At Least 17 Britons Have Been Murdered In Thailand Since 2003

[ThaiLife]

Just read this article in the Independent Interesting Reading ...

At least 17 Britons have been murdered in Thailand since 2003

The Independent on Sunday newspaper Article ..

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/article3326545.ece

[Mobi]

I can't access the article because I'm up country with a dodgy connection.

I wonder if these 17 deaths includes any of the 'suspect' suicides, of which there are a great many in Pattaya. Undoubtedly some of the suicides are genuine, but there's a whole lot more where it just doesn't add up, and the consensus is that the BIB do not try very hard to establish a crime..

[MisterMan]

With so many Britons murdered in Thailand, why does our Government not warn of the dangers faced there?

At least 17 Britons have been murdered in Thailand since 2003 – including Toby Charnaud, brutally slain by his Thai wife. Now, his family want to know why our Government is so reluctant to warn that the 'Land of Smiles' is one of the most dangerous places on earth for its British residents

By Andrew Spooner

Published: 13 January 2008

Somsak Papai (centre) and Wisunt Samaksri (right) were arrested in connection with Toby Charnaud's murder © EPO His fingers trembled as he lit another cigarette, the previous one still smouldering in the ashtray. His hands felt clammy and he was sweating despite the chill blast from the air-conditioning. There was a heavy feeling in the pit of his stomach. This was the most terrible thing he had done in his life, and the waiting was the hardest part."

This is the opening paragraph of a short story called "Rainfall", written in 2003 by Toby Charnaud, an English expat living in the upmarket beach resort of Hua Hin, Thailand. Charnaud recounts, with a sense of impending dread, the tale of a British man named Guy who plans to murder his Thai wife. Yet, this sobering parable is turned on its head, as the Thai wife has her husband killed instead.

Two years later, on 27 March 2005, Charnaud himself was murdered in horrific circumstances. The 41-year-old was lured into the house near Hua Hin that he had bought for his Thai ex-wife, Panadda Laoruang, to live in. There, after a home-made gun failed to kill him, three men hired by Laoruang beat him to death with a heavy object. His body was partially cremated in a fire pit, cut into small pieces and scattered around a nearby forest. Charnaud's parents, Jeremy and Sarah, were then forced to endure the insensitivity of a graceless British Embassy, the hiring of private detectives and countless DNA tests to fully ascertain, months later, that the meagre charred remains belonged to their son.

In the gruelling task of discovering the awful fate of their son, the Charnauds discovered a Thailand not seen in its tourist authorities' glossy brochures. Yet what also emerges from the death of Charnaud and many others is the fact that Thailand, despite its popularity with the British, is among the most dangerous places in the world for UK visitors – a fact that the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) has been reluctant to publicise.

Born and raised a farmer's son, Charnaud only ever seemed to have one destiny growing up. "We always thought he was going to be a farmer," says his father. We're sitting in the kitchen of a cosy country farmhouse in the tiny Wiltshire village of West Kington, where Charnaud and Som (Laoruang's Thai nickname) spent two happy years together.

Charnaud had an uneventful rural childhood, which he shared with two sisters, Martha and Hannah, and his Down's Syndrome brother, Matthew, and which included a stint at one of Britain's top private schools, Marlborough College. He then decided to attend The Royal Agricultural College in Cirencester. "He met a great bunch of people there," says his mother. "It was one of the happiest periods of his life."

After graduation, Charnaud began a successful career as a land agent, moving around the UK and building a reputation. It was during this period that he was bitten by the travel bug. "Toby travelled to Australia, New Zealand and then took an overland trip to South Africa," says his father. The part of the world that really caught his attention was South-east Asia and, in particular, Thailand. "While he was working as a land agent he began to travel much more regularly," says his mother. "We knew at that point that he was beginning a particular fascination with Thailand."

It was on one of these trips that Charnaud met Laoruang. "Apparently she was working as a security guard in a department store," says his sister, Hannah. "They had some kind of brief contact but then Toby didn't see her for a number of years." While on a return trip Charnaud unexpectedly bumped into Laoruang and their romance blossomed. "Toby had moved back in with us to work on the farm," says his father. "We noticed he was corresponding with someone out there and that some intense feelings were developing."

