Canadian Sisters Deaths: Probe Finds More Information But No Clues

[jerrysteve]

One thing is certain: They did not die of old age or any other natural causes. I am suprised that the Canadian government has not

gotten involved...

Perhaps they have, but it would be interesting to find out if they have.

Hopefull more of their citizens won't have to die before they get involved. Perhaps the Canadian government should have sent their

own forensic people in on this case.

It seems like an inordinate amount of time to go by with no conclusive results..

[hellodolly]

I have to agree with the poster who said maybe he had been watching to many forensic shows where they solve these things.

People can be down rite stupid. The show's are written from a death where they all ready knew the causes of a death then they wrote the show to make it look like a mystery.

In Chiang Mai the World Health Organization was involved and they could not come up with a answer. A American lady become sick but managed to get back to Seattle where they have state of the art medical science and they could not say what it was.

But here we are in Thailand mostly expats thinking every thing is a cover up because they did not announce the cause ten minutes after the event.

Grow up people there are people dying all over the world dying from causes that at this point in time medical science can not give a reason from.

And we expect Thailand to be have all the answers. As I said People can be incredibly stupid.

And I don't mean because they don't know they don't know every thing there is to know. I mean because they think they know every thing there is to know.

I wonder how many tourists die mysteriously in resort accommodation in the US, Canada, the UK, Germany etc. I wonder if it'd be business as usual if there were a series of similarly mysterious deaths in those countries? Yes, some people are incredibly stupid aren't they. Nothing amiss here in the LOS.

Yes it would be business as usual if it happened in those countries. Maybe close their room until a forensic team could go over it. Possibly a shut down for a few days. But I highly doubt that if the people involved had been out partying elsewhere the night before they would close their doors and not give the experts time to try to figure out what happened. Only in Thailand and even there it is only in the expat community.. The only difference is they have better forensic abilities to investigate and it would take them time to come up with a answer if they could. As I said this happens all over the world. It is stupid people that think in Thailand they should come up with answers ten minutes after the events.

So far only one poster has asked the sensible question does it happen to Thais?

You claim

" Nothing amiss here in the LOS."

There is lots of different things but the thing that is most amiss is stupid foreigners coming here and expecting to find the best of every thing in the world. Then when they discover Thailand is not that far technically advanced they start whining.

I lived in North America for 64 years and for many years would read the whole paper. Many many times I read about similar mysterious things. But that was it a one or two day sensation then nothing. Not even a we don't know just silence and onto the next thing to sell the newspaper. But let it happen here in Thailand and boy does the old double standard jump up real fast.

[hellodolly]

I have to agree with the poster who said maybe he had been watching to many forensic shows where they solve these things.

People can be down rite stupid. The show's are written from a death where they all ready knew the causes of a death then they wrote the show to make it look like a mystery.

In Chiang Mai the World Health Organization was involved and they could not come up with a answer. A American lady become sick but managed to get back to Seattle where they have state of the art medical science and they could not say what it was.

But here we are in Thailand mostly expats thinking every thing is a cover up because they did not announce the cause ten minutes after the event.

Grow up people there are people dying all over the world dying from causes that at this point in time medical science can not give a reason from.

And we expect Thailand to be have all the answers. As I said People can be incredibly stupid.

And I don't mean because they don't know they don't know every thing there is to know. I mean because they think they know every thing there is to know.

You are really going to defend the authorities on this and use the Chiang Mai incidents as an example? Perhaps the reason for the accusations has more to do with the Thai track record on investigating deaths and mysterious illnesses here. Your proof that an American returned from Chiang Mai and the hospital could not find the cause of the illness is a ridiculous comparison. Let's examine this another way. Let's say a hotel in America had several deaths and several illnesses like they had in Chiang Mai. What would be the actions by those authorities? How about these actions:

- The hotel would be shut down. Did this happen in Thailand? Nope. The owner was related to a political figure in Chiang Mai and the hotel was allowed to continue running without any concern for future visitors.

