• Burmese
Tuesday, July 15, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
27 °c
Yangon
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
No Result
View All Result
The Irrawaddy
No Result
View All Result
Home News Burma

Myanmar Military Chief Asks Thai PM to Help 2 Migrant Workers on Death Row

Nyein Nyein by Nyein Nyein
September 4, 2019
in Burma
Reading Time: 4 mins read
0 0
A A
Myanmar migrant workers Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun arrive at the provincial court in Nonthaburi, Thailand on Aug. 29, 2019. / Reuters

Myanmar migrant workers Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun arrive at the provincial court in Nonthaburi, Thailand on Aug. 29, 2019. / Reuters

6.5k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

CHIANG MAI, Thailand—Myanmar military commander-in-chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing has asked Thai Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-ocha to help seek a reduction in the death sentence imposed against two Myanmar migrant workers convicted of murdering two British backpackers in 2014.

The military chief conveyed his request during a trip to Thailand on Tuesday.

On Aug. 29, Thailand’s Supreme Court upheld the convictions and death sentences of Myanmar migrant workers Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun for the murders of two British nationals on the island of Koh Tao. The Koh Samui Court convicted Win Zaw Htun and Zaw Lin—both in their early 20s at the time—of the September 2014 murders of tourists Hannah Witheridge, 23, and David Miller, 24, and sentenced them to death in December 2015. They were also convicted of raping Witheridge. The pair remain detained at Bang Kwang Prison near Bangkok.

RelatedPosts

Two Myanmar Migrants Still Languish in Thai Jail Over Min Aung Hlaing Protest

Two Myanmar Migrants Still Languish in Thai Jail Over Min Aung Hlaing Protest

July 14, 2025
278
Myanmar, Thailand Ramp Up Cooperation on Border Issues

Myanmar, Thailand Ramp Up Cooperation on Border Issues

July 4, 2025
1.6k
Thailand’s PM Suspended by Constitutional Court

Thailand’s PM Suspended by Constitutional Court

July 1, 2025
472

“In consideration of the existing friendly ties between the governments and the armed forces of the two countries,” the Myanmar military chief on Tuesday “asked for a [reduction in] the degree of punishment imposed on the two Myanmar citizens whose death sentences were upheld, and [to ensure] protection under the legal framework,” according to the Office of the Commander-in-Chief.

Sen-Gen Min Aung Hlaing, accompanied by his chief of staff and other senior military leaders, was in Bangkok to attend the 7th Thailand-Myanmar High Level Committee Meeting in Bangkok. The two sides discussed “bilateral cooperation in connection with the territorial waters of the two countries, anti-terrorism measures, cooperation in education, health, agriculture and economic sectors and further promotion of the existing friendship between the governments and the armed forces of the two countries.” The Myanmar military chief also stressed “the need to effectively take anti-terrorism and anti-drug measures through cooperation at all levels between the armed forces and the police forces of the two countries.” The Myanmar Navy is also participating in the ASEAN-US Maritime Exercise (AUMX) held in the Gulf of Thailand from Sept. 2-6.

In December 2015, following the Koh Samui Court’s verdict against the pair, the military chief also requested “Thai authorities to proceed fairly with the case in accordance with the law,” in his New Year greeting message to then Thai Defense Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan.

In Myanmar, groups supporting the two men have staged multiple protests since the case first emerged. At demonstrations in front of the Thai Embassy in Yangon soon after the original verdict was announced in 2015, protesters said the pair were scapegoated for the brutal crime. They have been detained for more than four years since their arrest in October 2014. Both have consistently denied the charges and claimed Thai police coerced their confessions.

The investigation was criticized for failing to properly gather DNA from the victims’ clothes, and experts have said the convictions were based upon flawed forensic evidence.

On Monday, Myanmar’s Minister of Labor, Immigration and Population U Thein Swe vowed that the government would continue to support the process of seeking a royal pardon from Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn for the two migrant workers.

General Mya Tun Oo, Chief of the General Staff (Army, Navy and Air) of the Myanmar military, visited the men at Bang Kwang prison near Bangkok on Tuesday afternoon,

Gen. Mya Tun Oo told the men the Myanmar government is cooperating in the effort to seek a royal pardon from the Thai king, and that Sen-Gen Min Aung Hlaing was also talking to Thai leaders seeking their help with the case, according to a statement from the military.

The statement said the director of the Bang Kwang Central Prison told the general that the Myanmar prisoners “are being treated well. Win Zaw Htun and Zaw Lin are in good health and they follow the prison rules.”

Sen-Gen Min Aung Hlaing, who has very good relations with Thai officials, has long supported the two convicts, first taking an interest in the Koh Tao case when a committee to help them was formed in late 2014, and donating US$5,000 (7.6 million kyats) to it.

U Htoo Chit, the director of the Foundation for Education Development, which has been helping to assist the two men, told The Irrawaddy that, “whoever helps in this case and goes to meet with these young men, it is good for them and we hope the Tatmadaw’s help will also create an opportunity for them to be released.”

In the week since the verdict and death sentence were upheld by the Thai Supreme Court, efforts have been launched to seek a pardon from the Thai king.

U Aung Myo Thant, a member of the pair’s legal defense team, said Myanmar Ambassador to Thailand U Myo Myint Than is also helping the pair on behalf of the government.

