witheridge 'raped by two men before being killed', Booking.com promo: 10% extra saving with Level 1 Genius membership, Debenhams discount code for 15% off selected luxury beauty products, Exclusive Ideal World promo code: 20% saving on fitness, Receive a £2 AliExpress promo code with the official App, Argos promo: 20% off selected LEGO toys this Easter. They still maintain their innocence, as they did throughout the trial. Ten days after he went missing from Sairee Beach on Koh Tao, the body of Swiss tourist Hans Peter Suter, 44, was washed ashore at Talay Ngam beach in Lang Suan district of Chumphon province on Tuesday, November 18, 2014. The family have contested the police version of events. It was revealed yesterday that on April 28 Elise became the latest tourist found … With crystal-clear waters, perfect sandy beaches, palm trees and great nightlife. Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun, the 2 young Burmese men sentenced to death over the Koh Tao British backpacker double murder in 2014, have had their sentences commuted to life in prison by the Thai monarch. "We're confident we have a very high chance of finding the suspects.". The body had to be identified using dental records and previous X-rays. They believed he had accidentally drowned and he was thought to have been dead for around 12 hours when his body was retrieved. Collapse. The last known video footage of the Russian woman showed her walking to Chaloke Hin Kao bay and never coming back. The pair were sentenced to death for the murder of 24 year old David Miller and the murder and rape of 23 year old Hannah Witheridge. So much so, that Koh Tao was dubbed "death island" and "murder island" by the media. Ms Witheridge, who was doing a post-graduate speech and language therapy course at the University of Essex, was travelling with three female friends and had only arrived on Koh Tao, or Turtle Island, three before her death. Two different semen samples collected from her body are the basis for DNA analysis being used to test hundreds of men. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/03/world/asia/thailand-koh-tao-death-island.html#:~:text=But%20among%20some%20foreigners%2C%20Koh,began%20calling%20it%20Death%20Island.&text=She%20accused%20the%20police%20of,up%20crime%20on%20the%20island. He had been dead about 10 days and had left to snorkelling alone on November 8. BANGKOK — Hacker collective group Anonymous last night claimed responsibility for taking down at least 14 police websites in Thailand in a campaign for “justice” in the Koh Tao murder … There were no signs of fighting or a struggle, nor were foreign objects or substances that could cause loss of consciousness found in the body.”. CCTV footage shows them leaving a bar together just hours before their battered bodies were discovered on a beach. Only if they are not beautiful.” He later apologized, saying that he meant only that foreign visitors should be careful. The chilling toll of young Britons killed in Thailand: Murders, rapes, and 60 unexplained deaths in just two years. Two migrant workers from Myanmar on death row for the 2014 murder of two British backpackers on Koh Tao have had their sentences commuted to life … The murder investigation was criticized due to the alleged torture of both Myanmar migrant workers and mishandling of evidence by Thai police. Thailand is one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations with around 35 million visitors each year and promotes itself as the “Land of Smiles.” The government, is sensitive to criticism that could undermine the country’s reputation. Administratively it is a subdistrict (tambon) of Ko Pha-ngan District (amphoe) of Surat Thani Province. Tweet. The autopsy stated he had drowned. Post-mortem examinations revealed that Ms Witheridge, from Great Yarmouth, died from head wounds, and Mr Miller, from Jersey, was killed by severe blows to the head and drowning. Investigators had no theory to explain her unexpected stopover on Koh Tao on her way back to the mainland and the capital Bangkok. But many cases appear very suspicious according to family members and insufficiently investigated. Belgian backpacker Elise Dallemagne, 30, was found hanging from a tree on April 27, 2017. You are the tourist, you are visiting their country so YOU should adapt to ... 2. But, he said that most of these would have been present prior to his death, although he could not completely rule out the possibility that Nick had been attacked. Mrs Daniels had been gravely ill, said the … In August 2020, Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo had their death sentences commuted to life in prison to commemorate King Vajiralongkorn's birthday and to show his "clemency". He originally moved to the island in the late 1990’s but left in 2016 after becoming frustrated with the corruption and hostility towards foreign business owners. There are at least seven cases of reported murders of the foreigners on the southern island of Koh Tao in between the years of 2014-2017 with many doubts about the police investigation which was widely criticised and marked as "Incompetent at best" by the international legal and DNA forensics experts. Are there serial killers operating on the island, with their crimes apparently insufficiently investigated so that the tourist industry remains protected? Koh Tao ''Turtle Island'' or Ko Tao is an island in Thailand and is part of the Chumphon Archipelago on the western shore of the Gulf of Thailand. She was also part of the Sathya Sai Baba cult and lived with a self-proclaimed 'guru'. After spending two hours reading the 60 page verdict, the Judge upheld the rulings by two lower courts that found Zaw Lin and … An inquest had been held in 2014 as his death was being treated as suspicious. Koh Tao, where Hannah Witheridge and David Miller were murdered, is … 4. As the Thai police chief in 2014, Somyot was instrumental in framing the scapegoats, Zaw Lin & Wai Phyo for the murders of 2 UK backpackers on Koh Tao. Alexandr Bucspun, 33, from Moldova, was found dead in the sea off Had Sai Ree on Koh Tao on Tuesday, October 9, 2018. Lieutenant General Panya Mamen, police commissioner for the island of Koh Tao, told the Bangkok Post: “Two of the suspects raped and killed Witheridge while another one witnessed the murder. Koh Tao murder victims’ final night retold via CCTV at trial. Nick's father ,Graham, had been the last person to see him when he walked with his son back to where the family was staying. Questions “Should Zaw Lin & Wai Phyo have had separate legal representation? Police major general , Surachate Hakparn, said in an interview that the police have