Thai Mystery Hotel Death Toll Jumps To Four

[brahmburgers]

There are places in Thailand I still will avoid after having lived here for over 25 years. Staying in cheap lodging is one of them. If you want to avoid being stung by hornets, you avoid a hornet nest.

One difference I find with high class places and low cost g.houses is this: High class places often have windows which they want guests to keep closed - often those windows don't have screens or are simply locked. Plus, high class places are usually located in city centers where air is worst, so I guess it's understandable they want clients to keep windows closed, and instead rely on re-circulated inside air - which is low in oxygen. Plus high class places usually have carpets, and carpets are great breeding grounds for all sorts of nasty little things, most of which are allergenic. Then the high class places use a witches brew of chemicals to try and keep pathogens down and to disguise smells - all of which is recirculated in the air conditioners which may or may not be serviced properly. This is Thailand, where p traps on shower drains are rare, and vent stacks (to allow foul air to exit above a roof) practically don't exist.

Here's a procedure Thai investigators won't pursue in the latest Hotel deaths: Check nearby restaurants (including in-house) and see which use MSG, and to what extent. If you google 'MSG deaths' you get a half million hits.

[Steely Dan]

Just supposing hypothetically that we have a serial killer responsible for the deaths, I wonder how many more deaths would be needed before we got a proper investigation instead of a cover up.

[EyesWideOpen]

I guess that three more deaths at the same hotel pretty much blows out the theory about toxic seaweed death for the first girl......As Dr. House says on his tv show, there are no coincidences. Contrary to the theory of the acting manager, the odds of four people dying in the same hotel in one month have to astronomical. So clearly it is something in the rooms themselves. Why the police are not investigating that is beyond belief, oh wait that would make the hotel lose face........

In any developed country ( which Thailand aspires to), this hotel would be shut down within the hour, and teams in haz met suits would be taking samples. Instead, in Amazing Thailand, we have moronic police spinning out ridiculous theories, while new guests that do not read the news are checking in as I write. I think perhaps one more death will make world wide headlines, and certainly a movie will be made. " The Death Hotel", where you check in by pen, but check out by body bag.

[dude007]

Haunted inn and cause of death - fright?

Ghosts are a possible explanation (Phee). This Hotel is "possessed"... (anyone seen "the poltergeist"?). And very likely red-shirt ghosts!

[dude007]

There are drugs around that work on stopping the heart. And unless they are target tested they will not show up in any pathology. In the wrong hands they would indeed be deadly. The BIB would do well to thoroughly canvas the entire hotel staff instead of conduct ing their current revenue raising campaign.

"Toxic seaweed,Simultainious heart attacks and existing medical conditions" my ar$&.

The Pentagon is interested in this gas....

[dude007]

Yes, but in Thailand 'government' refers to PM and cabinet,

and ministries refers to permanent bureaus and permanent heads,

as much or more than they temporary cabinet minister.

A bit like The Rt Hon Jim Hacker MP vs Permanent Secretary Sir Humphrey Appleby.

This seems more like a Perm Sec pronouncement as handed to the Minister to send out,

regardless of if he understands it or not... which may be the point.

I let you dig yourself in a bit deeper there. Actually Abhisit said it himself, in this recent comment. From his own mouth, in his own words.

"Last year Thailand received 15.8 million international tourists, generating income of Bt585 million", he (Abhisit) said.

"It was a record number of tourist arrivals, despite the country facing political problems and other negative factors over the past two years," he said.

And as I have been travelling 8 times in and out the country for my job, I hereby count for 8 international tourists.

[exbelg]

sneaky to go move a dead body trough a fire escape...how many other deads are there over the last decade ? bad chlorine gas mix from pool that might cause all those death ?

[Emster23]

Here's a slogan for the quality tourist pitch: "Thailand: a great place to die!"

[corkman]

Do the Thai police really think most people are that stupid,

In a word Yes. They know Thais are and hope farangs are too.

Really, I do not think most thai thinks of other thais as stupid - because they are all equally stupid with a acception of a few. There is a paradox here in that it is the simple minded nature of Thais that makes me love this country, but at the same time they are so simple minded that they are incapable of coherent / cojoined / progressive thinking or deductive reasoning. They really do just believe what is spoon fed to them. The police's job is to find things out - therefore they are capable of finding out and will do their utmost to do it, because that is what the police do...... that sort of dummy logic..... kind of santa-claus like.

It amazes me at work - I assign some tasks to senior staff, who in turn assign it to their juniors ..... and I just know they are having a laugh "sa-too-pit farang" because my instructions are not obvious in the 'join-the-dots' image they have of live..... then a week later when all becomes clear they are all like a herd of cows moo'ing "aaaaawwweee la"...... patting themselves on the back for the foresight they didn't have. And the next time do they have a little faith...... nope, its back to the "sa-too-pit farang" scenario.......

