tourist death thailand

Koh Tao Murders: Is Koh Tao Safe in 2024?

Unfortunately more tragic news from the so called Death Island of Koh Tao occurred when on June 4th 2021 the 2 lifeless bodies of a Thai/Indian billionaire couple were found dead in the Jamahkhiri Resort & Spa hotel pool. There was no evidence of a misdemeanour, but the bodies were sent to the police hospital for autopsy. Sadly another case of tourists deaths on Koh Tao.

In January 2018 a British traveler was found death in a hotel pool along Sairee Beach. There were at that time a lot of rumors going around but no one really knows what happened. In the end it was stated by the police that it was a tragic accident. Fact is that they found another dead body in Koh Tao under suspicious circumstances. One of the many tourist deaths in Thailand per year.

Death Island or Murder Island

Koh Tao has already been struggling with a very bad reputation after the Koh Tao murders in September 2014 when a British couple was killed and left behind on Sairee Beach. From then on Ko Tao was nicknamed the murder island or the Death Island.

Will Koh Tao ever be able to get rid of that negative image?

As the love for Koh Tao and Thailand is real, you might think I am biased writing this blog. But don't worry I am not here to promote Koh Tao as a tourist destination or telling you  island hopping in Thailand  is completely safe. I simply want to give you some more information about the safety issues in Thailand based on my personal experiences as I lived in Koh Tao and traveled around Thailand uncountable times since 2008.

I understand, because I am a sporty and fit 1.86 meter (6'1) tall Dutch guy, I might not be the best benchmark for writing an article about how safe it is to travel to Koh Tao. With all due respect but I obviously have no idea how a small blonde girl would feel visiting Koh Tao. But in this article I express my personal opinion on the safety issues in Koh Tao island based on my own experiences.

A big discussion started when I posted a picture on my 650K Instagram account @traveltomtom with the caption that Koh Tao was a peaceful paradise. It reminded me again of the horrible scenes that took place on this pristine island and that will forever be engraved in people's minds. While traveling to Koh Tao lately I was in such a good mood, surrounded by good vibes and excited by all the cool things to do in Koh Tao that I forgot about the dark past of Koh Tao and its nickname of Murder Island.

UPDATE about the Koh Tao Murders

On the 29th of August 2019 the Thai supreme court upheld the death sentence for the two Burmese men who allegedly are guilty for the Koh Tao Murders which happened on my birthday September 15th in 2014.

In August 2020 the death sentence was commuted to life in prison under royal pardon by the decree.

The Koh Tao Murders happened just a couple hours after I was celebrating my birthday on the same beach in the very early morning of September 15, 2014. The rest of the week, the island wasn't the same anymore.

My beloved Koh Tao felt it had lost its dignity!

I have traveled to Thailand more than 20 times. The global pandemic stopped me from traveling to Thailand for a while but I was back recently and added some cool activities to my already long list of the best things to do in Koh Tao .

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This time I also got a change to visit Koh Chang and the Golden Triangle up North. Interested to see my ultimate Thailand itinerary  then have a read in the link.

Is Thailand safe for tourists in 2024?

First off let me tell you that if you think Thailand is dangerous for tourists , you are wrong! It mostly always comes down to your own behaviour and therefore I wrote a Thailand travel guide , with everything you need to know. Don't let your Thailand holiday be ruined by your own stupid mistakes! Be a responsible tourist in the first place.

Asking yourself the question is it safe to travel to Thailand , starts with yourself. Like during all your travels around the world the golden rule is: use common sense and when you feel something is not right then walk away from the situation!

Secret Thailand travel tip: did you know that flying from either Phuket or Krabi towards Chiang Mai is 50% cheaper than the other way around. These and more tips for a searching for the best domestic flights in Thailand  in my latest Thailand travel blog, click on the link!

Is Koh Tao Safe?

Although they say that the last casualty (guy found dead in a hotel pool) was a tragic accident, the odds are against Koh Tao. Hacker group Anonymous hacked the Thai police stating that they wanted justice for the Koh Tao murders in September 2014. Horrible stories from an island that is well known for its laid-back vibe! Unfortunately there is a dark side of Koh Tao and some people call it the Wild Wild West Island. Rumours go that a couple very influential families, kind of like Koh Tao Mafia style, rule the island. May be it is the truth, may be it is a myth.

Koh Tao Mafia

But please don’t get scared! I have lived on the island for more than 7 months in total and traveled there uncountable times on top of that. I have never seen anyone running around with a gun on the island or heard stories that they knock on your door for a share of your business.

Koh Tao Mafia truth or myth... as a tourist you are not willing to get in touch with any of these things, right? But trust me if you travel to Koh Tao you don’t get involved with daily politics on the island! I am 100% sure about it. So how safe is Koh Taoi? It mostly depends on how you behave yourself.

Note: in all my continuous travels around the world since December 2012, I have never ran into a bad situation. It could mean I have been lucky, but please travelers: USE COMMON SENSE and your intuition and be aware that traveling involves risks!

Koh Tao Murders

Although I was living on the island at the times of the murders and even celebrating my birthday on the same beach a couple hours before the Koh Tao Murders happened, I never ran into any issue on the island ever. That said, it was my second time I lived in Koh Tao and it was the second time there had been a fatal incident.

I will never forget the day I turned 30 and I cheered with friends until early morning 02.00 am on Sairee Beach. A couple hours later a British couple got brutally murdered and left behind only two hundred meters away from where I had been drinking beers and having fun with my friends. The Koh Tao murders had a big impact on the island, it left a very deep impression! Creepy…

There is a big chance you will fall in love with this little paradise. The island is small and gifted with loads of hidden gems and completely deserted bays. There are amazing hiking trails and viewpoints in Koh Tao , it is one of best scuba diving destinations in the world  and there are many more other  cool things to do in Koh Tao .

Scuba diving is the main tourist drag and when the scuba lessons are over the partying starts. With such incredible sunsets on the main party beach, the party starts early. Loads of beach bars to choose from and happy hours to get you started. Of course tourists get drunk and alcohol makes you do crazy things. But remember you are still in Thailand!

So how safe is Koh Tao? Should I really travel to Koh Tao? Any reasons to be worried? Yes of course! The Koh Tao Murders may have been a fatal incident on its own, but people got murdered. Could this have happened on any other island in Thailand as well? Personally I think so...

I have now visited Koh Tao over 10 times and I have never had any problem at all! Enough experiences to tell you that YES you always have to be aware of what is happening around you and be responsible in what you do. But also to tell you that NO Koh Tao is not a murder island.

The vast majority of the hundreds of thousands of tourists that visit Koh Tao every year never have any issues or whatsoever.

Get around Thailand safely

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9 Koh Tao safety tips

If Koh Tao is part of your Thailand itinerary there are a couple things you have to keep in mind, but this basically counts for every tourist destination in Thailand and in the world.

1. Respect the Thai people and their culture

Respect the Thai people! You are the tourist, you are visiting their country so YOU should adapt to their standards and not the other way around! Don’t argue with them for too long, don’t feel too cool to say sorry and walk away from the scene. You never know who you are up to, don’t let a small issue ruin your holiday.

These Thai people might seem like little boys to you but they could be ferocious fighters, be careful! Besides that, islands are like small communities and they all know each other. It will always be you against the island. Think twice before getting yourself into trouble! and stay away from fighting with locals.

2. Stay away from drugs

Stay away from drugs! That sounds like an obvious thing, but on islands where the atmosphere is so extremely chilled it is a very tempting thing to do. Island life is all about flip-flops, bathing suits and funny t-shirts, life is at low pace and many tourists smoke weed. Yes, I have been there and yes I have smoked weed myself when traveling to Koh Tao.

In fact Koh Tao definitely became a place where  you can easily find organized parties, like jungle raves, etc. And whatever you want, you can find.

Although things have drastically changed in the last couple years and smoking marijuana is pretty much decriminalised in Thailand, it still is a grey area. I lately traveled to Bangkok and saw marijuana stores everywhere. It was something shocking to see.

But keep in mind that Koh Tao is NOT Bangkok. Different place, different rules. When smoking marijuana in Koh Tao be very careful!

Don’t forget that Thailand is still ruled by a Military regime. The rise in tourist deaths in Thailand brought more police to the islands and stories of being caught with marijuana are still pretty common.

Apparently a 50,000 THB ($1,400 USD) fine is what can happen and your passport will be taken from you until the fine is paid. I don’t know if that is law in Thailand but on Koh Tao the police sometimes makes their own laws.

Simply stay away from drugs when visiting Koh Tao that makes it all much easier.

