Friends bid to repatriate body of killed Briton Sam Austin

[Lite Beer]

Friends bid to repatriate body of killed Briton Sam Austin

BANGKOK: -- Sam Austin went to Thailand in October to start a new life

Friends of a Bristol man who died in Thailand are trying to raise funds to repatriate his body.

Sam Austin, 26, left Bedminster to start a new life in South East Asia and had not taken out travel insurance.

His friend, Jon Russell, said: "The plan was to move to Thailand, find a job and live there and when you live there you don't really get travel insurance."

Thai police are investigating but nothing is yet known about how he died.

Read More: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-bristol-30142309

-- BBC 2014-11-21

[Lite Beer]

Family of Bristol man Sam Austin, who died in tragic Thailand accident launch appeal to bring body home

By The Bristol Post

By Ian Onions

POPULAR Sam Austin flew out to Thailand a few weeks ago to start a new life for himself in the Far East. But family and friends were shocked to be told that he had died after a tragic accident which continues to be shrouded in mystery.

They have launched a campaign to raise the money to bring back Sam's body to Bristol so he can be laid to rest near his loved ones.

His mother Kalpana Austin, who lives in Bedminster, told the Bristol Post: "The thought of him being over there so far away is awful. He should be back home with his friends and family who love him."

Mrs Austin said the first she knew there was a problem was after police left a note at her home to contact them.

After she replied, they turned up and broke the news that there had been a tragic accident – although so far no details of what happened have been released.

Read More: http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/Appeal-launched-bring-home-Sam-Austin-s-body/story-24583021-detail/story.html

--Bristol Post 2014-11-21

[mrtoad]

Doesn't seem to be much info about this at all.

An article in the Local paper

http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/Appeal-launched-bring-home-Sam-Austin-s-body/story-24583021-detail/story.html

Anyone have any ideas where this may have been? Suspecting The Southern Islands.

Another tragedy, condolences to his friends and family.

[JOC]

What about the British Embassy for once doing the decent thing??

Get the poor guys body home and worry about the monetary aspects later!!

[TheSiemReaper]

What about the British Embassy for once doing the decent thing??

Get the poor guys body home and worry about the monetary aspects later!!

I'm British and I don't expect my embassy to give a flying fig about my corpse once I've carked it. What does it matter where a body is finally laid to rest? I'd rather my family (or indeed my country) kept the money (and its expensive to fly the deceased home - it's not the same as finding them an aisle seat - there are health regulations to be met, coffins to be found to hold the body, etc.) rather than moved my no-longer-in-the-remotest-bit-concerned flesh around the world.

[mrtoad]

What about the British Embassy for once doing the decent thing??

Get the poor guys body home and worry about the monetary aspects later!!

The chances of them doing "the decent thing" is about as likely as a flying pig.

This whole thing is very strange, and it appears this may well have been covered up for reasons of bad PR. Is this a Kho Tao related death, as there was a n indentifed bosy found int he water recently?

[MichaelJackson]

Another "Tragic Accident" ? yeah right, dont tell me, suspected suicide, this is getting beyond a joke. How many more bodies will pile up before something is "actually done" !

[draftvader]

Sad story. Incomplete too. Nothing out there at all. Somebody must know the location.

[mrtoad]

Another "Tragic Accident" ? yeah right, dont tell me, suspected suicide, this is getting beyond a joke. How many more bodies will pile up before something is "actually done" !

How many is that know in the last few months?

Seriously, the amount of "accidents / unsolved deaths" are mounting here.

[JOC]

What about the British Embassy for once doing the decent thing??

Get the poor guys body home and worry about the monetary aspects later!!

I'm British and I don't expect my embassy to give a flying fig about my corpse once I've carked it. What does it matter where a body is finally laid to rest? I'd rather my family (or indeed my country) kept the money (and its expensive to fly the deceased home - it's not the same as finding them an aisle seat - there are health regulations to be met, coffins to be found to hold the body, etc.) rather than moved my no-longer-in-the-remotest-bit-concerned flesh around the world.

I actually agree with you, but this is not about you or me, but about the young mans family, who clearly feel different!!

[Briggsy]

"Since flying out to Thailand, Sam had managed to find himself a temporary part-time job in a bar"

from local UK paper.

Sounds very like Southern islands. Though if he holds Thai nationality, which he may, could be anywhere.

[wooloomooloo]

JOC, on 22 Nov 2014 - 13:21, said:

What about the British Embassy for once doing the decent thing??

Get the poor guys body home and worry about the monetary aspects later!!

Sorry, but it's not the British taxpayer that is responsible for repatriation. That's what travel insurance is for.

I note the victim's friend states:

Mr Russell, a chef, said: "I always thought that a British passport was a ticket to get back home if anything happens to you but it does not work like that

"If you are not insured, then your family and friends have to raise the money to repatriate."

http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/Appeal-launched-bring-home-Sam-Austin-s-body/story-24583021-detail/story.html

His friend, Jon Russell, said: "The plan was to move to Thailand, find a job and live there and when you live there you don't really get travel insurance."

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-bristol-30142309

Well, you do get travel insurance if you want to save your friends and family the trouble of raising the money themselves. I note that nearly £11,000 has been raised on a fundraising page for the victim's body to be repatriated.

If you have an accident abroad and are lucky enough to survive then repatriation will cost in excess of £30,000.

