Phuket Road Toll Claims Australian, Swedish Tourists

[kjhbigv]

Not sure why they can't identify the girl? I just put the blokes name into Facebook, as in "Ken" not "Kenneth", it came up with a guy from Australia, his last entry was a pic of him and his GF in KL airport and a comment, next stop Thailand, that was on 20th Feb and he looked about 32. His profile links to his GF's profile.

It also states his first stop is Phuket, that was also on 19th.

Obviously, I can't say this is 100% the person but seems a pretty good lead to follow!?

Sad story.....RIP the deceased.

Edited February 25, 2012 by kjhbigv

[Asianrider]

RIP to both parties

can't outlaw balconies, but riding bikes late at night, even if you are sober n careful, seems a high risk activity !

[fasteddie]

Were any of them wearing helmets?

Wouldn't make much difference, most helmets with rental bikes in Thailand are total rubbish and wouldn't save you from a headache! It will always be carnage on the roads in Thailand as the bikes are badly maintained usually with tyres pumped up to rock hard so they have no grip, combine that with Thais who have never taken a lesson in their lives, tourists who often have little or no experience on two wheels and are usually drunk and all you have is a recipe for disaster.

[katabeachbum]

Not sure why they can't identify the girl? I just put the blokes name into Facebook, as in "Ken" not "Kenneth", it came up with a guy from Australia, his last entry was a pic of him and his GF in KL airport and a comment, next stop Thailand, that was on 20th Feb and he looked about 32. His profile links to his GF's profile.

It also states his first stop is Phuket, that was also on 19th.

Obviously, I can't say this is 100% the person but seems a pretty good lead to follow!?

Sad story.....RIP the deceased.

good lead, still no positive ID, takes a bit more than facebook

[vijer]

Buddha said their time was up and they needed to transmute into another life as an animal or something. But probably ghosts first. That's the real problem here, more ghosts to deal with.

Sorry I am un-penitent.

[RigPig]

The thing is EVERY ONE of those sidecars is illegal. They have to be the biggest single contributor to road accidents in the country.

Still the fact it should not have been on the road at all will go un noticed.

[katabeachbum]

The thing is EVERY ONE of those sidecars is illegal. They have to be the biggest single contributor to road accidents in the country.

Still the fact it should not have been on the road at all will go un noticed.

so they hit a side car

would it be better if they hit a handhold trailer, road legal as this, or a couple of roadside pedestrians?

and how did you find out every sidecar in Th is illegal> by reading internett forums where everyone agree until it becomes a fact?

let me know if you want to see the documents for a road legal sidecar

[khunkeith]

The thing is EVERY ONE of those sidecars is illegal. They have to be the biggest single contributor to road accidents in the country.

Still the fact it should not have been on the road at all will go un noticed.

they are only illegal if they carry passengers.

[katabeachbum]

The thing is EVERY ONE of those sidecars is illegal. They have to be the biggest single contributor to road accidents in the country.

Still the fact it should not have been on the road at all will go un noticed.

they are only illegal if they carry passengers.

a legal samlor can seat passengers legally

[sirchai]

Phuket again!! Assaults, scams, pregnant girl gets a kicking from a******le katoeys, tourist "falls?" from hotel, etc.

What a dump!!!

Actually I wanted to puke when I've read some posts. Then I decided not to. It's so sad that foreigners come to this country with less brain than most locals have got. FULL STOP. .

.

Edited February 25, 2012 by sirchai

[khunkeith]

from the Phuket Gazette:

PHUKET: Riders of motorcycles with sidecars (salaeng) will be prosecuted if they use the sidecar to carry passengers, the chief of the Phuket Land Transport Office (PTLO) has announced.

PTLO Chief Teerayout Prasertphol said that drivers who use salaeng for passenger transport do so illegally and present a danger to passengers and other road users.

Legally-registered salaeng can only be used to transport goods, he said.

Passenger transport by salaeng is prohibited under Section 14 of the Motor Vehicle Act of of 1979 and violators are subject to a maximum fine of 2,000 baht under Section 60 of the same act, he said.

