Lost in translation? Lawyers for men accused of Koh Tao murder claim interrogation was flawed
Questions were raised by the witnesses about ethnic biases on the part of the translators as well as their competence.
PUBLISHED : Saturday, 26 September, 2015, 7:19pm
UPDATED : Saturday, 26 September, 2015, 7:19pm
Associated Press in Bangkok
The accused, Myanmese migrant workers Zaw Lin (right) and Win Zaw Htun. Photo: Reuters
The defence in the trial of two Myanmar migrant workers for the murder of two young British tourists on a Thai resort island sought on Friday to undermine the prosecution’s case by suggesting that official questioning of the suspects was flawed and unprofessional.
Defence lawyer Nakhon Chompuchat said Friday’s witnesses in the case of the killings of David Miller, 24, and Hannah Witheridge, 23, testified mostly about the problems of using unprofessional translators to interrogate the two defendants. The witnesses were a Myanmar scholar who teaches in Thailand, the translator for the Myanmar embassy and an embassy secretary.
Questions were raised by the witnesses about ethnic biases on the part of the translators – both from Myanmar – as well as their competence and whether they were living in Thailand illegally and thus susceptible to police pressure in their tasks.
The embassy interpreter, who said that he handled most translations for cases like this, said the quality of the work done by the two unofficial translators was low quality and unprofessional.
The victims, British students Hannah Witheridge (left) and David Miller. Photo: EPA
The embassy secretary said that the friend of the defendants who testified on Thursday about the atmosphere of corruption and coercion on the part of police investigating the case had himself been intimidated.
The battered bodies of Miller and Witheridge were found on September 15 last year on the rocky shores of Koh Tao, a scenic island in the Gulf of Thailand known for its scuba diving. Autopsies showed that the young backpackers, who had met on the island while staying at the same hotel, both suffered severe head wounds and that Witheridge had been raped.
Nakhon said he believed the testimony presented this past week had done much to minimize or reduce the credibility of the case presented by police, and stated he believed the defendants still had a chance at acquittal. The defendants recanted confessions they had made to officers, claiming they were tortured and threatened with death.
The court on Friday allowed an extension to have two last hearings at the court on Samui island on October 10-11 to allow the two defendants to testify. Nakhon said he believes the court may then deliver its verdict in November.
