Russian Found Hanged In Phuket Police Cell

[Shotime]

"He may have had a problem with another rental outfit and got confused," said the operator.

Got confused eh ? how come you DID have his passport ?????.....

"Arguments between motorbike rental operators and their clients are a common source of problems in the Phuket tourism industry."

Yeah because they keep trying to scam the tourists !!!

RIP the Russian guy, not saying he was blameless in all this but its still a terrible wasts of a life.

You read it the same as I did at first but re-read it and the Russian had his own passport. And with the smell of alcohol he probably was pretty drunk.

The Russian poured gasoline all over himself, yet smelled of alcohol?? Something smells fishy to me.

What kind of fish are you eating?

"I would sooner part with my passport in Thailand, than one of my arms." My bad. Sorry, I had this backwards. Vica-versa. I think.

I would sooner part with one of my arms, than my passport in Thailand.

[housepainter]

Solitary - so no witnesses.

The rental of motorbikes could be regulated and cleaned up. But it's not. Why Not?

Corruption. They are all in it and taking a share of the spoils. Hence, tourists are the victims. Inexperienced holiday makers who expect to be able to do the same things they can in almost all the rest of the world. But they can't. Not here. Not safely.

And that's because it's not only lawless but actively dangerous and the foreign visitor is seen as the target by not only the scammers but also the Police. When you have a Foreign Minister declaring he doesn't like Westerners then it green lights open season on all of us. That is the reality and that is Thailand. The Land of Smiles. Look closely and you'll find it also spells 'Lies'.

The difference is that if you've survived, avoided, been fortunate to become an ex-pat and therefore lived here a few years then you become wise to these dangers and avoid them like your life depended on it; which it clearly does. This is a death in a cell. Usually, they prefer to murder women on the beach. Is that ever going to end?

The people remain uneducated violent morons and the police are no better. Places like Phuket and especially the cheaper charlie version Pattaya attract the scum of Thailand and a disproportionate number of the foreign scum. Hence, at times it is hard to have any sympathy for drunks, druggies and criminals getting into trouble amongst their Thai compatriates.

However, for the innocent traveller that gives Thailand a try, it is a dangerous nightmare experience waiting to ensnare them, imprison them and throw away the key. In this latest example it seems there is an ever growing impatience. Hence, no key throwing - just hang him, in solitary with no witness.

Next.

[housepainter]

After all, the only thing i am struggling with is why would someone fly to Thailand to commit suicide? can they not do it back home

They fly because walking is out of the question. Clearly the man was trying to commit suicide unless you think he doused himself with gasoline because he had run out of deoderant.

And Charley, you think you might try reading the whole article before commenting and embarrassing yourself? The article said he was in possession of his passport when he was taken into custody. I did not see anything indicating the motorbike renter was taken into custody. Now you can rationalize all kinds of scenarios but the only evidence is what is in the article, unless you know something the rest of us don't.

Who knows what he had in mind. The only thing of any significance is that he poured gasoline on himself. You have to believe that at that moment all rational thinking is gone. There being no evidence of antipathy by the police, there is no reason to doubt the suicide story.

I find it a constant source of amusement that whenever their is a conflict between Thais and Farang, that a hard core group of expats, people who have run away from home in search of a cheap place to plant their next erection, creates some reason to blame the Thais. It boggles the mind that while these falang see jeopardy in every Thai business and public official they continue to remain in Thailand.

You show little knowledge of suicide. Unless you are Tibetan Monk you don't enter public places with the intent of committing self immolation. The fact you don't interpret the non-arrest of the rental agent as anything other than ordinary shows your own lack of perception. Thais are not arrested in disputes with foreigners. It is the foreigner who is detained in order to extract money from him. Money that is then shared between arresting police and the Thai person involved. The right and wrong does not enter in to it.

It is heresay that he poured petrol over himself. Doubt is cast upon the statement as the man was detained and presumably allowed to wear a petrol soaked shirt. Is that credible? If it is then it supports the view of the 'hard core group of expats' you describe - that things are not correctly done in Thailand. Or is that logical conclusion something that doesn't fit your rose tinted view?