In order to prevent the road accidents caused by salaeng and to protect the rights of operators of legally-registered vehicles, the PLTO is also asking motorbike owners not to illegally affix sidecars to vehicles, he said.

Owners of legally registered salaeng must not to use them for passenger transport.

The PTLO will prosecute violators, he warned.

[sirchai]

The thing is EVERY ONE of those sidecars is illegal. They have to be the biggest single contributor to road accidents in the country.

Still the fact it should not have been on the road at all will go un noticed.

The thing is Not Every One of those brainless people from abroad are illegal. They have to be the biggest single contributor to sex accidents in the country.

Still the fact that they should not have been on the road and elsewhere at all will be UN noticed. I feel very sorry for the families and friends of the deceased, let's hope they will rest in PEACE,

Edited February 25, 2012 by sirchai

[TeddyFlyfisherDavis]

Were any of them wearing helmets?

Obviously, not the guy who fell...

[TeddyFlyfisherDavis]

Phuket again!! Assaults, scams, pregnant girl gets a kicking from a******le katoeys, tourist "falls?" from hotel, etc.

What a dump!!!

Actually I wanted to puke when I've read some posts. Then I decided not to. It's so sad that foreigners come to this country with less brain than most locals have got. FULL STOP. .

.

And these are only the things we hear about...

[rubik101]

Oh, never mind!

[sirchai]

Well the point is this. Thailand had very lax safety laws and even the lax laws are not enforced. So when a foreigner comes here and rides into an unlit bike and sidecar some people say well that is how it is here, others say well it should be lit as required by the law ( made to reduce the number of these incidents) and others say they were drunk or drugged. The point is drunk/drugged/bad eyesight does not excuse the other person involved who also fails to light their vehicle properly. Maybe both at fault who knows because the real facts are rarely known except that you can bet your bottom dollar that the Thais will always find the foreigner at fault and come up with any excuse no matter how obviously biased to protect their cousins (ie any other Thai)

Is Thailand at fault - to some degree yes because the police are useless mostly and only work for bribes especially where tourists are involved.

Are the tourists at fault - to a degree they do not understand that many protections coming from safety and experience learned do not exist here so getting pissed and having fun can be more fatal by percentage than in the west.

But you have to realize also that Phuket is FULL of evil corrupt and sick people drawn by the perception of riches, driven by their greed, the scum of Thai society to rob the tourist and kill if necessary just to make a few baht all supported by the Thai mafia and with a blind eye turned in Bangkok. There is no honour here. There are no ethics here. There is no law here. If you do try to go to law it is so biased, so corrupt, so slow and so expensive that it will destroy your vitality. That is if you are fortunate enough not to run into anyone with any real contacts because they will just pay for the law to be bent to suit them, unless you know someone more powerful in which case both parties slog it out and give all the benefit to the big people they know. Such is society here.

Should everyone accept it because this is Thailand? NO because there are some things that are inalienably wrong and that any Person should fight.

Yes the Thais are culpable. Yes sometimes the tourists are naive and suffer a terrible penalty, yes sometimes they are drunk and do bad things but the Thais are doing far worse with no restraint. It is truly a lawless and terrible place now with no respect and no ethics.

Thailand is not like this everywhere though traits show through. Phuket will go the way of Spain's tourist resorts 30 years ago because no one cares or no one has the balls and strength of character to stand up to the evil which has embedded itself there. I will not be sad to see its demise for it will be well deserved.

Is Thailand at fault - to some degree yes because the police are useless mostly and only work for bribes especially where tourists are involved.

Could a cop prevent such a type of accident in LOS? How many people are dying all over the world in road accidents? Can you blame a country, or cops for that? What has your post to do with two foreigners who passed away, their families, friends and all the following problems? RIP>

[mickyboy]

Probably drunk, helmetless tourists wending their way home at 3.30 coming into contact with a badly parked, unlit salaeng.

Can't really blame the island.

A fall from a balcony - who knows what happened.

RIP to both victims

judge and jury you helmet less and drunk so you where there then nelly f inn know all

[Jimi007]

Probably drunk, helmetless tourists wending their way home at 3.30 coming into contact with a badly parked, unlit salaeng.

