Murder, rape, dead bodies in pools – The toll of dead young British tourists visiting Thailand
PHOTO: Luke Miller (left) was found dead at the bottom of a pool in Koh Tao in 2016
Why is there a mounting toll of young Brits dying, often in mysterious circumstances, in Thailand? 60 or so unexplained, or poorly explained, deaths in just 24 months actually.
Britian’s Daily Mail Online has dug deep into the vault of strange disappearances and murders of young tourists from Britain, coming to Thailand in search or adventure, fun and new experiences, and never returning home.
Some of the ‘misadventures’ stretch back a lot further than the past two years too.
“But, three months into her trip in 2000, the parents were on holiday in Spain when they received terrible news. Kirsty had been found murdered in a backpacker hostel in the city of Chiang Mai.”
The idyllic tropical paradise island of Koh Tao, just a short boat ride from Koh Samui in the Gulf of Thailand, has had its fair share of bad press from an astonishing series of mysterious murders, paired with bungled police investigations, and international headlines pouring scorn on the island and a culture of cover-ups. Last year Samui Times even named the island ‘Death Island’ and drew threats of libel from the Surat Thani Province Governor – action that’s never been followed up.
“While many of these deaths would have been from illness or accidents, no fewer than 60 are classed under ‘unknown’ reasons. Separately, perhaps, some could be explained away as tragic misadventures. Yet taken together they indicate a pattern of criminal behaviour, botched detective work — and, worst of all, police cover-ups.”
Many of these cases have been thrashed out in local and international media with the British Embassy often being forced to step in and tip-toe around the local police investigation, being careful not to cause an international incident by screaming for some transparency in the investigations. At the same time anguished parents have been left waiting, wondering, facing a future without answers about their dead children.
“And it seems there is much to publicise. According to figures issued by the Foreign Office, between 2014 and 2016, 1,151 British nationals died in Thailand. No fewer than 60 are classed under ‘unknown’ reasons.”
Read more about the young British citizens who will be doing no further travelling and the plight of their parents seeking answers in a country where life is cheap and clear answers difficult to find.
David Miller and Hannah Witheridge died in 2014 on Koh Tao. Two Burmese migrant workers were eventually sentenced to death for their murder but the case has drawn international scorn and allegations of botched investigations and cover-ups.
The full Daily Mail article HERE.