- The press would have prominent articles on the situation and mounting pressure on the authorities to solve the case. Did this happen in Thailand? Nope. Most Thais were unaware of this incident for months after the situation until it was really too late to conduct a proper investigation.

- There would have been a group of teams investigating the individuals who became sick and following up on what they had done in the days leading up to the illness. Again, the hotel would have been closed since statistically this anomally could not be considered a coincidence. Proper tests would have been done on the people and rooms and just like the forensic shows you see on TV, this case would have been solved much earlier.

- Someone would have been held responsible and repercussions would have caused others in the hotel industry to take note and hopefully prevent this occurrence from happening in their establishment. Media coverage would have added additional economical impact to the owner's business and any other hotels they may have owned.

So please refrain from commenting on the inability of a lone hospital in the US from being able to determine the cause of all the deaths and illnesses in Chiang Mai after examining a single patient.

I do like Thailand and have made a decision to stay here regardless of these negative aspects. With that said, Thailand should take measures to improve their public health response. My response was not to add to the well thought out comments by some and knee jerk idiotic comments by others about the inept public authorities, but rather to point out your silly defense of these public officials. CSI is a dream fantasy. Thai investigation is a horror story.

You watch to much Television.

I am not defending any one but I am giving them the time to do their job.

Are You Mr Newbie?

And I see you conveniently left out the fact that The World Health Organization looked into the Chiang Mai incident and could come up with no answer. But ha what the heck on CSI it only takes one hour and they have it solved. And we all know CSI has high standards.

Edited July 10, 2012 by hellodolly

[hellodolly]

First off, the press release by the Thai official sounds too well written. Either a native English speaker wrote it, or it was edited by one. Reminds me of a time when I wrote a strong letter to a Thai neighbor of mine. I had a Thai friend translate it. Only later did I find the translation used flowery language, which was not in the letter I wrote.

On the topic of possible over-applying pesticide. I had two women clean my house one time, and they decided to do a load of laundry. I happened to notice the amount of detergent they put in for that one load, was enough for 25 loads. I only mention that because some Thais don't have a clue regarding dosages of chemical things. I see it in the fields also, when they're applying herbicide/pesticides on crops.

In sum, the press release by the Thai official basically indicates what many of us already know: Thai authorities do not have the skills or prowess (and maybe not the willingness) needed to find out what really caused the most recent deaths, and the tourist deaths prior. They need to either bring in farang experts, or go study at farang-run institutions, to become adept at their jobs.

Sometimes, while doing investigative work, the tiniest clue may be very important in cracking a case. Thais see tiny clues and claim 'inconclusive'. It's as if they want the molecules or pathogens under their microscope to be parading around with banners proclaiming what their names are.

You are probably rite about the press release being written by a native English speaker.

I really liked the following section of your post

"In sum, the press release by the Thai official basically indicates what many of us already know: Thai authorities do not have the skills or prowess (and maybe not the willingness) needed to find out what really caused the most recent deaths, and the tourist deaths prior. They need to either bring in farang experts, or go study at farang-run institutions, to become adept at their jobs.

All true even the part about not having the willingness. Many foreigners come here to Thailand to live and continue on with there western ways only because things are a little cheaper they have a higher standard of living. But they forget they are in another country with different values and a different culture along with a different religion. And they make no effort to understand any of this. For those of us who have a little bit of understanding it comes as no surprise that they do not but the same negative approach on death that we we grew up with in the western world. So they make judgments based on standards and values in a country they choose not to live in.

And no I only claim to have a little understanding of their culture and values. But I have a big understanding of western ones and there is a big difference. I am not saying one is wrong and the other is right. I merely point out that they are not the same.

In the case of the Chiang Mai incident they did bring in the World Health Organization and got the same answer from them. It is unexplainable.