Can't really blame the island.

A fall from a balcony - who knows what happened.

RIP to both victims

judge and jury you helmet less and drunk so you where there then nelly f inn know all

Maybe if you read the news account in the other local news source that can't be quoted in this forum due to rule number 31, you would have read that according to the people who transported them to the hospital she was not wearing a helmet and they smelled of alcohol.

[mayday49]

Oh, will you Chaps get 'your' stories Straight...The news paper is part of the overall decay that we perceive. ....

[kiwikeith]

Just another day here on the island of crime and death. RIP to the many.

Just another day here on the island of crime and death. RIP to the many.

There was a time that a comment like that would make me angry. Now, I agree with it. Can a day go by without a death, beating, robbery, arrest or illness? When my friends ask, "is it safe living in Thailand?" I say, "You can find trouble anywhere if you look for it...and the place to look is Pattaya and Phuket."

I even understand the frustration of Expats who invested there. They recognized a while back that the area was at a crossroad. Either become a safe fun vacation spot for people and families who has money to spend, or more of a "Spring Break" party till you puke cesspool for whores, drugs and booze.

Well, clearly, the jury has returned with the verdict...and as more of this news becomes common place, so will the perception that the island is Soi Cowboy with sand. Not exactly what honeymoon couples, nice families and retires think of when they travel in today's world (yes, i know that statement will get some wise-guy comments .. enjoy)

It is a big world, with lots of beautiful beaches, lovely native cultures, food and experiences.

Who needs the crap they dish out there? Fewer and fewer of one type of person, and more and more of another.

And i am not saying "Party People" are bad...but they are fickle, and will roam to greener (cheaper, safer and more fun) places more quickly than quality family travelers...and sooner than later.

Sadly, the incidents in this article could happen anywhere, any time...My comment is not specific to these events...just, as cloudhopperr suggests...a daisy chain of bad news and misery coming from one this place.

I live in BKK, and have never been to Pattaya (and never will)..and the last time I went to Phuket (more than 10 years ago)...it was really quite lovely.

Exactly 10 years ago lovely now overseas mafia terrorise the place, even jomtiem beach which is where familys used to go has had russian girls executed on the beach, getting worse all the time should not be one night in bangkok anymore ,should be one night in phuket or pattaya is enough now and get the hell out of the hole.

[Yahooka]

I wonder what the statistics are for tourists and death by falling from balconies, just seems these incidents are extremely rare in Europe for example, despite large numbers of tourists and highrises. Yet every few weeks we seem to have another farang falling from height. Please be assured this is not a comment on either of these tragic accidents.

RIP and sympathy to their families. X

In most cases I believe its because of the (insufficent) railings on most balconies here.In all of the hotels I been staying at,the railings dont even reach me to the groin area..........that and those terrible slippery tiles on the floor likely counts for most of those "mystery" balcony deaths.

[softgeorge]

It's got nothing to do with road tolls at all.

SC

I hope that wasn't supposed to be a joke

Some confusion here about the context of the word 'toll' in this news article. For the record ..

3. An amount or extent of loss or destruction, as of life, health, or property

Source http://www.thefreedictionary.com/toll

In Australia they use the term Road Toll as well not confusing for us.

For example : "February 23, 2012. Read later. Three people have died in separate crashes today, taking Victoria's road toll to 28 - 10 more than at the same time last year."

[gaucho]

speed would have been a factor ....they have hit one bike and then speered off into another ...that time of morning no traffic .... no need to be driving fast ...common sense goes out of the window ...... also on the point of flyers..... my mate was in a hotel swimming area late at night ..many people were enjoying drinks and banter .....then they heard screaming and loud quarreling ..then smashing glass and a scream as a large male landed 10 feet from him and bounced into the pool ...blood and brains everywhere ..people looked up and saw two females ...apparently.....and then saw them bolt 30 seconds later they could be seen running from the hotel ... .the shocked guests gave statements .and nothing has happened since ....his wife wont go back to that particular hotel and he now stays at another ..the guy was obviously bashed and thrown off the balcony .. common sense and awareness of where u r should be exercised at all times in los

