British Teacher In A Coma After Brutal Assault In Pattaya

[webfact]

UK Teacher in A Coma After Brutal Assault

Regent’s International School Adam Pickles

CHIANGRAI TIMES – Regent’s International School Adam Pickles is fighting for his life in a Thai hospital after a stranger savagely attacked him with a metal bar. Adam Pickles has been in a coma after the brutal assault, which left him needing emergency brain surgery.

The 40-year-old had only just recovered from a horrific motorbike crash which also left him in a coma, missing the birth of his eight-month-old son Benjamin.

His parents Adele, 61, and Andrew, 62, have flown from their home in Thorner, Leeds, to be at his bedside while friends at home and abroad rally to raise the cost of his medical care.

His Wife said: “It breaks my heart, it really does. The days seem very long, just waiting, waiting, hoping he’ll come back to us. It’s any mum’s worst nightmare.

His Family and Friends are hoping he can make as full a recovery. We absolutely love him and he had so many plans for him. We really need him to come back to us for the sake of his little boy.

The former Bradford Grammar School and Humberside University student was attacked as he drove home alone from a bar in the Nong Prue district, where he plays pool, last Thursday. [more...]

Full story: http://www.chiangrai.../news/7342.html

-- CHIANGRAI TIMES 2012-05-26

[barryofthailand]

Pattaya is now a dangerous place. You must be very careful.

Barry

[Rionoir]

Why would they assume the attacker is a westerner?

[somtampet]

Pattaya is now a dangerous place. You must be very careful.

Barry

no its not

[laurentbkk]

There are crimes like that everywhere in the world .... Pattaya makes no exception .... As well as many other tourists destination worldwide. Pattaya is not more dangerous than Ibiza , Nice or Miami .

[Siriam]

Why would they assume the attacker is a westerner?

Right... why? Witnesses ?

[londoedan]

Pattaya is now a dangerous place. You must be very careful.

Barry

no its not

I agree with you. Pattaya is no more dangerous than an awful lot of other places in the world that I have lived-in, and probaably more so than the UK.

However, I still find this news report pretty shocking and hope he manages to recover from his 2nd coma

Find it hard to understand why a teacher at an international school in Thailand would have many enemies ?????

[marstons]

it would seem natural i think to assume that if it was a westerner he would be known to the victem

Edited May 26, 2012 by marstons

[Mobi]

I'm curious why this story is in the Chaingrai Times. What's the connection?

And the hospital charges 2,000 GBP per day!!! That's nearly 100,000 Baht. Even PBH doesn't charge that much!!!

[JoePai]

Pattaya is now a dangerous place. You must be very careful.

Barry

no its not

You obviously do not live in Pattaya or know anything about it to say Pattaya is safe !

[soihok]

Yes, 100,000 baht a day in hospital charges seems very high.

I guess he's on a life support machine, but the charge is well over the top. My wife was recently hospitalised and spent a week in a private room / intensive care in a hospital in Singapore for 140,000 baht.

[scotbeve]

Get well man!

[Gers1873]

Pattaya is now a dangerous place. You must be very careful.

Barry

no its not

You obviously do not live in Pattaya or know anything about it to say Pattaya is safe !

Incident is reported to have happened around Nongprue - well off the tourist track and generally quite quiet.

Everything, probably including the police assessment, is speculation which serves no purpose.

Let's all hope he makes a full recovery.

If you want to make a positive contribution contact Regents school and see how you can take part in or contribute to the fund-raising efforts. Sadly the teachers appear to be under-insured.

[angsta]

Pattaya is now a dangerous place. You must be very careful.

Barry

no its not

Yes it is.

[Ohyesuare]

Hmm, who in Pattaya has a short temper and likes to attack teachers....... I don't think Pattaya is a dangerous place unless you walk around in dimly lit areas with 5 baht of gold on you.

[Plucky]

Pattaya sounds very violent. Is it really that bad?

Posted with Thaivisa App http://apps.thaivisa.com

[23962323]

Makes me wonder what the hells going on,it took a while for this story to be made public in Pattaya,usually lot quicker at the off with a story like this

[dabhand]

Makes me wonder what the hells going on,it took a while for this story to be made public in Pattaya,usually lot quicker at the off with a story like this

Yes, my thoughts as well. It was being advised to parents of children attending Regents earlier in the week. There was also a report on the UK Daily Mail website yesterday.

But Pattaya 'news' publications....no mention.

[vahack]

There are crimes like that everywhere in the world .... Pattaya makes no exception .... As well as many other tourists destination worldwide. Pattaya is not more dangerous than Ibiza , Nice or Miami .

the difference is this is Thailand, not Miami, LA, or even my hometown of DC. people come here thinking its safe when the truth is its not. you have to watch your ass just like anywhere else. and you should never go out alone. by preaching that Pattaya is safe, you are only putting other tourists at risk. it would be the same as telling people that bus or van transport is safe.

i always thought Pattaya is a cesspool - the worst of Thailand. i prefer almost any other province or city.