Edited July 10, 2012 by hellodolly

[hellodolly]

Just remembering the elderly couple from my home county in the U.K. They came for a happy holiday in Chiang Mai at the now demolished hotel downtown inn. Active elderly people, withstanding a 12 hour flight, and travel to C.M. BOTH died of heart attacks in the room, the wife on the bed, the husband on his knees and upper body on the bed. Strange that they had heart attacks at the same time. When back to the U.K. it would be good to speak about it to the son and find out really what he thinks.

I am confused. Easy to do

swillowbee has just told us the whole world knows all the horrible things that are going on and now you are saying that people come for a Happy holiday here to Thailand where all these horrible things are happening and according to swillowbee they know it.

Do you think he is just a clueless Thai basher?

Don't know about speaking to the son.

But I do believe that was probably the strangest part of the whole downtown inn saga.

One might speculate that one died from a heart attack and the other one had so much grief that he/she died of one also. Still strange. The World Health Organization had no answer for that either.

[jamstock]

Are those direct quotes from the Colonel? Because he's got excellent English! And the manner in which he spoke was pretty professional and to some extent, reassuring. Unlike the typical "We no find everything" grunt that we're typically given.

Perhaps they are telling the truth after all? The symptoms sound like e. coli http://www.medicinen...7h7/article.htm but surely they've already ruled that out through testing?

The sisters died at exactly the same time, and the symptoms were not those of e-coli as described in the above link, so it's very unlikely to have been e-coli. The sisters had blackened nails, a rash, bleeding skin/ blood under the skin, bleeding gums, as well as vomiting (as reported by the bangkok post). God knows what causes these symptoms. A very very strange story, and I think that the authorities might be genuinely bemused as to what might have caused these deaths.

[annabel]

Why...?? Why...?? after all these years and many deaths is nobody anywhere able to get to the bottom of these mysterious deaths ...?? We are in the 21st Century aren't we ? And nobody here nor there can conclude anything whatsoever <<<< Wow ,,, this is the scarriest part in my opinion ....Really the whole world is a scary place in these times... Not only Thailand because things like this are happening all iver the world!

[mommysboy]

Here we go round and round again! back to the 'shrooms' I see.

Certainly wasn't natural causes that's for sure!

A travel warning is called for, they've had their chance to sort this out, can't have people dying in such a grotesque manner, downright dangerous IMHO.

[mommysboy]

I have to agree with the poster who said maybe he had been watching to many forensic shows where they solve these things.

People can be down rite stupid. The show's are written from a death where they all ready knew the causes of a death then they wrote the show to make it look like a mystery.

In Chiang Mai the World Health Organization was involved and they could not come up with a answer. A American lady become sick but managed to get back to Seattle where they have state of the art medical science and they could not say what it was.

But here we are in Thailand mostly expats thinking every thing is a cover up because they did not announce the cause ten minutes after the event.

Grow up people there are people dying all over the world dying from causes that at this point in time medical science can not give a reason from.

And we expect Thailand to be have all the answers. As I said People can be incredibly stupid.

And I don't mean because they don't know they don't know every thing there is to know. I mean because they think they know every thing there is to know.

I wonder how many tourists die mysteriously in resort accommodation in the US, Canada, the UK, Germany etc. I wonder if it'd be business as usual if there were a series of similarly mysterious deaths in those countries? Yes, some people are incredibly stupid aren't they. Nothing amiss here in the LOS.

Yes it would be business as usual if it happened in those countries. Maybe close their room until a forensic team could go over it. Possibly a shut down for a few days. But I highly doubt that if the people involved had been out partying elsewhere the night before they would close their doors and not give the experts time to try to figure out what happened. Only in Thailand and even there it is only in the expat community.. The only difference is they have better forensic abilities to investigate and it would take them time to come up with a answer if they could. As I said this happens all over the world. It is stupid people that think in Thailand they should come up with answers ten minutes after the events.

So far only one poster has asked the sensible question does it happen to Thais?