[gaucho]

Well the point is this. Thailand had very lax safety laws and even the lax laws are not enforced. So when a foreigner comes here and rides into an unlit bike and sidecar some people say well that is how it is here, others say well it should be lit as required by the law ( made to reduce the number of these incidents) and others say they were drunk or drugged. The point is drunk/drugged/bad eyesight does not excuse the other person involved who also fails to light their vehicle properly. Maybe both at fault who knows because the real facts are rarely known except that you can bet your bottom dollar that the Thais will always find the foreigner at fault and come up with any excuse no matter how obviously biased to protect their cousins (ie any other Thai)

Is Thailand at fault - to some degree yes because the police are useless mostly and only work for bribes especially where tourists are involved.

Are the tourists at fault - to a degree they do not understand that many protections coming from safety and experience learned do not exist here so getting pissed and having fun can be more fatal by percentage than in the west.

But you have to realize also that Phuket is FULL of evil corrupt and sick people drawn by the perception of riches, driven by their greed, the scum of Thai society to rob the tourist and kill if necessary just to make a few baht all supported by the Thai mafia and with a blind eye turned in Bangkok. There is no honour here. There are no ethics here. There is no law here. If you do try to go to law it is so biased, so corrupt, so slow and so expensive that it will destroy your vitality. That is if you are fortunate enough not to run into anyone with any real contacts because they will just pay for the law to be bent to suit them, unless you know someone more powerful in which case both parties slog it out and give all the benefit to the big people they know. Such is society here.

Should everyone accept it because this is Thailand? NO because there are some things that are inalienably wrong and that any Person should fight.

Yes the Thais are culpable. Yes sometimes the tourists are naive and suffer a terrible penalty, yes sometimes they are drunk and do bad things but the Thais are doing far worse with no restraint. It is truly a lawless and terrible place now with no respect and no ethics.

Thailand is not like this everywhere though traits show through. Phuket will go the way of Spain's tourist resorts 30 years ago because no one cares or no one has the balls and strength of character to stand up to the evil which has embedded itself there. I will not be sad to see its demise for it will be well deserved.

excellent points very true about spain ...the authorities let it degenerate same will happen here ....family tourism is slowly dropping it should be remembered that 4 or 5 family members spend much more than your av monger ...cheers

[Gweiloman]

I would love that Pattaya / Phuket, hell the whole of Thailand get bad press in all the world's newspapers and that all foreign tourists stop coming here. We might then see the old Thailand that "some" of us have come to know and love.

[rotorbreeze]

Were any of them wearing helmets?

That question is 99.9% no. I live in Pattaya and during the day helmets are worn, during the night time (police go home) no need for helmets, seem wearing a helmet is related to convience during the day is a fine, oh yes double for foreigniers. I have a picture of 5 people including a baby in hand stoped beside me during a red light. Young 14yr old school girls without drivers licence drive or weave down the wrong way of road, along with their friends talk on cell phones with helmets half on or no helmet. As BAD as this is viewed in our Western minds...but see if you can remember where WE were young..riding a bicycle we never had to wear one some America states have no requirements for helmets. Amazing Thailand and may Buddha watch over these people, seems he has his hands full during the night time!

[Old Croc]

Reported in the Australian press:

http://www.perthnow....l-1226283987451

[LivinginKata]

Reported in the Australian press:

http://www.perthnow....l-1226283987451

Thanks for that link. Makes the accident even more tragic.........

[kjhbigv]

Not sure why they can't identify the girl? I just put the blokes name into Facebook, as in "Ken" not "Kenneth", it came up with a guy from Australia, his last entry was a pic of him and his GF in KL airport and a comment, next stop Thailand, that was on 20th Feb and he looked about 32. His profile links to his GF's profile.

It also states his first stop is Phuket, that was also on 19th.

Obviously, I can't say this is 100% the person but seems a pretty good lead to follow!?

Sad story.....RIP the deceased.

It was the young lad and lass on Facebook.....http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2107510/Lana-OConnell-Top-swimsuit-model-dies-horrific-motorbike-crash-Thailand.html