3. Be responsible and use common sense

Use common sense and stay out of trouble in the first place! Yes go partying, get drunk, play beer-pong, drink buckets, get shit-faced but always make sure you are able to get home properly. Simple things your parents would tell you too: don’t walk along the beach on your own at night. There is a big change nothing will ever happen, but a wasted tourist is an easy victim.

4. Choose where to stay in Koh Tao wisely

Think on forehand where you want your Koh Tao hotel to be. Are you into partying then book your accommodation close to Sairee Beach. Are you looking to stay in remote bays then keep in mind that after sunset there is not much going on.

To get around Koh Tao at night you should have your own motorbike or take an expensive taxi ride. Read my complete guide on where to stay in Koh Tao for more tips.

Don't walk home alone or with just the two of you. The streets are not well lit at night. Take a taxi just to be sure. ALthough expensive, just take a taxi at night.

5. Don't drink and drive

In case you do decide to get your own motorbike don't get drunk and then jump on your motorbike. Yes I know that drinking and driving is totally accepted in Koh Tao, but try to not be one of those diving class students that show up in the morning all bruised because they fell off their motorbike driving drunk back home.

6. Renting a motorbike

A common Koh Tao scam occurs with renting motorbikes. The island is very challenging to navigate as there are a lot of dirt roads and some are really steep. Unfortunately a lot of motorbike accidents happen on the island and it sincerely is a Koh Tao safety issue. My advice is to rent a motorbike with insurance . Click on the link to read my article about it and where to go.

7. Don't accept drinks from strangers

In my time living on Koh Tao there were a lot of stories about spiking drinks. Fire show boys were named notorious, however I never ran into anyone that this actually happened to. Just simply never accept drinks from strangers and keep your own drink closely. This is not a specific safety tip for Koh Tao, but everywhere around the world. However you are on holiday and partying, things can ugly go wrong, so please be aware that these things can happen and protect yourself from it.

8. Don't walk alone at night

Another thing that should actually be clear is to never walk away from a party alone. Especially at night just always stay around other people. If there really is no other solution just ask the help of an other random group of tourists. They are most likely willing to help out a stranger.

9. Stay connected

Yes, being offline is the new luxury, but don't fool yourself. When traveling around Thailand life is much easier with data on your phone and not being dependent on WiFi. Staying connected solves a lot of problems, use Google Maps to not get lost, instant access to your banking apps, ordering a taxi via an app and of course in emergencies.

Avoid high roaming costs by just $9.99 USD. Check out my guide for buying a prepaid tourist sim card in Thailand or check my list of the best e-sim cards for traveling to Thailand in 2023 .

Especially nowadays it is so easy to get an e-sim card for Thailand or buy a sim card at Bangkok Airport on arrival .

Taking a taxi in Koh Tao

Well if talking about the Koh Tao Mafia here you go. Taking a taxi in Koh Tao is simply very expensive, but if you are ready to pay the hefty rates then there is no safety issue here either. My mind boggles when you order a taxi ride that takes about 10 minutes and they charge you $20. That is the price you pay to get from Sairee Beach to Chalok Bay. Of course when splitting with 4 people this is fine.

Some Koh Tao travel blogs tell you that prices depend on your haggling skills. Very much not true I can tell you! Prices for taxi rides in Koh Tao are fixed and they all stick to it. May be the significant drop in tourists because of the Corona pandemic in 2020 and 2021 made these taxi drivers charge more sane prices, but I doubt it.

Thai people are lovely, but just like in any other tourist destination around the world the taxi drivers in Koh Tao will do all they can to rip off people. They drive like maniacs, think they are untouchable, are often rude and over charge tourists any time they can! I love Koh Tao, but these guys are a blot on this tropical paradise destination in Thailand.

If you are a solo traveler, taxi drivers will most likely try to rip you off. But remember this only hurts your wallet! Stay safe and always take a taxi at night.

Koh Tao Island Guide

Koh Tao is an amazing place to enjoy your holiday and you should be totally fine! Almost every tourist that visits Koh Tao is not yet ready to leave at the end of their trip and sails away with mixed feelings: happy to have experienced this little paradise, but sad they have to go already!

Need any advice on where to stay in Koh Tao then let me help you book a place on the right side of the island. Adventurous and want to hike to the best viewpoints ? Or want to know the best hidden bays or a secret sunrise spot? Click here to read about the best things to do in Koh Tao . About to rent a motorbike ? Let me tell you where you can book one with insurance, so you wont get scammed.

I have traveled around the islands extensively and would love to help you plan your trip to Thailand . Take a look at my suggested Thailand island hopping tours  or check out which islands to go in Thailand  for your purpose of travel or read here all the  things I miss about Thailand .

If you would like to be prepared for your trip to Thailand then have a look at my guide telling you everything you need to know when you travel to Thailand: visas, safety issues, scams, the culture, things to do and things NOT to do, the best national parks, about the street food, the travel adapter you need, the vaccinations and many more things. Click on the picture to read all about it.

Still in doubt whether to travel to Philippines or Thailand? Let me help you as in my article Travel to Thailand or Philippines I compare my two favorites island destinations!

Boat, ferry, bus, train and flight tickets for island hopping in Thailand

Don't get dodgy boat tickets from street vendors. Secure your seat online! Safer, easier and no hassle. Check your Thailand routes below and 12Go Asia tells you all the options (bus, boat, train, flights) including time tables and direct booking options.

If this Koh Tao blog about safety issues was helpful for your trip please pin it on Pinterest, share it in a Facebook Group or tweet it on Twitter. A small thing for you to do, but it can make a big difference for me. Thanks a lot!

May you have any additional questions please leave me a comment below and I am happy to help you out with everything you want to know about the beautiful Koh Tao Island.

• koh tao murders

There are 60 unexplained deaths of Brits in Thailand in two years

Christina Annesley's body was found on the island of Koh Tao. Photo / Facebook

Like so many other middle-class youngsters, Kirsty Jones had been tempted into taking a gap year abroad after completing her university studies, before the responsibilities of adult life began to bite.

And with its palm-fringed beaches and turquoise seas, there was only one place she wanted to explore: Thailand, the most popular gap-year destination of them all.

Just like a third of the 250,000 British youngsters who embrace such a foreign hiatus every year, Kirsty set off alone, confident and excited about the experiences that awaited her, the Daily Mail reports.

While their 23-year-old daughter travelled, Sue and Glyn Jones watched impatiently for regular updates on her adventures. Beginning in Thailand, she was to then move on to Australia, New Zealand and South America. Kirsty's emails to her devoted parents told of wonderful jungle hikes through Thailand, elephant rides and visits to hill tribes.

But, three months into her trip in 2000, the couple 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.

If that wasn't horrific enough, the way the couple were treated was truly shocking. "My brother-in-law contacted the Foreign Office to find out what had happened. They wouldn't even confirm her name, even though she was being named in the news. Nobody came to tell us what happened to her," said Sue.

"We got the earliest plane home from Spain and were watching the news the following day. That was how we heard she had been raped. I still don't know why nobody from the Foreign Office contacted us."

The devastated Jones family has since faced enormous difficulties in their quest to find justice for their daughter, who had just finished an English and media studies degree at Liverpool University.

Sue, 61, a farmer from Brecon, Powys, even travelled to Thailand on the 12th anniversary of her murder to offer a £10,000 reward for fresh information, to no avail. Her killer remains free.

It's no cliche to say their experience is the embodiment of every parent's worst fears.

But what's worse is that they are by no means alone. In their search for answers, the couple — who also have a son, Gareth, 39 — have learned of many other deaths of young British travellers in Thailand which have gone unexplained.

Tragically, there are dozens of parents who may never know what really happened to their children on their travels there.

Earlier this year, the parents of Christina Annesley , a 23-year-old born in Wellington, who died on a gap year in Thailand three years ago, said they fear they will never know what happened to their daughter.

In January 2015, she was found dead in her bungalow on Koh Tao island, one of the country's smaller tourist destinations.

Margaret and Boyne Annesley, from Orpington, London, believe her death is suspicious, despite what the local authorities say.

As appears to be so often the case in Thailand, the investigation into Christina's death was botched, with her body left for days in the heat of a temple, making it impossible to obtain accurate toxicology reports.

Apparently Christina had been taking antibiotics for a chest infection. The Thai authorities say these didn't mix well with alcohol, and blamed them for her death.

Yet the state of her body, and the vague Thai findings, meant it was impossible to know how she had died with any accuracy, and a subsequent British inquest into the death recorded an open verdict.