In October 1997, Charnaud and Laoruang were married in a Buddhist ceremony in her home village in Isaan, Thailand's poor north-eastern region. Martha was the only UK family member there. "All of Som's relatives were incredibly welcoming," she says. "The village itself was idyllic – it seemed completely removed from Western consumer culture and I guess Toby believed that Som might not be so easily seduced by the trappings of that." One incident stood out for Martha when she visited Laoruang's family: "Som shimmied up a tree and chopped down a coconut for us. Toby was very impressed by this – he just seemed completely smitten."

Shortly after the wedding, Laoruang and Charnaud moved back to Britain and into the cottage in West Kington. "I got on very well with Som," says Martha. "She was warm, friendly and funny. We used to have little girly chats about things – of course I never suspected anything. I mean, why would I be looking?" Charnaud's wife seemed to take to English village life, finding a job at a local horticultural nursery and becoming part of the family. "Som was a loving wife, made friends with local people and was well suited to life in West Kington," says his father. "I thought she was great company."

In 1999, with UK farming on a downturn, Charnaud and his wife made the decision to return to Thailand. "She never pressured him to go back," says his father. "He was genuinely very keen on the idea." In early 2000, the pair, by now settled in Hua Hin, had a son, Daniel. With the arrival of a beautiful baby boy, a wife he loved and a burgeoning business in one of Thailand's premier resort towns, life looked almost too good to be true.

It was at this point that things started to go wrong. "When Toby moved [to Britain] with Som we'd welcomed her into our family," says his father. "She always seemed like such a sweet, almost naive, Thai girl," adds Hannah. "But Som managed to pull the wool over everyone's eyes."

In fact, the marriage was not just the coming together of two people, but of two very different cultures. For Westerners living in Thailand, it is often hard to decipher the country's subtle and highly complex social and cultural codes. As is common in other Asian cultures, Thais tend to separate the persona they present to the world from their interior character. Maintaining jai yen (a "cool heart") in all situations is viewed as the correct way to conduct oneself. To reveal jai rawn (a "hot heart") – by showing anger, being direct or engaging in verbal confrontation – is to risk causing yourself and others to "lose face", and is regarded as a serious breach of social protocol.

The result, for Laoruang, was that when she got into difficulties, she tried her best to prevent her husband from finding out about them. "I received a letter from Som in 2001 that said she had got into trouble and needed £5,000 to pay a bribe," says Martha. "She also begged me not to mention the matter to Toby." By all accounts, Laoruang now began to run up some serious gambling debts. She appeared to begin an affair with a local policeman and became involved in shady gold deals. With a wealthy foreign husband, it is also possible that Laoruang could have become a target for local hustlers.

By 2004, her debts were sucking the business dry and her extramarital affairs were destroying her relationship with Charnaud, who soon divorced her. He gained custody of Daniel, set up a generous divorce settlement that included a one-off sum, monthly allowance and payment of Laoruang's rent, and then cut her off from access to the business. "From what happened to Toby you might think he was quite naive," says Martha. "But he was quite an astute person. He'd really sussed out the Thai way of doing things."

Yet, the following year, Charnaud was dead. His fate at the hands of his ex-wife provides a tragic glimpse of an altogether darker aspect of the so-called "Land of Smiles". Thailand has one of the world's highest per-capita murder rates – when the UN last counted it in 2000, it stood at 5,140 per year, though the annual total is now speculated to be more than 6,000. In the years 2003 to 2006, 17 of these victims were UK nationals, according to the FCO. These murders include a sexually motivated killing of a young British woman; a Thai police officer executing two backpackers in a crowded street; shootings, throat cuttings and two cases of other Westerners murdering UK nationals; and, more pertinently, several cases of Thai wives or their family members slaying British husbands.

On average, about 50 civilian UK nationals are murdered around the world each year (excluding terrorist attacks). This means that almost 10 per cent of all murders of Britons abroad are committed in Thailand – a chilling figure, given that Thailand comprises only 0.6 per cent of all foreign travel from UK shores.

The murder rate is perhaps surprising; of the 420,000 annual British travellers to Thailand, a tiny percentage are the victims of crime. The Thais are friendly and engaging hosts and, with their famous beaches, handsome resorts and low prices bringing in millions of tourists, it is easy to understand why we have fallen in love with the country, and currently comprise its highest proportion of Western visitors.

