Suzanne Buchanan

[arbeka]

My name is Suzanne Buchanan

((На популярном ютуб канале разместили интервью с британской дамой.
Сузанна озабочена загадочными убийствами в жаркой Таиландии.

Среди жертв имеются и русские подданные.
Мне припоминается эта история.
Две россиянки невинно поддавали на брегу пустынных волн.
И как-то незаметно ушли из жизни.))
...............
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koh_Tao_murders

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UP3jkpPfleE&t=1s

About the author

My name is Suzanne Buchanan. I am a British Citizen and the exiled former owner and editor of the

Samui Times online newspaper. There is a warrant out for my arrest in Thailand for articles I have

published in the Samui Times. I am no longer able to live in the country that was my home for over 20

years. I have no access to my house in Thailand. Through my investigations into backpacker murders

in Thailand I have been forced to leave the country for my own safety.
This is my story and the story

of two Burmese men wrongfully sentenced to death for the murders of two British backpackers in

2014 and the story of the families of other backpackers who lost their lives on a tiny island in the Gulf

of Thailand called Koh Tao , AKA Turtle Island AKA Death Island that is owned and run by the infamous Thai mafia.
.......................
Harborough journalist is fighting to get justice for families of backpackers killed in Thailand
The investigative reporter is still getting regular death threats as she inches closer to the truth
By Red Williams
Published 16th Mar 2022, 16:18 GMT
A brave journalist is fighting the battle of her life to get justice for the devastated families of a string of British and European backpackers brutally killed in Thailand.

Suzanne Buchanan, 51, spent 20 years living and working in the Far East tourism hotspot before being forced to leave for her own safety in 2016.
But Suzanne said she’s turning up the heat on “police corruption” and terrifying organised crime gangs in Thailand as she’s just published an action-packed book on her dedicated quest.

Her highly-rated expose ‘The Curse of the Turtle: The True Story of Thailand's Backpacker Murders’ sets out to give readers the incredible inside track on the horrific killings.

This afternoon Suzanne told the Harborough Mail: “My new book tells the story of the relentless fight I have waged in Thailand to get to the truth.
“Thailand is a beautiful country. But it is also one of the most corrupt countries on earth.

“I spent 20 years living in Thailand and I met some amazing people out there,” said Suzanne.

“But I do wonder at times how I managed to get out of there alive because plenty of seriously bad people wanted to do me serious harm.

“I used to own and edit the Samui Times online news publication.
“Back in 2014 I investigated the terrible murders of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller, two young British backpackers brutally murdered on Koh Tao.

“I also investigated the subsequent suspicious deaths of a catalogue of young backpackers from the UK and across Europe on the island,” said the writer.

“I tell the sinister story of two Burmese migrant workers sentenced to death for the murders of Hannah and David.

“Their death sentences were lifted last year but they are still facing spending the rest of their lives inside a hellhole Thai prison.
“I am convinced from all of my investigative work that they didn’t do it.

“They are just scapegoats and I will carry on campaigning to try to prove that they are innocent because I suspect there’s been a massive cover-up.

“Were the all-powerful tribal families who run Koh Tao involved?

“And if so were these deadly criminals backed up by corrupt police officers?

“The whole thing stinks.
“As well as Hannah and David a host of other British backpackers have died in very mysterious circumstances on the remote island of Koh Tao over the last few years alone,” said Suzanne, who’s also taken part in high-profile TV documentaries charting her work deep behind the scenes.

“Visitors such as Ben Harrington, Nick Pearson and Christina Annesley have all met extremely suspicious deaths – leaving their families back home totally heartbroken.

“We’ve also got a rollcall of young victims from countries like Switzerland, France, Belgium and Russia.

“I had to flee Thailand for my own safety six years ago.

“There is currently an active warrant for my arrest should I ever set foot back in Thailand, would you believe.
“And I continue to receive death threats on a regular basis.

“But the thugs who threaten me and try to stop me in my tracks will never put me off or get the better of me.

“I am very careful and give out very little information about myself – but they don’t frighten me.

“I will go on fighting for all I am worth to get justice and the truth for the distraught loved ones of the young backpackers killed in Thailand,” said Suzanne.
“I have also tried to secure help and support from the British government and Foreign Office.

“They have been no use at all so far.

“But I will go on fighting for as long as it takes to find out once and for all what has happened here.

“We have to nail the real killers of the British and European backpackers who tragically never returned home to their families from Thailand.

“And we have to expose the deep-rooted corruption of the Thai police and the authorities because human rights over there are non-existent.

Comments

Hannah Witheridge and David Miller

[belkafoto.livejournal.com]

The Koh Tao murders involved the deaths of two British tourists in Thailand in 2014. On 15 September, the bodies of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller were found on Sairee Beach on the island of Koh Tao, between 4 and 5 am, a few hours after their deaths. Both victims had been hit several times on the head; Witheridge had been raped, and Miller had been drowned.