Other suspicious deaths of Britons in Thailand include Luke Miller, 26, who was found dead at the bottom of a pool on Koh Tao in 2016; Nick Pearson, 25, whose body was found in the sea after he disappeared on a night out on Koh Tao in 2014; Liam Whitaker, 24, was found hanged in a Thai police cell in 2013; and Andrew Apperley, 38, disappeared from a party on Ko Pha Ngan last year.

There are concerns about the way tourist deaths are investigated due to the military junta's takeover of Thailand in 2014. This saw civil rights curtailed and the police and judiciary abuse their power.

Many parents have now joined forces with other families whose children have died while backpacking around Thailand. Their group, called Mothers Against Murderers Abroad (MAMA), urges the British Government to investigate these deaths and to publicise the dangers of travelling to Thailand.

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.

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.

This is a presumed bid to preserve Thailand's lucrative image as the perfect travel destination. (It's notable that Thailand is heavily reliant on tourism, which accounts for 10 per cent of its GDP.)

MAMA has taken its campaign to Downing Street, with a petition of 16,000 signatures. One of the most high-profile signatories is Laura Witheridge, sister of Hannah, 23, a student from Norfolk who was brutally raped and then murdered with engineering graduate David Miller, 24, on the island of Koh Tao in September 2014.

Two migrant workers were arrested and sentenced to death for the murders, but there are doubts surrounding the investigation after claims their confessions were obtained under torture. An appeal against their sentence is ongoing. Meanwhile, Hannah's family exists in a purgatory of pain.

Laura has issued scathing attacks against the Thai police, accusing them of a "bungled" investigation. On Facebook, she insisted authorities are "covering" other tourist killings on Koh Tao.

She even said: "Many Thais hate Westerners and have little or no regard for human life," and recalled things "said to my bereaved family by [Thai] judges and court officials [such as] 'Why are you here? She is dead already.' 'Just go home and make another one.' 'Why are you making such a fuss? She will be back in 30 days as something else. [A reference to the Buddhist belief in reincarnation.] She may have better luck next time.'"

Sue Jones, too, was appalled by how Kirsty's death was treated. Thai police were quick to try to wrap up the crime, arresting the British owner of the £7-a-night Aree guesthouse where Kirsty was staying. However, he was later released after DNA recovered from Kirsty's sarong, which had been used to strangle her, found that her attacker was Thai.

But with a limited national DNA database, no match was found, and as police had allowed a local TV crew into the guesthouse, the crime scene was compromised.

"The Thai police don't have the resources to investigate properly. It's all quite corrupt, you can't believe anything," says Sue. "I've no faith in the authorities there, that they'll ever find who killed her."

She says one problem is that the Foreign Office puts diplomacy with Thailand ahead of the grieving families' need to find answers. "You should be treated as a UK national no matter where you die, but once you leave the UK, no one seems to care about you."

In three years, Thai police will close the case, obeying their time limit of 20 years. This tears at Sue. "She was my only daughter, full of adventure and love. I can't bear to think about her last moments, how scared she must have been.

"I see life in two parts now. A line was drawn between when we had Kirsty and when we didn't.

"I miss her terribly and think about her every day, what she would be doing now, what she would think of things. Life will never be the same, you just learn to cope with the pain, to carry the grief."

While Kirsty was killed on the Thai mainland, there appears to be a worrying trend of British youngsters dying on Koh Tao, just as Hannah Witheridge, David Miller and Christina Annesley did.

Koh Tao was once a tropical paradise, but there are growing reports of it being run by a local mafia, who pick off tourists at will and who are protected by the police. Foreigners, it seems, are fair game.

Little wonder, you might think, that Christina's parents, Margaret, 58, and Boyne, 66, are active members of the MAMA group. At first they accepted the official findings, but are now suspect foul play may have been a factor in her death.

"There's part of me that doesn't want to know how she died," says Margaret, a personal assistant. "I find it too painful to think about whether someone could have hurt my child.

"There is a common theme here about corruption and suspicious deaths. People need to be warned of the dangers of travelling there."

The family of Christina, a political activist, viewed Twitter updates about her travels. One of her last called Koh Tao "one of the most beautiful places in the world".

But when she failed to reply to a text message asking if she was OK, Margaret became worried.

The next day two policemen arrived at her home. "I just screamed as soon as I saw them through the window. I instinctively knew why they were here. I was sobbing, "No, no, no, please, no." That was the worst moment of my life. The best was when my Christina was born. She was a fiercely intelligent person — a free spirit."

She adds: "The police told us she had died in her hotel room and there was no sign of foul play. I believed them at the time. But nothing makes sense any more.

"It's only as time has gone on and by meeting other parents that we hear of so many coincidences, and that has made us doubt there was nothing suspicious. There are so many unexplained deaths on Koh Tao. The Thai authorities don't investigate them properly and we get conflicting information."

With such a climate, you may wonder how the Foreign Office can continue to say Thailand is a safe place to visit. Indeed, the founder of MAMA, Pat Harrington — who lost her son Ben in suspicious circumstances on Koh Tao — is scathing about this travel advice.

"The Government needs to look into these suspicious deaths and issue proper travel warnings," she says. "No family should ever have to go through the pain that we have."

Ben, a 32-year-old IT consultant, had left for a trip of a lifetime with his younger brother, Mark, 28, in August 2012. Just days later, he was found dead in a ditch, after being killed on his motorbike.

Local police insisted it was a traffic accident. Officers took no photographs of the scene and have no record of who found the body.

Yet Ben's watch and wallet were missing, which fuelled single-parent Pat's fear that her son was mugged. There have been reports of robbers using wires to knock over bikers in the area where he was killed.

Thai authorities then pressured the family into cremating Ben immediately — which they thankfully refused. For although a Thai post-mortem examination claimed Ben's head had turned towards his back 180 degrees, which would have broken his neck, a second autopsy in Britain said there were no neck injuries and that he had died from blunt trauma to his chest and a ruptured aorta.

Tellingly at his inquest, senior coroner for West Sussex, Penelope Schofield, said she was unable to record a verdict of accidental death as, she said: "I don't feel I have sufficient evidence to be satisfied it definitely was an accident."

Pat, a 64-year-old nurse from Reigate, Surrey, who has another son, Luke, 30, was forced to turn detective herself. "I spoke to people who have lived on the island, who told me about police corruption and mafia control. I could see a pattern of suspicious deaths, passed off as accidents and suicides, which are all totally wrong.

"I now believe my son was murdered. It may have been the result of a mugging that went wrong, but it was murder."

The Foreign Office says travel advice for Thailand is kept under constant review and, in a statement to the Mail, expressed its "deepest sympathies to the families of Kirsty, Christina and Ben."

As for its perceived hands-off approach when dealing with the Thai justice system, its statement says: "We have made a number of representations to the Thai authorities, but cannot interfere in another country's police investigation, just as we would not allow another country to interfere in ours."

But for the heartbroken mothers of MAMA, such words aren't enough. They want justice for their dead children — and won't stop until they get it.

Additional reporting by Stephanie Condron.

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Six found dead in luxury Bangkok hotel room after suspected cyanide poisoning

Topic: Crime

Police said a preliminary examination found no evidence of injuries but suggested all six had ingested a toxic substance. ( Reuters: Chalinee Thirasupa )

Six foreign nationals were found dead in a luxury hotel room in Thailand's capital Bangkok.

All six of the deceased were Vietnamese, two of whom had dual US nationality.

What's next? 

Bangkok police are investigating whether an investment among the six could be a motive. 

Six foreign nationals have been found dead in a luxury hotel room in central Bangkok, with police suspecting one of them poisoned the others with cyanide over a bad investment. 

Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin told a press conference at the Grand Hyatt Erawan hotel in the upscale Pathum Wan district, where the incident took place the six victims were Vietnamese and two had dual US nationality.

"There were no signs of a struggle," he said. 

The victims were three men and three women, with ages ranging from 37 to 56, according to Bangkok's deputy police chief Noppasin Punsawat. 

He said the case appeared to be personal and would not impact the safety of tourists.

Lieutenant General Trairong Piwpan, chief of the Thai police force's forensic division, said there were traces of cyanide in the cups and thermoses that police found in the room. 

This was later confirmed by the initial autopsy results of the six bodies that was performed at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn Hospital. 

The hospital's forensic medicine head Kornkiat Vongpaisarnsin said at a news conference that a CAT scan showed no signs of blunt force trauma on the dead, reinforcing the hypothesis that they had been poisoned.

Chulalongkorn's dean of medicine, Chanchai Sittipunt, said the team "believe the cyanide to be the answer."

"Whether they were taking sleeping pills or other stuff, we don't know, but we can know enough from the cyanide to determine (cause of death )," he said.

Thailand Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said all six victims were Vietnamese and two had dual US nationality. ( Reuters: Chalinee Thirasupa )

The six had last been seen alive when food was delivered to the room Monday afternoon, local time. 