Yet its dark side is quite visible. Hua Hin, where Charnaud lived and worked, is one of Thailand's most relaxed resorts, located 150 miles south of Bangkok. Long a getaway for Thai royalty, who have attracted a whole section of the Thai elite in their wake, it has a smattering of seedy bars, but the town is a picture of innocence compared with Pattaya, 150 miles north across the Gulf of Thailand. It is here that the country's less-welcome foreign visitors encounter the darker, more dangerous reaches of Thai culture; it is here that Thailand's huge sex industry has its epicentre.

While there is no suggestion that Charnaud was in any way involved in this world – "Toby could never be called a sex tourist," says Hannah, "I can't imagine he went to one strip club the whole time he was in Thailand, it just wasn't his style" – Pattaya is worth including in his story for a fuller picture of the society in which he lived and died; it is believed by some that more British citizens meet a violent end here than anywhere else in Thailand.

On any given day, tens of thousands of prostitutes can be seen working the brothels, bars, streets, hotel lobbies, beach fronts and even shopping malls of this gaudy city. Pattaya is also the focus for high levels of criminal activity involving international gangs from Russia, Germany, the UK and China. The number of deaths of British nationals' in Pattaya is hard to ascertain – though some sources claim that it is up to four every week, neither the FCO nor the Thai authorities have any data they are prepared to release. However, what can be speculated with some confidence is that of the 226 average annual deaths of British citizens in Thailand recorded by the FCO, a large percentage are in Pattaya. (The FCO refuse to list causes of deaths, so we must also speculate as to the reasons for this morbid hotspot. Anecdotal evidence suggests straightforward causes of death for some, such as road accidents and health problems; then there are the suspicious-sounding "suicides" – jumping from balconies seems to be a favoured method.)

At present FCO information regarding deaths in Thailand is limited. Andy Pearce, the deputy head of mission at the British Embassy in Bangkok, admits that the murder rate of Britons resident in Thailand is about the same as the domestic Thai rate – roughly five times higher than in the UK – but adds that this is only an estimate. (There are thought to be about 50,000 British resident in the country at present.) "To create the kind of advice needed on murder rates would require a greater statistical base and more research," he says.

In early 2006, just after the brutal rape and murder of the young British backpacker Katherine Horton on a deserted Koh Samui beach, and following an 18-month period in which nine Britons were murdered, the FCO had a revealing internal debate about what safety advice they should give to British nationals travelling to Thailand, as an email obtained by the BBC under the Freedom of Information Act testifies: "The trouble with [giving advice about the murder rate]... is that it would effectively highlight the number of murders over the past year or more here, which in the current circumstances could have a disproportionate impact on Thailand's reputation and legitimate commercial interests."

No amount of number-crunching by the officials at the British Embassy could have saved Charnaud. While his end was brutal, the reasons for it were never genuinely clear. "The only thing we know is that she killed him for financial reasons," says Hannah. "Som [who was sentenced to life in prison for the murder, along with three accomplices in a Thai courtroom in September 2006] thought she could get Toby's money through their son, Daniel. But she was never going to get a penny." "It has been an horrific time for us all," adds Martha, "but the family hasn't fallen apart." (Daniel is now living happily in the UK with family members.)

Yet Charnaud's family believe British officials in Thailand could have done a lot more to assist them, something that led to their local MP, James Gray, asking questions in Parliament in 2006. "In direct contrast to the Thais, who handled the whole thing very well, at every step our embassy was insensitive, ineffective and incompetent," says Hannah. "When Toby's remains were found they sent us a short email, complete with graphic details. This was done after they had spoken to the press. They offered help with DNA testing and then made that extremely difficult."

At one point, when Charnaud's remains had been released by the Thai police, and with all his family back in the UK, the embassy contacted his family and offered to have the body cremated. "I said, 'What? Do the cremation with no one there?' and they said 'Yes,'" says Hannah. "I was staggered. It seemed like they were just eager to shut the case down."

In 2006, a ceremony of remembrance was held for Charnaud in Hua Hin, his ashes scattered in the shimmering waters of the Gulf of Thailand. "It was one of the hardest days of my life," says Hannah. For future sisters, brothers, mothers and fathers of Britons murdered in Thailand, it seems that more hard days are going to follow.

