Terrified Briton flees Koh Tao after 'mafia' death threat

[Fat Haggis]

I have to love the fact there's so many psychiatric medical experts here to be able to assess the current state of mind of MaAnna without ever having sat down and had a one on one therapy session with the guy.. amazing Thailand indeed.

[TimTang]

obv the reporter at bkk post got the nationality wrong but it is Sean Mcanna he is referring to

Not necessarily, but would appear to be the case.

Of all the reports I've read pertinent to Sean McAnna I never once read anything suggesting that he witnessed the two (he uploaded the photo of) molesting Hannah Witheridge at the bar. That's NEW, so maybe there is a Frenchman as well and he came forward having seen the photo McAnna provided.

[traviss]

I have no doubt this kid has been scared in some way. But if this was real serious, then the mafia guys would not have threatened him first. They would just have done it, if they really wanted to kill him. There is something strange to this. Why does he not just tell in detail what he claims to know? If he should get killed, then at least he has told all he knows. It really does not make sense to me.

I agree...I did look at the FB page as well as twitter. I have been following the story but not religiously. The crime occurred over a week ago and Sean, the friend, is just now coming forward with information as he claims he knows who committed the crime. Why did he not leave the island sooner and reach out to the relative embassy. Would have he ever spoke if the mafia had not approached him as he has stated?

It is obvious to me, one who has never visited the island, that it is actually a very safe place for tourists. If indeed, Sean, knows/knew who was responsible, knowing that there is/was potential that mafia had/has great influence over the island, and felt safe staying, well it must be safe for others.

What am I missing??

[Deli]

18 moths on the island and working, WP / Visa ? Smells fishy and he better leaves if he doesn't have evidence.

[chasntong]

he should be able to write a book about it, he has a good imagination.

[traviss]

He did well to take pictures and get by any Thai script to use the apps he needed on a phone he's not used to.

not saying he couldn't have done that.

I doubt I could pick up my TGF's phone and use it,

What! doesn't he have a phone he'd be addicted to it he managed to wake up britain, the embassy, thailand and play on social media till rescued. I'm inclined to say he was penniless and needed an out without any visa issues. Was he DNA'd?

Great question...Was he required to give a DNA sample before leaving the island or is he required to do so before being released from BIB or his embassy?

[Soutpeel]

sounds like a paranoid nutter tbh

bit like the paranoid, TV CSI, Sherlock Homes wannbee's, conspiracy theory nut jobs commenting on this thread and others you mean...

[2befrank]

I have to love the fact there's so many psychiatric medical experts here to be able to assess the current state of mind of MaAnna without ever having sat down and had a one on one therapy session with the guy.. amazing Thailand indeed.

Well regardless of his choice of recreation.... (I have my skeletons in the closet too) It does not detract from the fact that the development involving him is starting to sound more and more credible. It is almost like all the parts of the jigsaw are starting to fall into place and i would suggest that the time for pandering around has long expired and these 2 new suspects are arrested immediately and a DNA sample forced from them. As painful as that may be to reveal what a hell of a lot of people have suspected from the start.

This being a 100% local Thai murder of 2 tourists and covered up by the island police to save face or acting on orders from the mafia gangs.

I think it is time the army took over and wrapped this up once and for all..... I doubt I trust any police now.

[SteveFong]

the McAnna facebook age was scrubbed by his sister, who also asked people to take down his postings on advice of counsel

the reality is,

Sean McAnna fingered the killers

their refusal to give DNA, does not bode well,

they can be tried without DNA in Thailand, if that is what is decided by the forum of 100

[Plutojames88]

I have to love the fact there's so many psychiatric medical experts here to be able to assess the current state of mind of MaAnna without ever having sat down and had a one on one therapy session with the guy.. amazing Thailand indeed.

Lets consider a limp wristed photo of this man with a vacant look of a thirteen year old lesbian seated in a freezer far away in thought.

The paranoia .

The obvious drug use.

The grand delusions .

Ok we might be wrong .

But again someone says he has left ( on good authority Thailand)

Same say it is he who is in protective custody.

Perhaps the Thais in his pictures are killers .

Perhaps they are just thugs who didn't like his tone.

Whatever, the story needs deep investigation not here say .

But those who see this individual as an unreliable witness are not duly shallow .

His own photos seem to point to his mind set being .

He may even be involved such is his fantasy world

Edited September 23, 2014 by Plutojames88

[chasntong]

I think this is all starting to unravel, and we may be close to the actual end of this investigation.

The Bangkok Post is deffo quoting the Sean McAnna incident. For some reason they have him as a Frenchman and not a Stotsman, but he is clearly Scottish.

They seem to have him in protective custody on the mainland as opposed to him getting zero protection by the police on the island since he has had to hide out in the jungle and sleep under a snooker table.