To be honest, I can see the dopey local bobby at this hotel wondering in bemusement "what could possibly have happened here"....... so then some moron postulates some proposturous idea as listed previosuly (from ghosts to bad karma) and the local bobby latches onto it..... to his equally numb-skull colleagues this is a stroke of genius, and so he is hailed the sherlock homes of modern times..... promoted.... and case solved..... and so he is justly rewarded financially...... This is far too complex a scam for them to consciously mastermind - I reckon they just naturally fall into these "solutions". Then the couple of morons in charge who might have some semblence of intelligence decide in their infinte wisdom that if the police forces best and brightest can't get to the bottom of it, then the "sa-too-pit" farangs definitely wont.........

In conclusion -I reckon that that "They know Thais are and hope farangs are too" pretty much nails it.

[Rrose]

I am not Thai, but I find this thread of comments quite offensive. Nobody of any nationality (what's country got to do with it anyway?) has a monopoly on brains, or stupidity. without a firsthand account of the investigation process (news sources don't count) we cannot know what is going on, and the idle, insulting speculation that is going on in this thread is just more hot air. And pretty poisonous hot air at that.

Do the Thai police really think most people are that stupid,

In a word Yes. They know Thais are and hope farangs are too.

Really, I do not think most thai thinks of other thais as stupid - because they are all equally stupid with a acception of a few. There is a paradox here in that it is the simple minded nature of Thais that makes me love this country, but at the same time they are so simple minded that they are incapable of coherent / cojoined / progressive thinking or deductive reasoning. They really do just believe what is spoon fed to them. The police's job is to find things out - therefore they are capable of finding out and will do their utmost to do it, because that is what the police do...... that sort of dummy logic..... kind of santa-claus like.

It amazes me at work - I assign some tasks to senior staff, who in turn assign it to their juniors ..... and I just know they are having a laugh "sa-too-pit farang" because my instructions are not obvious in the 'join-the-dots' image they have of live..... then a week later when all becomes clear they are all like a herd of cows moo'ing "aaaaawwweee la"...... patting themselves on the back for the foresight they didn't have. And the next time do they have a little faith...... nope, its back to the "sa-too-pit farang" scenario.......

To be honest, I can see the dopey local bobby at this hotel wondering in bemusement "what could possibly have happened here"....... so then some moron postulates some proposturous idea as listed previosuly (from ghosts to bad karma) and the local bobby latches onto it..... to his equally numb-skull colleagues this is a stroke of genius, and so he is hailed the sherlock homes of modern times..... promoted.... and case solved..... and so he is justly rewarded financially...... This is far too complex a scam for them to consciously mastermind - I reckon they just naturally fall into these "solutions". Then the couple of morons in charge who might have some semblence of intelligence decide in their infinte wisdom that if the police forces best and brightest can't get to the bottom of it, then the "sa-too-pit" farangs definitely wont.........

In conclusion -I reckon that that "They know Thais are and hope farangs are too" pretty much nails it.

[paulbrun]

Actually, it is not a bad hotel. I stayed there when it first opened, and also held my 50th birthday party there. The people were very kind, the service good, and food and beverage above average. But that was some time ago. It could be an unfortunate series of coincidences, or it could be something more serious. Whatever happens, the hotel should be 'closed' during the investigation, and the cause of those unfortunate people's deaths is determined..? And I think it is very likely that it would then re-open under a different name, and possibly a new owner..!

The Downtown Inn is in fact associated to another much bigger, and more prestigious, hotel in the same area..

[Rathai]

"In the States, they attact interstate tourists with Ghost haunting, mysterious creatures, aliens, ets.... In thailand, we attract tourists with mysterious deaths in hotels...."

But bring a shotgun along with your camera!

[Steely Dan]

I am not Thai, but I find this thread of comments quite offensive. Nobody of any nationality (what's country got to do with it anyway?) has a monopoly on brains, or stupidity. without a firsthand account of the investigation process (news sources don't count) we cannot know what is going on, and the idle, insulting speculation that is going on in this thread is just more hot air. And pretty poisonous hot air at that.

I guess it's a good job T.V threads aren't pumped through the aircon system.

Sure, we don't know how the (ahem) investigation process is being handled, but I suspect that anyone who has been here a few years can detect a pattern emerging. I'm no mathematics expert, but I do have a strong suspicion that if you got an actuary to make an estimate for the probability of four deaths in the same hotel as being coincidence the odds would be pretty low, so in the meantime surely it would be prudent to close the hotel pending resolution of the investigation. Put it this way would you recommend any of your relatives stay there unless perhaps they were very old and very rich?