You claim

" Nothing amiss here in the LOS."

There is lots of different things but the thing that is most amiss is stupid foreigners coming here and expecting to find the best of every thing in the world. Then when they discover Thailand is not that far technically advanced they start whining.

I lived in North America for 64 years and for many years would read the whole paper. Many many times I read about similar mysterious things. But that was it a one or two day sensation then nothing. Not even a we don't know just silence and onto the next thing to sell the newspaper. But let it happen here in Thailand and boy does the old double standard jump up real fast.

Never in half a lifetime in UK have I heard of hotel guests, I think 14 now, dying in such gruesome circumstances!

I think someone administered a poison, assuming they lived to tell the tale, might have the right to a bit of a moan and you can understand their friends and family being a tad crtical, hey cut us some slack we can't all be tough guys like you.

[ttelise]

I have to agree with the poster who said maybe he had been watching to many forensic shows where they solve these things.

People can be down rite stupid. The show's are written from a death where they all ready knew the causes of a death then they wrote the show to make it look like a mystery.

In Chiang Mai the World Health Organization was involved and they could not come up with a answer. A American lady become sick but managed to get back to Seattle where they have state of the art medical science and they could not say what it was.

But here we are in Thailand mostly expats thinking every thing is a cover up because they did not announce the cause ten minutes after the event.

Grow up people there are people dying all over the world dying from causes that at this point in time medical science can not give a reason from.

And we expect Thailand to be have all the answers. As I said People can be incredibly stupid.

And I don't mean because they don't know they don't know every thing there is to know. I mean because they think they know every thing there is to know.

You are really going to defend the authorities on this and use the Chiang Mai incidents as an example? Perhaps the reason for the accusations has more to do with the Thai track record on investigating deaths and mysterious illnesses here. Your proof that an American returned from Chiang Mai and the hospital could not find the cause of the illness is a ridiculous comparison. Let's examine this another way. Let's say a hotel in America had several deaths and several illnesses like they had in Chiang Mai. What would be the actions by those authorities? How about these actions:

- The hotel would be shut down. Did this happen in Thailand? Nope. The owner was related to a political figure in Chiang Mai and the hotel was allowed to continue running without any concern for future visitors.

- The press would have prominent articles on the situation and mounting pressure on the authorities to solve the case. Did this happen in Thailand? Nope. Most Thais were unaware of this incident for months after the situation until it was really too late to conduct a proper investigation.

- There would have been a group of teams investigating the individuals who became sick and following up on what they had done in the days leading up to the illness. Again, the hotel would have been closed since statistically this anomally could not be considered a coincidence. Proper tests would have been done on the people and rooms and just like the forensic shows you see on TV, this case would have been solved much earlier.

- Someone would have been held responsible and repercussions would have caused others in the hotel industry to take note and hopefully prevent this occurrence from happening in their establishment. Media coverage would have added additional economical impact to the owner's business and any other hotels they may have owned.

So please refrain from commenting on the inability of a lone hospital in the US from being able to determine the cause of all the deaths and illnesses in Chiang Mai after examining a single patient.

I do like Thailand and have made a decision to stay here regardless of these negative aspects. With that said, Thailand should take measures to improve their public health response. My response was not to add to the well thought out comments by some and knee jerk idiotic comments by others about the inept public authorities, but rather to point out your silly defense of these public officials. CSI is a dream fantasy. Thai investigation is a horror story.

You watch to much Television.

I am not defending any one but I am giving them the time to do their job.

Are You Mr Newbie?

And I see you conveniently left out the fact that The World Health Organization looked into the Chiang Mai incident and could come up with no answer. But ha what the heck on CSI it only takes one hour and they have it solved. And we all know CSI has high standards.