Your whole comments are undermined by the generalisation that ex-pats have amongst them some 'hard core' grouping running from etc. Hackneyed, ill-informed, unsubstantiated, biased, opinionated - the very things you accuse others of. I would assert there is a hard core group of retired, successful, professionals who having worked in the far east, learnt another language, married and had children, simply choose understandably to settle here. But then again that view doesn't fit, does it?

Consider the wide scale endeimic corruption not only in Thailand but riven through the police. Repeatedly Phuket alone sees the murder of foreign women, usually raped in the most public of places and their bodies found on public beaches. And yet you assert that it is incorrect to blame the Thais. The very Thais who are in some cases later found to be guilty of these rapes and murders. The Police of Pai, Kanchanaburi and Chain Mai did murder innocent tourists; both men and women. Ergo they are to blame. Ergo ex-pats saying so are actually correct. And they are brave enough to say it before the offender is sentenced, usually allowed bail and to intimidate, murder the few witnesses who remain to testify. That is the reality of Thailand.

Factual evidence may be an accumulation of statistics but those self same staistics are garnered from anecdotal evidence. What someone knows or has seen. Therefore, with experience, ex-pats have an informed, referenced opinion due to the accumulated knowledge of such heinous crimes committed here. What you observe now we have witnessed for years. There is no reduction. There is no improvement. Our safety remains in jeopardy and consequently we adjust our life styles accordingly. Tourists are unaware of the reality here.

When you've had a daily diet of horrific murder, un-investigated crime from street mugging to murder, you tend to hold the opinion that something is broken and something isn't being fixed anytime soon. The police are to be avoided. or do you think there is no link between corrupt 'tea-money' cops and corrupt murdering cops? Do you think they work in different stations then? All the ones looking to torture and murder their way to your bank account have a special division somewhere and as long as we don't wander over there we're safe are we?

Or could it just be that all are corrupt and awaiting the opportunity to hit that vein of gold by way of hitting that arterial vein? Or is it they prefer us to 'jump] to our deaths? Have you ever thoguth to consider suicide because the majority of us would do it with pills, alcohol and a good sleep. Found in bed. Or Roma style in the bath and a razor. We do not fly round the world to fin a fourth story apartment and jump an inadequate distance. But, if you read the Thai papers, then we all like a good jump. I think that's your way of thinking too; or is my erection of an hypothesis merely frivolous?

If you have a sense of decency and morality free from turpitude then in time you will yourself become one of the 'hard core group of expats'. Until then you'd be wiser to shut up and learn.

Thai business practices, for example the ex- head of the Thai football association who asked for 1m pounds for his World Cup vote - are another subject entirely. But then you simply smell roses and coffee and think it's time for gardening and a drink.

Wait till you're older if not wiser.

[anterian]

I make a regular payment of 1500 Baht every month to the police, I have been doing this for 5 years now, originally it was for "petrol money" so they could patrol my village, now it has become an established custom. I have suggested stopping this but my partners says I must not, it is my insurance against any problems, the police will not allow anything to happen to their steady income.

I think this is the advantage we have over tourists, we are a reliable income, the tourist is a one off hit. I know several expats who do the same as me, one is a Korean has been here 20 years, he pays 2000 Baht per month.

[Shotime]

"....Pattaya attract the scum of Thailand...."

It's really the scum of Europe, and, on smaller scale, N. Americans and Asians. The Thais are just trying to make a living, and you can't blame them for that. However, once there, they, most likely, suffer the consequences. This is not always the case.

You forgot to mention Bangkok. I stopped going to Pattaya years ago, and have never been to Phuket. I used to go to Pattaya for the golf, but the scene there was revolting. To say the least, but I can't claim not being part of it. However, the city, anyway, has steadily declined into the abyss.