"Guy forced himself to look up. His eyes widened with shock as he saw the gun pointing at him. He didn't understand, couldn't take in what he saw. His last thought, bizarrely, was that the silencer was as big as the gun. The girl slipped into the room. She was tiny with large brown eyes. She looked at Guy's body on the floor, then at the Thai man slipping the gun back into the waistband of his jeans. The expression on her face was of regret, sorrow and bewilderment. It passed quickly..." "Rainfall" by Toby Charnaud, 1964-2005.

[londonthai]

the article:

edit: misterman bit me by a minute bu posting the article while I was editing it

Edited January 13, 2008 by londonthai

[huggybear]

Just read this article in the Independent Interesting Reading ...

At least 17 Britons have been murdered in Thailand since 2003

The Independent on Sunday newspaper Article ..

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/article3326545.ece

There are something like three different threads on this board regarding Brits being murdered in Thailand..............

Seems a bit of paranoia really.

Is it more dangerous living here than back in the good old UK(?), yes. But I think flat out statistics might refute the need for the UK Embassy to issue a warning. Lets see amount of Brits living here, murder rate, vs. the overall Thai murder rate.

[twschw]

Yes, we get the idea. Thailand is a death trap for British tourists. This horse has been beaten to death.

[Zpete]

Dunno why.......

........ but dat'll learn 'em.

BE NICE

[neion2000]

Crime

Five British nationals have been murdered in Thailand since January 2006.

Watch out for crimes of opportunity. You shoud take sensible precautions and be on your guard against pickpockets and bag snatchers.

We receive regular reports of credit card fraud after shop employees have copied card details. You are advised not to lose sight of your credit card during transactions.

There has been a number of incidents where tourists have had their drinks drugged (in both tourist areas and red light districts). You should be careful about taking drinks from strangers and be wary at clubs and parties, particularly in the Koh Samui area and at the Full Moon party on Phangan Island where incidences of date rape have been reported. A number of British nationals have suffered severe psychiatric problems as a result of drug use, in a small number of cases resulting in suicide.

We receive occasional reports of tourists who have been robbed after bringing visitors to their hotel rooms. In some cases their drinks were drugged. Ensure that your passport and wallet are secure at all times.

We continue to receive reports of sexual offences committed against foreign women and men. In January 2006, three British women were raped in separate incidents in Thailand, including one who was murdered. Female travellers in particular should maintain a high state of personal awareness during their time in Thailand. For more information see Assault, Sexual Assault and Rape Overseas

You should report any incidents of crime to the Thai police before leaving the country.

For more general information please see Victims of Crime Abroad

http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagena...d=1007029390590

[ade100]

So for all us Brits in Thailand, are there any lessons to be learnt or more importantly any guidelines we could follow should we not wish to get murdered? Presumably, although the stats are rather shaky, the vast majority of Brits in Thailand are not slaughtered.

So what’s the deal? Avoid marrying girls from Isan, avoid getting married to Thais in general? Avoid getting to know dodgy Thais? Avoid doing any sort of business in Thailand? Avoid drugs, hookers and gambling? Pretend to be dirt poor?

If there are any Brits still around to answer, your input would be most welcome. So lastly…hold on a moment there’s someone at the door…good heavens what’s that axe in his hand…I say old chap is that really….

[jumnien]

Far more Brits dying of over-eating, smoking and drugging (including the drug - alcohol) than being murdered.

[britmaveric]

4 a year, not a lot considering how many come here. I'd expect more actually.

[ade100]

Far more Brits dying of over-eating, smoking and drugging (including the drug - alcohol) than being murdered.

m,.

After living in the UK for 28 years I am surpise its only 17.

Many of my people where I was born can not believe the drinking the sports betting and the over eating by Brits.

The Brits have no self control no religion and no class Just look at the so call Royal Family from England.

I have met many Brits that claim the English Royal Family got rid of Princess Diane.

They have started all the wars. And mess up the colonies for all time

Soon Thailand will not let them into this great country.

I was going to argue with this but in fact you have a good point.

But hold on we didn’t start every war…I am sure we let the foreigners start a few of their own :-)

“And mess up the colonies for all time”

OK the one thing we did that I can be proud of is to initiate Singapore. OK we didn’t create the great nation that it is now but we gave it a good start. Long live Singapore – the greatest nation on earth!

