Thai police arrest 2 Myanmar workers in tourist killings on scenic island

Workers from Myanmar, Saw, left, and Win, sit together, escorted by a Thai police officer, during a press conference in Koh Tao island, Surat Thani province. Thailand, Friday, Oct. 3, 2014. Thai police have arrested the two Myanmar workers they say confessed to killing a pair of British tourists on a beach in the southern Thailand last month. (AP Photo) THAILAND OUT (The Associated Press)

A Myanmar worker, Saw, center, is escorted by Thai police officers for a press conference in Koh Tao island , Surat Thani province,Thailand, Friday, Oct. 3, 2014. Two workers from Myanmar have confessed to killing a pair of British tourists whose battered bodies were found on a beach in southern Thailand last month, and police said Friday that the suspects' DNA matched that collected from one of the victims. (AP Photo) THAILAND OUT (The Associated Press)

Myanmar worker Win, center, is escorted by Thai police officers for a press conference in Koh Tao island , Surat Thani province, Thailand, Friday, Oct. 3, 2014. Two workers from Myanmar have confessed to killing a pair of British tourists whose battered bodies were found on a beach in southern Thailand last month, and police said Friday that the suspects' DNA matched that collected from one of the victims.(AP Photo) THAILAND OUT (The Associated Press)

Thai police have arrested two Myanmar workers they say confessed to killing a pair of British tourists on a beach in southern Thailand last month.

Thailand's national police chief Gen. Somyot Poompanmoung said Friday that the two suspects face charges of murder, rape and theft in the attack on Koh Tao, an island known for its pristine diving sites.

He said that DNA results, closed-circuit television footage and other evidence have backed up the men's confessions that they raped and killed Hannah Witheridge, 23, and murdered David Miller, 24.

The men were brought to the murder scene Friday as part of the investigation amid tightened security.

The Friday arrests came after weeks of pressure on police to solve a case that has threatened to damage the country's tourism industry.