THAILAND: APPEALS COURT UPHOLDS DEATH PENALTY FOR KOH TAO MURDERS

The Appeals Court announced its decision to uphold the death sentences for two migrant workers - Zaw Lin and Win Zaw - convicted of a brutal 2014 double homicide on Koh Tao.
In its ruling, made secretly on Feb. 23, the Koh Samui court said evidence presented by the state in the original trial was adequate and reliable, and therefore declined to overturn the December 2015 verdict condemning two Myanmar men to die for the deaths of two British tourists.
The ruling came as a surprise to defense lawyers, who said they had no knowledge the court made a ruling last week, which it apparently relayed to their clients without notification.
“We will definitely petition the Supreme Court,” defense lawyer Nakhon Chompuchart said Wednesday (March 1^st) afternoon, adding that he could not comment further because he had not yet seen the decision.