[kerryk]

There are crimes like that everywhere in the world .... Pattaya makes no exception .... As well as many other tourists destination worldwide. Pattaya is not more dangerous than Ibiza , Nice or Miami .

the difference is this is Thailand, not Miami, LA, or even my hometown of DC. people come here thinking its safe when the truth is its not. you have to watch your ass just like anywhere else. and you should never go out alone. by preaching that Pattaya is safe, you are only putting other tourists at risk. it would be the same as telling people that bus or van transport is safe.

i always thought Pattaya is a cesspool - the worst of Thailand. i prefer almost any other province or city.

I go there every weekend by bus or van transport. Pattaya is perfectly safe. You have no idea what you are talking about.

[Semper]

Pattaya is now a dangerous place. You must be very careful.

Barry

no its not

Yes it is.

[kerryk]

Pattaya is now a dangerous place. You must be very careful.

Barry

no its not

Yes it is.

How would you know? You live in that smog shrouded place up North where you can't even see across the street during the burning season. When was the last time you got mugged in Pattaya?

[PattayaParent]

Pattaya is now a dangerous place. You must be very careful.

Barry

no its not

You obviously do not live in Pattaya or know anything about it to say Pattaya is safe !

Incident is reported to have happened around Nongprue - well off the tourist track and generally quite quiet.

Everything, probably including the police assessment, is speculation which serves no purpose.

Let's all hope he makes a full recovery.

If you want to make a positive contribution contact Regents school and see how you can take part in or contribute to the fund-raising efforts. Sadly the teachers appear to be under-insured.

Walking Street is in Nongprue.

[w11guy]

Pattaya is now a dangerous place. You must be very careful.

Barry

no its not

Yes it is.

How would you know? You live in that smog shrouded place up North where you can't even see across the street during the burning season. When was the last time you got mugged in Pattaya?

Because someone hasn't been personally mugged doesn't make a place safe. Just take a look at the crime stats for Pattaya. There are lots of violent crimes. Much more than for a similar sized UK or US city. Yes, Pattaya is generally safe during the daytime, but at night it's a different place.

[FarangBuddha]

I'm sure there's much more to the story...maybe we'll get it...maybe not. Nobody "deserves" to be beaten into a coma by a metal rod but I'm sure it was not a random act either (as portrayed in this media account) and I feel much safer anywhere in Thailand than in most places in the good ole' US of A!

[kerryk]

Because someone hasn't been personally mugged doesn't make a place safe. Just take a look at the crime stats for Pattaya. There are lots of violent crimes. Much more than for a similar sized UK or US city. Yes, Pattaya is generally safe during the daytime, but at night it's a different place.

Crime stats from where? Come on now. Fess up. There are no accurate statistics about Pattaya. And how do you know at night it is not safe? I lived there every night for 3 years. So I know. I hope the teacher recovers but don't make up reasons that you can't verify that the town is dangerous. It is not dangerous. Ask anyone who lives there.

[waza]

Very curious occurrence, my sympathy to the victim. Hmmm those hospital charges are closer to a western hospital rather than a THai one, a bit of price gouging I think.

[rodentwarrior]

It would appear yet another case of a foreigner in Thailand with no health insurance. Makes my blood boil, and this guy is a teacher? Should know better.

I hope he has generous friends, and wealthy parents. All completely avoidable with a decent policy.

And yet again another clear demonstration to those clowns who say they can just get on a plane if they get sick. Can't get on a plane if you are in ICU in a coma.

That said, I hope he recovers for the sake of his family as much as himself.

[simple1]

I'm curious why this story is in the Chaingrai Times. What's the connection?

And the hospital charges 2,000 GBP per day!!! That's nearly 100,000 Baht. Even PBH doesn't charge that much!!!

By way of some background, a Thai family member was hit by a car and was in a coma (unfortunately he died), cost 47,000 baht for first day of treatment at Chon Buri Hospital, so not suprised at 100,000 a day for a private hospital. I hope the victim of the attack soon recovers...

[simple1]

It would appear yet another case of a foreigner in Thailand with no health insurance. Makes my blood boil, and this guy is a teacher? Should know better.

I hope he has generous friends, and wealthy parents. All completely avoidable with a decent policy.

And yet again another clear demonstration to those clowns who say they can just get on a plane if they get sick. Can't get on a plane if you are in ICU in a coma.

That said, I hope he recovers for the sake of his family as much as himself.

If you click through to the news article in the original story, a family member states he does have medical insurance, but maybe not enough to cover all the potential costs. I think you will find private medical insurance, at least in Thailand, does not provide unlimited cover