SURVEY: Koh Tao -- Cursed Island or the real 'unseen' Thailand?

[Scott]

This past week, two extremely wealthy Thais of Indonesian heritage were found drowned in a luxury hotel pool.  Ragess Sajjathammakun, 59 and his wife Anchu, 55 died while their son was walking on the beach.  

 

Koh Tao was given the nickname Death Island after the death's of Hannah Witheridge, 23, and David Miller, 24, were backpacking and staying near Sairee Beach when they were killed on September 15, 2014. Two men from Myanmar, Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun, were sentenced to death for these crimes by the Appeal Court and the lower court.

 

Dimitri Povse, a 29-year-old Frenchman was found on January 1, 2015, hanging from his balcony ceiling. However, his hands were tied behind his back, leading many to speculate how this was possible, and it remains a mystery today.

 

Given what appears to be a disproportionate number of questionable murders, do you think this is a cursed island, a coincidence or the underbelly of Thai society?

 

Please feel free to leave a comment.

 

For further reading:  

 

https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1219538-mystery-deaths-on-koh-tao-billionaire-hotel-and-factory-owners-found-dead-in-hotel-pool/

 

[ICELANDMAN]

There are certain places that have a bad influence on people already predisposed to crime this is my impression, whatever the cause can be many killed ghosts screaming for revenge, and this island is full.

And madness I'm going to believe in ghosts now.....

[Samui Bodoh]

4 hours ago, Scott said:

Given what appears to be a disproportionate number of questionable murders, do you think this is a cursed island, a coincidence or the underbelly of Thai society?

 

 

It is not a cursed island, it is not a coincidence, nor is it the underbelly of Thai society.

 

Koh Tao and the crimes there are the result of too much wealth generated in a small place in too short a time, and a classic example of how a society struggles to adapt to too much power. Is it unique? Nope. Look at the modern history of states in the Middle East that became fabulously wealthy very quickly due to oil and then lost all moral bearings: can anyone state where the 9-11 terrorists came from? Or, do some research on lottery winners around the planet; the data shows that huge wealth, acquired quickly, often as not leads to horrible consequences.

 

Simply put, the people of Koh Tao got too much money too fast, and in a land where having money is King, they accumulated too much power to suffer any consequences of their actions. And, we all know the phrase ' power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely'.

 

If ever there was a place that needed outside intervention for its own good, it is Koh Tao. Sadly, I don't think it'll occur and we will be reading about 'unexplained events, accidents, and... er... ahem... odd coincidences' for many years to come.

 

These deaths are a cry for help from a society that can't handle itself, but no one will listen.

 

Sad. Truly sad. For every one involved.

 

The only thing that you can and should do is stay away. And, tell one and all to stay away as well; perhaps one day it'll be safe, but it simply isn't at the moment.

 

 

 

[ICELANDMAN]

10 minutes ago, Samui Bodoh said:

 

 

It is not a cursed island, it is not a coincidence, nor is it the underbelly of Thai society.

 

Koh Tao and the crimes there are the result of too much wealth generated in a small place in too short a time, and a classic example of how a society struggles to adapt to too much power. Is it unique? Nope. Look at the modern history of states in the Middle East that became fabulously wealthy very quickly due to oil and then lost all moral bearings: can anyone state where the 9-11 terrorists came from? Or, do some research on lottery winners around the planet; the data shows that huge wealth, acquired quickly, often as not leads to horrible consequences.

 

Simply put, the people of Koh Tao got too much money too fast, and in a land where having money is King, they accumulated too much power to suffer any consequences of their actions. And, we all know the phrase ' power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely'.

 

If ever there was a place that needed outside intervention for its own good, it is Koh Tao. Sadly, I don't think it'll occur and we will be reading about 'unexplained events, accidents, and... er... ahem... odd coincidences' for many years to come.

 

These deaths are a cry for help from a society that can't handle itself, but no one will listen.

 

Sad. Truly sad. For every one.

 

 

 

And if we go back down to earth, a serial killer on the island wouldn't be a more logical explanation?

 

[Excel]

*Deleted post edited out*

 

Well it's just an extension of Thai Buddhist principles I guess. Throughout history religious crackpots have killed those with opposing views ad infinitum.  Here it does not matter, they just kill each other, but gladly not too often. Next day, go to the temple, a few wais, nice donation and on you go for another day, till the police catch that is. Then if you are corrupt and consequentially rich you can pay them off and go free. Of course if poor then its the jail for you.

