Koh Tao mayor blasts UK media's 'negative reporting'

[tukkytuktuk]

What is the latest on this missing woman on Koh Tao, Lauren Hebden?

Hope she's found alive.

[catsanddogs]

The ghoulish beheaviour goes on, with people feeding their agendas on a new tragedy.

ImageUploadedByThaivisa Connect Thailand1422451700.302264.jpg

There is no tragedy!

Tell that to the family who are looking for their daughter and do not know if she is alive or well

I'm surprised this missing person has only just come to light. Reports said she last made contact via social media 22nd Dec '14 (I think). Does anyone know how long she has been on a missing persons list? Wouldn't her parents have been concerned if they did not have contact with her over Christmas? Apologies if I've missed something about this and she has been on the missing persons list for some time. Five weeks seems a long time for the situation to come into the public.

[catsanddogs]

Here's a message to the Mayor of Koh Tao

Put your own house and islanders in order first. Look at some of your dear local lowlife scum that publicly post photos of the Ghoulish antics and war weapons culture. Its not difficult to do, you obviously know who they are, why not ask them to remove this filth from their facebook pages. This is just one of the numerous actions you can take before accusing the British press of bad publicity which in my view is well deserved.

u a eithet specially behind you developtment. Still comments just getting more and more stupid.

Pot kettle. Your spelling and grammar have gone strange again?

[catsanddogs]

Take a look at Lauren Hebdens facebook. God I hope she is alive, seems such a nice person, working as a diving instructor on Koh Tao.

There are no posts or 'friends' there. Why would this be?

[tukkytuktuk]

Take a look at Lauren Hebdens facebook. God I hope she is alive, seems such a nice person, working as a diving instructor on Koh Tao.

There are no posts or 'friends' there. Why would this be?

Don't know, but it's the same story for her twitter account, no friends just celebrity twitterers that she follows.

[thailandchilli]

Take a look at Lauren Hebdens facebook. God I hope she is alive, seems such a nice person, working as a diving instructor on Koh Tao.

There are no posts or 'friends' there. Why would this be?

The thread for her on TV is here http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/795318-unconfirmed-uk-backpacker-reported-missing-last-seen-on-koh-tao/page-4#entry8999802

Yes she was reported missing on the 22nd Dec officially. For that to happen the family would have need to report it to the UK police first, then she can submit it to the missing persons agencies. Obviously by now people would have tried to contact all her friends and any facebook friends to see if they can contact, but obviously no contact so far, she worked in Koh Tao, last place she was seen so its allo very worrying and even more so for the families.

[Mooner]

The ghoulish beheaviour goes on, with people feeding their agendas on a new tragedy.

ImageUploadedByThaivisa Connect Thailand1422451700.302264.jpg

There is no tragedy!

Tell that to the family who are looking for their daughter and do not know if she is alive or well

I'm surprised this missing person has only just come to light. Reports said she last made contact via social media 22nd Dec '14 (I think). Does anyone know how long she has been on a missing persons list? Wouldn't her parents have been concerned if they did not have contact with her over Christmas? Apologies if I've missed something about this and she has been on the missing persons list for some time. Five weeks seems a long time for the situation to come into the public.

Agreed. I am not a great communicator with my family at home but Xmas and New Year is a must.

Taken a while for this one to reach the world media. Hopefully there is a positive outcome.

I don't believe there is a serial killer but alot of negative media on Ko Tao now. Hopefully this will help make changes and result in a more professional police force on site

[cowboy country]

Angered???...Gee I wonder why?...Time to wake up Mr Mayor and stop your crying

The British press have got it wrong again (as they did with Hannah and David's murder).

The murdered woman's family have stated that she died of natural causes and not under suspicious circumstances!!

If they (the UK gutter press) had written about there being a Mafia culture on Koh Toh then fair enough BUT linking this death to Mafia gangs is bang out of order and I don't blame the Mayor for being enraged about shoddy/outrageous reporting.

This dude knows something.

OK, a slip of the keyboard - I do not think she was murdered, please replace this word with dead and the rest of the post stands. My mistake.

Ahh the good old slip of the keyboard means the mystyping of a word like , instead of typing lye you might type lie,

typing murdered instead of died of natural causes is not a slip of the keyboard,

maybe this is why your brother is the Mayor and you're on here trying to translate for him..

Tak about putting your foot in it,

tipping you don't know the difference between <deleted> and shinola..

