Aussie on holiday in Phuket reported missing

A passport photo of Geoffrey Hoffmann, 77, who was last seen near

the lake at Karon Park this morning.

PHUKET: -- A worried Australian family on holiday in Phuket is urging anyone who identifies Geoffrey Hoffmann, 77, to contact them immediately.

Mr Hoffman was last seen walking near the lake at Karon Park this morning.

Mrs Hoffmann told the Phuket Gazette this afternoon that she arrived with her husband, sister and brother-in-law on a family holiday to Phuket on Tuesday.

“Every morning at about 8 o’clock, Geoffrey goes for a walk around the lake near the beach. He usually takes about an hour,” said Mrs Hoffman.

But today he has yet to return.

Adding to the family’s concern is that Mr Hoffmann suffers from short-term memory loss.

The local police have been notified, as have the lifeguards on Karon Beach.

Anyone who believes they have seen Mr Hoffmann is urged to call Mrs Hoffmann at the Phuket Ocean Resort in Karon, on 076-396599/601, ext 1207.

-- Phuket Gazette 2011-07-30

Missing Aussie tourist found alive and well in Phuket

PHUKET: -- Missing Australian tourist Geoffrey Hoffmann has been found alive and well.

Mr Hoffmann disappeared while going for a morning walk at the lake at Karon Park on Saturday.

His family raised the alarm after he failed to return four hours later. Their concern was heightened by the fact that Mr Hoffmann suffers from short-term memory loss.

Mr Hoffmann’s brother-in-law Donald Parkinson told the Phuket Gazette that he distributed fliers among beach guards at Karon Beach in the fear that he may have gone for a swim in Phuket’s deadliest waters.

“A policeman called us at about 9pm on Saturday to inform us that Mr Hoffmann had been found,” said a spokesperson at the Best Western Phuket Ocean Resort in Karon, where Mr Hoffmann and his family are staying.

“We informed his wife, Maureen, and she went immediately to pick him from the Karon police sub-station,” the spokesperson added.

Karon patrol policeman Cpl Sommart Tungromyawilai told the Phuket this morning, “I received a call from the Centara Grand [beach Resort Phuket] at about 8:30pm saying a tourist had walked into their resort, but the man could not remember where he was staying.

“He looked tired and thirsty, and asked me, ‘Can I have some water to drink?’ Other than that he seemed fine,” Cpl Sommart said.

Although Mr Hoffmann took 12 hours to resurface, the resort he arrived at is only a 20-minute walk away from where he was last seen.

“Mrs Hoffmann was very happy to see him returned. When she saw him at the police station she gave him a big hug and was crying with joy,” he added.

The spokesperson at the Phuket Ocean Resort told the Gazette that Mr Hoffmann and his family will now continue their holiday stay, as planned, until August 5.

-- Phuket Gazette 2011-08-01

Nice to hear that there was an happy ending for the story.

Speculation.