French man found hanged in Koh Tao with his hands tied behind his back – foul play suspected

[JohnThailandJohn]

What im asking myself atm is why do it outside the bungalow in broad daylight around lunchtime effectively in public and not in it with total privacy as one might expect ?

Wonder why you are not wondering what would be more bizarre is committing a murder in broad daylight around lunchtime effectively in public and not in private as one might expect a person committing murderer would do.

Actually kind of common for suicide victims to want their bodies discovered and common also for those with some doubts to do it in a place where they might be discovered quickly and possibly saved. If this guy did commit suicide it clearly seems he had some reservations between the attempts to cut himself and the need to tie his hands.

[JohnThailandJohn]

its not a first time this has happened in thailand (hands tied behind the back) and has been classified as a suicide

Or anywhere else where people kill themselves by hanging.

[IMA_FARANG]

Of course it is possible he is actually French, but Dimitri is normally a Russian name, isn't it?

[hupaknomore]

Another young life is lost ( in Thailand). RIP.

French man? Dmitri sounds more like Russian.

Should Koh Tao be now closed for tourism?

[neverdie]

Of course it is possible he is actually French, but Dimitri is normally a Russian name, isn't it?

My name is Pierre, which I think is a French name, but I am a Czechoslovakian hermaphrodite who has dual citizenship in Zimbabwe. So what's in a name?

[neverdie]

Another young life is lost ( in Thailand). RIP.

French man? Dmitri sounds more like Russian.

Should Koh Tao be now closed for tourism?

With the sky falling and all that, perhaps Thailand should be closed off & quickly.

[jaiyenyen]

englishoak, You beat me to it.

I think this was done to send a strong message, by someone who thinks they are untouchable.

[englishoak]

What im asking myself atm is why do it outside the bungalow in broad daylight around lunchtime effectively in public and not in it with total privacy as one might expect ?

Wonder why you are not wondering what would be more bizarre is committing a murder in broad daylight around lunchtime effectively in public and not in private as one might expect a person committing murderer would do.

Actually kind of common for suicide victims to want their bodies discovered and common also for those with some doubts to do it in a place where they might be discovered quickly and possibly saved. If this guy did commit suicide it clearly seems he had some reservations between the attempts to cut himself and the need to tie his hands.

Im not even going to speculate about murder just doing it hands tied but also outside in public seems very conflicting in intentions is all.

[Jungle Jim]

With the crap i have seen the foreigners pull over here both men and women i wonder how long they would last for example in Singapore or the middle east. Act like a dumb ass and your asking for trouble plan and simple. After all the years i have lived here never had much of any problems with the Thais. If it is that bad here you can always leave or avoid the place. The island chain with Kho Tao has been dangerous more years and will only continue to get worse as you continue to show disrespect to the locals. They have no problem ripping you off if you act like a clown.

Sadly i don,t think the majority of the foreigners get that. Seem to have the attitude i will do anything i please. It has reached a boiling point from all the disrespect over the years. Perhaps it is payback time.

To all the foreigners visiting or living here in Thailand just please be careful not to bump-heads w the locals.I grew up here and I've visited almost all places in TH(part of my job too).I can speak Thai and honestly I never had a prob w them but then again I'm Southeast Asian too.They just don't like foreigners who disrespect them in their own country no matter who they are or what they are.

Just please avoid getting in a fight w them.That's the first rule to keep in mind when coming here.

That is absolute none sense.

Murder is justifiable payback for some else's miss-perceived disrespect ??

A sad and pathetic attempt to distract and spin a defense.

Your insinuation is so very ugly.

You must be of the " she was wearing a short pink skirt and deserved it " brigade.

I agree. Stop putting the blame on the victims. It just gives the criminal more justification and power to continue. What they should doing is informing thai that confrontation in the correct non abusive way is healthy. You can't keep going around beating up and killing the foreigners.

