THE TRIAL IS under way of the two Burmese men charged with murdering two British tourists on the island of Koh Tao in September, the BBC reports.

Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun, both of whom are 21, are accused of killing 23-year-old Hannah Witheridge and 24-year-old David Miller on the popular tourist island.

The two migrant workers face the death penalty if convicted. Both deny the charges.

The bodies of the two young British nationals were found on a beach in Koh Tao on 15 September.

Hannah Witheridge died from head injuries, and David Miller died from drowning and a blow to the head.

The two Burmese men were arrested more than two weeks later, following intense scrutiny of the Thai authorities, which were accused of bungling the investigation in the days immediately after the crime.

They were paraded before the media and hundreds of onlookers and forced to recreate the crime on the beach where it occurred, in what reporters called a “bizarre” press event.

The two accused retracted their confessions in October, saying they only confessed after being beaten and tortured by police.

Read: Two British tourists murdered on Thai island after beach party >

Read: Two charged with murdering British tourists after ‘bizarre and inept’ investigation