So looking more and more credible is Mr McAnna, and to think how many on here trying to discredit him as though they don't want this to be resolved.

Where is KTVIEW for comment on this now I wonder??

Credible, you must be joking, just some one wanting his 15 minutes of fame, (Sky News phone me)

[Soutpeel]

I have to love the fact there's so many psychiatric medical experts here to be able to assess the current state of mind of MaAnna without ever having sat down and had a one on one therapy session with the guy.. amazing Thailand indeed.

one suspects based on what has been written most of these "psychiatric medical experts" have been on the receiving end of a psychiatric evaluation at some point in their lives, and have stopped taking their prescibed meds...

[Emster23]

How about this scenario: Female victim went off and had sex with Asian men, White male stumbles upon this scene, is horrified any white woman would do that, and kills her, but gets killed by Asians in self defense. Sounds like "logic" that they may wish to send up in trial balloon. Or perhaps another press conference where spokesman says in fit of honesty "We do not want to find the killers. Too much power, and they are all paid up with police. Mai pen rai and welcome to mazing Thailand."

[Rooo]

A post quoting a snippet out of BKK post article & subsequent posts quoting it removed.

26) The Bangkok Post and Phuketwan do not allow quotes from their news articles or other material to appear on Thaivisa.com. Neither do they allow links to their publications. Posts from members containing quotes from or links to Bangkok Post or Phuketwan publications will be deleted from the forum.

These restrictions are put in place by the above publications, not Thaivisa.com
In rare cases, forum Administrators or the news team may use these sources under special permission.

[englishoak]

The Bangkok Post has this story on todays front page with photos of the two suspects, it also identifies the witness as a French man.

Quote

A police source said officers had previously questioned the two men in the pictures provided by the Frenchman but they denied any involvement in the murder and refused to give DNA samples to the police.

I'm confused, is McAnna a French national, or is this another witness?

Without doubt this investigation has become a complete clusterfcuk.

seems the BP is intentionally creating a weird menagerie to make up its own story... Sean may have a french passport i dont know but hes 100% scot

the pic used is 100% the same as the one sean posted on his FB

when theres a full interview in so many papers from sean i have no idea how the heck the BP decided to make him french

And it then says the two men refused to give a DNA sample and they let them go .... HELLO ANYONE IN THERE ??

What the F is going on in this country ? I mean ive seen some stuff over the years but never this scale of freakshow farcity

Edited September 23, 2014 by englishoak

[2befrank]

How about this scenario: Female victim went off and had sex with Asian men, White male stumbles upon this scene, is horrified any white woman would do that, and kills her, but gets killed by Asians in self defense. Sounds like "logic" that they may wish to send up in trial balloon. Or perhaps another press conference where spokesman says in fit of honesty "We do not want to find the killers. Too much power, and they are all paid up with police. Mai pen rai and welcome to mazing Thailand."

This happens to be a serious thread with a genuinely tragic undertone.

Please don't use this thread for light-hearted witticisms to gain a laugh or two.

There are plenty of nonsense threads out there where you can get your comedic release.

[timewilltell]

It's amazing that this guy's story has been picked up at all. Thaivisa actually had the journalistic integrity to remove his post yesterday morning as it was unsubstantiated conjecture. But the Mirror seems to find it newsworthy. The people who know Sean on Koh Tao have a very low opinion of him. He's definitely not right in his head. Not sure whether that's normal for him or if it's drug/alcohol induced. He didn't seem too worried about his safety last night (21st) when he drank himself unconscious and passed out on a couch at one of the local bars.

His posts (since deleted from FB) are telling of his mental state. Randomly pointing fingers at local business owners and accusing them of horrific crimes without any evidence, doesn't attest to mental stability. Furthermore, he simply wanted to be in the spotlight. He was posting to have Sky News call him, but he doesn't have anything to add to the story. Instead, he's become a side-story. Seemingly, that was his intention.

The guy in the photo is the owner of a resort just next to the crime scene. He was one of the 1st on the scene, so yes, he was filmed with the police and was questioned accordingly. The speculation that he is involved in the crime or that he is somehow a mafioso is at the least mean-spirited, at worst, it is libelous.

The Koh Tao community is devastated by this news and we have the deepest sympathy for the families of the victims. We are also hurt that our little island is being viewed so negatively to so many. In fact, this type of thing happens at tourists destinations throughout Thailand and the world, but it is the absence of anything like this ever happening here before, that makes this story so shocking for us. We hope for a resolution soon and want to see justice served, but senseless media speculation and armchair investigating is getting us no closer to that end.

Sounds like you are doing a PR job of damage limitation than actually taking in the news. I guess you must have some interest on supporting the island so your opinions are tainted.

Sent from my iPad using ThaiVisa app

[joedot]

Before police took him into protective custody, the Frenchman had posted the photos of the two men on the internet and claimed he had received a death threat which prompted him to contact his relatives in the UK for help, the source said.