[ttthailand]

the problem for me is that some people have claimed in the past that this is the way they were to die

yes, I was thinking the same. Witness to the 2 Brits murder almost met his end in the same way. Any connection ?

[StefanBBK]

I reckon one could prepare to hang oneself, then somehow use a cable tie to restrain hands behind the back and finally kick the chair away. Some investigations need to be carried out first, covering all the details. Perhaps some type of partial reenactment.

Same as usual, too much information given before investigating, leaving too much room for speculations.

Looking forward to hear facts.

Rest in peace young man!

[Strangebrew]

Just wait till Koh Tao meets the bent nosed guys from Sicily, from friends there there pretty pissed at Thai's useing the term Mafia to describe themselves bringing heat on them. Is TAT going to spin this one as a bungy jumping accident? Or come to Koh Tao where hung men stay.

[StefanBBK]

Just one small question, (if it hasn't already been asked in this long thread).

If you're going to commit suicide by hanging yourself, why would you tie your hands behind your back first?

I am not really in to discussing what is going on in people's minds before committing suicide, but tying hand behind your back may be a fail-safe in case he does not immediately die,so he can't reach up and try to undo / change his mind. Don't think it is impossible, however unlikely.

[Artisi]

Unbelivable, every month a new tourist is killed on this small island

A little difficult to kill an already dead tourist.

[ttthailand]

What im asking myself atm is why do it outside the bungalow in broad daylight around lunchtime effectively in public and not in it with total privacy as one might expect ?

If you wanted to be sure of success then you may tie your hands behind your back first to avoid backing out. Then again if you wanted to be sure why do it outside on the balcony where anyone could walk past, see and help. Youd think privacy would assure more chance of success rather than in public and in broad daylight at lunchtime....

If however as is common with attempted suicides he was wishing to be found by someone first why would he have tied his hands in the first place ? all very strange.

Thats assuming of course its a suicide. If its not then hanging someone in full view in public would send a very very strong message, especially in Thailand.

perhaps out side was the only (or best) place that had the structure requirement to tie the rope. Inside may have a finished ceiling. Maybe ???

[SinCityGr8One]

Tony Montana: I always tell the truth. Even when I lie.

[alantheembalmer]

Of course it is possible he is actually French, but Dimitri is normally a Russian name, isn't it?

It appears that it was the door that was called Dmitri:

"The door to the man’s bungalow, later identified at Dmitri........"

[greenchair]

What im asking myself atm is why do it outside the bungalow in broad daylight around lunchtime effectively in public and not in it with total privacy as one might expect ?

If you wanted to be sure of success then you may tie your hands behind your back first to avoid backing out. Then again if you wanted to be sure why do it outside on the balcony where anyone could walk past, see and help. Youd think privacy would assure more chance of success rather than in public and in broad daylight at lunchtime....

If however as is common with attempted suicides he was wishing to be found by someone first why would he have tied his hands in the first place ? all very strange.

Thats assuming of course its a suicide. If its not then hanging someone in full view in public would send a very very strong message, especially in Thailand.

What stood out for me is a specific trait of suiciders is their concern about the way they look when found. Most dress for the occasion (morbid as it may seem ). For someone who went to so much trouble to succeed,then put himself in a place to be found quickly. So very well staged, yet no thought to appearance doesn't fit this typo. ?bless??

[Artisi]

You could put the rope around your neck then bind one hand, then put them behind you back with a slip knot maybe? but would be very difficult, then jump of the chair or whatever platform he used. He also might have used cable ties?? How knows, RIP anyway. Probably easier then shooting your self twice in the head.

From either side just to make sure.

[Strangebrew]

I heard stats quoted here But stats are put together from information given so if every case of death is listed as suicide rather than murder or possible murder then it wouldn't come into play in the stats thus reflecting a untrue result. In the US police inspect crime scene gather all information then issue a statement . In Thailand it rule it suicide first so less paperwork. Then do nothing case closed. So if out of 100 reported suicides lets say 20% were murders That would put Thailand as the hub of murders. Yes the US has a lot of Murders But that is to be expected since it has a large number of people and it's citizens can own guns But the US has less people falling off balconies Per captia than Thailand.