If you are really his brother please explain there is a big difference between natural causes and accidental suicide....Not on iilegal drugs either, just 3000 bahts worth of Valiums that she bought at the local pharmacy without a prescription....Perhaps tell your bro to crack down on that or is this another case where Koh Tau is a law unto itself...

[cowboy country]

No!!, I don't - but her parents described it as this (not me). They clearly didn't need the results of an autopsy to determine this (even if their choice of words is not accurate) they have simply used common sense to come to this conclusion - something that an alarmingly high proportion of TV members seem to lack at times!! .

Do you think all parents have common sense in their statements when they lose a loved one? If so then we really do need to listen to these ones also

The parents of a British holidaymaker who died in suspicious circumstances in Thailand are convinced he was murdered – and the killing covered up to protect tourism.

Nick Pearson, 25, was on a family vacation to the island of Koh Tao when he was found dead on New Year’s Day. http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/thailand-beach-death-parents-convinced-4410135

OK!! So I take it that you think that she WAS murdered by the Mafia then!! Yes?

So there is a mafia? Now you're just not sure if this one is their doing? Or was that another keyboard slip...

Epic lulz thanks, what's your job anyway? Or is that your titile? Mayors brother?

[cowboy country]

I didn't need to do an investigation as the evidence presents itself (nobody suspects foul play) not the police, parents. friends and anyone with a modicum of common sense. The fact that you don't see this must mean..........................

But you yourself stated that she was murdered......

Can you define murder ?

If she was sold drugs that are illegal in Thailand, what would make the person that sold them ?

A pharmacist in need of a quick earn because there are Nofricketourists...

[cowboy country]

Source Dictionary.com

judicial inquiry by a group of persons appointed by a court. The most common type is the inquest set up to investigate a death apparently occasioned by unnatural means.

Witnesses are examined, and a special jury returns a verdict on the cause of death. In England inquests are also required when there is loss or injury in a fire.

The inquest is confined to common-law jurisdictions that have a coroner system

I guess I was wrong and ThailandChili had his head screwed on correct. My apologies ThailandChili.

What has this got to do with an investigation/inquest into her death?

It isn't a judicial enquiry, her death was not unnatural and there are no witnesses to examine plus there wasn't a fire involved.

It also didn't happen in the UK. Other than that I suppose one is possible!!.

Boy if your brother the Mare was peed off at what the UK press were writing wait till you get home and he sees the hole you've been digging...Hilarious...Just hope he doesn't start to get you to dig with a trowell or something similar which is the way around there.....

[Fatty123]

Another one bites the dust!

All I know is that I wanted to go there for a dive trip in February and my Thai Wife who is pestering me for a holiday will not step foot on the island.

As a test, I said, "That is the only place I want to go."

She said "OK, then no holiday this year."

Period. Full stop. End of story for that island.

(Found a better island so we are on the way)

Well this really gets to the guts of the story.

The foreign tourist/resident will go,

but his Thai wife adamantly would rather stay home than risk going to Koh Tao.

Mr. Mayor, it is not simply the British press giving your island a bad rep,

but the basic perceptions of the average Thai woman, now are totally

wired against Koh Tao. And that can NOT be laid at the writing of foreign press,

nor foreign online bloggers or chat groups. Seems this is quite well known

in several levels of Thai society, with no aid from outside.

I'll second that. I'm visiting the wifey soon (at uni in UK at the moment). Asked her where she'd like to go for a relaxing break. She said ''Anywhere but Koh Tao. Too dangerous now''.

So the mayor needs to reassure his own before the usual trick/excuse of blaming 'farang'

You're the mayor. Perhaps try and get to the bottom of what's going on on that Island? Even if it is 'overdoses' or 'accidents' look into ways of reducing them. With the murders of Hannah and David, a few very mysterious deaths and also disappearances being reported (isn't a British girl missing from 2013 last seen on Koh Tao?) is it any wonder people are staying away? It's like a Hammer Horror movie or something. I would seriously be having nightmares if I had to visit that place at the moment.

Problem is the top dogs in Thailand are just interested in counting money. Instead of finding solutions they lash out and blame someone else (foreigners or people 'under' them). Thailand is a beautiful country run by chimpanzees.

[cowboy country]

Surely the best course of action is for the mayor to station and instruct his police farce force at the landing points on Koh Tao to immediately return any U.K. passport holder back to the mainland post haste with a ''persona non grata'' stamp in their passports.

That small action alone will totally halt any further comments being made by the British visitors to the British press that may tarnish the islands reputation

Simple task, so easy to cover the truth in ones own little fiefdom isn't?

