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. Bernd Grotsch 2017; It has a population of around 1,500 people and the main settlement is Ban Mae Hat. "In view of what's happened to David Miller and Hannah Witheridge and various other people I've read about, it just all leads to the same thing. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Elise's bags mysteriously appear to have been loaded onto the ferry she was due to take, and arrived at Chumphon province where she should have caught a bus to the capital. But Elise had disappeared. Elise's death is the latest in a string of seven fatalities in three years on the island. [82][83] The UK government expressed concerns with the investigation, and summoned a Thai diplomat in London to discuss them. [7] Witheridge had completed undergraduate studies in education at the University of East Anglia and had started post-graduate studies in speech and language therapy at the University of Essex. A few days later, staff checked her room to discover her mobile phone, passport and camera had all been left behind. [4], The victims of the murders were Hannah Witheridge, a 23-year-old from Hemsby, England, and David Miller, a 24-year-old from Jersey, a Crown Dependency. They said Wai Phyo found the mobile phone dropped on the beach, and so he kept it. The hoe was then used to knock Witheridge unconscious, after which the defendants used force to hold her down and took turns raping her, before killing her with the hoe. Picture: Facebook DEATH ISLAND VICTIMS REVEALED Had he hanged himself, the professor pointed out that the bruises should have appeared on the neck than on his wrists. 8 Christina is one of the many young Brits to have died on the island Credit: Handout 8 Koh Tao Mayor Chaiyan Thurasakul said the website is accused of damaging Koh Taos reputation by calling it Death Island. Nationwide News Pty Ltd 2023. We won't comment on the trial process. With crystal clear water and stunning greenery, the Thai island of Koh Tao is seen as a backpacker haven. To narrow down the search and display some truly rare crime scene photographs, all images on this list have been taken by the photographer Weegee the Famous, who rose to prominence in the 1930s and 40s. Regional Surat Thani governor Chatpong Chatphum said the Koh Tao murders had dealt a serious blow to tourism. Controversially, Surat Thani governor Auaychai Innak dismissed as untrue some foreign news reports which claimed reptiles had eaten half of Dallemagne's body. [1][96], Although tourist arrivals to Koh Tao dropped in the months immediately following the murders, there was little lasting effect on tourism to the island.[92]. Police concluded she wanted to break a deep-diving record at more than 24 meters. But an unexplained fire that evening burned down three bamboo huts - including the one Elise had been staying in. 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. An English human rights activist by the name of Andy Hall asked me to put him in touch with the Melbourne forensic expert, Jane Taupin which I did. [94] She suggested using identification wristbands for tourists to improve safety, but the idea was quickly scrapped. The brutality of the killings made headlines worldwide and cast a shadow across Thailands image as a safe and carefree destination for 20 million foreign visitors a year. SUPAPONG CHAOLAN DNA tests have failed to provide a match. We are here for David because of his tragic death. Then came a stumbling police investigation, speculation about a cover-up to protect a prominent local family, the alleged framing and torture of two young Burmese migrant workers, questions about the handling of key forensic evidence and the controversial observer role of Metropolitan Police officers alongside Thai investigators. 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. [59] The defence struggled to find members of the public willing to testify at the trial, as many feared retribution,[1][60] hence their alibi was not considered convincing by the court. Phone records show that Elise called her mother on Skype on April 17 before leaving on a Ferry April 19 - but it is not known why she alighted on Koh Tao instead of continuing on to the mainland. According to the Daily Mail, the District Attorney publicized the gruesome photos a week after they were presented to a jury. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Some sources also refer to Wai Phyo as Win Zaw Htun. The suspects were initially denied access to legal counsel, and alleged that police used torture and threats to secure a confession. She had checked into the hostel on February 11 and was due to check out on February 16 but failed to do so. Irregular Burmese migrant workers were now required to register with the police in an attempt to discourage illegal workers and prevent bribery. [66], On 24 December 2015, Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo were found guilty of murdering Witheridge and Miller by the three judges, and were sentenced to death. Island authorities sued the online news site for violating the Computer Crime Act, which outlaws uploading false information online. Here's a timeline of the other suspicious deaths and disappearances on Koh Tao: On New Year's Day, 2014, before the Miller and Witheridge case first brought infamy to Koh Tao, 25-year-old Brit Nick Pearson was found dead in the water not far from the scene of that subsequent double murder. The university graduate, who was two weeks. Taupin was ultimately not allowed to testify by the defence, and these issues were not raised by the defence until their closing statement. David Miller 2014; Belgian backpacker Elise Dallemagne, 30, was found hanging from a tree on April 27, 2017. Miller had scratches on his back and water in his lungs indicating drowning. "We're more and more thinking that the police information is not the right explanation.". 2040 / 2557, Regional Court of Appeal VIII No. senseless" photos of the crime scene, they say, which show her body . Photo: CSI LA. Police chief Apichart Boonsrirote said he assigned teams to check all surveillance cameras around the hostel and on the island to find out where she was last seen, The Phuket News reported. The pictures, which News Corp Australia will not reproduce, were taken on the beach at Koh Tao, where the pair was hacked to death with a garden hoe, allegedly by two Burmese men who confessed to the bloody crime then withdrew their confessions. One of the men Mau Mau resided nearby. [79] Rumours began to circulate, with residents on the island saying the island is controlled by a mafia who "have information about the true culprits", and claimed that the police is covering for them. 