[lyonelll]

As being almost from Russia (former USSR) and knowing their psyche and way of life, one possible turn of events comes to mind:

Russian could have gotten scammed by bike renter and, in order to get the passport back, had to pay large sum of money that was not his but owed or belonging to someone like his gang boss. He knew he will most likely be hit hard (if not killed) by his superiors for losing their (owed to them) money so decided to fight his money back by turning himself into a living torch. Did not work out, ended up in jail with even gloomier perspective of explaining where the money went after getting out - figured to end it all there...

The gangs are not as powerful in Russia as they used to be in 90s, but a lot of them just migrated into seats of business owners with ties in government/police. And their methods did not change all that much - if you lose our money, your life is not worth a ruble.

[philhal2]

"He may have had a problem with another rental outfit and got confused," said the operator.

Got confused eh ? how come you DID have his passport ?????.....

"Arguments between motorbike rental operators and their clients are a common source of problems in the Phuket tourism industry."

Yeah because they keep trying to scam the tourists !!!

RIP the Russian guy, not saying he was blameless in all this but its still a terrible wasts of a life.

2 1/2 years later my comments are now limited to

" WELCOME TO THE LAND OF WILES "

GRAB A DICTIONARY PEOPLE

[EnhancePlus]

Yep, as always another "suicide" but this time IN police station. I wonder if the foreign suicide will ever stop in Thailand.

After all, the only thing i am struggling with is why would someone fly to Thailand to commit suicide? can they not do it back home

i personally do not think he committed suicide !!! but thats my view on things , im thinking that a majority of us are thinking the same ? when are the scams going to stop ? thailand is only hurting its own tourism industry for all this s**t they are dishing out to tourist and ex pats ref visa regulations, scams, etc etc etc

But the punters just keep on coming. Not many have a frickin clue before they come to LOS.

[zhaffsky]

As being almost from Russia (former USSR) and knowing their psyche and way of life, one possible turn of events comes to mind:

Russian could have gotten scammed by bike renter and, in order to get the passport back, had to pay large sum of money that was not his but owed or belonging to someone like his gang boss. He knew he will most likely be hit hard (if not killed) by his superiors for losing their (owed to them) money so decided to fight his money back by turning himself into a living torch. Did not work out, ended up in jail with even gloomier perspective of explaining where the money went after getting out - figured to end it all there...

The gangs are not as powerful in Russia as they used to be in 90s, but a lot of them just migrated into seats of business owners with ties in government/police. And their methods did not change all that much - if you lose our money, your life is not worth a ruble.

The guy could just go to the consulate and claim that his passport was lost - why take a suicidal course of action when there is an easy way out?

Also I suspect that you knowledge of Russian gangs currently comes from whatching too much TV shows ;-)

[Thongkorn]

Because it is illegal for any Airline to let anyone board a plane without a passport..

<deleted>

Don't show the contents of your brain for all to see. Try getting on a Plane without a Passport,The Airline would be libel to a hefty fine, thats if you even get near the plane. I though every body knew that ,

[Metapod]

People actually surrender their passport willingly? Just to rent a motorbike? You've got to be kidding.

On a recent trip, I tried to rent a motorbike in Kata without leaving my passport. At one place, the owner opened the draw of his flimsy little desk and pulled out about 30 passports to show me that that was the only way he did business.

So yes, people do surrender their passports. Whether it's willingly or not is another matter.

On that trip I managed to find someone who rented me a bike while keeping only a copy of my passport.

Another time at Patong I simply could not find anyone who would rent me a bike without keeping my passport.

Once Sirchai gets back to me on my previous question, that problem will be solved!

Crazy how people do that. You give your passport and you put all the power in their hands. I've rented bikes in many locations in Thailand and never had to leave a passport. I had a few places that refused me without it, but there is no shortage of places to rent bikes in Thailand.

[tropo]

After all, the only thing i am struggling with is why would someone fly to Thailand to commit suicide? can they not do it back home

Allow me to help you out here. People have this notion that going somewhere else will solve their problems or make their life better. When they discover it doesn't they become more depressed than ever... not to mention Thailand specific dramas involving women and money.

[PingManDan]

Should hang a few more of them Pattaya is getting way too crowded with Ruski's