The defence team for Win Zaw Htun and Zaw Lin, both aged 22, says police analyses of DNA samples found at the scene are the only evidence tying them to the murders of Hannah Witheridge, 23, and David Miller, 24, Sept 15, making retesting of the material crucial.
Post-mortem examinations showed both victims suffered severe head wounds and Ms Witheridge was raped.
Among the evidence available for restesting were a garden hoe allegedly used as the murder weapon, blood found in the sand at the murder scene, shoes and hair samples, said lead defence lawyer Nakhon Chompuchat.
"The court said that lawyers are free to request all the DNA samples for independent DNA testing at anytime," Mr Nakhon told Reuters, adding that a forensic expert testified that DNA swabs from the crime scene had been duplicated in a laboratory, so samples were still available. "Now we must decide what to re-test."
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