Who can negotiate the release of the Koh Tao hostages & scapegoats? Request to German govt for help
Channel: KOH TAO MURDERS DEATH ISLAND
Date: 2022-08-01

The Honourable Annalena Baerbock
Minister for Foreign Affairs
Federal Foreign Office
Auswärtiges Amt
11013 Berlin
THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY


Dear Minister

THAILAND’S KING RAMA X 
HIS MAJESTY MAHA VAJIRALONGKORN
PLEA FOR PARDONS FOR TWO BURMESE SCAPEGOATS
ZAW LIN & WAI PHYO (AKA WIN ZAW HTUN)
KOH TAO MURDERS 15 SEPTEMBER 2014

I am writing to ask a very great favour for the abovenamed two Burmese men who have been incarcerated in Thai prisons for the past 8 years, convicted of the murders of two British backpackers on the Thai island of Koh Tao.  These were murders that they almost certainly did not commit.

For the sake of clarity, I advise that I am merely a semi-retired Australian lawyer and, therefore, I did not represent either of the men at their 21 day trial in the Samui Provincial Court, Thailand from 8 July 2015 to 11 October 2015.  The judgment was delivered on 24 December 2015 whereupon they were both found guilty and sentenced to death.

Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo lost their final appeal to the Supreme Court of Thailand on 29 August 2019 and I am reliably informed that an appeal for pardons from their Thai lawyers to His Majesty King Rama X unfortunately did not receive a response.

As you are probably aware, Thailand had a 9 year de facto moratorium on carrying out the death penalty until 18 June 2018 when a prisoner was executed, which was after His Majesty ascended the throne and performed with his consent.  The execution drew widespread criticism from the international community.  Interestingly, in August 2020 King Rama X commuted all death sentences to life sentences.  It is open to conclude that His Majesty did so in response to the condemnation of the 2018 execution.

I feel that I am probably stating many facts that you already know. Indeed, I would not be surprised if the German Government influenced His Majesty to cease all executions. 

The specific favour I humbly request is that the German Government makes a very polite request of His Majesty, or any relevant regent, to pardon the young men and send them back to their grieving families in Myanmar (Burma).  The young men had simply been exploited, working on the island as cheap labour in order to support their needy parents in Myanmar.  As you would be aware, His Majesty and his extensive entourage happen to be guests of Bavaria for most of the year and therefore the German Government is likely to be far more persuasive and influential than any other person, organisation or government.

Please forgive my impertinence for making this request for assistance, which in the short term could merely free the lives of just two small 29-year-old men who came from impoverished and isolated villages on the Burmese island of Ramree.  I do assure you that I am acutely aware of the absolutely massive humanitarian calamities in both Germany and more widely in Europe arising from the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the refugee crisis from North Africa.

In my defence of the request, I advise that millions of Myanmar nationals were devastated by the convictions and hundreds of thousands participated in protests throughout Myanmar and on the border with Thailand.  In addition, it was widely accepted (though not universally accepted) by Thai nationals that the convicted men were used as scapegoats to protect members of the influential Toovichien family that owns many of the bars and resorts on Koh Tao.  Moreover, the judgment and the original sentence of the death penalty were met with horror from human rights groups and millions of people around the world given the exceptionally dubious evidence. 

It is worth noting that a change.org petition started by a US citizen, Christopher Harkins 8 years ago in support of the accused men quickly received over 113,000 signatures worldwide and a petition to the UK government started by Pat Harrington, the mother of one of dozens of tourist who was apparently murdered in 2012 received 18,000 signatures.

To further highlight the international support for the convicted men, according to the human rights activist, Andy Hall and the Thai defence lawyer, Nadthasiri Bergman the international community donated in the vicinity of US$100,000.00 to pay the travel costs and accommodation costs of six Thai lawyers who were obliged to fly back and forth between Bangkok and Koh Samui on multiple occasions over a 21 day trial.  The Thai Ministry of Justice did not cover that burden that was imposed by the Samui Provincial Court. 
PLEASE SHARE (:

Risky Business on Koh Tao - Tourists and business owners killed on Death Island!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpxrZCenp9U

It could have easily been me in that body bag - Lucky escape from Koh Tao:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkFim3hGiMA

Video creator: Ian Yarwood (Australian Lawyer)
Email: IanDYarwood@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KohTaoDeathIsland
Twitter: https://twitter.com/IanYarwood_Law

#truecrime #DeathIsland #KohTao