The staff saw one woman receive the food, and security footage showed the rest arriving one by one shortly after. 

There were no other visitors, no one was seen leaving and the door was locked.

A maid found them Tuesday afternoon when they failed to check out of the room.

Investment made between six to build a hospital 

A husband and wife among the dead had invested money with two of the others, suggesting that money could be a motive, Bangkok's deputy police chief Mr Noppasin said, citing information obtained from relatives of the victims. 

The investment was meant to build a hospital in Japan and the group might have been meeting to settle the matter.

Mr Noppasin added on Wednesday that a seventh person whose name was part of the hotel booking was a sibling of one of the six and left Thailand on July 10.

Police believe the seventh person had no involvement in the deaths.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller expressed "our sincere condolences to families on their loss" and said the agency was "closely monitoring the situation" and was "ready to provide assistance to those families".

The area where the crime took place is popular with tourists and home to several upscale shopping malls and the Erawan shrine, a visitor draw.

The incident happened at the Grand Hyatt Erawan hotel in an area popular with tourists. ( Reuters: Chalinee Thirasupa )

Last October, a 14-year-old boy opened fire at the Siam Paragon mall in the area, killing three people.

The shooting came just days before the anniversary of a massacre at a nursery in northern Thailand that left 36 people dead.

It happened amid government efforts to bolster tourist numbers.

Some 28 million people visited Thailand in 2023, up from 11 million the year before, but still well down from the 40 million who came in 2019, the last year before the pandemic.

The country has just expanded its visa-free entry scheme to 93 countries and territories in an effort to revitalise the tourism industry. 

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Tourist dies while taking a selfie on Thailand’s ‘death railway’

An Irish tourist who was born in New Zealand died while trying to take a selfie on Thailand’s “death railway.”

Patrick Ward, 45, fell to his death from a moving train in Kanchanaburi province in western Thailand on Tuesday.

Ward reportedly opened the door of the train to take a selfie. He then slipped and fell to the ground below the railway at Krasae Cave in Sai Yok district , according to reports.

More from NextShark: Asian residents in Massachusetts allegedly targeted in string of burglaries, police say

Police said that rescuers had to build a makeshift pulley system to retrieve his body.

Ward’s neck and right arm broke due to his fall. Although rescuers attempted to resuscitate him for around 30 minutes, he eventually succumbed to his injuries, according to reports.

The New Zealand Embassy had been informed to take custody of his body for his funeral, according to police.

More from NextShark: Suspect Arrested for Home Invasion, Murder of Woman and 8-Year-Old Daughter

The “death railway,” also known as the Thai-Burma Railway, was built from 1940 to 1943 by civilian laborers and prisoners of war taken by the Japanese.

It was meant to move soldiers and weapons for Japan’s Burma campaign during World War II.

There were an estimated 180,000 to 250,000 civilians and over 60,000 Allied prisoners of war who were forced to build the railway. Over 100,000 of them reportedly died.

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Thailand: British expat killed and friend seriously hurt in 'sickle' attack

Police called to a rented house in the Muang district of Kanchanaburi in the early hours of Saturday are said to have found the victim outside lying face down in a pool of blood with knife wounds to his neck.

Sunday 23 January 2022 17:38, UK

A British expat has been killed and his friend badly injured in a knife attack in Thailand.

The incident happened in the early hours of Saturday in Kanchanaburi.

Thai police have said they were called to a house - thought to belong to the victim's girlfriend - in the Muang district in the early hours of the morning and found the 49-year-old victim outside lying face down in a pool of blood with knife wounds to his neck.

Kanchanaburi officers added that another man, 55, was taken to hospital with serious injuries and had an operation on his skull and collarbone.

A sickle-shaped knife was recovered by officers at the scene of the attack.

Police said the alleged attacker was a local resident and had been found hiding later in the nearby property of a relative.

The man, aged in his 20s, was has been taken into custody and police have said he is being given psychiatric support.

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Police are investigating allegations the suspect may have gone to the house due to loud music being played in the middle of the night.

A spokesman for the UK Foreign Office said: "We are in contact with the Royal Thai Police following the death of one British man and the hospitalisation of another in Thailand and are ready to provide consular support."

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Female tourist, 28, found dead after 'skinny dipping in waterfall' in Thailand

Posted: September 9, 2024 | Last updated: September 9, 2024

A Belgian tourist was found dead after she allegedly went skinny dipping alone at a waterfall in Thailand. Cloe Ferrari, 28, from Belgium, was said to have gone on a bike ride to the Mae Yen waterfall but never returned to her lodging in Mae Hong Son province on September 6. Her friend reported her disappearance to the police at 2:40pm local time, saying she had been trying to reach her phone since 2am. Officials launched a search along the route to the waterfall and found Cloe's bicycle parked near the entrance. A warning was posted saying the tourist area was closed due to flood and landslide risks. The rescue team suspended the mission in the evening due to heavy rain and forest runoff. The search resumed at 10am on Saturday, September 7. Police found Cloe's clothes abandoned near the waterfall weir. Village officers drained the water and found the missing holidaymaker lying face-down in the sand on the floor of the stream without any clothes. Police Lieutenant Colonel Suwit Boonyapen of the Tourist Police Division 2 said: ‘An initial inspection found that there were no signs of assault on the victim's body. We believe she was swimming alone before drowning. No one else was there to rescue her.' Rescue volunteer Wasan Punyaaut said floods in the area had hampered search efforts. He said: 'On September 7, the caretaker of the weir pumped out the water, which allowed us to find her body in the weir. The tourist was naked, with her head buried deep in the sand and her lower body and feet exposed. We believe she has taken her clothes off to go swimming. 'The first person to discover her body was the village headman of Ban Mae Yen.' Officials said they have notified the Belgian Embassy to inform Cloe's family of her death. The suspected drowning happened while Thailand is being battered by monsoon rains strengthened by typhoon Yagi, said to be Asia's most powerful storm so far this year. The Thai Meteorological Department said heavy downpours were expected to continue in the north and northeast region over the weekend as the storm, which has been downgraded to a tropical depression on September 8, battered neighbouring Vietnam. Thailand and neighbouring countries in Southeast Asia are in their annual monsoon rainy season which sees soaring temperatures followed by powerful rain storms in the afternoon leading to widespread flash floods.

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Six People Found Dead in Bangkok Hotel Under Mysterious Circumstances

The police originally said the deaths were apparently caused by poison, but later walked that statement back.

By Sui-Lee Wee and Muktita Suhartono

Reporting from Bangkok

Six people were found dead on Tuesday under mysterious circumstances in a hotel room at a Grand Hyatt in the heart of downtown Bangkok, police officials said.

Two of the dead were Americans of Vietnamese descent and four were Vietnamese nationals, according to Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin. Police Lt. Gen. Thiti Saengsawang, the Metropolitan Police commissioner, said three of the dead were men, and three were women.

Mr. Srettha told reporters that the crime scene did not show any signs of a robbery or fight. The belongings of the six people were still intact, and none of the plates or cups in the room were broken, according to General Thiti.

Police Maj. Gen. Theeradej Thumsutheeh, chief investigator of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, said initially that the six appeared to have been poisoned. But General Thiti later walked that back, telling reporters, “We are not saying they were poisoned.”

“There was an intention to take their lives,” he said, adding that as of now, the police have concluded, “None of them harmed themselves.”

A tour guide was being questioned, according to Police General Theeradej.

Five of the bodies bore no visible injuries, according to General Thiti; the sixth had facial wounds that forensic investigators said they thought were caused by the person falling and hitting a hard surface.

It appeared that a man and a woman had tried to make it to the door of the suite but fell down before they reached it, he said.

General Thiti said officials believe that the six people, whose bodies were discovered by a hotel housekeeper, had been dead for more than 20 hours. They had ordered room service after 1 p.m. on Monday, and investigators found residue at the bottom of six cups, he said.

The hotel reservation had been made for seven people, General Thiti said, and authorities are trying to determine if the seventh person entered Thailand.

The bodies were found in the same room. Four of the six people had booked separate rooms, and were supposed to have checked out on Monday; the remaining two were in the same room, which was supposed to have been vacated on Tuesday.

General Thiti told reporters that five of the dead were hotel guests and that the identity of the sixth person was still being established.

The police said they were working to determine a motive by looking through the six people’s suitcases, security camera footage and their social media accounts.

Mass violence is unusual in Bangkok, but the capital was shaken by a shooting last October when a 14-year-old gunman opened fire in a luxury shopping mall, eventually killing three people.