[Artisi]

There seem to be a disproportionate number of mysterious deaths, murders, suicides, falling from cliffs, drownings and so forth in KT. I wonder why that is?

Don't ask difficult questions - far too involved for the local BIB to answer / spin.

[mjnaus]

STOP! with the Burmese jokes for God's sake.......any Idea how stupid you come across as being?

It may seem unlikely that his hands would be tied if it was a suicide but it really isn't that strange or uncommon

The idea is to tie their own hands and it only needs to be loosely because the rope used is behind their back

They stick there head through the noose jump and the rope, even if it's only dangling behind their back, prevents them from reaching the rope above.

Sad that someone would resort to this at such a young age

RIP

And this would before or after a gremlin riding a unicorn sprinkled fairy dust over the guy?

[greenchair]

the problem for me is that some people have claimed in the past that this is the way they were to die

yes, I was thinking the same. Witness to the 2 Brits murder almost met his end in the same way. Any connection ?

Right down to the shoelaces!!!

[Artisi]

I am not surprised that the news about the tied hands took a while to come out. It clearly makes it more likely to be foul play and that doesn't sit well with the current official policy that Thailand is safe for visitors.

What does surprise me is that the BIB didn't just untie his hands when they found him. I'm not sure whether to give them credit for being honest, or deride them for being stupid in messing up a cover up.

Think the latter answers the question.

[Artisi]

The real question is how they found out that the name of the door was Dmitri.

"The door to the mans bungalow, later identified as Dmitri."

It wasn't easy, but the rubber hose method finaly resulted in a breakthrough.

[Muirton]

Interestingly enough it is not uncommon for people to tie their hands behind their back before hanging themselves -- some also tape or cover their mouths. It is a way to make sure they go through with the act and don't try to free themselves or scream out.

While it is true that some suicides try to secure their hands in case of a desire to struggle/survive/change their mins, this is invariably done with the strong, plastic ties with the locking mechanism ( ie, with some planning and forethought of the consequences). Never heard of it being done with what appears to be knots of some intricacy as per the photograph.

You've never heard of that being done because -- surprise, surprise, Please be seated -- JTJ is clueless regarding reality.

[falangjim]

Sadly i don,t think the majority of the foreigners get that. Seem to have the attitude i will do anything i please. It has reached a boiling point from all the disrespect over the years. Perhaps it is payback time.

To all the foreigners visiting or living here in Thailand just please be careful not to bump-heads w the locals.I grew up here and I've visited almost all places in TH(part of my job too).I can speak Thai and honestly I never had a prob w them but then again I'm Southeast Asian too.They just don't like foreigners who disrespect them in their own country no matter who they are or what they are.

Just please avoid getting in a fight w them.That's the first rule to keep in mind when coming here.

Oh come on, Jungle Jim. Thais have no problem ripping you off if you are a clown or not a clown. Wow, you've been here too long. You start to apologize for Thais. A foreign tourist acting a little crazy while on holiday should be given some leeway. I've seen some stupid stuff, too, but not enough to warrant the murder of someone. Thais, especially the Isaan ilk, can't control their emotions when a slight loss of face occurs. But to be fair, they do it to themselves, too. Look at what just recently happened over New Years: a Thai in a pickup truck opens fire on a Thai family celebrating on their porch because he didn't like the way he was informally addressed. So at least they are consistent.

As for this thread, I'm now skeptical. Perhaps the poor Frenchman was suffering from depression. Rest in Peace. It is the season for this kind of thing with it being near New Year.

[Anthony5]

Interestingly enough it is not uncommon for people to tie their hands behind their back before hanging themselves -- some also tape or cover their mouths. It is a way to make sure they go through with the act and don't try to free themselves or scream out.

