Thailand News

[Buff-horns]

Tourist's body found in Thai sea

KOH SAMUI: -- Katherine Horton had left for the Thailand trip last Tuesday

The body of a 21-year-old student backpacker from Cardiff has been found in the sea off an island in Thailand, the Foreign Office has confirmed.

The body of Reading University student Katherine Horton was discovered on New Year's Day off the south eastern resort island of Samui.

A Foreign Office spokesman said the body was found by a water biker at 10am local time on Monday.

He said police in Thailand were investigating Ms Horton's death.

Ms Horton was last seen alive on Sunday night, the spokesman added.

The student had left for the Far East last week for a couple of weeks backpacking in Thailand with a university friend. her mother Elizabeth said speaking at the family home in Thornhill, Cardiff, on Monday.

The student had arrived on the island on New Year's Eve

"She's been in touch once to wish us all a happy new year but that was the last we've heard of her," she said.

"I can't believe she's gone. It just doesn't seem real, it doesn't seem possible."

Thai police also said the woman had been travelling with another student.

Officers said Ms Horton had arrived in Thailand last Tuesday and reached the island on New Year's Eve.

They said they did not the know the cause of the woman's death and that a post mortem examination was due to take place.

--bbc.co.uk 2006-01-02

[jrincon17]

Where is the other friend ?

[george]

British tourist found dead off Samui island

KOH SAMUI: -- The body of a 21-year-old female British tourist was found Monday floating in waters off the southeastern Thai resort island of Samui, police said.

The woman was identified as Catherine Horton of Cardiff, Wales, and her corpse was discovered by a man who rents jet skis to tourists.

Horton, who arrived in Thailand on December 27 and reached the island on December31, was travelling with a fellow student, police said.

"We don't know the cause of death yet," police major Thanongsak Aksornsom, chief investigator on Samui island, told AFP. He declined to comment on a Thai television report that Horton had been raped before being murdered.

"The body will sent for an autopsy," Thanongsak said.

British embassy staff could not be reached for comment late Monday.

--Agence France-Presse 2006-01-02

[maprao]

Been a bit of a run during the festive season. First Koh Chang then Bangkok now Samui.

My condolences to all the families concerned.

Yeah and where is the friend? Alive and well? Missing?

All said and done Thailand still remains a safe place to go and travel compared to many other locations in the world.

[bkkweb]

There is a reference to the friend in Q here:

Briton found dead on Thai holiday

A British student has been found dead in the sea off Thailand during a two week New Year break with a girlfriend, it has emerged.

The body of psychology student Katherine Horton, 21, of Mayfair Drive, Thornhill, Cardiff, south Wales, was discovered in the sea off the island of Koh Samui by a jet skier.

Her shocked mother Elizabeth Horton spoke of her devastation after learning of her daughter's sudden death.

"I am obviously devastated. It is really too difficult to talk," said Mrs Horton from her home in Cardiff. "We know so little. One of my sons knows what has happened but we are still trying to contact his brother to break the news."

Friends who quickly rallied to support the family also spoke of their shock and devastation.

One family friend, who did not wish to be named, said she believed Katherine was a second year psychology student at Reading University. She said she had flown out to Thailand with a girlfriend on December 27 after celebrating Christmas with her family.

"It was only a short backpacking holiday with a girlfriend. They were due back on January 10," she said. "While they were out there they met up with other friends and it was one of them who actually phoned to break the news today. The girl she went out there with is inconsolable and couldn't speak.

"But we have had no official information at all. Nobody has contacted Elizabeth. We simply don't know what happened. The family are trying to find out what exactly has happened but there is no news at the moment. Everyone is in complete shock."

She said Mrs Horton was a divorcee with two sons, both of whom are older than Katherine. The trip to Thailand was only meant to be a short break and both Katherine and her friend had been due back on Tuesday of next week. She was last seen alive on Sunday night.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "Police are investigating her death."

Source: Ananova.com

[RAZZELL]

Very sad...

I pray that it was just a tragic accident...

[nellyp]

Very sad...

I pray that it was just a tragic accident...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

This is incredibly sad .

Being from Wales, and also having lived on Samui this really hits home.I am sad for ms Hortons family and freind and also for samui, an island I came to love while living there. Hopefully this will act as a warning to people to stay with friends while traveling (if she was with her friend why didn't her friend report her missing), I also hope this doesn't stop people trraveling to Samui as this kind of thing (whether accidental or premeditated) is a lot rarer occurance there than it could be.

Again condolances and a wish for this incident to be investigated and not forgotten about (as with a case while I lived on the island).

I just read the comment from masterbater4 and I hope all of it's family get cancer and die. This may seem outragous but .....hey what goes around......

[jrincon17]

Very sad...