The Grand Hyatt Erawan is on a busy intersection in Bangkok’s city center. It sits opposite the Erawan Shrine, the site of a deadly bombing in 2015 that killed 20 people.

Sui-Lee Wee is the Southeast Asia bureau chief for The Times, overseeing coverage of 11 countries in the region. More about Sui-Lee Wee

Muktita Suhartono reports on Thailand and Indonesia. She is based in Bangkok. More about Muktita Suhartono

Hospital faces questions over tourist death

Private facility could be in breach of law for turning away unconscious Taiwanese after accident

PUBLISHED : 12 Dec 2023 at 21:14

WRITER: Post Reporters

Public health officials on Wednesday will question staff at a private hospital in Bangkok about an incident in which an unconscious Taiwanese tourist died after being denied admission following an accident.

Public Health Minister Cholnan Srikaew ordered the investigation by the Department of Health Service Support (DHSS) and the National Institute for Emergency Medicine (NIEM) after learning of the incident, said Dr Sura Wisetsak, the DHSS director-general.

The case was first brought to light on the Facebook page “Yak Dang Diew Jad Hai (Limelight Generator) Return Part 6” on Dec 8.

According to the Taiwan Tourism Bureau, the deceased, identified only as Chen, had travelled to Bangkok with a group of 19 people. He notified the tour leader before leaving the group and travelling alone on Dec 7, and was later severely injured in a car crash.

According to the account on the Facebook page, a volunteer rescuer from the Ruamkatanyu Foundation reported that Chen was found injured in the middle of the road on Phatthanakan Soi 50 at 1.50am on Dec 8.

He was taken to a private hospital 500 metres from where he was found, as he was unconscious after receiving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

However, he was reportedly denied admission by a supervisor and a nurse in the hospital’s emergency room, who suggested he be taken to a public hospital.

Both staff reportedly said that treating Chen, a foreigner not accompanied by any relatives, could lead to expenses the hospital might not be able to recoup.

The first responders decided to send Chen to Sirindhorn Hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries, according to the Facebook page.

“The hospital will be investigated to determine whether its patient assessment principles follow the government’s Universal Coverage for Emergency Patients policy,” said Dr Sura.

“The assessment of transferring one patient to another hospital is also being included in the investigation.”

According to the NIEM, unconscious patients are classified as critical emergency patients who require immediate treatment after they are rescued.

Denying treatment to such a patient is considered unacceptable, Dr Sura said, adding that it also violates the Medical Facilities Act, BE 2541 (1998).

If found culpable in this case, the hospital staff involved could face jail of up to two years and/or fines of up to 40,000 baht, he added.

Sudawan Wangsuphakijkosol, the minister of tourism and sports, has also been briefed on the case. She said she had asked the related agencies to come up with better protective measures to avoid any repeat of such a tragic incident.

• Tourist death
• Private hospital
• Emergency treatment

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Murdered in paradise - the grim toll of holidaymakers killed in Thailand

In recent years dozens of Westerners have met gruesome deaths after travelling to Thailand in search of sun and fun

• 07:00, 12 Apr 2019
• Updated 09:20, 12 Apr 2019

It is one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations, drawing in over 35 million visitors a year.

Thailand promotes itself as the Land of Smiles and is a favourite for Western visitors from young backpackers and gap year students to sun-seeking retirees.

But the southeast Asian country is quickly gaining a reputation, not for its pristine white beaches and emerald waters, but as a death trap after the brutal killings of dozens of tourists in recent years.

This week German Miriam Beelte was the latest victim after the 26-year-old was found dead on the Koh Sichang island.

She had been raped then murdered, suffering severe heard wounds and a broken leg in the attack in which she was repeatedly hit in the face with a rock, according to police.

A local man, Ronnakorn Romruen, 24, reportedly confessed to raping then murdering to stop her from reporting the sex attack.

Here we look at some of the other recent Western holidaymakers who were murdered in paradise…

Hannah Witheridge, 23 and David Miller, 34

The half-naked bodies of British backpackers David, from Norfolk, and Hannah, of Jersey, were found dead on the beach on Koh Tao island in September 2014.

The pair, who had met on the island while staying at the same hotel, had been bludgeoned to death with a wooden hoe as they walked back to their hotel rooms following an all-night party.

Hannah was also raped before her murder.

Two Burmese men were charged and sentenced to death over the killings.

Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo were sentenced to death for the killings.

But although David's family called the verdict 'justice', the trial of the two Burmese migrant workers was plagued by accusations of human rights abuses.

The men, apprehended soon after the pair's bodies were found, initially confessed to the crime only to retract their statements amid claims they were extracted by torture.

Elise Dallemange, 20

The body of Belgian tourist Elise, 20, had been half-eaten by lizards when it was in the jungles of Koh Tao island in April 2017.

The young backpacker had been living at a yoga and tantra retreat near the party island of Koh Phangan for two years, where she was part of the Sathya Sai Baba sect.

She was on her way home when she went missing from the Poseidon Resort where she had booked a room before her flight to Bangkok.

Locals found her body hanging from a tree when they became suspicious of a monitor lizard going back and fourth into the jungle.

Police told Elise’s mother Michele van Egten that her daughter had committed suicide by hanging herself around three days before she was found, but she believes she was murdered. 

Luke Miller, 26

Bricklayer Luke was found at the bottom of a swimming pool at the Sunset Bar at Sairee Beach on Koh Tao island in January 2016.

Before his death the 26-year-old, who had been on a five-week holiday, had taken to social media to post about how much he was enjoying his trip.

“Can honestly say this new year I am living the dream of to the full moon party on a speed boat drink cocktails strawberry daiquiris living life to the full yolo so let’s do this,” he wrote.

An inquest found “no evidence” he had been murdered, but his family have accused the Thai police of a cover-up.

In a statement following his hearing, James Gissing, who was in Thailand with Luke, said he felt “police were covering up as it was the death of another foreigner on Koh Tao”, referring to the Witheridge and Miller murders.

Nicola Gissing, who was also on holiday with Luke when he died, has claimed her friend’s death was no accident.

Christina Annesley, 23

British holidaymaker Christina, from Orpington, Kent, died in January 2015, shortly after arriving on Joh Tao island, after apparently mixing antibiotics she was taking for a chest infection with alcohol.

But her parents slammed Thai authorities for failing to investigate the death, with her day Boyne claiming police didn’t carry out a toxicology report.

He said at the time: "We don't know how or why she died.

"She had medication for a chest infection and was drinking, but the Thai police failed to investigate if the combination was sufficient to kill her."

He also had to track down a man seen on surveillance footage leaving his daughter's flat hours before she was discovered.

He had not been questioned by police - even though officers had his name in their files.

Nick Pearson, 25

Nick, from Derby, was found floating in a Koh Tao island bay, at the foot of a 50ft drop, on New Year’s Day 2014.

Despite claims of a fall, he had no broken bones.

Police later ruled out foul play but Nick's family believe he was murdered and claimed officers did not not investigate a single witness.

The 25-year-old's mum Tracey told a documentary about the island she would warn parents not to allow their children to travel to there.

She said: "I would tell them to do everything in their power to stop them going. It's dangerous.

"In view of what's happened to David Miller and Hannah Witheridge and various other people I've read about, it just all leads to the same thing.

"Their parents must be going through hell just like we are and we have been for the last almost two years. It just doesn't go away." 

Valentina Novozhyonov, 23

Russian tourist Valentina vanished from her hostel on Koh Tao island in mid-February 2017 - sparking a police search.

She had checked into the accommodation on February 11 and was due to check out on February 16 – but failed to do so.

A few days later, staff checked her room to discover her mobile phone, passport and camera had all been left behind.

Valentina was reported to have been visiting the island to go freediving – an activity the area is famed for among backpackers.

Police chief Apichart Boonsrirote said he assigned teams to check all surveillance cameras around the hostel and on the island to find out where she was last seen, but she is still missing today.

Dimitri Povse, 29

Frenchman Dimitri Povse, 29, was found hanged in a bungalow on the island on New Year's Day 2015.

His death was ruled as suicide despite his hands being tied behind his back.

Associate Professor Charnkanit Krittiya Suriyamanee, a criminologist and lecturer at the faculty of social science and humanities of Mahidol University, said he doubted the suicide theory citing some irrelevant evidences

He said that the victim had been drunk to the extent that he was unable to control himself, he would not have been able to tie himself up so tightly that he died of suffocation.

Had he hanged himself, the professor pointed out that the bruises should have appeared on the neck than on his wrists.

Also, he noted that the several pieces of rope which were used in the suspected suicide appeared to be different, which might suggest that the death was not caused by suicide.