While it is true that some suicides try to secure their hands in case of a desire to struggle/survive/change their mins, this is invariably done with the strong, plastic ties with the locking mechanism ( ie, with some planning and forethought of the consequences). Never heard of it being done with what appears to be knots of some intricacy as per the photograph.

You've never heard of that being done because -- surprise, surprise, Please be seated -- JTJ is clueless regarding reality.

Then I suggest you both start to read post #428, you and Prbkk could probably learn something from it

[Mooner]

Wasn't it last NYE when the English lad supposedly "jumped" off the cliff while on holiday with his family. Two years in a row.....

Yes but I think jumping off the cliff was just a speculation since nobody saw him and think the implication was not suicide but rather an accident based on the behavior of a very drunk 25 year old young man.

December 19, 2014

An inquest into Nick Pearsons death concluded today when acting senior coroner Louise Pinder said he drowned and recorded an open conclusion.

Home Office pathologist Dr Michael Biggs said Nick had 237 mg of alcohol in his body. The UK legal limit for driving is 80 mgs. He said: There were some bruises on his face. He could have fell, bumped, or been assaulted. From a pathologists point of view, his injuries are not from an assault but I cant rule it out. He said a lot of the injuries had occurred after his death.

Read more: http://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/Nick-Pearson-inquest-Family-Derbyshire-man-dead/story-25741734-detail/story.html#ixzz3NnOmxjOR

Again you presume, you are not objective. You and I don't have a clue what happened to the young man in that link, however you state he is"very drunk". 80mg is the legal limit for driving in the UK which is an amount of alcohol that overly affects your driving ability, the guy had 3 times that so maybe unable to drive but nobody could call him intoxicated.

Oh apart from you.

Would be interesting to find out how many drinks that amount is. 80 mg in the Uk is just over a pint of beer I believe.

[neverdie]

Wasn't it last NYE when the English lad supposedly "jumped" off the cliff while on holiday with his family. Two years in a row.....

Yes but I think jumping off the cliff was just a speculation since nobody saw him and think the implication was not suicide but rather an accident based on the behavior of a very drunk 25 year old young man.

December 19, 2014

An inquest into Nick Pearsons death concluded today when acting senior coroner Louise Pinder said he drowned and recorded an open conclusion.

Home Office pathologist Dr Michael Biggs said Nick had 237 mg of alcohol in his body. The UK legal limit for driving is 80 mgs. He said: There were some bruises on his face. He could have fell, bumped, or been assaulted. From a pathologists point of view, his injuries are not from an assault but I cant rule it out. He said a lot of the injuries had occurred after his death.

Read more: http://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/Nick-Pearson-inquest-Family-Derbyshire-man-dead/story-25741734-detail/story.html#ixzz3NnOmxjOR

Again you presume, you are not objective. You and I don't have a clue what happened to the young man in that link, however you state he is"very drunk". 80mg is the legal limit for driving in the UK which is an amount of alcohol that overly affects your driving ability, the guy had 3 times that so maybe unable to drive but nobody could call him intoxicated.

Oh apart from you.

Would be interesting to find out how many drinks that amount is. 80 mg in the Uk is just over a pint of beer I believe.

Mooner,

It doesn't quite work that way. In simple terms ones Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) varies based on a number of factors.

Primarily:

Time

Body weight

Sex

Body fat

Are the things that will effect the change of ones BAC.

Once the alcohol is in, the only things that will change the reading are time and the amount of alcohol consumed.

People often think that 'regular drinkers' have an ability to have a lower BAC over the identical person that only consumes alcohol occasionally. This is false.

It has also been proven that all people are affected after the consumption of one alcoholic 'standard' drink.

Edit to add a chart I found for you:

http://oade.nd.edu/educate-yourself-alcohol/blood-alcohol-concentration/

Edited January 4, 2015 by neverdie