WHO couldn't find jack because integrity of crime scene compromised. Serum, urine and tissue samples also have to be properly secured, treated/preserved or certain chemicals and toxins nay not appear. I will say again, I used to live and practice law in a State with a very high murder rates and one of the most violent cities in the Country. My brother is also a cop in a suburb of that city. I have never personally heard of deaths like these going unresolved, much less multiple deaths with similar circumstances. Toxicology test also can be completed in very short order. The inky reason it may take a month in the States because if back logs in certain labs. The actual tests and cultures can be completed very quickly.

[gk10002000]

One poster earlier when the case first was announced provided some pretty convincing information that the symptoms were like Wood Alchohol. Still can't fathom why the girls seemed to have been ill for at least a few hours, based on reports of how they had moved around the apartment. Unable or unwilling to call for help?

[Yunla]

From the OP

The lack of information forthcoming from the Thai authorities gained widespread criticism

On the contrary. It was the Thai authorities issuing their theories that gained the criticism. Like the assertion on day one that the girls had probably got food poisoning, and it was not from eating in the hotel, maybe they had mixed painkillers with alcohol, etc. If the authorities had said nothing specific until the autopsy results, it would have been far less controversial, and also far more respectful to the two ladies' memory.

Edited July 11, 2012 by Yunla

[geriatrickid]

As for the Canadian Press I doubt it made a ripple. The girls come from Quebeck where they think the world revolves around the French Canadian and in all liklly hood they would have made it a huge deal.

Your statement is profoundly ignorant and racist.

The story received significant media attention throughout Canada. I subscribe to multiple news feeds and I received stories from a diverse range of media sources including Sun Media, CBC, Thompson-Reuters, RDI, Bell Media and The Globe & Mail. The stories received prominent attention in key english media markets, with several of the largest english media outlets providing special reports. Why wouldn't the stories have received attention in the local Quebec market? The two women came from a close knit rural community where a tragedy of this nature cuts to the bone. I listened to one french radio interview on the internet, where they were interviewing an Australian journalist and he was describing other situations involving Australian and New Zealand nationals.

At this time, the media attention has calmed down because the journalists know that preliminary results from the Quebec Coroner's office would not be available for a minimum 30 days. On an expedited case, it can take 90 days for the most test results to be released. This is due in large part because of the time needed to isolate chemicals or to grow cultures and then analyze them.

I strongly suggest that you think before typing or at least wait until the condition that caused you to write in such a hateful, ignorant manner passes. Quebec does not include a k. The only people that have historically used a k were those that sought to denigrate and belittle one of Canada's founding peoples.

[Reasonableman]

As for the Canadian Press I doubt it made a ripple. The girls come from Quebeck where they think the world revolves around the French Canadian and in all liklly hood they would have made it a huge deal.

Your statement is profoundly ignorant and racist.

The story received significant media attention throughout Canada. I subscribe to multiple news feeds and I received stories from a diverse range of media sources including Sun Media, CBC, Thompson-Reuters, RDI, Bell Media and The Globe & Mail. The stories received prominent attention in key english media markets, with several of the largest english media outlets providing special reports. Why wouldn't the stories have received attention in the local Quebec market? The two women came from a close knit rural community where a tragedy of this nature cuts to the bone. I listened to one french radio interview on the internet, where they were interviewing an Australian journalist and he was describing other situations involving Australian and New Zealand nationals.

At this time, the media attention has calmed down because the journalists know that preliminary results from the Quebec Coroner's office would not be available for a minimum 30 days. On an expedited case, it can take 90 days for the most test results to be released. This is due in large part because of the time needed to isolate chemicals or to grow cultures and then analyze them.

I strongly suggest that you think before typing or at least wait until the condition that caused you to write in such a hateful, ignorant manner passes. Quebec does not include a k. The only people that have historically used a k were those that sought to denigrate and belittle one of Canada's founding peoples.

Indeed, in future please model your behavior on that of GK, and all will be well.

