The Lawyers Council of Thailand has urged Myanmar people protesting over the death sentence handed to two migrant workers over the Koh Tao murders to stay calm as the judicial process was not finished.
Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Tun, were found guilty on Thursday by the Koh Samui Provincial Court of killing David Miller, 24, and raping and murdering Hannah Witheridge, 23, on a beach on Koh Tao island of Surat Thani province in September last year.
Dissatisfied by the court's ruling, Myanmar people in Thailand as well as in Yangon and in major border towns along the border with Thailand have staged protests, demanding a review of the case.
The Lawyers Council of Thailand, which fought the case on behalf of the two workers at the request of the Myanmar embassy, issued a statement on Sunday, distributed by its president Det-udom Krairiksh. It called for the people of Myanmar people to have confidence in the Thai justice system.
The statement said its legal assistance committee believes that when the case reaches the Appeals Court, or even the Supreme Court, all factual evidence in defence of the two defendants which had been presented to the court of first instance would eventually be found solid and substantial.
The council said it would like to assure the Myanmar ambassador, relatives of the defendants and the Myanmar people that its lawyers would perform their duty to the best of their ability and forward the case to the Appeals Court in time as required by law, said the statement.
It said the Myanmar ambassador and the parents of the two defendants would meet with a council legal team on Dec 30 at 1.30pm. The council's lawyers would explain to them in detail about steps to be taken and legal points to be raised to further fight the case in the higher courts.
At this stage, the two defendants are still regarded as innocent. There are still two more courts to ensure justice, it said.
"Please have confidence in the Thai justice process and the work of the council's senior lawyers," the statement said.
Mr Det-udom said copies of the statement have been handed to the Myanmar embassy as well as to the Foreign Affairs Ministry so that it can be translated into Burmese for the Myanmar people to better understand the Thai justice process.