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Burmese men accused of killing Britons paraded by Thai police | |
(about 2 hours later) | |
Two Burmese men who Thai police say have admitted killing British tourists Hannah Witheridge and David Miller have appeared at a news conference. | |
The men, who appeared dressed in bike helmets and flak jackets, are accused of killing the pair on Koh Tao island. | |
Thailand's police commissioner has said DNA samples taken from Ms Witheridge's body matched those of the two men. | |
The bodies of Ms Witheridge, 23, and Mr Miller, 24, were found on the beach on 15 September with severe head injuries. | The bodies of Ms Witheridge, 23, and Mr Miller, 24, were found on the beach on 15 September with severe head injuries. |
The two men - identified as "Saw" and "Win" - face charges of murder, rape and robbery, the country's national police chief, General Somyot Poompanmoung, said. | |
The pair are both from Myanmar, also known as Burma. | |
A reward of about £13,000 had been offered for information leading to arrests. | |
Inquest opened | Inquest opened |
For the news conference, the two suspects were taken to the beach on Koh Tao where the bodies were found, BBC Myanmar correspondent Jonah Fisher said. | |
Our correspondent said the pair re-enacted the alleged events of the night, with one of them holding a garden implement above his head and then showing how the fatal blows were apparently inflicted. | |
He said the pair are expected to appear before a court in Thailand early next week. | |
"The sense from the Thai police is they believe the DNA evidence is crucial, they have established the link between these two men and the body of Hannah Witheridge. | |
"They say that last night when presented with that evidence they confessed," our correspondent said. | |
The men wore motorcycle helmets and flak jackets at the news conference and during the re-enactment to protect them from angry residents, the AP news agency reported. | |
More than 100 officers have been involved in the investigation and have been collecting evidence and taking DNA samples from those working on Koh Tao. | |
A post-mortem examination found that Mr Miller, from Jersey, was killed by severe blows to the head and drowning. | A post-mortem examination found that Mr Miller, from Jersey, was killed by severe blows to the head and drowning. |
Mr Miller's funeral is due to take place later. In advance of the service, his family asked for privacy. | |
A statement from Ian, Sue and Michael Miller said: "We have been overwhelmed by the breadth and depth of support provided to us by so many here in Jersey and also by people far away. | A statement from Ian, Sue and Michael Miller said: "We have been overwhelmed by the breadth and depth of support provided to us by so many here in Jersey and also by people far away. |
"We were also particularly touched by the vigil and prayers held by good people on Koh Tao." | "We were also particularly touched by the vigil and prayers held by good people on Koh Tao." |
An inquest which opened in Norwich earlier this week heard that Ms Witheridge, from Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, died on the beach from "severe head injuries". | An inquest which opened in Norwich earlier this week heard that Ms Witheridge, from Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, died on the beach from "severe head injuries". |
A full inquest will take place on 6 January. | A full inquest will take place on 6 January. |