[geriatrickid]

A bit of background on Dr Pasakorn Akarasewi, Director of the Bureau of Epidemiology at the Ministry of Public Health’s Department of Disease Control; He is internationally respected MD with an MPH. He has extensive field experience and has an impressive list of publications. His experience is diverse and includes direct involvement with TB, Dengue, HIV, Meth abuse, and avian flu studies and events. I believe he was the signing officer for the recent WHO update study on congenital syphilis in Thailand and he is the go to guy in Thailand for the WHO. This may explain why he was able to involve the WHO in other investigations. This is the man you want involved if there is the possibility of an infectious agent and with all due respect to other professionals, he is the guy with the experience and the resources to get to the underlying causes of a series of deaths.

When the US CDC needed a co-director for its Thailand office, Dr. Akarasewi was the man they selected. Highly unlikely that he would participate in any coverup from this man, as his reputation to date is beyond reproach. I can see why the Canadian authorities asked for his involvement as he is as good as they get.

In reference to the request for the use of Dr. Porntip, the circumstances in this case require someone with experience in infectious diseases and poisoning. He is low key and avoids putting his face in front of the cameras and microphones.

[JemJem]

To be fair, forensic results can take a while weeks into months depending on tests being done! My guess is not many people who comment here have medical training. Sure understand the family wanting answers but let the process work its way thorugh, and no doubt they will keep pressure on in the hope of finding out what did happen. As I hope.

Have lived in Thailand for a few years and receive the updates to thaivisa daily, this is my first comment due I find most of the comments are from people who dont really want to live here or use the fourm to moan! Come on guys we all live here for a reason, or why not go home and live in our fantastic Western countries!

Strange point of view..... So 12 or 13 tourists have died mysteriously in hotel rooms, and the Thai government has no idea why. Not only that , but in the case of the Downtown Inn did everything possible to obstruct finding of the truth. And if a long term expat such as myself dares to question these deaths, I am supposed to go back to my home country ???? Zzzzzzz.....

Get a grip and reset your moral compass....

Strike a bit close to home for me, as I have stayed at the Downtown Hotel before , as well as having stayed on Phi Phi Island at a guest house. Guess I should feel lucky I am alive....

Well written, EyesWideOpen. I agree with you. I am so sick and tired of some folks telling people : 'If you don't like it in Thailand, go back to your country'. I am soooooo sick of this sentence. Just giving an example: An American living in Thailand can criticise many aspects of Thailand, and also, a Thai living in the US, can criticise many aspects of the US. Neither of them deserves to be told to go back home to his/her country.

As for this case, I have a bad feeling that there is a high chance that we will never know the cause of death of these women.

Edited July 11, 2012 by JemJem

[Baloo22]

I am curious, do these things just happen to tourists or do the thai people die from the same thing? On a regular basis.

I remember reading that a goup of thai tourists collected mushrooms in Demark thinking they were edible. They were all hospitalised and some died.

That type of incident happens more often than you think. Different parts of the world have mushrooms that look alike but are actually different species. I used to live in western Washington State and I remember several incidents of accidental mushroom poisoning of people from asian countries that collected and ate mushrooms thinking that they were the same species as those from their home countries. Apparently we have a type of mushroom that looks exactly like what is an edible species in several countries in Asia but it's not the same and is poisonous.

[LBD1]

Nobody wants their department to 1. break the news: and 2. be responsible, for heaven help, any form of accountability by anyone.

We inevitably get drawn into these circular arguments of who, what, when and where to the point where everyone gets worn out and just accepts "there is no explanation". Everyboby is in charge, but no-one is responsible.

T.I.T. - "Let's just bury our heads in the sand and hope it goes away".

Condolences to all the victims and apologies to their loved ones.

[Semper]

I am curious, do these things just happen to tourists or do the thai people die from the same thing? On a regular basis.

For Thai people, dying of "natural causes" is more readily accepted. For a Buddhist, death is a natural part of life. Therefore, similar cases would, most likely, go unreported.

Are you saying that death, for us non Buddhists, is not natural?

