THAILAND. SPEEDY MURDER TRIAL CALMS TOURISM FEARS BUT SPARKS CRITICISM

the speedy trial of two Thai men Bualoi Posit, 23, and Wichai Somkhaoyai, 24, sentenced to death for murdering a British student, raised concern about the kingdom's justice system. The trial of the fishermen ended on January 18 just 17 days after the rape and murder of 21-year-old Katherine Horton on the resort island of Samui. The speed of the investigation and conviction of the two men, who confessed they killed the student after drinking and watching pornographic films, drew criticism from human rights watchdog Amnesty International. "Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases, but the added concern in this high-profile case is the speedy manner in which the trial was held and that the suspects may not have had time to mount an adequate defence," said T. Kumar, the group's advocacy director in Washington.