[Methuselah]

The most likely reason for emergency heart surgery would be ischaemia of the heart requiring coronary artery bypass surgery.This ischaemia would be secondary to decreased oxygen supply to the heart,caused by either decreased oxygen tension in the blood or coronary artery spasm.One must suspect carbon monoxide poisoning as the most likely culprit.

My instinct is to dismiss as a red herring the possibility of theft as motivation for this disastrous outcome.

The whole scenario requires thorough investigation by the top forensic pathologist in Thailand.

[zthyadat]

Britishers 78 and 73 'theoretically' died of heart attacks from having sex together, but were found in separate beds. Dual simultaneous heart attacks, what are the odds....but one found the strength to climb back in their own bed to finish dying.... but never called for help....

Do the Thai police really think most people are that stupid,

or does this obfuscation only need to fool their bosses?

It fools no one, but since they have always gotten away with it, they are crap liars - no need to think up a credible story.

[MUYTHAI]

A crazy serial poisoner could add poison to snacks, other food, or drink that tourists buy and the authorities would probaby never be able to find the poisoner even if they were able to trace all the food and drink consumed to the location of purchase and/or consumption.

[Ulysses G.]

"In the States, they attact interstate tourists with Ghost haunting, mysterious creatures, aliens, ets.... In thailand, we attract tourists with mysterious deaths in hotels...."

Maybe Thailand is trying to become the new hub of euthanasia.

[TheLaughingMan]

I am not Thai, but I find this thread of comments quite offensive. Nobody of any nationality (what's country got to do with it anyway?) has a monopoly on brains, or stupidity. without a firsthand account of the investigation process (news sources don't count) we cannot know what is going on, and the idle, insulting speculation that is going on in this thread is just more hot air. And pretty poisonous hot air at that.

You sound brandnew to the country, you'll figure it out soon enough. The police make the most outrageous conclusions on every foreigner death and expect the world to accept it. Its not just once in a while, its 99% of the time, they immediately blame something ridiculous to absolve any Thai person of wrong doing or incompetence.

I used to read the newspapers until I just couldn't take it anymore. Every single freaking day it was like reading the funny papers, only unfortunately it was real news.

EXAMPLE:

An article describing the death of 2 foreign men dying in the same room in Chiangmai, bodies lying across eachother... police immediately concluded and told the press that they drank too much and had simultaneous heart attacks. Sound familiar? These people are corrupt to the core, ok I accept that, but not bright enough to realise their lies sound like ridiculous lies and not anything remotely plausible to anyone educated outside the country.

[EyesWideOpen]

I am not Thai, but I find this thread of comments quite offensive. Nobody of any nationality (what's country got to do with it anyway?) has a monopoly on brains, or stupidity. without a firsthand account of the investigation process (news sources don't count) we cannot know what is going on, and the idle, insulting speculation that is going on in this thread is just more hot air. And pretty poisonous hot air at that.

You sound brandnew to the country, you'll figure it out soon enough. The police make the most outrageous conclusions on every foreigner death and expect the world to accept it. Its not just once in a while, its 99% of the time, they immediately blame something ridiculous to absolve any Thai person of wrong doing or incompetence.

I used to read the newspapers until I just couldn't take it anymore. Every single freaking day it was like reading the funny papers, only unfortunately it was real news.

EXAMPLE:

An article describing the death of 2 foreign men dying in the same room in Chiangmai, bodies lying across eachother... police immediately concluded and told the press that they drank too much and had simultaneous heart attacks. Sound familiar? These people are corrupt to the core, ok I accept that, but not bright enough to realise their lies sound like ridiculous lies and not anything remotely plausible to anyone educated outside the country.

In Koh Larn a couple of years ago, two Korean girls are found dead on the beach, one with her head bashed in, with her hands tied behind her back. Here is the Thai police easily solving this crime with brilliant deductive reasoning...

The pair was thought to have hit their heads on rocks on the beach and when they awoke, they found themselves in the water. One of the twins is then believed to have tied her hands together with her sister in an attempt to save both of them from the water, however due to their intoxicated state and tiredness, they are both believed to have drowned and their bodies were then washed up on the beach.

And the police wonder why everyone is laughing at even the possibility they could solve anything. I am sad for the families involved in these four deaths, as there is no closure for them....

[Oberkommando]

And the police wonder why everyone is laughing at even the possibility they could solve anything

The Thai Police couldn't find their ar*e in the dark with a torch.

[MJP]

Could this hotel be crawling in something entomological and venomous?

[rubl]

And the police wonder why everyone is laughing at even the possibility they could solve anything

The Thai Police couldn't find their ar*e in the dark with a torch.

