BANGKOK (DPA) — A Thai court indicted a pair of Myanmar suspects on Thursday for the murder of two British tourists, an official said.
Prosecutors will now be allowed to prepare their case while the defendants, Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo, will make their official pleas Monday, said an official from Koh Samui Provincial Court who asked not to be named.
The two suspects were arrested in October after confessing to the crimes but have since recanted their statements, saying they confessed only because they were tortured.
Win (left) and Saw (right) with police on the beach of Koh Tao island in Surat Thani province, southern Thailand, 03 October 2014 [EPA].
The murdered tourists, David Miller, 24, and Hannah Witheridge, 23, were found on September 15 on a beach in Koh Tao, 350 kilometres south of Bangkok.
The couple suffered extensive injuries to the head and neck.
Doubts about the efficiency of the Thai police investigation have circulated since the murders.
Both the British and Myanmar mission in Thailand have raised concerns about the investigation, with Britain sending a team from Scotland Yard to monitor the investigation.
Other concerns over allegations of forced confessions have also been put forward by the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand.
Thai police have denied the allegations of torture and misconduct during the investigation.
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