Astrid Al-Assaad Schachner, 46

Female german tourist Astrid was strangled to death after she headed to a notorious “full moon party” on Koh Phangnan island in January 2009.

Her body was found on the beach the following morning.

Thai police said a local man Tiwat Kasempch, who worked at a tattoo parlour where Astrid was last seen hours before her death, confessed to murdering her because she had been stalking him.

Lieutenant Colonel Somsak Nhurod said: Tiwat said he was drunk and angry at her.

“He found her alone outside a 7-Eleven convenience store so he invited her to join him on a motorcycle ride.

"They went together to the beach where he then strangled her with his hands.”

Astrid, from Munich, was a regular visitor to Thailand, sometimes staying for several weeks to join in the monthly parties to celebrate the arrival of the full moon.

Malcolm Robertson, 64

British sailor Malcolm was on a round the world trip with his wife Linda, 58, when he was bludgeoned to death by pirates on his yacht off the Andaman sea coast of Thailand in March 2009.

The couple, who owned a chain of coffee shops around their hometown of St Leonards-on-Sea, Sussex, had been sailing around the world for more than ten years, occasionally flying home to see friends and family.

Linda told police her husband was beaten to death with a hammer by men trying to steal the small dinghy kept on their 44ft yacht. They then threw his body overboard.

She was left fearing for her life as they kept her tied up for about 10 hours before they fled the yacht.

Three Burmese teenagers were later jailed for 25 years after pleading guilty to the murder.

Troy Pilkington, 51

American Troy was hacked to death by a Bangkok taxi driver after getting into an argument of a $1.60 fare in July 2013.

Police said that Chidchai Utmacha, 32, told them that Troy, who had been in the country for three years working for Caterpillar Inc, had accused him of rigging the meter as they say in traffic on the city’s Sukhumvit Road.

He claimed that the victim refused to pay the 51 baht fare, then threw a cup of coffee at him when he asked for the money, after which he pulled a 12-inch machete from the boot and chased after him.

CCTV footage captured part of the struggle and shows the taxi driver wildly swinging a machete as the other man flails his arms and tries to grab the driver.

After the attack, Utmacha dumped the machete into a canal and threw away his shirt.

Chidchai Utmacha, 32, was convicted of murder and carrying a weapon in public without reasonable cause.

Stephen Ashton, 22

British holidaymaker Stephen was killed by a stray bullet at a New Year’s beach party on Thailand’s Koh Phangan island.

The City trader, who was on a gap year with five friends, was reportedly dancing on the sand with 300 partygoers when he was caught in crossfire following a fight between two groups of Thai men.

As one of the groups fled the car, one man turned back and fired a gun, hitting Stephen in the torso and causing devastating injuries.

Despite frantic efforts by his distraught friends and other revellers, he died soon afterwards at a local hospital.

Local police officer Lieutenant Colonel Somsak Noorod said: “He was shot in the side while he was dancing on the beach.”

Police later arrested Ekkapan Gaewkla, who initially denied opening fire but later apologised for killing the Briton. He was jailed for 34 years.

Fabrice Boigeol, 37

Frenchman Fabrice was found dead lying in a pool of blood in his rented bungalow at the Moragot Resort in Rawai in August 2014.

Police believe he was murdered during a robbery. He had suffered injuries to his head, neck and chest after being hit with a hard object.

Police chief Peerayut Karajedee said: "While searching the room, we found a laptop charger, but could not find the laptop.

"We also noticed that the bungalow next to Mr Boigeol’s showed signs of a break-in – the door knob to the room was broken.

"Mr Boigeol’s room looked as though it had been ransacked, so we believe he was killed during a robbery."

Officers also checked the resort’s CCTV and found footage of two men, whom the receptionist did not recognize, in the hotel about the time they believe the killing occurred.

A 23-year-old local man was later arrested for the murder.

David Bernat, 40

Spanish holidaymaker David was bound and gagged, then hacked into pieces after going missing from the Nantiruj Tower apartments on Ko Samui island on January 20, 2016.

Officers who searched his room found that the keycard was still in the door after he was last seen leaving by motorbike.

A month later, human body parts including a head, torso, leg and arm found separately along the Chao Phraya river were found to be those of the missing Spaniard.

Police believe he had been bound and gagged before being killed as forensic tests had found fragments of tape on the arm.

According to his LinkedIn profile, David had worked in the telecoms industry for more than a decade after graduating IESE Business School in Barcelona in 2006.

Giuseppe de Stefani, 61

The charred remains of Italian tourist Giuseppe were found in a forest near  Bueng Na Rang in Thailand’s Phichit province in January last year.

Police chief Tawatchai Muannara said: “The body had been dismembered. We found only a torso, two arms and a right leg at the scene.” He was identified by a tattoo on his right leg.

Giuseppe’s Thai ex-wife Rujira Eiumlamai, 38, and her French boyfriend Rigaux Amaury later reportedly confessed to the murder.

They said they had been travelling together in a car when Amaury had got into an argument With Giuseppe about his affair with Eiumlamai, during which he stabbed him in the neck.

The pair then put his body in the boot and driven to a remote location where they chopped up the body and tried to burn it.

In December, both were sentenced to 14 years in jail.

Tariq Ahmad Bhat, 56

American Tariq was found dead by a maid on a hotel bed in Chiang Mai city in August last year.

He was face up on the bed, wearing a button-down shirt and black boxer shorts, and there was an empty cup of coffee on a bedside table.

Hotel staff told police that the man had checked in with a pretty Thai woman with short hair.

Police chief Mondritsa Bungam said: “Lots of Mr Bhat’s valuables were missing. We believe that the woman stole them. We only found a 50 baht bill and a Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus member card.

“All the evidence points to Mr Bhat having been murdered.”

Curiously, a similar case happened the following evening when another American tourist, Gene Ver Ulfgang, 69, was found unconscious in a hotel room after taking a short-haired woman back to his hotel room in the same city.

After her recovered he said $5,000 in cash and his credit card had gone missing. The credit card was later used to buy a diamond ring worth about £24,000.

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Canadian Tourist, 24, Dies After Falling From Moving Train In Thailand

24-year-old ryan joseph ralph was travelling with his british girlfriend shona morgan, 22, when he fell from the overnight locomotive from bangkok on march 20..

The tourist is believed to have been injured after falling off the train. (Representative pic)

A Canadian tourist in Thailand died on Wednesday after falling from a moving train en route to "Death Island". According to The Independent , 24-year-old Ryan Joseph Ralph was travelling with his British girlfriend Shona Morgan, 22, when he fell from the overnight locomotive from Bangkok on March 20. Ms Morgan had flown to Thailand to be with his boyfriend, who had been travelling in the country for just over a month, to celebrate his birthday. The couple were trying to reach Koh Tao island in the south of Thailand when the tragedy struck. 

A couple of hours into the journey, Mr Ralph had left his girlfriend sleeping while he went for a cigarette at the end of the carriage, many of which have no doors or barriers. As per The Independent , the tourist is believed to have been injured after falling off the train before being pulled briefly along the tracks. 

Ms Morgan said she raised the alarm when she woke up an hour later and he was missing. Nearly 200 police officers and rescuers then joined a search for the 24-year-old. Police believe that the tourist lost his footing while the train was still moving, before dragging himself underneath to escape the wheels. However, he later passed out and died from blood loss, the outlet reported. 

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The couple had been planning to celebrate Mr Ralph's birthday at Koh Island, which has been dubbed "Death Island" following the 2014 murders of two British tourists. He was found dead on Thursday, under a newly built platform at a station in the Ratchaburi province. Cops said that he was found with severe injuries on both legs. 

"He had in his pocket a wallet containing various documents and Thai banknotes," Police Lieutenant Colonel Rathnont Kasemchaisit said. "From the preliminary investigation, there were no traces of assault," he added. 

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Separately, a rail worker said he was shocked when he found the 24-year-old dead. 

Meanwhile, there have been a series of deaths on Thailand's trains which are often blamed for poor safety standards. In 2014, a 19-year-old died when he fell from a train on the same route, as per the outlet. In 2017, a 20-year-old British tourist was also left in intensive care after falling from a moving train on the same journey. 

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This Septic Isle: Backpackers, Bloodshed and the Secretive World of Koh Tao

T he balcony of room A5 at Ocean View Bungalows commands one of the finest vistas of Koh Tao’s sweeping Sairee Beach. Traditional longtail boats, a rainbow of scarves adorning their bows, bob on the lapping water of the glistening bay. And right in the foreground, rising proudly from sliver sands, protrude a scattering of granite boulders, a furtive relic of this tranquil 21-sq-km (8 sq. mi.) island’s volcanic inception.