[surface]

The article mentions tourists, then goes on to state the man murdered was married and living here, etc. Do any of these stats differentiate between toursits and expats? Seems that while many toursits may be naive, there are plenty of naive expats here who simply have that much more time to meet and mingle with the wrong crowds, upping the odds for them landing in a bad situation.

[scotwumman]

Agree surface and furthermore dont really much like the britons being singled out either. Perhaps some of

you expats should remember when you were young and going on holiday and give the boys who travel there,

for some of them are boys or naive men a quiet word in their ear about what not to do in Thailand.

As a female and elderly having visited Thailand, notice nobody calls is LOS anymore, have found

a definite decline in the welcome to the tourist well thats fine by me - had the experience, nearly

bought into the 'paradise' stuff-didn't- so we live and learn or we should.

[YoungAndRice]

what are the circumstances of their deaths?

[RusticCharm]

Far more Brits dying of over-eating, smoking and drugging (including the drug - alcohol) than being murdered.

m,.

After living in the UK for 28 years I am surpise its only 17.

Many of my people where I was born can not believe the drinking the sports betting and the over eating by Brits.

The Brits have no self control no religion and no class Just look at the so call Royal Family from England.

I have met many Brits that claim the English Royal Family got rid of Princess Diane.

They have started all the wars. And mess up the colonies for all time

Soon Thailand will not let them into this great country.

[Prakanong]

Far more Brits dying of over-eating, smoking and drugging (including the drug - alcohol) than being murdered.

Yes - so what?

The same for other nationalities too.

It has nothing to do though with the murder rate of which estimates are it is as high as the Thai rate which is in itself one of the higher world rates.

Your rose tinted spectacles must be magic.

[ashacat]

After living in the UK for 28 years I am surpise its only 17.

Many of my people where I was born can not believe the drinking the sports betting and the over eating by Brits.

The Brits have no self control no religion and no class Just look at the so call Royal Family from England.

I have met many Brits that claim the English Royal Family got rid of Princess Diane.

They have started all the wars. And mess up the colonies for all time

Soon Thailand will not let them into this great country.

Haha!! I don't know where to start!!

Edited January 14, 2008 by ashacat

[Prakanong]

Far more Brits dying of over-eating, smoking and drugging (including the drug - alcohol) than being murdered.

m,.

After living in the UK for 28 years I am surpise its only 17.

Many of my people where I was born can not believe the drinking the sports betting and the over eating by Brits.

The Brits have no self control no religion and no class Just look at the so call Royal Family from England.

I have met many Brits that claim the English Royal Family got rid of Princess Diane.

They have started all the wars. And mess up the colonies for all time

Soon Thailand will not let them into this great country.

After 28 years in the country I would have a bigger complaint than drinking and sports betting if i was you - the education system and courses in english for immigrants - its failed you.

I am glad Britain is becoming secular - religion poisons everything and god is not great - a crutch for the stupid.

Oh and if it was so bad why did you stay 28 years - it must have been better than the shithole you came from?

[ashacat]

esbobes - I have just been to your profile and browsed through some of your posts. Here is one of my personal favorites:

Seeing how mostly all expats from UK are drunks and and have unsafe sex yes unsafe sex just ask them,its about time I am sick of paying for these dumb fools.

Their sick style of life are making them sicker. Maybe they should not be allowed to leave the UK and put in a Govt reat home

Were you bullied during your 28 years in the UK? chip on the shoulder perhaps?

[Prakanong]

esbobes - I have just been to your profile and browsed through some of your posts. Here is one of my personal favorites:

Seeing how mostly all expats from UK are drunks and and have unsafe sex yes unsafe sex just ask them,its about time I am sick of paying for these dumb fools.

Their sick style of life are making them sicker. Maybe they should not be allowed to leave the UK and put in a Govt reat home

Were you bullied during your 28 years in the UK? chip on the shoulder perhaps?

How is he paying for expats I wonder?