If he is a Frenchman why is he contacting relatives in the UK. Obv they wrote the wrong nationality. Lost in translation, not surprising to anybody that has spent any amount of time in Thailand. I agree that the news about witnessing the molestation is news that I hadn't heard, as well as watching them leave the bar together. Maybe that is news we haven't been privy to up to this point but this article is definitely referring to Sean Mcana

[Fat Haggis]

don't worry Oak, the apologists here will have a valid reason for them to not give a sample..

Why would the pair in question not be first in the line to prove their "innocence" ?? Refusal to give a sample but yet the Police stated ALL MALES on the Island would be sampled.. pillars of the community or not.. they need to voluntary give samples to be able to refute the claims of the McAnna chap. simple as that!!

[Soutpeel]

I have to love the fact there's so many psychiatric medical experts here to be able to assess the current state of mind of MaAnna without ever having sat down and had a one on one therapy session with the guy.. amazing Thailand indeed.

Lets consider a limp wristed photo of this man with a vacant look of a thirteen year old lesbian seated in a freezer far away in thought.

The paranoia .

The obvious drug use.

The grand delusions .

Ok we might be wrong .

But again someone says he has left ( on good authority Thailand)

Same say it is he who is in protective custody.

Perhaps the Thais in his pictures are killers .

Perhaps they are just thugs who didn't like his tone.

Whatever, the story needs deep investigation not here say .

But those who see this individual as an unreliable witness are not duly shallow .

His own photos seem to point to his mind set being .

He may even be involved such is his fantasy world

lets consider Plutojames88's apparant psychic abilities, it is very obvious he has stopped taking his medication and exhibits a preference for lady boys

and has delusions that he is a reincarnation of Sigmund Freud and Shelock Holmes...

[phuketandsee]

Whats the new bkk post article title. Cant find it... prv me link pls

Just go to their web page - it's the lead article

[ukrules]

Whats the new bkk post article title. Cant find it... prv me link pls

It's in big print on the bangkok post homepage - top story.

Interestingly enough this is also in the print edition also on the front page.

Link title 'Face of a Killer ?'

Article title 'Frenchman 'can ID killers'

<link to Bangkok Post removed>

Can I link to the Bangkok Post ? I don't know but I'm sure we'll find out soon enough.

Apparently this French guy saw them attacking the victime.

The French guy is not a misidentification of the scottish guy - they are two completely different people based on what I've been reading.

I guess you could call them 'independent witnesses'.

Edited September 23, 2014 by Tywais
Sorry, but links to Bangkok Post are not allowed.

[Plutojames88]

I have to love the fact there's so many psychiatric medical experts here to be able to assess the current state of mind of MaAnna without ever having sat down and had a one on one therapy session with the guy.. amazing Thailand indeed.

Lets consider a limp wristed photo of this man with a vacant look of a thirteen year old lesbian seated in a freezer far away in thought.

The paranoia .

The obvious drug use.

The grand delusions .

Ok we might be wrong .

But again someone says he has left ( on good authority Thailand)

Same say it is he who is in protective custody.

Perhaps the Thais in his pictures are killers .

Perhaps they are just thugs who didn't like his tone.

Whatever, the story needs deep investigation not here say .

But those who see this individual as an unreliable witness are not duly shallow .

His own photos seem to point to his mind set being .

He may even be involved such is his fantasy world

lets consider Plutojames88's apparant psychic abilities, it is very obvious he has stopped taking his medication and exhibits a preference for lady boys

and has delusions that he is a reincarnation of Sigmund Freud and Shelock Holmes...

Well say what you will about those of us that think this guy looks unstable .

Certainly, you don't need a crystal ball to see he was at times suspect in his mind frame.

It has nothing to do with Freud or even guess work or mind games.

It's obviousby this picture

I have to love the fact there's so many psychiatric medical experts here to be able to assess the current state of mind of MaAnna without ever having sat down and had a one on one therapy session with the guy.. amazing Thailand indeed.

Lets consider a limp wristed photo of this man with a vacant look of a thirteen year old lesbian seated in a freezer far away in thought.

The paranoia .

The obvious drug use.

The grand delusions .

Ok we might be wrong .

But again someone says he has left ( on good authority Thailand)

Same say it is he who is in protective custody.

Perhaps the Thais in his pictures are killers .

Perhaps they are just thugs who didn't like his tone.

Whatever, the story needs deep investigation not here say .

But those who see this individual as an unreliable witness are not duly shallow .

His own photos seem to point to his mind set being .

He may even be involved such is his fantasy world

lets consider Plutojames88's apparant psychic abilities, it is very obvious he has stopped taking his medication and exhibits a preference for lady boys

and has delusions that he is a reincarnation of Sigmund Freud and Shelock Holmes...