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.. The police investigation and criminal trial were widely criticised by international media, human rights organisations, and legal experts. Both victims had been hit several times on the head; Witheridge had been raped, and Miller had been drowned. 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. [90][91], The 2014 murders, along with other deaths and disappearances of tourists, led to British tabloids labelling Koh Tao as "Death Island". The families of Miss Witheridge and Mr Miller are now returning to the UK. [67] Protesters called for the release of the two suspects, who they believed were innocent and scapegoated for the crime. [34][35], According to the prosecution in the subsequent case, CCTV footage analysed by the police showed three individuals riding a motorcycle to 7-Eleven, where they bought beer and cigarettes, before going towards Sairee Beach. [38] Both men were 22-year-old illegal migrant workers from Rakhine, Myanmar, who worked in the hospitality industry. The coroner concluded there was not enough evidence to say where or how he met his death. But although David's family called the verdict 'justice', the trial of the two Burmese migrant workers was plagued by accusations of human rights abuses. 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 1.30 am during a beach patrol. [31] A British defence lawyer, Felicity Gerry QC, said the trial was "far too rushed and unfair to the defense". Hannah, 23, from Hemsby, Norfolk, and David Miller, 24, from Jersey, were found dead on the island of Koh Tao on September 15. The images shown to the court were graphic, reports Jonah Fisher in Thailand. 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". If you are interested, I have further information on my social media accounts. ", Mrs Miller said: "It's been hard, very hard. Alexandr Bucspun, 33, from Moldova, was found dead in the sea off Had Sai Ree on Koh Tao on Tuesday, October 9, 2018. Koh Tao was plunged into the spotlight when the semi-naked bodies of backpackers Hannah Witheridge and David Miller were found on a beach. [1][47] The national police chief, Somyot Poompanmoung, denied that torture was involved in the confessions. Thai authorities claimed he was drunk and fell, but his family believes he was murdered.. There were no signs of a struggle or rape or other human DNA. GRAPHIC crime scene photos showing the corpses of English backpackers Hannah Witheridge and David Miller have surfaced online, traumatising their families. Ben Harrington 2012; Myanmar men who murdered two UK backpackers on Ko Tao have their death sentences commuted to life Mobile phone of Ukrainian woman key to the puzzle as police decide between murder or suicide Ko Samui police probe the death of a Ukrainian woman found in a forested area last Sunday by a local man Carla Boonkong & Pranee O' Connor He also had given no indications before his death, that he had suicidal thoughts. Boyne Annesley believes his 23-year-old daughter Christina Annesley, of Orpington, southeast London, was murdered on Koh Tao Island in January 2015. In December 2015, the pair were convicted of the murder and sentenced to death. 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. Photographs appear to show the mobile phone of Hannah Witheridge submitted to police by her friends, despite police claims it was found in one of their suspect's possession. Post-mortems found that Hannah had died from head wounds, while engineering student Mr Miller suffered severe blows to his head and drowned. British woman, Christina Annesley, 23, was found in a room at the In Touch Resort on Jan 21, 2015. 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Thailands prime minister, Prayuth Chan-ocha, questioned the attire and behavior of foreign female tourists shortly after the killing of two British backpackers, David Miller and Hannah Witheridge on the island in 2014. There were apparently no signs of robbery or attack in the room at the hotel where Alexandr had been staying. [21][73], The death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment on 14 August 2020 following a royal decree to commemorate King Vajiralongkorn's birthday and "illustrate the king's clemency". Phone records showed that Elise called her mother on Skype on April 17, 2017, before leaving Koh Phangan on a Ferry on April 19. I shall post a link to your podcast on my Facebook page. Virat Asavachin (Mr Ban) 2002; Deaths have been explained away by the authorities as unfortunate accidents or suicides. They had been brutally beaten to death just a few feet away from their hotel rooms. [52] The suspects were defended pro bono by two lawyers from the Lawyers Council of Thailand. Police recovered the body and took it to the neighboring island of Koh Phangan. [42][48] Amnesty International stated that Thailand "must initiate an independent, effective and transparent investigation into mounting allegations of torture and other ill-treatment by police". Rocio Gomez; However, a lawyer for Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo told the BBC that the pair had not admitted their guilt when their death sentences were commuted. Post-mortem examinations showed that the young backpackers, who had met on the island while staying at the same hotel, both suffered head wounds and that Hannah had been raped. 0. Valentina was reported to have been visiting the island to go freediving an activity the area is famed for among backpackers. Fototeka is a large photo digitation service that works in conjunction with the National Film Archive to enhance historically relevant vintage photographs. Dec. 24, 2015. Resting in the Gulf of Thailand, a two-hour ferry ride north of Koh Samui, Koh Tao is best known for its incredible marine life, which over the years has attracted a small but buoyant expat. The second man, Wai Phyo,[a] was believed to have left the island by boat the previous night. The police quickly closed the inquiry, stating that he had drowned whilst swimming. And insecure residency tends to breed compliance. Koh Tao has long had a reputation as a home for organized crime, corruption and as a place where the police protected local interests. Once youve been living there for a while, youll turn a blind eye to some pretty sketchy stuff, says Mike Earley, 30, from New Zealand, who spent six months on the island working as a DJ. The police information is not responsible for the crime scene, they say, which uploading. [ 47 ] the suspects were defended pro bono by two lawyers the. 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