The expression I think is 'couldn't find their own ar*e with both hands if they tried'

Edited March 5, 2011 by rubl

[dumball]

'MJP' timestamp='1299353832' post='4261085']

Could this hotel be crawling in something entomological and venomous?

One mysterious death at a location needs investigation for cause , but four at the same location over a short period of time needs to have the location closed off until a satisfactory reason/cause has been found and proven , no matter what upset is created , no matter whom owns what . The investigation should have been expedited A.S.A.P by experts in toxicological examination etc , not local " Could give a shiet ' police who have no expertise in that field .

SHAME on Thailand .

[rubl]

Could this hotel be crawling in something entomological and venomous?

One mysterious death at a location needs investigation for cause , but four at the same location over a short period of time needs to have the location closed off until a satisfactory reason/cause has been found and proven , no matter what upset is created , no matter whom owns what . The investigation should have been expedited A.S.A.P by experts in toxicological examination etc , not local " Could give a shiet ' police who have no expertise in that field .

SHAME on Thailand .

To be fair, the original article tell us "A fourth person has secretly died at a Thai hotel"

(emphasize mine)

[dumball]

Praise be to the lord , how would we ever manage to get it straight and keep it that way without the PC brigade on this forum , which is normally frequented by posters giving their own personal opinion or experience on any given subject or expressions by other posters , some people just have to have it CORRECT by their own personal standards of what he thinks super cedes others comments or experiences . Should it become that way , what a boring experience it would be for most of us of a lesser breed of humanity , as things are , we express our individuality in our own peculiar , to some , way

[MJP]

'MJP' timestamp='1299353832' post='4261085']

Could this hotel be crawling in something entomological and venomous?

Dumball said:

One mysterious death at a location needs investigation for cause , but four at the same location over a short period of time needs to have the location closed off until a satisfactory reason/cause has been found and proven , no matter what upset is created , no matter whom owns what . The investigation should have been expedited A.S.A.P by experts in toxicological examination etc , not local " Could give a shiet ' police who have no expertise in that field .

SHAME on Thailand .

Well agreed, but it's a possible cause.

We're not in Kansas now, Dorothy.

[katana]

Thairath reports that some of the autopsies have been completed.

The elderly English couple - the contents of their stomachs were analysed and no evidence of drugs or poisons found.

However, both were found to be suffering from enlarged hearts and blocked arteries and the doctor believes they died from coronary heart disease. [what, both at the same time?]

The 47 year-old female Thai tour guide who died had a stomach upset before she died and they're still analysing some food from her room.

The New Zealand girl - they're still waiting for results from food taken from her stomach.

Mr Thanyathep Bunkaeo, the hotel manager, is quoted as saying that since the news story broke in the foreign media, several tour groups had phoned up to cancel bookings at the hotel.

http://www.thairath.co.th/content/region/153728 (05/03/11)

Edited March 5, 2011 by katana

[Steely Dan]

Thairath reports that some of the autopsies have been completed.

The elderly English couple - the contents of their stomachs were analysed and no evidence of drugs or poisons found.

However, both were found to be suffering from enlarged hearts and blocked arteries and the doctor believes they died from coronary heart disease. [what, both at the same time?]

The 47 year-old female Thai tour guide who died had a stomach upset before she died and they're still analysing some food from her room.

The New Zealand girl - they're still waiting for results from food taken from her stomach.

Mr Thanyathep Bunkaeo, the hotel manager, is quoted as saying that since the news story broke in the foreign media, several tour groups had phoned up to cancel bookings at the hotel.

http://www.thairath.co.th/content/region/153728 (05/03/11)

From the garbled google translation I gather Thais are going round with bags of garlic to protect themselves and that Monks have been called in to bless the place, so all should be well soon.

[EyesWideOpen]

Praise be to the lord , how would we ever manage to get it straight and keep it that way without the PC brigade on this forum , which is normally frequented by posters giving their own personal opinion or experience on any given subject or expressions by other posters , some people just have to have it CORRECT by their own personal standards of what he thinks super cedes others comments or experiences . Should it become that way , what a boring experience it would be for most of us of a lesser breed of humanity , as things are , we express our individuality in our own peculiar , to some , way

This post is taking the Thai Apologists to the final absurd level. Are you implying that checking into a hotel and expecting to live , is somehow transferring foolish farangland codes into Amazing Thailand ??? Although you could be correct, there could be a certain thrill in not knowing if you could be alive to check out the next day. Maybe the hotel could include a brief short will when you check in ? :jap:

[coma]

Just rode past the place half an hour ago. Very,very quite out front. Nobody to be seen at all.