Second hearing upcoming in trial of Arakanese suspect accused of murdering Thai man

By DMG 04 Aug 2022

DMG Newsroom
4 August 2022, Sittwe

The second court hearing of an Arakanese man who is the primary suspect in the murder of a Thai citizen on the Thailand-Malaysia border will be held on August 9, according to migrant rights activist helping the defendant.

Ko Aung Win Ko, from the village of Kyue Te in Arakan State’s Sittwe Township, has been charged with murder, with Thai police alleging that his fingerprints were found on the body of the victim.

A local court in Songkhla Province will hear the inspectors and witnesses at the next court hearing, said U Ba Yi, in-charge of the Migrant Workers Rights Network (MWRN)’s Hat Yai office in southern Thailand.

“We have also hired lawyers to defend Ko Aung Win Ko,” he said.

The Thai victim was murdered near the Malaysian border in Hat Yai on May 31. Around 400 illegal Myanmar migrant workers were detained following the murder in Hat Yai.

Following an investigation, Thai police said Ko Aung Win Ko’s fingerprints were found on the body of the victim. Police have also summoned two locals from Ponnagyun and Minbya as witnesses.

The two witnesses testified at the court that they do not know the suspect, and did not see him kill the victim, said Thein Tun, another official from MWRN in Hat Yai.

Thai police have opened a case against five Myanmar citizens in connection with the murder, and three are still at large, according to U Thein Tun.

Ko Aung Win Ko is currently being detained at a prison in Songkhla. Ninety-two others out of about 400 illegal Myanmar migrant workers in Hat Yai are also reportedly still detained.