He said the ambassador and the labor attaché at the embassy in Bangkok planned to visit the pair in prison on Thursday, Sept. 5. The minister counselor from the embassy also met the pair last Thursday during their appeal hearing.

“As we’ve got two months [to submit an appeal for a royal pardon], we will consult further with our partners from the Thailand Lawyers Council of Thailand,” U Aung Myo Thant said.

Your Thoughts …
Tags: backpackersDeath SentenceKingKoh TaoMigrant WorkersMurderroyal pardonThailand
Nyein Nyein

Nyein Nyein

The Irrawaddy

Similar Picks:

Myanmar Junta Arrests Thai Condo Buyers, Realtors as Currency Crashes
Business

Myanmar Junta Arrests Thai Condo Buyers, Realtors as Currency Crashes

by The Irrawaddy
June 4, 2024
27.7k

Monday’s arrests follow reports that Myanmar has become one of Thailand’s most lucrative markets for selling condos since the 2021...

Read moreDetails
Reluctant Exiles: Another ‘Life or Death’ Exodus From Myanmar
Stories That Shaped Us

Reluctant Exiles: Another ‘Life or Death’ Exodus From Myanmar

by Brian Wei
April 8, 2024
22.1k

The latest exodus of reluctant exiles from Myanmar comprises young people forced to leave everything behind to escape becoming frontline...

Read moreDetails
Five-Star Casino Resort on Myanmar Tropical Island Runs Out of Luck
Burma

Five-Star Casino Resort on Myanmar Tropical Island Runs Out of Luck

by The Irrawaddy
February 6, 2024
19.3k

U Kyaw Lwin ran his casino resort on the visa-free island for more than 10 years before facing arrest in...

Read moreDetails
Myanmar Youth Exodus Feared in Wake of Junta’s Conscription Law
Burma

Myanmar Youth Exodus Feared in Wake of Junta’s Conscription Law

by The Irrawaddy
February 15, 2024
15.7k

Activists warn of increased labor rights violations in Thailand and human trafficking as young people flee to avoid mandatory military...

Read moreDetails
Myanmar Junta Enforces Rule Requiring Migrant Workers to Remit 25% of Pay
Burma

Myanmar Junta Enforces Rule Requiring Migrant Workers to Remit 25% of Pay

by The Irrawaddy
August 5, 2024
15.1k

Those working in Thailand under a govt-to-govt scheme who fail to remit 25% of their pay via the formal banking...

Read moreDetails
Overseas Employment Suspended as Myanmar Junta Activates Military Conscription
Burma

Overseas Employment Suspended as Myanmar Junta Activates Military Conscription

by The Irrawaddy
February 15, 2024
14.7k

Labor Ministry is apparently seeking to slam exit door on 14 million young people eligible for compulsory military service.

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
Military representatives attend a parliamentary session in November 2018 / Htet Naing Zaw / The Irrawaddy

Myanmar Military, USDP Charter Amendment Proposals to be Reviewed by Panel

Central Bank Deputy Governor U Soe Thein speaks at a press conference in Yangon in November 2018. / Myo Min Soe / The Irrawaddy

Myanmar Central Bank Unlikely to Accept Deputy Governor’s Resignation: Sources

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

Trump’s Tariffs to Hit Myanmar’s Garment Manufacturers Hard

Trump’s Tariffs to Hit Myanmar’s Garment Manufacturers Hard

6 days ago
1.3k
China’s Surveillance State Watches Everyone, Everywhere

China’s Surveillance State Watches Everyone, Everywhere

7 days ago
1.1k

Most Read

  • Myanmar Junta’s ‘Living Fence’ on Thai Border Falls to Karen Resistance

    Myanmar Junta’s ‘Living Fence’ on Thai Border Falls to Karen Resistance

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Launches Space Agency With Russian Help

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • ‘Las Vegas in Laos’: the Riverside City Awash With Crime

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • TNLA Invites Investment in Ruby and Mineral Towns Amid Myanmar Junta Onslaught

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Chief Thanks Trump for Shutting Down VOA and RFA

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get The Irrawaddy’s latest news, analyses and opinion pieces on Myanmar in your inbox.

Subscribe here for daily updates.

Contents

  • News
  • Politics
  • War Against the Junta
  • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
  • Conflicts In Numbers
  • Junta Crony
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Asia
  • World
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Election 2020
  • Elections in History
  • Cartoons
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Commentary
  • Guest Column
  • Analysis
  • Letters
  • In Person
  • Interview
  • Profile
  • Dateline
  • Specials
  • Myanmar Diary
  • Women & Gender
  • Places in History
  • On This Day
  • From the Archive
  • Myanmar & COVID-19
  • Intelligence
  • Myanmar-China Watch
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Fashion & Design
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Photo Essay
  • Donation

About The Irrawaddy

Founded in 1993 by a group of Myanmar journalists living in exile in Thailand, The Irrawaddy is a leading source of reliable news, information, and analysis on Burma/Myanmar and the Southeast Asian region. From its inception, The Irrawaddy has been an independent news media group, unaffiliated with any political party, organization or government. We believe that media must be free and independent and we strive to preserve press freedom.

  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Team
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Burmese

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Business Roundup
  • Books
  • Donation

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.