Anonymous declare cyberwar against Thai authorities in retaliation against conviction of migrant workers
Battered bodies of the British couple were discovered on the idyllic holiday island of Koh Tao in September 2014. Both the Burmese accused confessed to murdering the tourists and raping Witheridge, but later retracted their confessions, saying they made them after being tortured by police. Thai police have come under criticism for their handling of DNA evidence, and human rights groups have raised concerns that the suspects may have been scapegoated, pointing to previous cases where migrants were falsely accused of crimes. Anonymous also cited previous cases where non-Thai nationals were accused in criminal cases involving foreigners.
Anonymous has taken objection to the shoddy investigation work by the Thai authorities. On Sunday, Anonymous released a 37-minute video on social media accusing Thai police of poor policing and corruption.
We want justice #anony #BoycottThailand pic.twitter.com/8DHzLAdssa
— Anonymous (@Anon_Artist23) January 6, 2016
In the Facebook video, a masked Anonymous member says the Thai police “would rather blame foreigners or migrants for such crimes so as to protect their tourism industry than accuse their own Thai locals,” which would “deter tourists from choosing Thailand as their holiday destination.”
On Wednesday, Anonymous took down seven websites belonging to Thai police. Anonymous activists then defaced the sites with a black screen with “Failed law. We want Justice. #BoycottThailand” written in white text.
Thai police have confirmed the attacks, but insist no confidential data has been taken.
