YANGON----Win Zaw Tun and Zaw Lin who were sentenced for life in Koh Tao murder in Thailand has been commuted to 50 years sentence according to Director Aung Myo Min from Equality Myanmar.

In commemoration of the late King’s birthday which falls on December 5, their sentences were commuted with royal pardon. 

“I heard that long prison sentences were commuted to royal pardon expect murder and rape cases.  I heard that Win and Zaw are among the prisoners whose sentences were commuted. It may because of the government’s concerted effort or the works done by the Myanmar embassy. If they were to commute their prison sentences every year, in my opinion, they should be commuted to 20 years,” said Aung Myo Min.

The pair were eligible under a section in the royal pardon decree to get their death sentence reduced to life imprisonment in August 14, this year. They were found guilty of murdering David Miller and Hannah Witheridge whose bodies were discovered in September 2014 on Koh Tao, a small island in gulf of Thailand, popular with drivers and backpackers.

They were given the death sentence on December 24, 2015. Thai Supreme Court rejected their final appeal on August 29, 2019.