I pray that it was just a tragic accident...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

seems like samui is becoming like pattya without the balconies , i hope people look out for eachother when they go out

[edh]

Not funny or amusing at all.

Have a balcony for some years,, still here.

Worry about balcony parties, do you?

seems like samui is becoming like pattya without the balconies , i hope people look out for eachother when they go out

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[cvsoft]

My condolences. I cannot imagine the grief from her family. I hope this case be resolved very soon.

Cvsoft

Manila, Philippines

[LaoPo]

My sincere condoleances to the family and relatives/friends.

Very sad story, such a young girl...21 years old...on a happy backpack-trip with her girlfriend.

Many questions are open so far:

1. she arrives on Newyears' eve (31st/Dec) with girlfriend

2. last seen on sundaynight (1st/Jan)..what time and where?

3. found at sea at 10.000 AM mondaymorning on the 2nd/Jan

4. what happened inbetween...did she go for a swim at nighttime...?

5. where did the 2 girls stay?

6. which beach?

and many more questions...

Hope to hear that her girlfriend at least is safe and maybe she can tell what happened.

LaoPo

[mraloha]

what is going on in koh samui? i had a good friend named gorden hunt who moved to samui 6 years ago when i moved to chaingmai. he was a drunk, but was working selling land. one day it is as though he just fell off the earth. i could no longer contact him by phone or email and have never heard from him again. i wouldn't be surprised if he was drunk, pissed off some locals, and they killed him and dumped him in the sea.

i don't mean any disrespect to the poor english family who are suffering this tragic loss, but i wonder if samui is turning into, as people say, another pataya or worse? a kind of wild west town.

[Nam Kao]

Strikingly similar to the Natalie Halloway / Aruba story

[phillyherb]

Strikingly similar to the Natalie Halloway / Aruba story

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

With the exception that in the body was found and the family will at least not have to suffer the difficulties of not knowing for sure whether their daughter is alive or missing.

Very little consolation at this time for the family. But just imagine what the Halloway's are going through even to this day.

My condolences also to the families.

[nonthaburial]

Sorry to say there seems to be more to this story than is being reported locally.

Please go to this link and see what else is being said

www.timesonline.co.uk

[bulmercke]

what is going on in koh samui? i had a good friend named gorden hunt who moved to samui 6 years ago when i moved to chaingmai. he was a drunk, but was working selling land. one day it is as though he just fell off the  earth. i could no longer contact him by phone or email and have never heard from him again. i wouldn't be surprised if he was drunk, pissed off some locals, and they killed him and dumped him in the sea.

i don't mean any disrespect to the poor english family who are suffering this tragic loss, but i wonder if samui is turning into, as people say, another pataya or worse? a kind of wild west town.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

There's previously been extensive discussion about Samui on this forum, and as to whether it's turned into another Pattaya.

In the main, it's generally controlled by a dozen or so "influential" families and there appears to be a lot of crime - much of it going unreported.

My condolences to this poor woman and her family.

http://www.www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0...1967406,00.html

[sabaijai]

i don't mean any disrespect to the poor english family who are suffering this tragic loss, but i wonder if samui is turning into, as people say, another pataya or worse? a kind of wild west town.

welsh, not english.

[Lifelover]

Murder comes to an island idyll

BY ANDREW DRUMMOND AND SOPHIE KIRKHAM

Katherine Horton was killed after taking a stroll on a beach in Thailand

3 January 2006

A BRITISH student was murdered after she went for a stroll along a tropical beach in Thailand to make a mobile phone call.

Katherine Horton, 21, a psychology student from Cardiff, was travelling with a friend from Reading University and had been on the resort island of Koh Samui for only a few days.

It is thought that Miss Horton was attacked after leaving her friend and walking alone along the white sand beach to chat in private, possibly to her mother in Cardiff, on Sunday evening.

Her body was found the next morning in shallow water off Lamai beach by jetski operators. Local news reports said that she had been raped.

Speaking from Thornhill, Cardiff, her mother, Elizabeth, said yesterday that her daughter had already called home once to wish her family a happy new year: “That was the last we heard of her. She sounded so happy out there.”

Miss Horton was with Ruth Adams, also 21, on a two-week backpacking holiday. They met up with friends, one of whom rang Miss Horton’s parents yesterday to break the news. The pair had flown out on December 27 and were staying at the £10-a-night New Hut Bungalow resort on New Year’s Eve. Staff said they had seen the two women together on Sunday night outside their bungalow, and had found out that Miss Horton had been killed only when police arrived.

Miss Adams, who is said to be inconsolable, was last night still helping the authorities. She told police that they had been sitting on the beach in front of the bungalows at 9pm when Miss Horton received a call from her family on her mobile. She then strolled along the beach as she spoke to her relatives while Miss Adams returned to their bungalow and fell asleep. It was not until the next morning that she realised Miss Horton was missing.

