Bangkok: Two Myanmar men accused of the gruesome slaying of two British tourists on a Thai resort island have recanted confessions, claiming they were assaulted during police interrogation.
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Zaw Lin and Win Zaw told lawyers from the Lawyers Council of Thailand they are innocent of the murders and want to lodge a formal complaint about their treatment.
"They said they were tortured and threatened by officials," said Surapong Kongchantuk, head of the council's legal team after a six-hour meeting with the men in jail.
Hannah Witheridge, 23, and David Miller, 24, were murdered on September 15 after they had attended a beach party on Koh Tao in the Gulf of Thailand.
Thai authorities have been widely criticised for their handling of the murder investigation, including a slew of false leads and lapses in investigative procedures.
Thailand agreed to allow British police to join the investigation after British prime minister David Cameron raised the concerns about the case with Thai prime minister Prayuth Chan-ocha.
The case has damaged Thailand's tourism industry that accounts for 10 per cent of the country's Gross Domestic product.
Tourist arrivals had already plummeted before the murders following the ousting of the country's democratically-elected government in a May coup.
Martial law remains in force across the country.
The Lawyers Council of Thailand has lodged a petition with prosecutors asking for the case against Zaw Lin and Win Zaw to be re-investigated.
But Thawatchai Siangjaew, regional director-general of the Office of Public Prosecution, told reporters police have submitted additional evidence to prosecutors to support charges against the men.
