YANGON// The mother of one of the Myanmar men accused of murdering two British tourists in Thailand has said her son is a “scapegoat”.
Migrant workers Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Tun were charged with the murder of David Miller, 24, and the rape and murder of Hannah Witheridge, 23.
The tourists’ battered bodies were found on the southern island of Koh Tao on September 15.
The arrests of the men, both in their early twenties, followed intense scrutiny of Thai authorities which have been accused of mishandling the investigation.
“The case has been fixed, my son is a scapegoat,” Zaw Lin’s mother Phyu Shwe Nu said, adding her son “has never done anything violent before”.
Britain has voiced concerns about the way Thai police had handled the case so far and offered police support to Thailand.
Myanmar president Thein Sein has also asked for a “fair” investigation, amid reports the accused were tortured into confessing.
The mother of the second suspect, Win Zaw Tun, said the news of her son’s arrest had left her suicidal.
Thailand has strongly rejected allegations of torture and defended its probe, with junta chief and premier Prayut Chan-ocha saying the case was “reliable”.
Earlier in the week Thai authorities agreed to accept British and Myanmar observers to monitor the case but details of what form this would take were not provided.
Thai police have said the two Myanmar suspects confessed to the crime and their DNA matched samples taken from Witheridge’s body.
The murders dealt another blow to Thailand’s tarnished image as a tourist haven after months of protests in Bangkok led to a coup in May and the introduction of martial law -- which has yet to be lifted.
* Agence France-Presse
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New Zealand police began closer scrutiny of social media and online communities after the attacks on two mosques in March, the country's top officer said.
The killing of 51 people in Christchurch and wounding of more than 40 others shocked the world. Brenton Tarrant, a suspected white supremacist, was accused of the killings. His trial is ongoing and he denies the charges.
Mike Bush, commissioner of New Zealand Police, said officers looked closely at how they monitored social media in the wake of the tragedy to see if lessons could be learned.
“We decided that it was fit for purpose but we need to deepen it in terms of community relationships, extending them not only with the traditional community but the virtual one as well," he told The National.
"We want to get ahead of attacks like we suffered in New Zealand so we have to challenge ourselves to be better."
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