(26 Dec 2014) The trial of two migrant workers from Myanmar accused of killing two young British tourists opened on a resort island in southern Thailand on Friday.
Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun, both 21, were indicted on charges covering conspiracy to commit murder, rape, criminal cover-up, illegal entry to Thailand and staying in the country without permission.
Zaw Lin was also indicted for theft.
They could face the death penalty if convicted.
The battered bodies of Hannah Witheridge, 23, and David Miller, 24, were found on a beach on Koh Tao island on 15 September.
Autopsies showed both had suffered severe head wounds and that Witheridge had been raped.
Police arrested the two migrant workers after weeks of pressure to solve a case that dealt a blow to Thailand's tourism industry, which has been struggling to recover since the army staged a coup and imposed martial law in May.
Although Thai police have said they have DNA evidence linking the two men to the crime, the investigation has attracted concern the men might be scapegoats.
Both men retracted their confession and told that they were beaten and threatened to confess, which police deny.
Britain's Foreign Office has expressed concern to Thai authorities about the way the investigation was conducted.
A senior court official said there was no representative of the British embassy present at Friday's proceedings.
The opening of the trial was, however, attended by members of the Cross-Cultural Foundation, which monitors suspected human rights violations in Thailand.
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