As much as I have sympathy for the young man and his family and friends, the small cost of insurance saves additional heartache if something untoward occurs whilst abroad.

This happens so often and is well documented but still people do not learn.

Anyway, RIP to Mr Austin.

[Lite Beer]

'Please help us bring Sam's body back home'

BANGKOK: -- Friends of a young Bristol man who died just six weeks after starting a new life in Thailand are urging people to support a fundraising campaign to bring his body back home.

Sam Austin, 26, bought a one-way ticket to the south-east Asian country less than two months ago, without travel insurance.

But his new life was tragically cut short when his body was discovered last weekend.

Friends are desperate for details of what happened to the "free spirit" who had lived in Bedminster, Totterdown and St George previously.

Sam's mother was told the news by British embassy officials via Avon and Somerset police at the weekend, and a friend in the Thai capital Bangkok identified his body yesterday.

This morning, some £6,000 of the near £12,000 needed to bring Sam's body home had been raised by friends. A special fundraising evening at the Big Chill Bar in the city centre has been organised for next Wednesday.

Speaking to Bristol24/7, Jonna Russell said his long-time friend had been "incredibly well known".

"He was just known as being Sam, a free spirit who had more friends than I had ever known," he said.

"Sam had travelled on his own to Brazil and Thailand, and decided to go out there on a one-way ticket to start a new life. He saved his money and just went, and would come up with a plan once he got there.

"No one has any idea what happened to him. All we know is that there was an accident. His mum, the only person he had, was told on Saturday and we found out soon after.

http://www.bristol247.com/channel/news-comment/daily/news-wire/please-help-us-bring-sams-body-back-home

[Bluespunk]

Does it really cost 12,000 pounds to repatriate a body?

[JOC]

500.000 baht for transporting a body from Thailand to the UK??

Even in a tragedy there is clearly money to be made!! Humanity?? My backside!!

[Briggsy]

It appears he died at least a few days ago and yet,

"Thai authorities are yet to tell his distraught mother how her son died"

Something very fishy going on here, you would imagine.

e.g. suppression of news of yet another tourist murder at the start of high season.

[mrtoad]

I assume that storage of body and transportation, as well as the BIB investigation will be quite costly. It does seem somewhat steep

[dabhand]

Interesting link that indicates a cost of Stg3,400 as being the cost to repatriate a body from Thailand (Pattaya) to UK. This include a Stg300 UK transport cost.

http://www.stevenmearsgroup.co.uk/repatriation/repatriation-from-Thailand-to-the-UK.htm

So not sure where the 15k estimate comes from - although some newspaper articles do indicate a higher cost.

Maybe other, local costs, need to be covered as well. Hospital charges, etc.

[MichaelJackson]

I assume that storage of body and transportation, as well as the BIB investigation will be quite costly. It does seem somewhat steep

BIB investigation , yeah right ! It will be a "tragic accident" or "suspected suicide" case closed, it always ends the same.

SAME song different lyrics as always with that lot. About as much use as an ashtray on a motorbike.

[mrtoad]

It appears he died at least a few days ago and yet,

"Thai authorities are yet to tell his distraught mother how her son died"

Something very fishy going on here, you would imagine.

e.g. suppression of news of yet another tourist murder at the start of high season.

I agree Briggsy, this has or almost did slip under the radar.

The Thai authorities, really don't want another who ha about another mysterious death. I wonder if this will be going on to CSI LA, for follow up.

[greenchair]

3,ooo for the ticket. And the rest is to have the body released from the hospital that is chargeing 40,000 baht a day that he is there. They should have him cremated and sent home. Even if he was murdered, there will be no investigation. Especially if it was on koh tao

[mrtoad]

It does smell of Koh Tao, for some reason.

[ttthailand]

They say accident so could mean ...Motorbike accident, jet-ski accident, boat accident, bus accident, electrical accident... I would however suspect something other in that they have not released location or cause. I have lost my trust in this country telling the truth about anything.

[lemonjelly]

How on earth can there be 'no details'?

RTP smelling fishy again.

[steve187]

From reading links it would seem he died on the 13th, and was identified by a Thai friend in Bangkok

[SoFarAndNear]

What was the slogan in the latest TAT Video?! "No money, mai pen rai"

[schbang]

What about the British Embassy for once doing the decent thing??

Get the poor guys body home and worry about the monetary aspects later!!

I'm British and I don't expect my embassy to give a flying fig about my corpse once I've carked it. What does it matter where a body is finally laid to rest? I'd rather my family (or indeed my country) kept the money (and its expensive to fly the deceased home - it's not the same as finding them an aisle seat - there are health regulations to be met, coffins to be found to hold the body, etc.) rather than moved my no-longer-in-the-remotest-bit-concerned flesh around the world.

You're entitled to your position on death and remains. So are his parents and those close to him. Respect the right to difference and the spiritual endings of others.

[Sviss Geez]

What about the British Embassy for once doing the decent thing??

Get the poor guys body home and worry about the monetary aspects later!!

The embassy doesn't need to do that, his friends are organising the funds needed.

[arthurwait]

Is this the one on Koh Samedt that someone posted a thread about (a few days ago) that happened the same week as the Koh Tao ones and got no coverage ?

Edit: 2 weeks after.

[Fat Haggis]

Apart from the fact that some Travel insurance is null and void here due to the coup and martial law which many seem to have forgotten ?