Koh Tao death sentence could be stayed

Koh Tao death sentence could be stayed
Myanmar murder defendants Zaw Lin (L) and Wai Phyo (R) are escorted by Thai police officers after they were sentenced to death at a provincial court in Nonthaburi province, Thailand, 29 August 2019. Photo: EPA
Myanmar murder defendants Zaw Lin (L) and Wai Phyo (R) are escorted by Thai police officers after they were sentenced to death at a provincial court in Nonthaburi province, Thailand, 29 August 2019. Photo: EPA

Rastada Manoo Rastada from Thai Bar Council and member of Thai Human Rights Commission told media that if the Myanmar government sent a request letter for a royal pardon, the death sentence awarded to two Myanmar nationals may be stayed and they could serve a suspended death sentence.

Thai Bar Council and Htoo Chit of FED which helped in the case jointly held press conference at Lotte Hotel in Yangon on September 23 in the morning.

Mr. Ratsada Manoo Ratsada from Thai Bar Council which represented the two accused in this murder said, “The clemency application must be submitted to his majesty the king within 60 days from the date of conviction so it must be submitted on or before October 28. We have already drafted this mercy plea for royal pardon.”

In the case, two Britons, one male and one female, were murdered on Koh Tao island in September 2014 and the two Myanmar nationals, Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Tun, were arrested and charged with illegal entry to Thailand, rape, theft and murder. The trial lasted over one year and Koh Samui district court sentenced them to death in December 2015.

The two Myanmar nationals initially confessed to the crime but they later retracted their confessions saying that they were forced to give them under torture.

More news from Mizzima
September 17, 2026
A Myanmar military regime airstrike killed three family members and injured four others in...
September 16, 2026
A dispute over cargo loading priorities at a border crossing between India’s Mizoram State and...
September 15, 2026
Fuel prices in Myanmar continue to surge, with official retail rates for standard gasoline...
September 12, 2026
Authorities in India’s northeastern state of Manipur have turned back or deported nearly 15,000...