American Dies In Plunge From Rooftop

[gburns57au]

Sorry if I sound uncaring, but something seems a bit strange.

Why would someone take their pet dog on vaction to a country where rabies is considered prevalent. BTW no dog was mentioned in the report either on the roof or in the room.

He had met someone called John Kennedy....middle name Fred I suppose. Ok it is possible

After reading the report, I would say it is possible that he may have been standing looking at the view, had a heart attack or even just a dizzy spell and fell over the side. The Thai guy never mentioned anyone else on the roof.

We have all seen the reports of guys who get so despondant at the thought of leaving, with the break up of a relationship there or they run out of money, that they do the jump. Certainly not unheard of in Pattaya.

[wamberal]

I do not wish to sound uncaring, either, but my experience over many years of living in (four years) and visiting Thailand is that it is as safe as anywhere else I have lived.

It stretches my credibility to imagine that an ordinary person went there for a holiday and somehow ended up stumbling upon something so serious that he had to be killed......killed not in an anomymous manner, but by being pushed from the rooftop of the apartment building that he was staying in.

Yes, I believe that you can get yourself killed in Thailand...... but I think that it would be a bit more difficult than this story implies.

[Ken]

Nikis2:

Have you made contact with your government representative, Congressman? Sounds to me like your case would get some notice there.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

We had a family friend who is a Consular talk with the Embassy and they informed me that they "re-typed" Report of Death and have mailed it to us. Along with police log. There is obviously some people in Thailand that are unofficial who are getting official protection for these killings

So we obviously are never going to know what really happened to our loved one and the loved ones of so many others who have died in this country

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Nikis2: And you didn't answer my question: contact congressman? and in another post: "transfer a large sum of money to Thailand".

Sorry, this is starting to sound/look like TROLL. If it isn't troll, sure sorry, but something here is not right.

[corkscrew]

A 49-year-old American man plunged to his death yesterday from the top of a 12-storey apartment building in Bangkok’s Sathorn district.

Mark Bennet Gambell was found dead at around 9 am on the ground floor beside Maple House, a residential complex, after he was seen relaxing at a landscaped park on the roof. Police were investigating whether his fall was a suicide or an accident.

The Nation 14.12.2004

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Horace Greeley said “Go west, young man, go west!” He was exhorting people to make their fortune in the American west (probably California). But, one of the effects of this advice was a spike in suicide rates in the ‘old’ west. In particular, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco became a popular jumping off point, so to speak. The theory was that the ‘young man’ had gone as far west as he could literally go…..and he had still not found happiness, so he jumped from the bridge that divides San Francisco Bay from the Pacific ocean. His final step was into water…there was no more hopeful land to cross.

What I am saying is that Thailand might be the ‘west’ for a lot of people who are unhappy with their lives back home. Many are down on their luck back in their home countries and they come to BKK or anywhere in Thailand in hopes of finding the good life. And, when they don’t: maybe they ‘jump’.

When you leave home your suitcase always contains your personal troubles; you don’t leave them at home.

I would not be surprised to learn that the rate of Expat suicides in Thailand was higher than that in their respective home countries.

[Merlin]

maybe the "large sum of money" was to get the dog through customs/quarantine???

[Nikis2]

maybe the "large sum of money" was to get the dog through customs/quarantine???

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Your all right none of it makes sense and none of this is going to give me answers to any of my questions nor bring Marc back. He could not of fallen from the roof top there was a wooden lattice type fence around the garden and he was grabbing onto the side of the building trying to stop from falling. Marc was only 140# and wasn't that tall. He took his dog everywhere he went and he had no problem getting her through customs and they don't quarintine dogs coming to Thailand. He was very interested in possible starting a business there and had hopes of getting married and starting a family with a Thai woman and was none to happy about Bush becoming president again so he wanted a lot of his money moved out od the USA. He loved Asian woman and had always said when he ever does decide to marry it would definitly be a Asian woman. As for the name John Steven it sounded questionable to us too but we hear that people in foreign countries sometimes do name their children presidents names or it could possible be a name he used in his travels. This is not a Troll and my cousin was a very privaledged person who talked too much and had a way of getting into things that most of us wouldn't. But, I'm not here to talk about Marc's life I'm trying to find out about his death. No one has the right to kill someone and get away with it no matter where you are in the world.

[p_brownstone]

maybe the "large sum of money" was to get the dog through customs/quarantine???

Your all right none of it makes sense and none of this is going to give me answers to any of my questions nor bring Marc back. He could not of fallen from the roof top there was a wooden lattice type fence around the garden and he was grabbing onto the side of the building trying to stop from falling. Marc was only 140# and wasn't that tall. He took his dog everywhere he went and he had no problem getting her through customs and they don't quarintine dogs coming to Thailand. He was very interested in possible starting a business there and had hopes of getting married and starting a family with a Thai woman and was none to happy about Bush becoming president again so he wanted a lot of his money moved out od the USA. He loved Asian woman and had always said when he ever does decide to marry it would definitly be a Asian woman. As for the name John Steven it sounded questionable to us too but we hear that people in foreign countries sometimes do name their children presidents names or it could possible be a name he used in his travels. This is not a Troll and my cousin was a very privaledged person who talked too much and had a way of getting into things that most of us wouldn't. But, I'm not here to talk about Marc's life I'm trying to find out about his death. No one has the right to kill someone and get away with it no matter where you are in the world.

Well.

That answers a lot of questions ......... which no-one asked.

Raises a lot of others too.

Patrick

[cobra]

I do not wish to sound uncaring, either, but my experience over many years of living in (four years) and visiting Thailand is that it is as safe as anywhere else I have lived.

It stretches my credibility to imagine that an ordinary person went there for a holiday and somehow ended up stumbling upon something so serious that he had to be killed......killed not in an anomymous manner, but by being pushed from the rooftop of the apartment building that he was staying in.

Yes, I believe that you can get yourself killed in Thailand...... but I think that it would be a bit more difficult than this story implies.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

And..... a LARGE sum of money was transferred to Thailand??? He could have had some 'bad' connections and bad intentions?? If he were into something 'not so good' I doubt he would have advertised the fact.

In this case 'anything' could have happened and it proves nothing to just 'say' it was not an accident, or suicide... The truth we may never know?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'd have to agree with Ravisher, to stumble upon or overhear something that would warrant getting you thrown off a roof is a bit extreme and improbable.

More likely he was a player in something or at least involved to a degree that had consequences.

If he was killed, being thrown of your roof is rather high profile, which suggests this was an unsophisticated lot or someone very angry (husband / boyfriend, ...),

You may never know either way.

[Ken]

They have cremated his body and there were large amounts of money transferred to a bank in Thailand. But I can't get any more information until I get a death certificate which we still don't have. There is no possible way he killed himself that I am totally sure of. I would like to be able to talk to someone who might have met him or been to Maple house apartments. There was a guy he became friends with that called himself John Kennedy I don't know where else to talk to people from that area than on this forum

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I also find it extremely difficult to believe that the American Embassy allowed the body to be cremated without the family's permission. Another reason to contact your congressman unless you are trolling. Oh, and he hated Bush so much he was moving all out of America. Maybe, but I doubt it.

[kreon]

maybe the "large sum of money" was to get the dog through customs/quarantine???

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

which one was his

[Darknight]

Think it's about time to stop this charade.

The guy is dead. period.

For the relatives , my condolences, but seek your legal recourse elsewhere instead of an anonymus internet forum.

Thanks for all your contributions.

/thread closed