[belkafoto.livejournal.com]

Two weeks later, two illegal Burmese migrant workers were blamed for the deaths, primarily on the basis of DNA evidence, and confessed following an hours-long interrogation. The suspects were initially denied access to legal counsel, and alleged that police used torture and threats to secure a confession. Pathologists and legal experts criticised the police for mishandling the evidence, allowing contamination of the crime scene and failing to use experts to collect forensic evidence. The police investigation and criminal trial were widely criticised by international media, human rights organisations, and legal experts. In December 2015, the pair were convicted of the murder and sentenced to death. Attempts to appeal the sentence failed, but a royal decree was issued by King Vajiralongkorn in 2020 commuting the death sentences to life imprisonment.

The government of Thailand was concerned the murders might affect tourism to the island, with arrivals dropping in the months following the murders. However, the event did not materially affect tourism to the island over the following years.

[belkafoto.livejournal.com]

The island of Koh Tao is located in Southern Thailand. Measuring 21 square kilometres (8 sq mi) in area, it is the smallest of three popular tourist islands in the Gulf of Thailand.[1] Receiving half a million visitors each year,[1] Koh Tao is especially popular with backpackers and known for its marine life and scuba diving. It has over 100 hotels and resorts and was deemed the busiest diving centre in Southeast Asia in 2014.[2] In 2014, the island had a population of around 5,000 locals. Burmese migrant workers made up an additional 5,000, around 2,000 of these being illegal immigrants who bribe local police by paying 500 baht each month. These illegal workers often reside with friends on the island, making it difficult to identify them. Some of these workers said they can earn more money in Thailand compared to Myanmar.[3] The murders were the first cases of homicide on the island in over eight years.[4]

Backpacking

[belkafoto.livejournal.com]

Backpacking is a form of low-cost, independent travel, which often includes staying in inexpensive lodgings and carrying all necessary possessions in a backpack. Once seen as a marginal form of travel undertaken only through necessity, it has become a mainstream form of tourism.[1]

While backpacker tourism is generally a form of youth travel, primarily undertaken by young people during gap years, it is also undertaken by older people during holidays, a career break, or at retirement, or by digital nomads, as part of a minimalist lifestyle.

Бэкпэ́кинг

[belkafoto.livejournal.com]

Бэкпэ́кинг, или бэкпе́кинг (англ. backpacking, с англ. — «рюкзачество»; от англ. backpack — «рюкзак»), — распространённый в последние десятилетия термин, обозначающий путешествия, совершаемые туристом (бэкпэкером) за небольшие деньги, чаще всего принципиально отказываясь от услуг туроператоров. В русском языке слово имеет редко используемый аналог — рюкзачник[1][неавторитетный источник].

Свои путешествия бэкпэкер планирует и осуществляет самостоятельно: перемещается на всех видах общественного транспорта (автобусы, поезда, самолёты). Использует все возможности, предоставляемые авиаперевозчиками: распродажи и специальные акции, бонусные мили, лоукосты. Также среди бэкпекеров популярен автостоп.

В пути бэкпэкер ночует не только в гостиницах, но и в хостелах, кемпингах, гестхаусах, а также в домах местных жителей. Питается обычно там же, где и местные жители — в простых столовых и недорогих ресторанах, а также у самих местных жителей.

Одна из важнейших составляющих экипировки бэкпэкера — рюкзак (англ. backpack).

Основатель и идейный вдохновитель движения бэкпэкеров в России — известный путешественник В. А. Шанин, активно продвигавший в своих книгах и статьях этот термин. Ряд других путешественников, таких как А. В. Кротов, В. И. Лысенко, используя методы бэкпэкинга, никогда себя таковыми не называли.
Социальные сети бэкпэкеров
Существуют социальные сети бэкпэкеров и самостоятельных туристов, такие как Hospitality Club, Кауч БоТ, CouchSurfing и другие, члены которых предоставляют друг другу помощь и ночлег во время путешествий

[belkafoto.livejournal.com]

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.[5][6] Both were students who were backpacking in Thailand.[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.[6] Miller had just completed his undergraduate degree in civil and structural engineering at the University of Leeds and was starting a master's degree. He was travelling Southeast Asia with a friend after completing a six-week work placement in Australia with a mining company,[6][8][9] and arrived in Thailand in August.[10]

Witheridge and Miller travelled and arrived on the island separately on 25 August. Witheridge was travelling with three other friends, and Miller with two others.[11] The two met in Koh Tao while staying at the same hotel

[belkafoto.livejournal.com]

Murders

Miller and Witheridge were last seen at a bar called AC Bar[13] with friends at a party on Sunday night with around 50 people – mostly foreign tourists – before they left together after 1 am.[4][11][14] Their bodies were discovered on Sairee Beach a few hours later, between 4 and 5 am, by a mute Burmese beach cleaner.[1][15][16] Miller's body was found floating in the water, and Witheridge's on the beach;[17] the bodies lay approximately 20 metres apart and 30 metres away from their hotel (Ocean View Bungalows).[1][11][18] A bloody hoe, believed to be the murder weapon, and a wooden club were found near the bodies,[19][4][14] along with three cigarette butts and a used condom.[20] Both bodies were found semi-naked;[21] a pile of clothes was found nearby.[14][22] The police moved the bodies to prevent them being swept up in the rising tide.[23] Local residents blocked the pier to prevent the unidentified killers from leaving the island.[11]

