Myanmar protests grow over verdict

Protests against the conviction in Thailand of two Burmese men for the murder of a pair of British tourists have been growing in Yangon. The Thai embassy's consular section in the Burmese capital said it would be closed for the week in the wake of the "unexpected and prolonged" protests. Win Zaw Htun and Zaw Lin were sentenced to death last week for the 2014 murders of David Miller and Hannah Witheridge. Thai police have denied allegations the men were forced to confess. But many in Myanmar believe the men were made scapegoats for the crime. The convicted migrant workers denied killing the tourists, saying they were forced by Thai police into confessing under duress, which they later retracted. Image copyright Reuters Image caption Protests have been growing in Myanmar over the court verdict ever since it was handed down Image copyright AFP Image caption Burmese Buddhist monks have also protested, such as these in Sri Lanka's capital Colombo Hundreds of people, including Buddhist monks and ordinary citizens, were reported to have taken to the streets on Tuesday. Thai media has earlier reported that Thai authorities asked Myanmar to contain the protests. A statement made by the Thai embassy released earlier this week said the demonstrations made it hard to access their entrance.