If he was bullied then maybe his attitude brought it on - the mind of a victim

[wilko]

Here are some thoughts....

maybe the sort of Brits that come to Thailand are the kind of people who are more likely to get murdered wherever they are?

maybe that is the normal rate for Brits in any country?

maybe it's the same for all foreigners in Thailand?

maybe it's the same for Thais too?

maybe it's the same for everyone regardless of whether they are foriegners or not?

Maybe that's LOWER than in UK?

[wilko]

Far more Brits dying of over-eating, smoking and drugging (including the drug - alcohol) than being murdered.

m,.

After living in the UK for 28 years I am surpise its only 17.

Many of my people where I was born can not believe the drinking the sports betting and the over eating by Brits.

The Brits have no self control no religion and no class Just look at the so call Royal Family from England.

I have met many Brits that claim the English Royal Family got rid of Princess Diane.

They have started all the wars. And mess up the colonies for all time

Soon Thailand will not let them into this great country.

......and clearly can't teach others to write good English!

[Prakanong]

Here are some thoughts....

maybe the sort of Brits that come to Thailand are the kind of people who are more likely to get murdered wherever they are?

Interesting point and one that needs more investigation. however, Katherine Horton, the Kanchanaburi couple and Toby Chernaud do not seem to me to be the type that are the type more likely to get murdered. What is thetype anyway? - Drug dealers, street fighters, gang members?

maybe that is the normal rate for Brits in any country?

I think the FCO discussion in the Toby Chernaud case shows that this is not the "Normal" rate given numbers in Thailand and visiting and those in other countries such as the USA, Spain and France which have the majority of UK visitors

maybe it's the same for all foreigners in Thailand?

That would be a very good statistic to find out - numbers of visitors and number of UK people days in country per murder

maybe it's the same for Thais too?

I think the FCO / Toby article said the rate was the same as for Thai's - Thailand has a very high rate. If its the same then Thailand would be a dangerous place for UK visitorsand warnings should be issued by TA's and insurance companies may have to revise theire travel insurance and healthcare rates

maybe it's the same for everyone regardless of whether they are foriegners or not?

Maybe that's LOWER than in UK?

No the murder rate is much higher than the UK and for the UK people it is higher too given number of visit days etc.

[sriracha john]

With so many Britons murdered in Thailand, why does our Government not warn of the dangers faced there?

At least 17 Britons have been murdered in Thailand since 2003 – including Toby Charnaud, brutally slain by his Thai wife. Now, his family want to know why our Government is so reluctant to warn that the 'Land of Smiles' is one of the most dangerous places on earth for its British residents

Pre-existing thread follow-up...

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?s=...t&p=1758392

Thai Wife Given Life Sentence For Murdering British Ex-husband, Three Thai Men Accomplices Also Receive Life Sentence

With so many Britons murdered in Thailand, why does our Government not warn of the dangers faced there?

At least 17 Britons have been murdered in Thailand since 2003 – including Toby Charnaud, brutally slain by his Thai wife. Now, his family want to know why our Government is so reluctant to warn that the 'Land of Smiles' is one of the most dangerous places on earth for its British residents

Edited January 14, 2008 by sriracha john

[TommyGun]

I think there is probably more brits murdered in UK than this each year.

[orchis]

Will You Be Next ?

No, i m not british.

[BossHogg]

Far more Brits dying of over-eating, smoking and drugging (including the drug - alcohol) than being murdered.

m,.

After living in the UK for 28 years I am surpise its only 17.

Many of my people where I was born can not believe the drinking the sports betting and the over eating by Brits.

The Brits have no self control no religion and no class Just look at the so call Royal Family from England.

I have met many Brits that claim the English Royal Family got rid of Princess Diane.

They have started all the wars. And mess up the colonies for all time

Soon Thailand will not let them into this great country.

It was so bad that you stayed twenty eight years? A country where you, as a foreigner were able to work, own land, property and claim benefits when the sh1t hits the fan? What a terrible place! And you had complete freedom of speech too! Your comments towards my royal family wiil land you a lengthy prison sentance in many countries of the world.

By the way, the UK has pretty much every religion under the sun and all are given equal opportunity.

I guess you also believe Thais dont drink or gamble either?

[kmart]

I'm glad I only stayed in the UK for a piffling 28 years. Terrible place, horrible people, etc.

[Prakanong]

I think there is probably more brits murdered in UK than this each year.

Duh - do you undertand probability and ratio's - obviously not!