The balcony did it? Why Thailand's falling deaths raise eyebrows

[webfact]

The Balcony Did It? Why Thailand's Falling Deaths Raise Eyebrows
By Sasiwan Mokkhasen
Staff Reporter



PATTAYA — When Unto Kilvonen’s body was found 10 floors below a Jomtien Beach condo, it didn’t take long for speculation to mount.

Despite the Finnish man’s advanced age and reputed poor health, and even though he left a handwritten note to a Swedish friend stating his intention to jump from the balcony, the internet was unsatisfied with the police determination it was a suicide. It was much the same when Neftali Perez, a 27-year-old American, was found Monday a few whisky bottles later and five floors below his Udon Thani room.

Full story: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.php?newsid=1458792504


-- Khaosod English 2016-03-24

[jamesbrock]

In such headlines there’s only one clear cause of death – gravity.

Um, no, Einstein, the clear cause of death is invariably impact.

[trogers]

Farangs have no fear of heights, especially when stoned.

They are seen loving to saddle the balustrade or window sill of their suburban houses in Hollywood movies. Unfortunately, doing so 10 or 20 floors up results in a different outcome.

[rkidlad]

I love how some foreigners just believe 'some' stories because the RTP said it.

Go against all your natural intuitions and the inconsistencies of the report and just believe.

[clockman]

Lets compare against the rest of Asean? Because here it seems to be one a day!

[Hawk]

Flat block of two dimensions
Neon totem pole to the sky
Keeping scores of people stacked up so high
Above the ground

But all they can hear is the sound
Of the wind in the antennae
It's a human zoo
A suicide machine

Starfish of human blood shape
Tentacles of human gore
Spread out on the pavement
From the 99th floor

Well, somebody said that he jumped
But we know he was pushed
He was just like you might have been
On the 99th floor of a suicide machine

Edited March 24, 2016 by Hawk

[ChrisY1]

A weekly occurrence it seems nowadays......Pattaya appears to be the favoured jumping location......IMO, I find it hard to believe that all jumpers are suicides...there's just too many.

[trogers]

A weekly occurrence it seems nowadays......Pattaya appears to be the favoured jumping location......IMO, I find it hard to believe that all jumpers are suicides...there's just too many.

Say, 50 a year among 50,000 farangs living in Pattaya. Just one in a thousand.

[Bobotie]

A weekly occurrence it seems nowadays......Pattaya appears to be the favoured jumping location......IMO, I find it hard to believe that all jumpers are suicides...there's just too many.

Say, 50 a year among 50,000 farangs living in Pattaya. Just one in a thousand.

Lets face it, the prospect of living your life in a 25/35m square cardboard box in the sky would a lot of people feel like jumping

[Bobotie]

A weekly occurrence it seems nowadays......Pattaya appears to be the favoured jumping location......IMO, I find it hard to believe that all jumpers are suicides...there's just too many.

Is it a favoured location ? Or is it to do with fact there are more foreigners living there in condos than anywhere else ?...statistically one could suggest because most live in condos one would expect to see a higher number of jumpers than in say Isaan where there are less farangs living in condos

Is the number jumping even significant in comparison with say the numbers of jumpers in BKK or Singapore or HK ? I use all these cities as large numbers of the population live in condos/apartments etc

Edited March 24, 2016 by Bobotie

[kokesaat]

My personal experience: we lived on the fourth floor of an apartment in Taiwan many many moons ago. My Thai wife had been drying some herbs on one of those large oval bamboo baskets and wanted me to shake it out over the waist level balcony wall for her. I wasn't drunk, I wasn't smoking anything, and I was in my 20's at the time.......when I went to shake out the basket, I lost my footing and almost fell. It scared the pee out of me. I'm sure I caught myself just in the nick of time. Not a pleasant feeling.

Now had I been drinking or smoking something or older or otherwise impaired.......who knows!

[Strangebrew]

When rail of balcony pecker high chances are high you might fall but when you pickup a spinner chances triple Look all farangs are rich we all know that you can tell by the fancy cars and all that gold they wear. But when the families of these jumpers come to get there belonging how come no laptops gold chains watches or cash is ever found?

[FireMedic]

Has anyone actually tallied all the suicides here? How often? Or from where? I would like to see the total deaths of foreigners:

Natural Causes, suicide, murdered or killed, drowning, traffic accidents, etc......I bet it would be fascinating to publish.

[Spaniel]

Has anyone actually tallied all the suicides here? How often? Or from where? I would like to see the total deaths of foreigners:

Natural Causes, suicide, murdered or killed, drowning, traffic accidents, etc......I bet it would be fascinating to publish.

Actually someone has done just that. I remember seeing a website that gave similar statistics but since i wasn't particularly interested I didn't bookmark it. If I can locate it I'll post it for you.

[whiterussian]

http://www.farang-deaths.com

[NCC1701A]

be worth more alive than dead, problem solved.

[mahjongguy]

http://www.farang-deaths.com/

[NCC1701A]

the first wave of retired Expat's who learned about Thailand firsthand or in the early days of the web as a cheap retirement destination are growing old now.

Chronic pain, cancer, advanced diabetes with the possibly of blindness and limb amputations, Alzheimer's disease.

Add to that, alcoholism, depression, money problems and in the case of living in Pattaya, waking up the the realization that you live in a huge lie.