Nope, he's letting his 11 year old brother Lucky sort out the social media...he's an internet warrior!!

[cowboy country]

So the Mayor is working close together with the mafia on the island , and he is protecting a serial killer. Is that the conclusion of our Thaivisa detectives ?

Yes something like that, tell us what you know and I'll do the same..

Prostitiution is illegal..

Drink driving is illegal..

No helmet/license/roadworthy is illegal..

Criticising the Police on social media is illegal.

Buying Valium without prescription is illegal..

Magic Mushrooms are illegal..

Tourism is down, way down...

For every Thai Visa detective there is a JTJ aias sooking and lying about his loss of face and money...

There were 3 sets of DNA on Hannah..

They're not looking for a 3rd person..

3 days after the double murders head of investigation declares they are looking for son of head man and accomplice who had fled,

then the same head officer is stood down and never to be heard of again,

next minute we're being told to shut up, nothing to see here...

Now if we're detectives what are you exactly?

[cowboy country]

So the Mayor is working close together with the mafia on the island , and he is protecting a serial killer. Is that the conclusion of our Thaivisa detectives ?

Could you please ask the Mare or Mon to confirm if any of the bungling cops on the double murder outside his place got transferred to Burriram? seems to be a consistency with this latest story regarding a dead falang with massive head injuries, this one's an accident....LOL

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/mystery-over-death-of-irish-man-in-thailand-30936941.html

[jimmybkk]

Just after David & Hannah were murdered with a hoe (allegedly), there was a Norwegian lady diver on Koh Tao who died after being hit on the head by the propeller of a boat. When I read about that the first thing that occurred to me was how similar the physical profile of a propeller blade and a Thai-style hoe must be. Both made from sheet steel. Both around 2mm 3mm thick with sharp edges. In fact, I would imagine that if you hit someone on the head with a hoe with enough force to kill them, then put the body into the water it could easily be accepted that the injury was caused by a propeller blade.

I wonder how many times "Struck by propeller blade" has been accepted as the cause of death for fatalities involving foreigners on Koh Tao...

Except of course, that she was hit by the propeller in the water while diving with other people, from where she was rescued by a boat, but don't let facts get on the way of a conspiracy theory.

Hahaha! I enjoy the banter we have on here AleG.

First things first...Please highlight in my post where I suggested there was anything suspicious about the death of the poor Norwegian girl? Oh wait, that's right, you can't because i didn't, but don't let that stop you distorting the posts of others as and when you see fit because, let's face it, all's fair when you're supporting the cause, ain't that right son?

Secondly, (and please don't take this the wrong way - this is what my Dad would've called constructive criticism...) whilst I've seen enough TV to appreciate that developing your own catchphrase doesn't just happen overnight, and you do need to work at it to make it stick, there is also a danger of "over-egging the pudding" so to speak, and I think you may be sailing a bit close to that part of the pond right now. You need to stop trying to force it... try to relax and let it come naturally, and in time I'm sure people will start to think of you as Ale "Conspiracy Theory" G, without you having to wear the t-shirt every day. But before that happens, I would like you think long and hard about whether that catchprase isn't a bit too... uhmmm... conventional(?) for a forward-thinking guy like you? I mean sure, back in the late 90's it was kinda cutting edge and it conjured up images of wild-eyed Mel Gibson & Julia Roberts with big hair being hunted down by The Man and communicating with fellow theorists via a fanzine... it was cool, and many guys would've loved it as their catchphrase back then.... but that was nearly 18 years ago dude, and Mel's persona non grata these days...

You need to find something a bit more contemporary. A bit more left-field. If you need inspiration I'd suggest you look to one of the greats... Larry Grayson and what I consider to be the jewel in the catchphrase crown: "Shut that door...". I mean that is pure genius. Talk about left-field - how the heck did he come up with that and get it to stick...? Quite amazing! makes "Conspiracy Theory" look a bit weak, right?

Oh, and here's the other thing, the CIA are credited with weaponizing the term "conspiracy theory" as a way to discredit those who questioned the Warren Commission's findings on the assassination of JFK which, unless you're naive enough to believe some crazy theory about LHO and some magic bullets actually turned out to be a real-life conspiracy (and not a theory), and when we now live in a world of the Internet... and Wikileaks... and a majority of the populace who understand that what you would call "conspiracies" are very real and do happen, your continued bleating use of the term (despite your apparent ignorance of its origins) whilst you follow the flock and happily swallow whatever the farmer feeds you, makes you look kinda foolish.

