Three 'held over killing of British tourists in Thailand'- 2 October 2014

Hannah Witheridge and David Miller were found on the beach close to bungalows where they had been staying.

 

Three Burmese men have been questioned over the killing of two Britons, in Thailand, according to local reports.

The Associated Press quoted Thai police saying two of the men had admitted the killings. Newspaper The Nation said one had confessed. Hannah Witheridge, 23, and David Miller, 24, were found dead on a beach on the island of Koh Tao, a popular tourist destination, on 15 September. A reward was offered of around £13,000 for information leading to arrests. The Associated Press news agency reported Police Major General Kiattipong Khawsamang had said that three workers from Burma, also known as Myanmar, had been questioned. "We are interrogating them. So far, accounts from the two men matched and they confessed they killed the tourists,'' he was quoted as saying. The Bangkok Post quoted another officer saying two of the suspects had confessed.

 

Earlier, reports in The Nation newspaper said one man admitted carrying out the attack after he was arrested in Surat Thani on the Thai mainland. More than 100 officers are 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. An inquest opened in Norwich earlier this week heard Ms Witheridge, from Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, died on the beach from "severe head injuries".

The brief hearing was told the student from the University of Essex had been identified using DNA samples taken from her parents and Thai authorities had requested the pathologist's report. A full inquest will take place on 6 January.

Mr Miller's funeral is due to take place this Friday. In advance of the service, his family asked for privacy on the day of the memorial service. 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."

 

Ms Witheridge's family said in a statement last month: "Our family is broken and require time to grieve in private - as do Hannah's many friends." Her housemate Lucy Dunkley paid tribute to her, saying: "She was just one of those beautiful, bubbly people, amazing on the inside and out. She was just a brilliant person and she is just irreplaceable."