Swedish Rally Legend Anders Kulläng Drowns In Thailand

[webfact]

Swedish Rally Legend Drowns in Thailand

news Dennis Krog

BANGKOK: -- According to the Swedish newspaper, Aftonbladet, the Swedish rally legend, Anders Kulläng, drowned on Thursday at his holiday house in Huay Yang south of Bangkok.

“We can confirm that Anders Kulläng drowned and his family has been notified, says the spokesperson from the Swedish Foreign Ministry to the newspaper.

What exactly happened as Anders Kulläng drowned is still unclear, and a formal investigation has been initiated by the Thai police.

Anders Kulläng was a legend in the Swedish rally where he had numerous victories throughout his career. With the dead of Anders Kulläng the total number of Swedes who have lost their lives in Thailand in 2012 reaches 34.

Source: http://www.scandasia...45&coun_code=se

Original news source: http://www.aftonbladet.se/sportbladet/motor/rally/article14444041.ab

-- scandasia.com 2012-02-29

[TAWP]

34...in 2 months?

**Edit: Yes, it is: http://www.scandasia.com/viewNews.php?coun_code=se&news_id=10240

For a nation the population-size of New York, this is a lot...

Edited February 29, 2012 by TAWP

[nightcruiser]

34...in 2 months?

**Edit: Yes, it is: http://www.scandasia...e&news_id=10240

For a nation the population-size of New York, this is a lot...

I think 34 drownings this year in Thailand would have to be an error I hope. If not - the Swedes needs some education regarding the dangers of water/swimming.

[mrtoad]

34...in 2 months?

**Edit: Yes, it is: http://www.scandasia...e&news_id=10240

For a nation the population-size of New York, this is a lot...

I think 34 drownings this year in Thailand would have to be an error I hope. If not - the Swedes needs some education regarding the dangers of water/swimming.

I would imagine that not all of those deaths are related to swimming, maybe you should read a bit more carefully.

[Unkomoncents]

Another shady-a*s death. I can't wait to finish my term here (July). Hopefully I'll survive.

[AngryParent]

With the number of foreigners mysteriously dying (murder?), the number of crimes comitted against foreign tourists and "residents", xenophobic/ancient immigration rules that affect tens of thousands foreigners and the fact that the smiles just aren't there anymore, it is time that ALL western goverments force their citizens to sign a document that notifies such citizens of such matters before they can buy a plane ticket.

This will reduce the numbers of tourists and immigrants. This will directly affect the pockets of Thais and MAYBE Thailand will clean up its mess.

Edited February 29, 2012 by AngryParent

[moe666]

Another shady-a*s death. I can't wait to finish my term here (July). Hopefully I'll survive.

Why the rush I have been coming to Thailand since 1970 and never felt unsafe. Maybe you should reconsider your activities they could be unsafe.

[jalansanitwong]

The course of time has shown that Thailand is a safe holiday destination unless youre a Swede.

Wont be any left soon.

[Katipo]

It just says 34 Swedes died in Thailand, not that they specifically died from drowning from what I can see. If you have actually seen the number of Swedes in Rayong and Phuket especially, as well as other areas through out Thailand I am not totally surprised. There seem to be more Swedes here than in Sweden

[Unkomoncents]

Another shady-a*s death. I can't wait to finish my term here (July). Hopefully I'll survive.

Why the rush I have been coming to Thailand since 1970 and never felt unsafe. Maybe you should reconsider your activities they could be unsafe.

Perhaps you haven't been IN Thailand since 1970. The country has a higher murder rate than the US, where guns are actually legal. That doesn't begin to touch on the road toll, farang "suicides", and all the other funky ways of dying in Thailand (when I moved here in 2009, the police found the head of an Italian man in a bag hanging from the Rama VIII bridge; the situation was a suicide investigation, initially, if I remember correctly).

Edited February 29, 2012 by Unkomoncents

[StoneSoup]

Everybody has to die somewhere. If you are dying, and you live in a place that is cold in the winter, I would think some folks might like to spend their last months on a nice warm beach - such as in Thailand.

What would be helpful would be to know the age breakdown of the deaths. If most are over 65 years of age, it might not be such a mystery.

My comments have nothing to do with the death of Mr. Anders - may he RIP.

SS

[GentlemanJim]

34...in 2 months?

**Edit: Yes, it is: http://www.scandasia...e&news_id=10240

For a nation the population-size of New York, this is a lot...

I think 34 drownings this year in Thailand would have to be an error I hope. If not - the Swedes needs some education regarding the dangers of water/swimming.

Nowhere does it say that 34 Swedes have drowned in Thailand this year. If you have been watching the news on Thai Visa, do you recall all the stories concerning traffic accidents and mini bus crashes etc etc, many of which have involved young Swedish kids?

