Justice: Koh Tao Murder Case – Fundraising Campaign Launched To Support Defendants Fair Trial

The Migrant Worker Rights Network (MWRN), representing migrant workers in Thailand, has today launched an appeal to support an adequate defense, by appointed lawyers, of two Myanmar migrant workers accused of gang rape and murder of two British tourists on Koh Tao Island, Thailand in September 2014. The fundraising campaign comes amidst widespread concerns regarding the possible arrest of scapegoats in this case who didn’t commit acts of murder or rape. […]

More Murders, Same Patterns as Burma Army Acts with Impunity

Yet another astonishing act of barbarity was committed by the Burma Army as two young ethnic Kachin teachers were raped and murdered in a village in northern Shan State. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated case as this incident once again demonstrates the impunity that protects the perpetrators of such cruel acts.

According to Kachin Women’s Association – Thailand, (KWAT) Burma Army troops had arrived in the village of Kawng Kha Shabuk, near the town of Muse, northern Shan State on the morning of 19 January 2015. They had previously been involved in military operations against the Kachin Independence Army (KIA). In the early hours of the morning, villagers heard screaming from the church compound where the two teachers were staying. They went to check but could not ascertain what had happened. The next morning, a neighbor went to the compound to find the two teachers dead with signs of sexual assault and of being viciously beaten. Boot marks were found nearby their living quarters. According to KWAT, “There is strong circumstantial evidence that the rape and killing was carried out by the Burma Army troops which had arrived on January 19. These troops were stationed on guard around the village, and no one else would have dared carry out these crimes with the soldiers present.” […]

Demanding Justice for Migrant Arakanese Youths, Demonstration in Front of Thai Consulate in New York

Around 30 Burmese nationals, most of them are Arakanese , staged a demonstration in front of Thai Consulate in New York on Friday demanding justice to two Arakanese migrant workers, who were detained in Thailand in a murder case there, said Ko Khaing Ba Khine, one of the organizers of the event in America.

The demonstrators, who assembled in front of the Consulate General of Thailand for two hours beginning on 2 pm, urged the Thai government in Bangkok to scrutinize the case fairly, where the two Arakanese youths have been accused of murdering two British citizens namely David Miller (25 years old) and Hannah Witheridge (23) […]