Statistical Data On Farang/expat Deaths,accidents,crimes,etc

[PRGUY]

Hi! Need help. After looking at all the postings of things that where happenning in Pattaya, Phuket, Bangkok, etc, I am doing a piece for a certain overseas publication and was wondering if anyone has access to any of these data:

a) No of Tourists, Expats who die in Thailand each year.(causes would be useful ie: suicides, murders, accidents, health problems, etc.)

No of Tourists, Expats affected by road accidents in Thailand each year.

c) No of tourists, Expats affected by crimes or where victims of crimes in Thailand each year. (nature of crimes would also be useful ie: cheating, robbery, rape, etc)

d) No. of tourists affected by dieseases that where contracted while in Thailand. (type of diseases would be useful.)

e) No of Foreigners caught in Thailand each year commiting crime here. (breakdown by nationalities would be great.)

Tried contacting the TAT and also Tourists police, but they were not helpful and did not want to disclose any data.

Any help would be greatful. Thanks.

[Etrigan]

Embassies might be a source of data.

[Prakanong]

Embassies might be a source of data.

It might be a start but I bet they do not collect all info!

Deaths they should but might not give out causes.

I bet no-one has the info the OP has - good luck in getting anywhere near an accurate picture. I bet even developed economies do not collect this info in a central easy to access data format.

[GuestHouse]

As I suggested in my own post on this subject some time back, the only meaningful way to get these numbers is to compile the statistics yourself, specifying the criteria yourself.

In that way you can assign catogories for example to 'death by unusual circumstnace' where perhaps the police report states 'Suicide by three shots to the head'.

The problem with relying on Embassy data, even if they release it, is that you would not be able to establish consistant catogorization without having full reports. For example, the embassy may record death by suicide in the case of three shots to the head, on the basis that the police report say suicide.

I personally think it would be a good idea to independently record foreigner deaths, but there are many who are very reluctant to do so.

Anyway, those I my thoughts, I thought I'd get them in early before this turns into a bun fight, with people arguing the relative dangers of Thailand and other societies.

Brace yourself for violent posts.

[candoman89]

Notwithstanding the shortcomings mentioned above; please post whatever results you do get or please cite where they can be seen.

[PhilHarries]

You might try the local English language newspapers for the locales you are looking at but, to be honest, even if they kept archival records I wouldn't trust them too much. Problem is much of the time there is only the initial report without any follow up so you'd get the initial police suspicions without the result of the autopsy.

[Prakanong]

You might try the local English language newspapers for the locales you are looking at but, to be honest, even if they kept archival records I wouldn't trust them too much. Problem is much of the time there is only the initial report without any follow up so you'd get the initial police suspicions without the result of the autopsy.

And everything is not always reported.

I may be wrong but if you take the recent case of the south Shields man shot in Hua Hin.

I have not seen anywhere a link posted to a Thai English language paper regarding this - only the guy's local paper.

[Jimjim]

Prakanong can you give a link to that Hua Hin story, please?

As for finding statistics, good luck mate. I think it'd take several months of your own study to find good statistics if the tourist police won't help. You'd have to undergo research by trying to get stats through many different sources and than try to compare what you get from all the different sources. Sounds like a big task. A whole center of study could be set up here for this very topic. I'd be willing to work there. Who's going to put up the funds?

Perhaps some nonprofits and NGOs would have statistics. Hospitals that cater to farang. There's the Asian Human Rights Watch but I'm not sure if they are concerned with expats. Good luck.

[cclub75]

Tried contacting the TAT and also Tourists police, but they were not helpful and did not want to disclose any data.

You see.... if those datas were available there will be no story. Because it would have been done before.

However, you're asking the good questions.

But as GuestHouse said, you need to compile the data yourself. Enormous work.

From my -little- point of view, there is a clear "statistical bug" in Pattaya, regarding the number of foreigners who commit "suicide" by... defenestration.

If you check with all the datas regarding suicide in other countries... the % of defenestration is very small compare to other means (drugs, firearm etc.).

But in Pattaya, it looks like the mean of choice.

It just doesn't match.

Anyway, I wish you "bon courage" for your work.

[cclub75]

A whole center of study could be set up here for this very topic. I'd be willing to work there. Who's going to put up the funds?

Perhaps some nonprofits and NGOs would have statistics. Hospitals that cater to farang. There's the Asian Human Rights Watch but I'm not sure if they are concerned with expats. Good luck.

Hey, this is a great idea.

One website to collect and centralize all the reporting in a database. As for the past datas, I see 3 main ways :

-thai press

-thai press in english

-web forums about Thailand

As for the funds... well this would certainly be problematic. At least at the begining.

I'm willing to give some time to this project.

[Prakanong]

"Prakanong can you give a link to that Hua Hin story, please?"

The link was on <URL Automatically Removed> I think it was to the South Tyneside Morning Post is it???

I missed the story as it was on there last Saturday but the new edition had gone up by the time i looked.