[balo]

But still , 34 Swedes die within 2 months ? Even if we have a lot of tourists here now that number is too high.....

[belg]

thailand - the good hub for farang to die

[frankiebaby]

Do you feel safe in Thailand? Have you had any bad experiences since you arrived in 2009?

[anterian]

Thailand is very safe if you live outside the big cities. Here traffic stops when I start to cross a road, people wave and say hello as they go past. I'm expected to attend all local weddings and other ceremonies, no one tries to cheat me or overcharge. Completely different from when I lived in Bangkok.

[mackes]

If reading the article refeered to it state that there were 9 deaths caused by accident (traffic,swimming) and the rest 25 was death by natural cause.

[frankiebaby]

Where do you live in Thailand? I was thinking of moving to Thailand but everything I read on Thaivisa tells me to stay away. Is it really that bad?

[Deaw]

Do you feel safe in Thailand? Have you had any bad experiences since you arrived in 2009?

I've been coming here since 1999, and 6 months per year since 2003, and have never felt less than perfectly safe even one time

[RichardinBKK]

Another shady-a*s death. I can't wait to finish my term here (July). Hopefully I'll survive.

Why the rush I have been coming to Thailand since 1970 and never felt unsafe. Maybe you should reconsider your activities they could be unsafe.

That is a wise statement. You can find trouble anywhere, if you try. If you go to any major capital in the world, drink until you are stumbling down an alley at 3:00 AM, spend the wee hours chasing whores, buying drugs, and pissing off the locals...you are going to get your ass kicked...or worse, sooner or later. Why people expect a different outcome in Bangkok is beyond me.

Happily, i am what they call a "Family Man" I am busy supporting my family, probably drink less in a year than some folks drink in a weekend, and do not think dying from and STD, or passing one to my wife...is worth a few hours with a prostitute.

Yes, I know I am "square." But in my years here, I have had taxi drivers turn around and find me to return my forgotten backpack, had a woman who probably never had 5,000 baht all in one place return that sum to me when I dropped it getting my phone out of my pocket, and had several experiences giving a 50 instead of a 20 quickly pointed out and corrected.

Why? Not sure really. Perhaps because treat Thais with respect, dress neatly and try to remember I am a guest, and need to act like one.

That does not mean I do not enjoy a good fight, and I know if I were dealing with some drunk, disrespectful "a hole" who came to my town with the idea of screwing my sister...it might get unpleasant quickly for them.

[RichardinBKK]

May I please add, my comments about the relationship between safety in Bangkok and large cities was not meant in any way to reflect on Mr. Anders Kulläng.

[Unkomoncents]

I feel unsafe every time I have to cross the street and there are people driving the wrong direction into oncoming traffic. I have a family and am married to a Thai woman. I don't do anything dangerous; I avoid everything from Thai amusement parks (as there always seems to have been a recent death) to the beautiful but dangerous beaches (no one is ever warned of currents or jellyfish, the latter of which left me with quite a scar). I have seen quite bloody motorcycle accidents, so I rarely use those. I have a friend whose six year old was killed by a vehicle while walking on the sidewalk here (I suppose it must have been a motorcycle, though I have seen cars driving on the sidewalks around Ratchatewi). I was also sprayed with blood when a man was hit by a truck in front of The Dubliner in Phrom Phong. I lived here for years and told my family, when they visited me, that no one ever hits the dogs. Two days after they arrived, my father watched a sangthaew run over a dogs head. I also feel unsafe when the Thai Transportation Minister explains casually that Thais are different from other people and therefore are capable of texting-while-driving. If you have any additional need of anecdotal evidence, read the Pattaya Daily News or Phuket's equivalent. There are usually a few suicides a week. Perhaps everyone comes to Thailand to commit suicide though, so I might be wrong on the last point. If you think it's safe in Thailand and you've never experienced any risk or sense of it, while in the Kingdom, congratulations. But perhaps you haven't been paying much attention.

Edited February 29, 2012 by Unkomoncents

[zippydedodah]

Another shady-a*s death. I can't wait to finish my term here (July). Hopefully I'll survive.

Why the rush I have been coming to Thailand since 1970 and never felt unsafe. Maybe you should reconsider your activities they could be unsafe.

Perhaps you haven't been IN Thailand since 1970. The country has a higher murder rate than the US, where guns are actually legal. That doesn't begin to touch on the road toll, farang "suicides", and all the other funky ways of dying in Thailand (when I moved here in 2009, the police found the head of an Italian man in a bag hanging from the Rama VIII bridge; the situation was a suicide investigation, initially, if I remember correctly).

thanks for that tip on the "murder rate"... i was mildly surprised by that statistic...looking it up i found that the margin is slim, but you are correct. I have been coming to thailand since the 70s and have lived here now for (only) 3 yrs... but never felt unsafe... finding out the "high" murder rate won't make me feel unsafe, but it does make me wonder.