These rocks are no strangers to explosive secrets. On Sept. 15, one of the occupants of that same room A5, Hannah Witheridge, was found bludgeoned to death in their midst alongside fellow British tourist David Miller, just a short stumble from her door. Witheridge, 23, from Great Yarmouth, a seaside town on the English east coast, had been raped and killed by blows to the head. Miller, a year older and from Jersey, one of the U.K.’s Channel Islands, had likewise suffered deep lacerations to his skull before drowning in the shallow surf.

A mute Burmese beach cleaner stumbled upon the bodies shortly after dawn. A garden hoe and wooden club found nearby were quickly fingered as the principal murder weapons.

The crime’s brutality amid Koh Tao’s insular, backpacker charm caused an international sensation and threatened to further weaken a tourist industry already reeling from the military coup of May 22, 2014, which saw hundreds arbitrarily detained and draconian new controls imposed on freedom of speech and assembly.

Junta chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha enraged many by hinting that the blame, at some level, lay with the attractive victims. “Will [tourists] survive in Thailand if they dress in bikinis?” he asked Sept. 17. He added that they would if “they are not beautiful.”

Prayuth soon backtracked on his remarks on travelers, saying, “Sometimes I speak too strongly.” But virtually his next breath again sought to assign blame: “We have to help take care of [our nation],” he said, “and not let not-good people mingle with us, such as unregistered alien workers.”

Investigators had already steered their attention to migrant workers, via a friend of the deceased, and the son of a local headman, who were briefly considered as suspects. DNA testing of casual workers was introduced and many migrants complained of rough interrogations, with some claiming that they were scalded with boiling water. (Police deny these allegations.)

Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo, both 22-year-old ethnic Rakhine from Burma’s restive Arakan state, were arrested on Oct. 2. The police quickly elicited a confession and, after a macabre reconstruction of the murders before a swarm of media — including a staged session of penitent prayers by the accused — probably hoped that the case looked closed.

But it unraveled just as quickly. After finally receiving independent legal counsel, Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo, who had no prior criminal records, claimed they had been tortured during interrogation and recanted. Human-rights groups expressed serious concerns.

The 18-day trial of the two defendants, divided into three equal parts over several weeks, began on July 8. A verdict is expected in October and they could face the death penalty if convicted.

“Over the coming weeks we hope to gain a better understanding as to how such a wonderful young man lost his life in such idyllic surroundings in such a horrible way,” said Miller’s family in a statement at the opening of the trial.

‘THE WORST THAIS IN THAILAND’

The murders of Witheridge and Miller sent shock waves through Thailand. “That the victims were tourists automatically drew more attention,” says Thai political analyst Saksith Saiyasombut. “And the shambolic investigation also didn’t help.”

Foreigners die surprisingly often here. There were 362 U.K. citizens who met their end in Thailand in 2014, more so even than in France, which attracts almost 20 times as many British visitors. But generally they lose their lives through traffic accidents, overdoses and suicides. This was very different.

Of the 25 million foreign visitors who touch down in Thailand each year, half a million grace Koh Tao, the smallest of three popular tourist islands in the Thai Gulf. The largest and most developed is Koh Samui, which also boasts the archipelago’s only international airport. The next in size is Koh Phangan, home of the infamous Full Moon parties, with a reputation for drugs and debauchery. Koh Tao is by far the smallest. Ringed by coral gardens and teeming with kaleidoscope shoals of tropical fish, it was primarily known, until now, for its diving.

But Koh Tao was a political penal colony from 1933 until 1947, and a sense of self-sufficiency and isolation exists to this day. Far from official oversight, de facto control falls to the owners of booming hospitality businesses that were developed on land originally obtained, via government concessions, for coconut plantations.

Feuding here is common and vicious. Greg Shepherd, 34, from Luton in the U.K., tells TIME he witnessed a man getting shot in the face in a bar north of Sairee Beach in the mid-2000s. “They took the victim away in a pickup truck and the barman just got a mop out and cleaned up the blood,” he says.

In general, tourists are almost comically unaware of this malevolent undercurrent. Yet it remains an open secret that “organized crime is rampant on these islands,” says Saksith. Little wonder the conversational staple of many long-term expats is, “These are the worst Thais in Thailand.”

Drugs play a key role. The sweet reek of marijuana is commonplace even in prominent beachfront bars, while cocaine and crystal meth, known locally as yaba or “crazy drug,” are not hard to find, say locals. At one establishment by Chalok Baan Chao, joints are sold for 200 baht ($6) while a magic mushroom milkshake costs 700 baht ($20). “Nice and strong,” grins the heavily tattooed barman. The families that run the island and police that guard it deny any involvement with narcotics. But the sheer ubiquity of drugs on Koh Tao suggests at the very least a high toleration of the trade.

Naturally, a pall of silence engulfs this clannish, cliquey atoll, owing in no small part to the legal standing of its foreign contingent.

There are no official figures for the number of expats who call Thailand home, but it likely runs into the hundreds of thousands. Pensions and incomes that would be less than optimum in Europe, say, or North America, can fund a life of carefree hedonism in Thailand.

On tiny Koh Tao alone, there are some 2,000 expats alongside the 2,500 registered Thais, according to Mayor Chaiyan Turasakul. Most are running guesthouses, eateries and scuba-diving operations or working as diving instructors. However, according to Rhys Bonney, an immigration adviser to expats in Thailand, even the legality of scuba-diving instructors is an “extremely gray area” as Thai work permits are specific to particular company premises. “There’s no work permit that allows you to work in 15 different locations [under the sea],” he says. “Legally, it would seem quite easy to shut these dive shops down.”

Insecure residency tends to breed compliance. “Once you’ve been living there for a while, you’ll turn a blind eye to some pretty sketchy stuff,” says Mike Earley, 30, from New Zealand, who spent six months on the island working as a DJ. Complaining about wrongdoing may invite official questions and demands for passports and documentation. Expats “don’t want to lose their time in paradise,” Earley says, “as it’s cheap, it’s nice living, and it’s very easy to ignore what happens.”

Even murder.

SEVEN DAYS A WEEK FOR A PITTANCE

Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo are two of an estimated 2 million irregular Burmese migrants, along with smaller numbers from neighboring Cambodia and Laos, currently working low-paid jobs in comparatively thriving Thailand. They toil in slavelike conditions for pitiful wages in occupations typically described as 3-D — dirty, dangerous, degrading.

Some work on fishing boats for years without seeing land, getting passed between trawlers, catching fish, squid and shrimp for American dinner tables. (Thailand is the world’s third-largest seafood exporter.) Others labor for long hours under the burning sun farming pineapples, exposed to hazardous doses of pesticides and other chemicals. And on Koh Tao there are around 5,000 Burmese — conspicuous by the golden streaks of thanaka paste, a traditional sunscreen and beauty product, garnishing their cheeks — who build hotels, sweep rooms and serve drinks to the coppery throngs of tourists.

They flee extreme poverty and ethnic violence in Burma (officially now known as Myanmar), the legacy of a half-century of civil war and suffocating military dictatorship. Even though recent quasi-democratic reforms have seen an influx of tourist dollars and the rolling back of sanctions, that means little for the nation’s rural poor. In fact, says Sean Turnell, a professor and expert on Burmese economics at Australia’s Macquarie University, “The economic circumstances of Myanmar’s majority rural population are now marginally worse than before the reforms were launched.”

Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo know this too well. Speaking exclusively to TIME at Koh Samui Prison, both appear much younger than their 22 years. Zaw Lin, as pimply as any teen, chats eagerly of his love of Manchester United and star Portuguese winger Nani. Wai Phyo, a Real Madrid fanatic who idolizes FIFA world player of the year Cristiano Ronaldo, moves a virtually hairless top lip as he talks.

“My father died when I was very young,” says Zaw Lin, “so l left school aged 8 and started helping my mother in the fields when I was 10.” Facing worsening poverty, around two years ago he paid a broker 5,000 baht ($150) to transport him to Koh Tao, heartened by tales he’d heard of fellow villagers who had eked out a successful living there. Since then, he had managed to send back almost $2,000 to help his destitute family. “It’s something but it’s not enough,” he says.

To be able to work on Koh Tao, illegal Burmese migrants paid a 500-baht ($15) bribe each month, plus another 500 baht if they want to use a motorbike without a Thai driving license. Typically, they work seven days a week for a pittance, sleeping in bamboo shacks erected in jungle clearances. Possessing no official status or documents, their vulnerability is extreme, and complaints of rape, extortion and physical violence are legion. “Burmese people are treated as second-class citizens,” says Saksith. “Dehumanizing as it sounds, they are a commodity for some people.”