You don't need to be Sherlock to spot a fool with issues

Edited September 23, 2014 by Plutojames88

[Plutojames88]

I have to love the fact there's so many psychiatric medical experts here to be able to assess the current state of mind of MaAnna without ever having sat down and had a one on one therapy session with the guy.. amazing Thailand indeed.

Lets consider a limp wristed photo of this man with a vacant look of a thirteen year old lesbian seated in a freezer far away in thought.

The paranoia .

The obvious drug use.

The grand delusions .

Ok we might be wrong .

But again someone says he has left ( on good authority Thailand)

Same say it is he who is in protective custody.

Perhaps the Thais in his pictures are killers .

Perhaps they are just thugs who didn't like his tone.

Whatever, the story needs deep investigation not here say .

But those who see this individual as an unreliable witness are not duly shallow .

His own photos seem to point to his mind set being .

He may even be involved such is his fantasy world

lets consider Plutojames88's apparant psychic abilities, it is very obvious he has stopped taking his medication and exhibits a preference for lady boys

and has delusions that he is a reincarnation of Sigmund Freud and Shelock Holmes...

Well say what you will about those of us that think this guy looks unstable .

Certainly, you don't need a crystal ball to see he was at times suspect in his mind frame.

It has nothing to do with Freud or even guess work or mind games.

Edited September 23, 2014 by Plutojames88

[traviss]

How many 7/11 workers could you borrow a phone from that have INTERNATIONAL call availability, to call your mum and sister?

BS - He's lying.

How many 7/11 workers do you know that have enough credit to call International numbers?

Even my own wife rarely has anymore then 200-300 baht credit on her phone, and I don't tend to have much more in mine either when I'm at home.

What a stupid assumption. Just because your wife doesn't have 200 - 300 Bt credit, that means all people that work in 711 must be the same.

Do you know how cheap it is to call the UK if you use 005, or 008? No......didn't think so.

"What a stupid assumption" please show us where the original OP stated "ALL". The statement was a general statement that does indeed hold true for many Thais as it is easy and convenient to add credit as well as offering minimal impacts to their cash flow.

I know how cheap it is calling internationally when using 004, 005, 008 but I am unsure if Mr. Sean was interesting in saving the 7-11 employee any money on international calls.

[Plutojames88]

I have to love the fact there's so many psychiatric medical experts here to be able to assess the current state of mind of MaAnna without ever having sat down and had a one on one therapy session with the guy.. amazing Thailand indeed.

Lets consider a limp wristed photo of this man with a vacant look of a thirteen year old lesbian seated in a freezer far away in thought.

The paranoia .

The obvious drug use.

The grand delusions .

Ok we might be wrong .

But again someone says he has left ( on good authority Thailand)

Same say it is he who is in protective custody.

Perhaps the Thais in his pictures are killers .

Perhaps they are just thugs who didn't like his tone.

Whatever, the story needs deep investigation not here say .

But those who see this individual as an unreliable witness are not duly shallow .

His own photos seem to point to his mind set being .

He may even be involved such is his fantasy world

lets consider Plutojames88's apparant psychic abilities, it is very obvious he has stopped taking his medication and exhibits a preference for lady boys

and has delusions that he is a reincarnation of Sigmund Freud and Shelock Holmes...

Maybe drug users will be protective of their own kind who knows? Edited September 23, 2014 by Plutojames88

[Jean Pierre Jacquot]

These mafia guys are not very good at their job if they went after Sean, cornered him in a shop, let him take their photo and then let him flee from behind the counter and I'm presumiing out past them, through the front door

That's it and tells everything. Might have been just some islanders who were fed up by this barman behaving like a true Brit and so wanted to scare him a bit which they obviously did successfully.

[mataleo]

He was doing drugs most likely. Incident happened. Thai guys thretened hung him. He got in to paranoia state. Imagine be high ur mates being murdered and then at night thais want hung u.. Dont blame poor guy. Everyone would get scared he managed situation well got to give credit for it to him..

[Fat Haggis]

Oh and for those who claimed he was so drunk that he passed out then all of a sudden he was able to wake up and leg it, still drunker than a monkeys uncle, how come his frantic texts were almost perfect ?

Last time I was as drunk as described by others here, when I was sending texts, they were like the writing of Johnny aged 3, and didn't make sense either, not only that trying to see the phone itself was a challenge on its own.. yeah yeah yeah I know all about predictive text, but those who have been smashed out their faces will know where I'm coming from when it comes to being in control of your fingers, mind and keypad all at the same time, when you're swaying like a palm tree in the wind!!

If he was able to use his phone and text like it was an everyday thing, whilst out of his nut, on whatever and pised out his brain at the same time, then he's a LOT smarter than a good few posters here!!!!

[mataleo]

" Police have placed a French tourist in protective custody" what a joke