Having moved here from SFO bay area, where murders are a common occurrence, that statistic is hard for me to believe... in part because i don't consider murder a commonplace occurrence here in thailand... maybe i just don't pay enuf attention here and have developed that wonderful thai "head in the sand" approach.?!?!?! But in USA, you simply cannot avoid the awareness of murders, nightly news in LA shows helicopter chases as regular events, chalk lines in the streets are often seen in various neighborhoods around the bay area, and the security/alarm industry is going full speed ahead... as are many other of the fear based economies in USA...

Well, i have to get back to keeping my hole in the sand warm....

[Scott]

My condolences to the friends, family and fans of Mr. Kullang.

[TeddyFlyfisherDavis]

With the number of foreigners mysteriously dying (murder?), the number of crimes comitted against foreign tourists and "residents", xenophobic/ancient immigration rules that affect tens of thousands foreigners and the fact that the smiles just aren't there anymore, it is time that ALL western goverments force their citizens to sign a document that notifies such citizens of such matters before they can buy a plane ticket.

This will reduce the numbers of tourists and immigrants. This will directly affect the pockets of Thais and MAYBE Thailand will clean up its mess.

I am not trying to be condisending but....I truly doubt it...

[Shantaram]

34...in 2 months?

For a nation the population-size of New York, this is a lot...

I think 34 drownings this year in Thailand would have to be an error I hope. If not - the Swedes needs some education regarding the dangers of water/swimming.

He should have stuck to what he knew best, I guess he was out of his element

[Gweiloman]

I feel unsafe every time I have to cross the street and there are people driving the wrong direction into oncoming traffic. I have a family and am married to a Thai woman. I don't do anything dangerous; I avoid everything from Thai amusement parks (as there always seems to have been a recent death) to the beautiful but dangerous beaches (no one is ever warned of currents or jellyfish, the latter of which left me with quite a scar). I have seen quite bloody motorcycle accidents, so I rarely use those. I have a friend whose six year old was killed by a vehicle while walking on the sidewalk here (I suppose it must have been a motorcycle, though I have seen cars driving on the sidewalks around Ratchatewi). I was also sprayed with blood when a man was hit by a truck in front of The Dubliner in Phrom Phong. I lived here for years and told my family, when they visited me, that no one ever hits the dogs. Two days after they arrived, my father watched a sangthaew run over a dogs head. I also feel unsafe when the Thai Transportation Minister explains casually that Thais are different from other people and therefore are capable of texting-while-driving. If you have any additional need of anecdotal evidence, read the Pattaya Daily News or Phuket's equivalent. There are usually a few suicides a week. Perhaps everyone comes to Thailand to commit suicide though, so I might be wrong on the last point. If you think it's safe in Thailand and you've never experienced any risk or sense of it, while in the Kingdom, congratulations. But perhaps you haven't been paying much attention.

You sound like a bundle of fun. Watch Air Crash Investigation - you won't fly ever again. Watch Jaws - don't go into the water every.

[Gweiloman]

Simple fact of the matter is that Thailand is a very free and liberated country, where one is pretty much free to do whatever he/she chooses. This comes as a culture shock to a lot of tourists, many of whom go overboard with the drinking and dare I say it, whoring. Drink however, is the main culprit. When one gets drunk, one loses his/her inhibitions and throws caution to the wind, doing things that he/she wouldn't normally do - like speeding on a motorcycle helmetless, becoming too brazen and maybe insulting some locals etc.

[OBLEDUT]

34...in 2 months?

**Edit: Yes, it is: http://www.scandasia...e&news_id=10240

For a nation the population-size of New York, this is a lot...

I think 34 drownings this year in Thailand would have to be an error I hope. If not - the Swedes needs some education regarding the dangers of water/swimming.

Most are traffic and alcohol combined related.

[Gonsalviz]

Do you feel safe in Thailand? Have you had any bad experiences since you arrived in 2009?

Where do you live in Thailand? I was thinking of moving to Thailand but everything I read on Thaivisa tells me to stay away. Is it really that bad?

I have been coming to Thailand since 1978. Never felt unsafe or worried about anything including in Bangkok. I live up north now and there is no doubt that a traffic accident is the most likely way to die. And even then I don't feel unsafe.

I think a lot of the murders are people that fall into the wrong crowd or mess with the wrong people which will happen anywhere.