Thai leader shrugs off calls for reversal of ruling against Myanmar convicts

Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Monday shrugged off calls from Myanmar for reversal of a Thai court verdict against two Myanmar rapist-killer convicts.

Prayut bluntly commented that no court verdicts could possibly be reviewed or overruled by his government while the police and prosecutors handling the case against the Myanmar convicts, namely Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo, had entirely followed the Thai law pertaining to their alleged murdering of two Briton tourists on Koh Tao island in southern Thailand last year.

"What's the point of arguing about court verdicts? Aren't (The Myanmar convicts) going to forward the case to the Appeals Court anyway?" said the Thai premier.

The Koh Samui provincial court ruled both Myanmar males guilty of the raping and murder charges and handed them a death sentence. The case is yet to be forwarded to the Appeals Court, however.

Hundreds of Myanmar people gathered outside the Thai embassy and residence of Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi in Yangon calling for the Thai and Myanmar authorities to take steps to spare the Myanmar convicts the death penalty.

Dozens of Myanmar villagers in Thai-Myanmar border areas of Kanchanaburi and Chiang Rai provinces also gathered in protest of the Thai court verdict. Endit