Her body was found a short while later. One witness said there were signs of severe injuries to her head and shoulder. Local television footage showed her body slumped on the beach wearing a dark green T-shirt. She appeared to have bruising on her left shoulder.

“I can’t believe she’s gone. It just doesn’t seem real, it doesn’t seem possible,” her mother said last night. “They were really looking forward to [the holiday] and were very excited. But nobody seems to be able to tell me how she has died or what has happened to her. I just want to know what happened to my little girl. They were just going to travel around backpacking before coming home to carry on with their studies. She was such a lovely girl.”

Miss Horton, who had been due home on January 10, had two older brothers.

Her father, Richard, who also lives in Cardiff, was said to be devastated.

Koh Samui is popular with backpackers, families and budget travellers, and is known for its nightlife and beach parties, often held under a full moon. In recent years there have been reports of rise in crime in the southeastern Thai island, with the appearance of local gangs. Women travellers have complained of being harassed.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office says it had received reports of sex attacks on men and women and advises: “Female travellers in particular should maintain a high state of personal awareness in Thailand.”

[Soph]

My deepest condolonces to this girls family and friends.

I find this news deeply chilling, disturbing and very close to home, and I sincerely hope they catch the person/people that did this as soon as possible.

[TRD LOVER]

Omigod.. I feel do so bad for the parents back in Cardiff.. so far from home to lose a child.. no way of knowing the reason why?? I have a daughter now in her late thirties and I often feared for her in her long trips away..

My heart goes out to the parents.. and to this way too young lady to leave us so soon in life..

TRD LOVER

[TRD LOVER]

Now this really ticks me off.. I am shocked at what Thailand is fast becoming.. are all woman now unsafe here??

I have lived in a many war torned areas in the world..I have seen horror of so many killed for no reason.. but it is not to happen here in Thailand...

I hope they find this young men and do them the same way..

[capt_canada42]

Its funny all the years I have lived here in Thailand it seems KOH SAMUI has alot of bullshitttt. I have heard many times about the closed island mentality.

I know when I first came to Phuket ( also an island)25+ years ago some areas were a little rough as we were looked on as outsiders. But the huge influx of foreigners over the years have changed this attitude.

[nealbambridge]

Oh dear, this is deja vu.

On 15 December 2 Swedish girls drowned on haad-rin Beach Koh Phangan.

Also yesterday a Swedish girl came into Backpackers Information Centre, Haad-rin, Koh phangan who at 5am New Year was attacked and attempted rape by a Thai or Burmese guy - she had multiple stab wouunds and her throat was slashed - she has had about 28 stitches.

She was simply sitting down by herself on a road near Paradise Bungalows and the man jumped on her - she eventually grabbed a brick and smashed it into his head to get him off - she is in a terrible condition.

Bambi

[Backpack_thailand]

British embassy staff could not be reached for comment late Monday

The usual reliable support from the UK Embassy...!

[Scott]

My condolences to the family and friends.

[naomisri]

This is a slightly different version than my husband heard from the police yesterday. He was told that the girl was found at a private beach near Buriraya (although nothing to do with said resort) resort on the peninsula. They were coming round to the local resorts to warn people yesterday - seems strange that they could get it SO wrong...

I am devastated by this news, it's very close to home - my brother was with some friends at New Hut that same day. I was just defending Samui on another thread so to hear this is really hard. I hope the family get some justice.

[Rooo]

Condolences to the family.I have a daughter about the same age & can't even start to think of how shattered they must be.

[seonai]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,....html?gusrc=rss

[Soph]

On Sunday night, the Burmese/thai workers who stay near my house had been drinking all day due to holidays. As I left my house at one point in the pitch black, one of them approached me and grabbed my arm. I promptly screamed and ran off. He ran away too - very weird.

Last night I was arrived home, only to be followed by the same guy (still drinking) who started to bang on my door. I told him to go away, then called some Thai / farrang friends who arrived and spoke with the guys friends (he'd dissapeared) and then took me to stay the night with them.

I am now looking for a new house. I had never felt unsafe in this way on Samui before, but this behaviour coupled with this news is very unnerving.

I dont think these guys meant any real harm, but what im trying to say is that they had been drinking solidly for 2/3 days as they had holidays, causing them to become more confident.

It makes me think that whoever did this had probably been up to the same too much drink / drugs for a couple of days, then this.

[limbos]

Very sad and my thoughts go out towards the relatives, must be very hard for them.

Hopefully they find who did this and deal with him/her in an appropiate way but am afraid it'll end up with the stack 'unsolved'.