cracked down on crime syndicates on Koh Tao since the backpackers’ double killing. Nick Pearson, 25, was found floating in an island bay, at the foot of a 50ft drop by scuba divers in the sea after he disappeared following a night out with his family on New Year's Eve. The programme, which could impose a curfew on bars, is still being discussed and is expected to meet with resistance from tourists if imposed. ... murder … The authorities said he had died after striking the diving board from which he was jumping. The 23-year-old student was found dead alongside David Miller on Koh Tao, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. She was said to have died of natural causes after mixing antibiotics she was taking for a chest infection with alcohol. The Thai Supreme Court has upheld the death sentences for two Burmese 26 year old men convicted of murdering two British backpackers on Koh Tao in 2014. Final Judgment: Thai Supreme Court upholds death sentence for Myanmar men over Brit killings. They claim they did not receive an autopsy report and say his body was sent against their wishes to the same Bangkok hospital that carried out botched reports on the bodies of two Brits murdered on the same island in 2014. Samui Times, defended its reporting in an online post. Koh Tao … He had recently returned to the island after building up a motorbike rental business. Posted by 1 day ago. Previous 1 4 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 24 36 template Next. Source:AAP Their battered bodies were discovered on … Thailand’s military ruler Prayuth Chan-ocha had earlier provoked outrage by suggesting that “beautiful” female visitors to his country should not expect to be safe in bikinis. They also found a suicide note at the scene. Bernd had also recently separated from his wife, Oey, a Koh Tao native, with whom he had a seven-year-old daughter, Bene, who had been living for the last two years with his sister, Monica, in Germany. They followed the animal and discovered that it had been feeding on Elise's remains, which were found among rocks behind the Tanote Family Bay Resort. 6. X. X. The island of Koh Tao, off the coast of Thailand, is often described as a paradise. His body was found at the beach at the Hillside Resort on Koh Tao, on January 1, 2014. Posts on social media said Dallemagne had booked a ticket to Chumphon province, on the mainland, and that her luggage arrived after her death, raising questions of her intentions to take her own life. Aran Klaewklong, a security guard from Big Blue Diving shop, told police he found a mobile phone, clothes, a hotel key, shoes and an ID on the beach at 1.30am during a beach patrol. But they were sceptical and he was fit and healthy at the time of his death. The governor of the island said he had instructed the district chief to file criminal charges against the local online news outlet Samui Times in 2017, after it ran an article that questioned the police account of deaths and referred to Koh Tao as “Death Island”. 1. A spokesman for the Royal Thai Police confirmed that DNA samples were taken from "more than eight" footballers - who reportedly threw a late-night party at the nightclub where the victims spent their final hours - and officers were awaiting the results. There were apparently no signs of robbery or attack in the room at the hotel where Alexandr had been staying. International experts criticized the DNA testing done by the hospital at the time with claims that samples were tampered with in order to falsely incriminate two Burmese workers. Burmese Koh Tao murder ‘guilty’ conviction upheld by Thai Supreme Court. Or is Koh Tao just unlucky for visitors or is there something more sinister happening on the beautiful Thai Island and haven for Scuba divers? In an effort to ease safety fears, the tourism minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul has outlined a plan for identification wristbands for visitors and a “buddy system” to keep them safe. He also took a high profile in “clearing” one of the original suspects, “Nomsod” Toowuchien of the murders. Close. T he brutal murder of British tourists Hannah Witheridge, 23, and David Miller, 24, on the Thai resort island of Koh Tao, has reverberated around the world. Koh Tao murders : Two Britons dead in Thailand. Burmese bar workers Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Tun were found guilty of murder … Want an ad-free experience?Subscribe to Independent Premium. Posts. He also had given no indications before his death, that he had suicide thoughts. Pol Lt Gen Thanate Pinmuangngam, acting chief of Police Region 8, said “In the Dallemagne case, the cause of death was suffocation. https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/6729031/thailand-koh-tao-island-dad-dead-mystery/, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-30546787, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/09/17/sister-murdered-backpacker-hannah-witheridge-dies-falling-gravely/, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-53797951, https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1282946/police-clarify-koh-tao-death-cases, https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1047575-death-island-riddle%C2%A0-koh-tao-mystery-deepens-as-%E2%80%98healthy%E2%80%99-dad-becomes-tenth-westerner-to-die-in-suspicious-circumstances/, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4680394/Haunting-final-image-Koh-Tao-backpacker-Thai-hang-suicide.html, https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/thailands-death-island-tourist-33-13399601, https://www.chiangraitimes.com/crime-chiang-rai-thailand/body-of-moldavian-tourist-found-dead-in-sea-off-the-island-koh-tao-sent-to-bangkok-for-thorough-autopsy/, https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/443983/suter-hanspeter-body-found-on-beach-in-chumphon-thailand, Koh Tao Murders, Suspicious Deaths, Fatal Accidents Tribute to 20 Foreigners Tony Lotus & 1Survivor, Tagged: Koh Tao - Death Island in Paradise, Cases on the Death Island of Koh Tao, nick pearson koh tao death, The coroner concluded there was not enough evidence to say where or how he met his death. A local man, Ronnakorn Romruen, 24, reportedly confessed to raping then … Elise had been travelling around Asia for two years, and before her death had been living at a yoga and tantra retreat on Koh Phangan. Elise Dallemange. Choose were to stay in Koh Tao wisely. Thailand has been suffering large losses in tourist revenue following the murders and the martial law imposed following May’s military coup. However, no toxicology report was conducted. A royal commutation does not require an admission of guilt.