Asked whether he has a message for his compatriots considering working in Thailand, Wai Phyo simply says, “Be careful when you go out at night as you might step in the wrong place.”

‘WE HAVE LEARNED TO TAKE CARE OF VISITORS’

Theories abound on Koh Tao about who killed Miller and Witheridge. Many believe the true culprits are local, and these suspicions were fueled after a Scottish friend of Miller fled the island claiming to have had his life threatened by local thugs.

Nevertheless, few have rallied to the defense of the accused. One of Wai Phyo’s former employers, who saw him soon after Sept. 15 and noticed no perceivable change in his demeanor, has refused to be a character witness or be named by TIME. “I’ve not been threatened, but I’ve too much to lose,” he says. “This is the wild west.”

At present, the case rests on DNA evidence linking cigarette butts found around 20 m from the bodies next to a crooked log where Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo admit they were playing guitar and drinking beer on the evening in question. These samples purportedly match those retrieved from Witheridge’s corpse.

But many have concerns that the scene was contaminated immediately after the discovery of the bodies; myriad officials, journalists and even bewildered tourists were seen traipsing through the area while evidence was still being gathered. Gruesome photos of the bloodied corpses circulated online, either leaked by officials or even taken by passersby. Thailand’s forensics chief, Dr. Pornthip Rojanasunand, has said that by not using trained specialists, “police contradicted the principles of forensic science.”

Forensic evidence is processed independently in the U.S. or U.K. and many other jurisdictions around the world, safeguarding a proper chain of custody. But in Thailand, the police perform the entire process. This is troubling when set against the allegations of torture made by the accused.

Wai Phyo says officers removed his clothes and left him naked in a freezing room for 20 minutes. “They beat me and put a bag over my head, humiliating me by taking pictures and a video,” he said. “They threatened to kill me, saying: ‘We can throw you into the sea and feed your corpse to the fish.’”

Thailand’s National Human Rights Commission investigated these allegations, but progress has been glacial, not least because police representatives failed to turn up to four arranged meetings. The police categorically deny any mistreatment and no officer has been charged to date.

Torture allegations aside, the proceedings have been peppered with oddities. The families of Miller and Witheridge even put out a statement saying the evidence against Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo was “powerful and convincing.” This assertion was facilitated by the U.K. Foreign Office despite being prejudicial toward the possibility of a fair trial. (Both families declined to comment when contacted by TIME.)

More recently, a court order to allow Dr. Pornthip to review the DNA evidence was rescinded. “The defense lawyers urgently need both crucial information gained from the re-examination of forensic evidence in this case and also adequate time to consider this information prior to the trial beginning,” said lead defense lawyer Nakhon Chomphuchat in a statement last month.

On July 10, the bench again ordered the DNA to be retested, only for the police to reveal that certain key samples — specifically those retrieved from the victims’ bodies — had been used up. The only items still available for retesting were objects found around the crime scene, including the suspected murder weapons, but one witness claimed that these had been washed.

According to Kingsley Abbott, Southeast Asia legal expert for the International Commission of Jurists, “The defense must be afforded adequate time and facilities to explore whether the alleged destruction of evidence in this case was appropriate and unavoidable, and to test the prosecution case overall.”

Back on Koh Tao, authorities have scrambled to blot out the tragedy. “Koh Tao is very safe,” says Mayor Chaiyan. “Because we have learned for generations to take care of visitors.” A brand new police station has been built with 40 full-time officers replacing the five previously based here. A process of registering irregular Burmese migrant workers has been introduced to tackle the semiofficial bribes, though many say abuses continue unabated.

Few of the visitors on Sairee Beach today are even aware the murders took place. “I had no idea,” says Jordi Cramer, 21, a waitress from Edmonton, Canada, when TIME speaks to her strolling past the granite-hemmed crime scene. “I did feel safe, but that is scary.”

Scared is right. For while the surf has washed the blood from the sand, and life returns to normal for the island’s hodgepodge of wealthy and penniless inhabitants, one fact remains clear: not just the boulders hide secrets on Koh Tao.

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Write to Charlie Campbell / Koh Tao and Koh Samui at [email protected]

• Travel Updates
• Health & Safety

Trouble in Thailand as tourist deaths soar

NEW figures have been released concerning one of Australia’s much-loved holiday spots: Thailand. The authorities are worried about them.

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NEW figures have been released concerning tourist deaths in Thailand and they are so worrying that the local government has finally promised to work on improving visitor safety.

There was a 54 per cent jump in the number of tourist deaths at Australia’s much-loved holiday destination last year, according to a report by Thailand’s Bureau of Prevention and Assistance in Tourist Fraud.

Data collected from the ministry’s 10 regional offices showed that while 83 foreign travellers died in 2015, another 166 were injured (a drop of 160 per cent year on year).

While the main cause of death was road accidents (34), swimming and boating accidents claimed nine lives, congenital disease six, suicides four, and other causes 30.

The statistics showed that in 2015, visitors had a 1 in 301,204 chance of dying in Thailand, including a 1 in 735,294 chance of being killed in a road crash.

However, figures from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) over a similar time frame suggest this is just the tip of the iceberg. Between July 2014, and June 2015, DFAT recorded 109 deaths of Australians in Thailand , that’s not even factoring in tourists from other countries.

Either way, they are numbers that authorities say cannot be ignored any longer.

Pongpanu Svetarundra, Sports and Tourism Ministry secretary, told the Bangkok Post : “In the past, we did not deal with the root causes of the tourist safety problem. From now on, we will look at the issue and address it seriously.”

Meetings have been held between government officials to address the issue, with a study on water accidents set to be conducted in Krabi, and road accident data will be gathered in Chiang Mai.

The report also listed some of the riskiest places in the country for swimming, scuba diving and driving, including:

• Tawan Beach on Pattaya’s Koh Larn (Chon Buri)

• Chaweng Beach on Koh Samui (Surat Thani)

• Mu Koh Similan (Phangnga)

• Koh Hae (Phuket)

• Highway 1095 from Chiang Mai to Pai district in Mae Hong Son

• Highway 118 from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai

• Highways 2258 and 2296 to Khao Khor (Phetchabun)

• Highway 4233 to Karon mountain (Phuket)

Almost 30 million visitors flocked to Thailand last year, but it was ranked low on a recent list for safety and security in the Asia Pacific. It came in at 132nd place out of 141 countries in that category in the World Economic Forum’s Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index 2015.

TRAGEDY IN PARADISE

Last month, a British backpacker was been found dead in mysterious circumstances on Thailand’s Koh Tao island, the same place two backpackers were found beaten to death in 2014.

The body of Luke Miller, 24, was found floating in a hotel swimming pool, reported the UK Telegraph . Before his death Miller had taken to social media to post about how much he was enjoying his trip.

“Can honestly say this new year I am living the dream of to the full moon party on a speed boat drink cocktails strawberry daiquiris living life to the full yolo so let’s do this,” he wrote.

He had been on a five-week holiday.

The island of Koh Tao is no stranger to tourist deaths. In 2014 the semi-naked bodies of British backpackers David Miller, 24, and Hannah Witheridge, 23, were found beaten to death on the beach. Witheridge was raped before her murder.

Two Burmese men were charged and sentenced to death over the killings.

DFAT’S TRAVEL ADVICE FOR THAILAND

• The standard of medical facilities throughout Thailand varies. While private hospitals with international standard facilities can be found in major cities, services can be limited elsewhere. Private hospitals generally require confirmation of insurance or a guarantee of payment before admitting a patient. Costs can be very expensive.

• Motorcycle and other road accidents are very common in Thailand, including in resort areas such as Phuket, Pattaya and Koh Samui.

• Water-borne, foodborne, parasitic and other infectious diseases (including tuberculosis, cholera, hepatitis, leptospirosis and typhoid) are prevalent with outbreaks occurring from time to time. We advise you to boil all drinking water or drink bottled water, avoid ice cubes and raw and undercooked food, and avoid unpasteurised dairy products. Seek medical advice if you have a fever or are suffering from diarrhoea.

• Illness caused by naturally occurring seafood toxins such as ciguatera as well as scombroid (histamine fish poisoning) and toxins in shellfish can be a hazard.

• The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade strongly recommends that you take out comprehensive travel insurance that will cover any overseas medical costs, including medical evacuation, before you depart.

See more tips at DFAT’s website here.

An Australian man has died after suddenly collapsing in a Bali airport, becoming the fourth Aussie to die on the island in three weeks.

The father of two brothers killed on a surfing trip to Mexico has revealed a heartbreaking, six-word confession.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has revealed a disturbing incident that occurred on a late night shift at Brisbane’s Air Traffic Control Centre.