[ThailandRyan]

Koh Tao is run by a mafia style family.  If you run afoul of them beware.

[BritManToo]

17 minutes ago, Excel said:

till the police catch that is. Then if you are corrupt and consequentially rich you can pay them off and go free. Of course if poor then its the jail for you.

I agree apart for it should be 'if the police catch you', or 'if the police decide the death was a crime'.

Because in a lot of cases it's just defined as death by accident or natural causes.

[Wuvu2]

There have been a lot of criminal and civil actions against people who cause tarnish to Thailand's reputation and marketability as a safe tourist resort. "Truth" is not a defense for criminal defamation laws in Thailand. The OP may want to be very careful about publishing the results of this survey.

[ronaldo0]

It’s the effect from those with too much power or influence in a place due to their status or family , then becoming suddenly crazy rich from new money from business or land rents or sales .

See it in a lot of areas and the locals say oh you can’t say this or that about certain people and some will tell you to shut up the moment you mention one in a simple question . 
But the people will have the money but they can’t buy the class and still behave like average bloke in the street or worse when drunk or look at everyone as if they should be respecting them .

[Ireland32]

I would never go near there or feed them with my Money but all farang businesses  do  not disclose this seedy side of Death Island 

[The Hammer2021]

5 minutes ago, Ireland32 said:

I would never go near there or feed them with my Money but all farang businesses  do  not disclose this seedy side of Death Island 

It's a calm peaceful  place much loved by the thousands of visitors  who go there on repeat visits. Much safer than many western cities

[The Hammer2021]

13 minutes ago, ronaldo0 said:

It’s the effect from those with too much power or influence in a place due to their status or family , then becoming suddenly crazy rich from new money from business or land rents or sales .

See it in a lot of areas and the locals say oh you can’t say this or that about certain people and some will tell you to shut up the moment you mention one in a simple question . 
But the people will have the money but they can’t buy the class and still behave like average bloke in the street or worse when drunk or look at everyone as if they should be respecting them .

You are describing South London!

[The Hammer2021]

5 hours ago, ICELANDMAN said:

 

And if we go back down to earth, a serial killer on the island wouldn't be a more logical explanation?

 

No.

[The Hammer2021]

4 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

Koh Tao is run by a mafia style family.  If you run afoul of them beware.

Same as anywhere really..most people commenting seem a bit hysterical,  have never been there or I suspect not been to Thailand.  The island is a popular  destination  with many repeat visitors famous for its relaxed, laid back atmosphere.  It's a hippy peace and love kinda place where the snowflakes, vegans, hemp clothing crowd go

[Banana7]

The couple's son is now super rich! Son made sure he had a good alibi and was nowhere near the event.

 

Of course, the cameras weren't working at the scene of the crime. Report says the cameras hadn't been serviced for a month. If quality cameras are installed properly, they don't have to be serviced for the life of the camera, usually 5+ years. Maybe the son did his homework and recommended the hotel/resort with the help of local agent who performed the crime. 

 

I hope the police do a through investigation to see if anybody did any inquires about the pool cameras, if any non-guests entered/exited the hotel; autopsies of the deceased to determine if there were any drugs in their bodies, etc. etc. Two big strong guys could certainly hold down a person under water until they drown, with no signs of a struggle.

 

 

[ThailandRyan]

52 minutes ago, The Hammer2021 said:

Same as anywhere really..most people commenting seem a bit hysterical,  have never been there or I suspect not been to Thailand.  The island is a popular  destination  with many repeat visitors famous for its relaxed, laid back atmosphere.  It's a hippy peace and love kinda place where the snowflakes, vegans, hemp clothing crowd go

Yes, everything you say is correct, until Darkness, then the tone of the Island changes especially in the bars.  Heavy Handedness is very apparent.  It was a great dive location for me back in the day, but at night the vibe was sometimes dark.

[rwill]

In this case I would be looking at who is the newest billionaire now.

[BarraMarra]

So The Hammer 2021 Says Koh Tau is safe and a beautiful Island with Beautiful people. Would he like to comment on the Death's of over 20 mostly Tourists in the last Decade and Rape's to Western females that have Occurred, with all cases never fully investigated. I don't believe it is a serial killer on the loose. I think we know who is to blame for all these " Accidents " and Rape's.

[Destiny1990]

Great 5 star resort cctv at pool do not work.