[Christie Paul]

The good people of Koh Tao will come to realise that they have a serious and very expensive problem.

It is crystal clear that very serious matters have not been dealt with in a proper way. It is possible and somewhat ironic that in cases in which guilty parties have managed to escape justice, they have been hamstrung by other events of which they are not guilty. Peculiar justice.

I had some arms length dealings with a person that turned out to be a serial fraudster, who was never caught. But he did manage to become seriously entangled in matters of which he was relatively innocent and for which he he was severely and one could say unfairly prosecuted or not?

Koh Tao's reputation has been spoiled for who know's how long. Recovery will take a long time and can easily spoiled by an event which would not affect other destinations.

[draftvader]

Topic cleaned up. Many posts removed as the whole thread descended into a flame war. There are forum rules here.

Pertinent to this would be

7) You will respect fellow members and post in a civil manner. No personal attacks, hateful or insulting towards other members, (flaming) Stalking of members on either the forum or via PM will not be allowed.

8) You will not post disruptive or inflammatory messages, vulgarities, obscenities or profanities.

9) You will not post inflammatory messages on the forum, or attempt to disrupt discussions to upset its participants, or trolling. Trolling can be defined as the act of purposefully antagonizing other people on the internet by posting controversial, inflammatory, irrelevant or off-topic messages with the primary intent of provoking other users into an emotional response or to generally disrupt normal on-topic discussion.

These are actually just common decency. Stay on-topic and off each other. Next step is posting suspensions.

[KamalaRider]

Its not mayor who only is pissed ,its all residents here. U guys are no good for nothing else then depate of ladyboy theft and bar girls takeout prices.

If someone tells the truth here, or you dare doupt some of star posters u get banned and immediatly hiding something. Meny of you are star example of people who never shud have acces to internet. Such a shame u have nothing better to do then spread lies as truth.

Island life I must congratulate you on your award winning internet skills. If you are typical of the guesthouse owner on the island I don't think it would just be the mysterious deaths that continue to keep the bookings low.

Well im not. Nobody here likes whats happened and its ver sad & unfortunate. But enought is enough.

What ever i would say .some pricks here labels me in 5 min to something.

Well i am something i live here! How meny of you does? !?!

If you really are sad and live on the island, why haven't I've seen one true word of sympathy, every person murdered or gone missing have either been stupid, no good, "even her friends have given up on her" etc. according to people on KT.

The list is long for downgrading vocabulary of the victims and missing person/s.

and your words "very sad and unfortunate" is really disturbing, but I am open for it could be lack of English skills on your part. I am not the best person to use English, but I don't think I would ever use "Nobody here likes whats happened and its ver sad & unfortunate" about a young girl dying anywhere in the world, except if she would die of old age at 23 or a long lasting documented sickness.

I'm sad that Thailand are loosing tourists, hitting my toe on a rock was unfortunate because I had to walk without shoes in the sand and it hurt, something like that I would have used.

If I was to interpret what you mean without taking into regard you don't have a full understanding of English language, I would do so like this:

It was sad that Christina died on our island and not elsewhere and very unfortunate for our business that farangs don't keep their mouths shut and trust us when we lie about almost everything as we only want their money.

But I won't do that, as it would imply that people on KT and other places in Thailand, are a ultimate creeps only wanting FARANGS money and FARANG women who all are stupid and for our pleasure only to do what we want with them, and some men.

I just want you to think before you write, because we might get the wrong picture with what you type.

[garyk]

Weekly envelopes getting a little lighter are they mayor!!!!! Murder and suspicious death tend to make tourists a little wary. Hummmm

[spidermike007]

I have seen coats of paint, on a wall, that are more relevant, and more important than this mayor. He means nothing to anybody, except those who are being enriched under his power, and possible his family. The level of shame he should be feeling on a daily basis should prevent him from crawling out from under the rock he lives under. So, are we going to give any credence to the fact that he is upset with bad publicity? The translation to his statement is, "please do not diminish my enormous income stream. I have never made so much money in my life".

A note to the mayor. We do not care about your ill gotten fortune. But, we care deeply for the lives of the young foreigners who keep getting killed on your island, on your watch, while you sit by and do nothing about it, and there are serial killers on the loose. Or is it only Nomsod? I sort of doubt it. It is probably his whole crew of bangers, and the other gangs on the island too.

[cowboy country]

This threads gone very very quiet, anybody seen Lucky11? I want to know how the mayor is feeling today?

Or maybe their at the buffalo fights...hope they clean up on the punt so they can cheer up..