On a recent trip to Soi Six, Pattaya, I saw a man who was approximately 75 years old and had the body of a Olympic swimmer. He looked great and was chatting up a 22 year old bar girl. He had the right attitude both mentally and physically. I don't think you will see him jumping anytime soon. Lets hope he can set a example for others to follow.

Make sure you find a good Thai woman to take care of you in your old age, before you lose your marbles.

Edited March 24, 2016 by NCC1701A

[55Jay]

There might be some contribution from local construction norms as one poster eludes to the height of his balcony railing being slightly less than his waist. Not forgetting shower heads and hobs over cooker/stoves will, typically, be a bit too low for most of us.

Railings around my two balconies, typical Thai construction, is "just" a bit too low for me. Caught me out the first time or two, but now I know never to stand straight and lean on it as my CoG is above the railing.

Even without having our balance and sensed modified by drugs or alcohol, many experience imbalance/dizziness just being at or near the edge of a high place. It draws you in, many can't resist the temptation to "look down" while some have a strong fear/danger survival instinct and never get close to the edge.

[trogers]

the first wave of retired Expat's who learned about Thailand firsthand or in the early days of the web as a cheap retirement destination are growing old now.

Chronic pain, cancer, advanced diabetes with the possibly of blindness and limb amputations, Alzheimer's disease.

Add to that, alcoholism, depression, money problems and in the case of living in Pattaya, waking up the the realization that you live in a huge lie.

On a recent trip the Soi Six, Pattaya, I saw a man who was approximately 75 years old and had the body of a Olympic swimmer. He looked great and was chatting up a 22 year old bar girl. He had the right attitude both mentally and physically. I don't think you will see him jumping anytime soon. Lets hope he can set a example for others to follow.

Make sure you find a good Thai woman to take care of you in your old age, before you lose your marbles.

I rather build up my finance to prepare myself a decade's stay in a retirement home...

[DrTuner]

The balcony railing in my condo is so low I blocked the entrance with a desk to prevent flying out if I for some reason should slip near the balcony door. At least 30cm too low.

[jaywalker]

the first wave of retired Expat's who learned about Thailand firsthand or in the early days of the web as a cheap retirement destination are growing old now.

Chronic pain, cancer, advanced diabetes with the possibly of blindness and limb amputations, Alzheimer's disease.

Add to that, alcoholism, depression, money problems and in the case of living in Pattaya, waking up the the realization that you live in a huge lie.

On a recent trip the Soi Six, Pattaya, I saw a man who was approximately 75 years old and had the body of a Olympic swimmer. He looked great and was chatting up a 22 year old bar girl. He had the right attitude both mentally and physically. I don't think you will see him jumping anytime soon. Lets hope he can set a example for others to follow.

Make sure you find a good Thai woman to take care of you in your old age, before you lose your marbles.

I rather build up my finance to prepare myself a decade's stay in a retirement home...

I'd rather build up my finances to spend a decade in a soapy massage parlour.

[Gsxrnz]

As a comparison, the USA death rate from unintentional falls is 9.6 per 100,000 population.

The suicide rate from intentional falls is 0.3 per 100,000 population. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr64/nvsr64_02.pdf

I can't find any Thai statistics but if we use the 32 falls (whether accident or suicide) as claimed in the linked article for Thailand, and various web sources that unofficially estimate the expat population for Thailand to be circa 400,000, then that would make the death rate by falling in Thailand to be 8.0 per 100,000 population.

Just a little less than the USA.

[55Jay]

I have caught myself a few times with railings screwed into concrete, giving it a good shake first. Even if it "seems" pretty stable, still don't lean up on it. Also mindful of water and swimming pool recirc pumps, and on-demand electric water heaters in Thai resorts/hotels, you can't take anything for granted.

Edited March 24, 2016 by 55Jay

[jaywalker]

The balcony railing in my condo is so low I blocked the entrance with a desk to prevent flying out if I for some reason should slip near the balcony door. At least 30cm too low.

Always keep a set of jumper (car battery booster) cables with you on your balcony.

They'll be guaranteed to hook something before you hit the ground.

That's what my Dad said every time he used them....He hoped he had a set if he ever fell out of an airplane.

[smedly]

In such headlines there’s only one clear cause of death – gravity.

Um, no, Einstein, the clear cause of death is invariably impact.

cause and effect - you work it out Ernie

RIP

[jaywalker]

I have caught myself a few times with railings screwed into concrete, giving it a good shake first. Even if it "seems" pretty stable, still don't lean up on it. Also mindful of water pumps and on-demand electric water heaters in Thai resorts/hotels, you can't take anything for granted.

Well, thank heavens I've never come that close.

I recall my first ever visit to Pattaya in 1999, & had a cutie on the 10th floor of the Montien Hotel balcony.

She was scared shitless & had a death grip on the railing.

I thought it was quite humorous back then, but being a newbie, I didn't know all that much about the Pattaya Flying Club.

[Bender]

usually tourist dont go to foreign country and jump from balcony.

Spain, USA, China, France get 2 times more tourists than here, but you will never heard foreigner jumping..... its certainly murder disguised in suicide!

[colinneil]

Well i am safe from falling of a balcony.

Live on ground floor in a village.

Too bloody fat and heavy, takes 3 people when they have to lift me.

So even if we were in a condo with balcony no way could she get me from my wheelchair over a rail.

[chicowoodduck]

Like I've said many times, a push is just as good as a shove....?