[BritManToo]

1 hour ago, The Hammer2021 said:

No it isn't normal to kill people here. A ludicrous comment.  And the Island in question is not a murderous place. And no one calls it murder island.

I've always thought of it as The Island of Death .... or Death Island.

If I had a bucket list, and wanted to go there, I'd make sure it was my last item.

[Bkk Brian]

No need to go to somewhere that has this reputation, plenty of other places to visit.

 

At least eleven European tourists have died or disappeared there since 2014 and it is now described as “Death Island” or “Murder Island”. Deaths have been explained away by the authorities as unfortunate accidents or suicides. But many cases appear very suspicious according to family members and insufficiently investigated.

It has long had a reputation as a home for organized crime, corruption and as a place where the police protected local interests.

 

https://www.strangeoutdoors.com/true-crime-in-the-outdoors/tag/Cases+on+the+Death+Island+of+Koh+Tao

[richard_smith237]

1 hour ago, The Hammer2021 said:

Same as anywhere really..most people commenting seem a bit hysterical,  have never been there or I suspect not been to Thailand.  The island is a popular  destination  with many repeat visitors famous for its relaxed, laid back atmosphere.  It's a hippy peace and love kinda place where the snowflakes, vegans, hemp clothing crowd go

 

Agreed.... its a lovely island, plenty to do nice people, laid back and relaxed....

 

BUT.. it also has a reputation and a very clouded past. People have disappeared there, been murdered there. 

 

It has garnered attention due to a couple of high profile murders and when scratching the surface there have been other murders and disappearances there which add up.

 

Perhaps Koh Tao is the just as risky as elsewhere, or perhaps the reputation is valid and the island is disproportionately less safe than other islands and tourist area’s of Thailand.

 

The Island clearly has a very dark and somewhat machiavellian underbelly which if crossed the consequences can be dire, but that can be said of many area’s in many countries. 

 

 

There are enough stories coming from this island which suggest an an untouchable yet murderous element running things....   the message seems clear, enjoy the island but stay on your best behaviour, don’t cross anyone and stay in safe groups at night - that advices would be wise for visitors anywhere, but seems more so for Koh Tao.

 

 

 

 

 

[ChipButty]

18 minutes ago, Destiny1990 said:

Great 5 star resort cctv at pool do not work.

Maintenance is not high on the list of things to do in Thailand

[OneMoreFarang]

How about the option: I don't know.

It's almost funny when lots of people speculate with little to no knowledge.

How many of the people who have a fixed opinion here visited the island already?

And of the few who visited the island: how many were there for maybe at least a month and know at least a few locals?

Anybody? 

Next thing people will ask to boycott Pattaya because they heard someone telling a story that a friend of a friend was overcharged. I guess the place is cursed, that explains it. 

[Burma Bill]

1 hour ago, Destiny1990 said:

Great 5 star resort cctv at pool do not work.

 Tapes conveniently lost or erased when Burmese workers are present!!

[Hayduke]

Koh Tao -Cursed Island or the real 'unseen' Thailand?

 

It's both.....two sides of the same coin.

 

 

 

[zyphodb]

8 hours ago, BritManToo said:

I agree apart for it should be 'if the police catch you', or 'if the police decide the death was a crime'.

Because in a lot of cases it's just defined as death by accident or natural causes.

Only if they don't think that they can make money out of it...

[lavender19]

1 hour ago, OneMoreFarang said:

How about the option: I don't know.

It's almost funny when lots of people speculate with little to no knowledge.

How many of the people who have a fixed opinion here visited the island already?

And of the few who visited the island: how many were there for maybe at least a month and know at least a few locals?

Anybody? 

Next thing people will ask to boycott Pattaya because they heard someone telling a story that a friend of a friend was overcharged. I guess the place is cursed, that explains it. 

I have been there many times over the last 20 years. I have not been there since the young British couple were hacked to death. I will never return even thou I only live  a 1.5 hour boat ride away.

[natway09]

It is not "just the same as most places"

It is pretty much owned & operated by mafia style families, The most important point being  that they will protect their own no matter how rotten their actions.The law is "compromised" more than in most places. Mr Plod is just a servant

[OneMoreFarang]

1 hour ago, lavender19 said:

I have been there many times over the last 20 years. I have not been there since the young British couple were hacked to death. I will never return even thou I only live  a 1.5 hour boat ride away.

Thanks

So what was your personal experience over there? Did you feel in danger or were you aware of people who behave like they are above the law?

(maybe you wrote this already in this thread, I didn't read all comments)