An autopsy revealed that both victims were hit by a hard object, resulting in head and face wounds. Miller had scratches on his back and water in his lungs indicating drowning.[1][4][24] Witheridge's body indicated she had been raped.[21][25] There was tearing present at the vulva, bruising on the perineum, and a bite mark on her right nipple. DNA was collected from these three areas and sent to a police forensics lab for analysis.[26][27] However, her clothes were not tested for DNA.[28]

[belkafoto.livejournal.com]

Investigation

Due to concerns the murders might affect foreign tourism into Thailand, the national authorities sought to expedite the investigation into the murders. The police were under pressure to produce results quickly, which affected how they conducted their investigation.[29][30] The police initially speculated about who the culprit might be, alleging various individuals of perpetrating the crime without clear evidence.[31] They focused on foreign nationals, with a spokesperson for the police claiming "Thais wouldn't do this".[15] Some migrants who were questioned complained that officers scalded them with boiling water during interrogations, allegations which were denied by the police.[1] After initially failing to find a match to one of the migrant workers, the police focused their attention on Western tourists related to the victims.[10][32] They highlighted a British tourist who had shared a room with Miller as a suspect, labelling it a "crime of passion"; he became the subject of a nationwide manhunt before the police quickly dropped the lead.[11][19] Several other suspects were also named, amid pressure to produce results, a new one every other day.[33][34] Over 200 individuals on the island, many of them migrant workers, were tested in mass DNA testing.[34][35]

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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.[36] Footage near the crime scene also showed one of the three men running into a shortcut. One of the men – Mau Mau – resided nearby.[37] Two weeks after the bodies were found, on 1 October 2014, police interrogated Mau Mau, who said he took the motorcycle and separated from the other two men before the murders occurred, and found them both home asleep by the time he had returned.[38] Police entered the home the next day; only one of the men, Zaw Lin, was present.[39] Following an interrogation, during which police say Zaw Lin admitted he had entered the country illegally, Zaw Lin was arrested and his clothes and motorcycle were seized as evidence. The second man, Wai Phyo,[a] was believed to have left the island by boat the previous night. He was found hiding on the boat later on 2 October.[38] Both men were 22-year-old illegal migrant workers from Rakhine, Myanmar, who worked in the hospitality industry. They had no prior criminal records.[1][15][21]

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During an hours-long interrogation, during which the police used Burmese food vendors as interpreters[35] because the pair could not speak Thai,[41] the suspects confessed to the murders. They stated they were driven by a desire to rape the victim following sexual arousal when they saw the couple kissing on the beach.[42][43] The police said the suspects' DNA matched a sample of semen taken from Witheridge's body, and to the hoe and cigarette butts found near the body.[42][43] Early police reports said Miller's mobile phone was also found in Zaw Lin's home,[44][45] although the media had previously reported the phone was handed to police by a friend of the victim.[42] In the trial, the prosecution said the phone was found smashed at the home of a friend of Zaw Lin's.[46] The police then forced the suspects to re-enact the murder in front of media,[34] a move condemned by legal experts as prejudicing a fair hearing.[15]

Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo retracted their statements following a visit from a consular lawyer for Myanmar and said they had made their statements under duress, after they had allegedly been beaten, left naked in a freezing room, and threatened with electrocution and an extrajudicial killing.[1][47] The national police chief, Somyot Poompanmoung, denied that torture was involved in the confessions.[47] Thailand's National Human Rights Commission attempted to investigate the allegations, but police representatives did not appear at four scheduled meetings.[1]

A defence team from Bangkok, composed of nearly 20 lawyers, were only permitted half an hour to meet the men; a request by the defence to delay the hearing and allow more time to prepare was denied by a judge at the Koh Samui Provincial Court.[48][35] A 900-page police report was produced to guide the prosecution's case, but the defence were not allowed to see the report until the trial began.[15] Public prosecutors initially rejected the report, asking for "certain flaws" to be fixed, more information to be supplied, and for the report to be made "more succinct".[44] In December 2014, the suspects were each indicted on five charges: premeditated murder, killing to conceal a criminal offence, rape, illegal entry into Thailand, and staying in the country without permission.[49] Wai Phyo was also charged with stealing Miller's phone.[50]

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Effects on tourism

Thailand's government became concerned the murders may affect tourism to the country. The country's prime minister, who had been phoning the national police chief daily for updates on the investigation, said "this should not have happened at all, as it will affect Thailand in the eyes of the international community".[93] Amid the investigation, Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul visited Koh Tao on 28 September 2014 in an attempt to reassure tourists.[94] She suggested using identification wristbands for tourists to improve safety, but the idea was quickly scrapped.[95] The mayor of the island, Chaiyan Turasakul, announced a new police station and staffed it with 40 full-time officers, compared to five previously. Irregular Burmese migrant workers were now required to register with the police in an attempt to discourage illegal workers and prevent bribery.[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.[9