[Havco]

To be fair, forensic results can take a while weeks into months depending on tests being done! My guess is not many people who comment here have medical training. Sure understand the family wanting answers but let the process work its way thorugh, and no doubt they will keep pressure on in the hope of finding out what did happen. As I hope.

Have lived in Thailand for a few years and receive the updates to thaivisa daily, this is my first comment due I find most of the comments are from people who dont really want to live here or use the fourm to moan! Come on guys we all live here for a reason, or why not go home and live in our fantastic Western countries!

Strange point of view..... So 12 or 13 tourists have died mysteriously in hotel rooms, and the Thai government has no idea why. Not only that , but in the case of the Downtown Inn did everything possible to obstruct finding of the truth. And if a long term expat such as myself dares to question these deaths, I am supposed to go back to my home country ???? Zzzzzzz.....

Get a grip and reset your moral compass....

Strike a bit close to home for me, as I have stayed at the Downtown Hotel before , as well as having stayed on Phi Phi Island at a guest house. Guess I should feel lucky I am alive....

Are you trying to say every mysterious death in your "great" country has been solved? I think you are the one wearing rose tinted glasses!

My second comment referred to a lot of comments on here seem to just be people moaning about Thailand so the point is; if you don't like it go home!

[ginjag]

Havco, If I don't like it go home--thats funny -- my homes are here, I love it but that shouldn't stop the natural feelings from frothing over when many things are wrong or pushed under the table or told where to go-when you have no Idea where I/we live. I agree some things take a long time to "DISCOVER' but it is normal here to have time forget many things that should be forthcoming.

You said you update with forum but rarely post, fine, but if posters get up your nose do not then enter topics.

I for one are not the quiet one when it comes to point out wrong, doing so is good for future-it's called feedback.

Some posters are crazy over the top in defence of the realm, instead of giving their share of feedback.

On the other hand you get the drunken brigade who do not contribute. (I do like a good Bacardi-Pernod now and again.)

[Reasonableman]

To be fair, forensic results can take a while weeks into months depending on tests being done! My guess is not many people who comment here have medical training. Sure understand the family wanting answers but let the process work its way thorugh, and no doubt they will keep pressure on in the hope of finding out what did happen. As I hope.

Have lived in Thailand for a few years and receive the updates to thaivisa daily, this is my first comment due I find most of the comments are from people who dont really want to live here or use the fourm to moan! Come on guys we all live here for a reason, or why not go home and live in our fantastic Western countries!

Strange point of view..... So 12 or 13 tourists have died mysteriously in hotel rooms, and the Thai government has no idea why. Not only that , but in the case of the Downtown Inn did everything possible to obstruct finding of the truth. And if a long term expat such as myself dares to question these deaths, I am supposed to go back to my home country ???? Zzzzzzz.....

Get a grip and reset your moral compass....

Strike a bit close to home for me, as I have stayed at the Downtown Hotel before , as well as having stayed on Phi Phi Island at a guest house. Guess I should feel lucky I am alive....

Are you trying to say every mysterious death in your "great" country has been solved? I think you are the one wearing rose tinted glasses!

My second comment referred to a lot of comments on here seem to just be people moaning about Thailand so the point is; if you don't like it go home!

And if you're already home (i.e., Thailand IS your home, whether others appreciate your presence or not), don't be browbeaten by these self-appointed Thought Police.

[Gonzo the Face]

expirence

You will find the evidence leading to the cause of death in the hotel mattresses. The chemical tocin that caused the deaths dissipates when exposed to the environment inside the body. This results in there being little or no trace of the chemical in the bodies.

Starting in 2009, hotels in Thailand started to experience problems with westerners coming to Thailand unknowing carrying bedbugs. The bedbugs soon started to rake havoc in some hotels that primarily catered to westerners and they took measures to eradicate these pests from their hotel mattresses. In most cases a proper chemical was applied and the directions were followed. However, in some cases the hotel employees took extreme measures by over applying the chemicals and did not follow directions such as to take the mattresses outside to air out during and after the application of these chemicals.

