Two workers from Myanmar confessed on Thursday that they killed two British tourists whose battered bodies were found last month on a beach in southern Thailand, police said. The announcement followed weeks of pressure on police to solve a case that has threatened to damage the country's important tourism industry.
Police Maj. Gen. Kiattipong Khawsamang said three Myanmar workers were detained and questioned by police, and two had admitted murdering Hannah Witheridge, 23, and David Miller, 24. He said the other worker denied involvement in the attack on the island of Koh Tao, renowned for quiet beaches and popular diving sites.
"We are interrogating them. So far, accounts from the two men matched and they confessed they killed the tourists," Kiattipong said by telephone.
The attack dealt a blow to Thailand's tourist industry, which has been struggling to recover since the army overthrew an elected government and seized power in May. Martial law remains in effect.
The bodies of the two tourists were discovered on Sept. 15 in a rocky alcove along the shore close to the hotel where both were staying. Autopsies showed that Witheridge died from head wounds while Miller suffered severe blows to the head and drowned in the surf.
IN-DEPTH
- Family of Hannah Witheridge Brings Body Home From Thailand
- Thailand Leader Sorry for 'Bikini' Remark After Koh Tao Murders
- Manhunt on Thailand's Koh Tao Goes Cold After DNA Tests Clear 12
- The Associated Press
