Thailand murders: no DNA link to men questioned so far

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/18/thailand-murders-dna-link

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Thai police investigating the murder on a beach of two British tourists have ruled out a link between DNA found on one of the bodies and any of the men they have so far questioned.

Relatives of one of the victims, Hannah Witheridge, 23, paid tribute to her as they flew in to the country to meet investigators.

In a statement, they said: "She was selfless and caring and made each and every day that little bit more wonderful. Our family are utterly devastated and shocked by what has happened to our beautiful Hannah. To lose her in the way that we have is beyond comprehension."

Witheridge, from Great Yarmouth and David Miller, 24, from Jersey, were found dead near a beachside bungalow on the island of Koh Tao on Monday.

A number of Burmese immigrants were questioned after bloodstains were found on some of their clothes, police said. However, detectives said no matches were found between them and two sets of DNA found on Witheridge's body and on a cigarette butt discovered near the scene.

There was also no match with British brothers James and Christopher Ware, who were spoken to by officers. Neither of the Wares, friends of Miller who are thought to have shared a room with him in Thailand, was declared a suspect in the investigation but had been interviewed. On Thursday night the brothers were told they could leave Thailand.

Miller's family said: "David was an artist by temperament, so talented. He had a creative eye that he carried with him through life and in his degree. He was hardworking, bright and conscientious, with everything to look forward to. David was very giving to his family and friends and we all adored him. He will be sorely, sorely missed."

Police said postmortems had shown Witheridge died from head wounds while Miller died from blows to the head and drowning. Miller also suffered wounds on his hand, indicating a struggle.

A bloodstained garden hoe, believed to be the murder weapon, was found nearby. More than 70 Thai police have been questioning migrant workers and tourists on the island, visiting hotels, bars, homes and businesses in their search.

As police pursued their murder investigation, Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha, Thailand's prime minister, on Thursday apologised for suggesting that tourists in bikinis could be more vulnerable to attack.

Prayuth sparked outrage on Wednesday after making off-the-cuff comments on the murder to government officials. "They think our country is beautiful and is safe so they can do whatever they want, they can wear bikinis and walk everywhere," Prayuth said. But "can they be safe in bikinis ... unless they are not beautiful?"

At a hastily convened press conference, Prayuth said he did not mean to cause distress. "I'm sorry that it hurt people," he said. "I didn't intend to insult or criticise anyone. I just warned that sometimes people have to be careful. Today Thailand is safe except there are some bad guys – like anywhere in the world."

The mountainous island of Koh Tao, popular for its idyllic beaches and diving sites, is described on tourism websites as "an island of adventure action sports" and a place of "peace and tranquillity". It is popular with tourists but draws fewer travellers than the neighbouring island of Koh Phangan with its well-known full moon parties.

About 100 local people attended a religious ceremony for the victims on the island on Wednesday. Thailand's lucrative tourism industry has been battered in recent months after a prolonged political crisis ended in a coup that saw the army suspend the constitution and impose a curfew and strict martial law on the country. Visitor numbers have not recovered.