The end result was transference of the chemical from the mattresses via contact with the skin of the victims. Even then in most cases when the victims became ill they and left before they had enough exposure to kill them. Often they wrote it off as food poisoning and just moved on.

In these cases in Phi Phi and Chiang Mai, five people survived after being hospitalized and so far as we can now confirm 11 people have died with the possibility of three other deaths from 2009 in other cities that could be related. The information on these deaths can be found with a little time making few Internet searches.

This from someone who has never examined the victims (nor is qualified to do so) but speaks like what he has said is factual.

With all due respect, I think one should know a little more about B Bobs background before posting what he knows and/or does not know. Perhaps he didn't view or examine these specific bodies, but would safely say that he has been exposed to many others.

And again with all due respect, I did not view the body of Abraham Lincoln, but would safely feel qualified to discuss the circumstances of his demise.....

[cowslip]

"“The Canadian media have exaggerated the situation. We have tried our best in order to determine the cause of death. I can’t say much since it may affect the case, but I can say that we are doing our best,"

How can you "exaggerate" deaths?

"Best" - as if that is a reasoned response.

He should outline what they have done.

THen the world press can judge whether or not that is enough.....or just the ramblings of an incompetent?

[cowslip]

Have we had the results from CANADA yet?

[sunshine51]

Is Dr. Pornthip on the case? She can solve just about anything and is completely transparent about the results. Hope she is.

I agree with this...I also agree with Where's Holmes...I agree with most posts in this thread.

Sadly...this has gone from terrible to something much worse for the family of the girls and

the whole shebang simply perplexes me. As I said in previous posts about the sisters death

forensics take time...and not being an expert in forensics myself but knowing a couple

real forensic experts in other countries...the results may well take a very long time to

come out.

Rest in peace ladies.

Condolences to the family.

[aechzen]

i guess there is a serial killer

[Havco]

To be fair, forensic results can take a while weeks into months depending on tests being done! My guess is not many people who comment here have medical training. Sure understand the family wanting answers but let the process work its way thorugh, and no doubt they will keep pressure on in the hope of finding out what did happen. As I hope.

Have lived in Thailand for a few years and receive the updates to thaivisa daily, this is my first comment due I find most of the comments are from people who dont really want to live here or use the fourm to moan! Come on guys we all live here for a reason, or why not go home and live in our fantastic Western countries!

always the same ..... some farang who wants to be more Thais than Thai themselves. Thailand is not worse or better than other countries for sure, maybe you have not lived here long enough to have a common judgement. oh and not everybody here are from Western countries.

No my wife and I are not thai but live here! And my comments are based on Thailand is no worse or better than other countries, my point being lets see the outcome of the process. Agreed I did say Western however I should have said "foreign". Thanks for the correction.

[Havco]

To be fair, forensic results can take a while weeks into months depending on tests being done! My guess is not many people who comment here have medical training. Sure understand the family wanting answers but let the process work its way thorugh, and no doubt they will keep pressure on in the hope of finding out what did happen. As I hope.

Have lived in Thailand for a few years and receive the updates to thaivisa daily, this is my first comment due I find most of the comments are from people who dont really want to live here or use the fourm to moan! Come on guys we all live here for a reason, or why not go home and live in our fantastic Western countries!

You have only been a member for less than one hour, and you carried out just two views. STRANGE

As stated that was my first post, but if you had read correctly lived here for a few years (6) and do read thaivisa daliy.

[Havco]

Have lived in Thailand for a few years and receive the updates to thaivisa daily, this is my first comment due I find most of the comments are from people who dont really want to live here or use the fourm to moan! Come on guys we all live here for a reason, or why not go home and live in our fantastic Western countries!

You really hit the nails on the head.....it's been a long time farangs here are being rightfully castigated..

Sounds like you want to be first on the list