[jeebusjones]

I can't help with all "farangs," but here's a start. This site contains all deaths of US citizens abroad from 2004 - 2006 (non-natural causes):

http://travel.state.gov/family/family_issu.../death_594.html

For Thailand in 2006 (date / location / cause):

January 1, 2006 OVERBROOK HOSPITAL, CHIANG RAI, CHIANG RAI, THAILAND Other Accident

January 2, 2006 #506 SIAM PALACE HOTEL, PRADIPAT RD., SAMSEN NAI, PAHYA THAI, BANGKOK, THAI Suicide

January 9, 2006 VITCHUWAN APT, 589 SOI SUTTHIPORN, DIN DAENG, BANGKOK, THAILAND Other Accident

January 17, 2006 TIFFANY SHOOTING RANGE, PATTAYA 2ND ROAD, NONG PRUE, BANGLAMUNG CHON BURI Suicide

January 18, 2006 OUT SIDE THE HOUSE, HAT KHAM, MUANG, NONGKHAI, THAILAND Homicide

April 23, 2006 AT THE PARKING LOT OF TEERAWAN APT, RAMINDRA 103 RD, BANGKOK, THAILAND Homicide

May 17, 2006 MALAYSIA HOTEL, SOI NGAM DU PLEE, THUNG MAHA MEK, SATHON, BANGKOK, THAILAND Suicide

May 28, 2006 MAHARAT NAKORN CHIANG MAI HOSPITAL, CHIANG MAI, THAILAND Veh. Accid.-Motorcy.

May 30, 2006 CHONBURI, THAILAND Drug-Related

June 11, 2006 BANG LAMUNG, CHONBURI, THAILAND Veh. Accid.-Motorcy.

June 24, 2006 PHUKET, THAIlAND Drowning

July 2, 2006 SRIDONCHAI ROAD, THAILAND Homicide

July 20, 2006 700 MOO 8 PHASALI DISTRICT, THAILAND Veh. Accid-Motorcycle

August 2, 2006 BANG KOR, THAILAND Suicide

August 4, 2006 MAK KENG, MUANG, UDON, THAILAND Suicide

September 2, 2006 BRIGHT CITY TOWER, THAILAND Suicide

September 9, 2006 MAE RIM ROAD, CHIANG MAI, THAILAND Veh. Accid-other

September 15, 2006 HAT YAI, SONGKHLA, THAILAND Terrorist Action

September 29, 2006 CHAING MAI, THAILAND Homicide

November 2, 2006 UDON THANI, THAILAND Other Accident- fall

November 5, 2006 VIBHAVADI HOSPITAL, THIALAND Suicide

November 16, 2006 PATTTAYA, THAILAND Other Accident - fall

November 25, 2006 HAYACHI HILL- PATAK ROAD, PHUKET, THAILAND Veh. Accident-Motorcycle

Edited May 23, 2007 by jeebusjones

[Maizefarmer]

Statistics for ex-pat/foreigner deaths in Thailand, the cause of death, and nationality, ARE collated by the Thai government (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) on an annual basis - and are published (I just can't remember where - but I have seen them in the past).

Beware that any average will be distorted by the Tsunami incident.

MF

[chanchao]

That's very useful.. Would be even better if it stated if the victims were (semi) resident in Thailand or 'real' tourists staying 2 weeks.

Still you can compare it with the TAT statistics on tourist arrivals from the USA. I just looked it up and in 2006, 694,258 US citizens visited Thailand for an average stay of 10 days. (9.96)

I'd say 23 unusual deaths is pretty tiny, even if only half gets reported to the US embassy.

[jeebusjones]

I'd say 23 unusual deaths is pretty tiny, even if only half gets reported to the US embassy.

Indeed, especially since 6 of those were suicides.

[Prakanong]

When we had to report a death to the UK Embassy in 99 we were told there were between 10-12 a month for ALL deaths.

I bet that figure has risen now given the expansion of permanent and semi-permanent residents plus the increase of travellers buts thats my guess!

[Aujuba]

Mexico is definitely the winner on that US statistics page. Ther are lots of things to consider when you look at the figures. Mexico probably has more citizens with dual US nationality than any other country in the world. I can't understand why Costa Rica has so many deaths. Thailand doesn't look so bad when you look at all the other countries.

[TokyoT]

This link is dated 2003, but relates to deaths in ’97-99. The stats might not be that useful especially since I am too cheap to pony up to read the whole report. But the report seems to be based solely on reports in the newspaper – further leading one to believe that there is not an easy place to find such stats.

http://www.travelmedicinejournal.com/artic...000401/abstract

[sukanyacondo]

Wonder how many were "death by bargirl" Oh well maybe they died happy??

[PRGUY]

Hi Everyone ...thanks for your responses....the figs from some of the quoted sites are useful. Managed to get some more info today through some of my Thai friends who are working as reporters....will be having various data coming in over the next few days but even then as some of you had mentioned....even whatever collated data that might eventually result may not be at all accurate because of the sources and the way that the data was initially compiled....however just through the archives of the various newpapers from Pattaya alone, the figures are really beginning to add up to real serious issues! Will keep everyone posted.

[Prakanong]

Hi Everyone ...thanks for your responses....the figs from some of the quoted sites are useful. Managed to get some more info today through some of my Thai friends who are working as reporters....will be having various data coming in over the next few days but even then as some of you had mentioned....even whatever collated data that might eventually result may not be at all accurate because of the sources and the way that the data was initially compiled....however just through the archives of the various newpapers from Pattaya alone, the figures are really beginning to add up to real serious issues! Will keep everyone posted.

There was one bloke who had gone through all the Pattaya papers or something and posted all the suspicious deaths (or even just deaths) over the past couple of years - he was keeping a running score.

It was one of the Pattaya sites I think (or this one?)