Drowning or murder? Farang found floating in the sea off Koh Phangan

[rooster59]

Drowning or murder? Farang found floating in the sea off Koh Phangan

 

Image: Thairath

 

Police in Koh Phangan said they have found a male Caucasian tourist floating in the sea 500 yards off shore.

 

They are keeping an open mind about whether he drowned or was murdered while the body has been sent for autopsy to the Police Hospital.

 

A backpack was still attached to the naked body. In the bag were five large rocks as well as a long pair of trousers, some shorts and a phone charger.

 

The body was found by a member of the public off the coast at Ban Chalok Lam. Decomposition had set in and the face was unrecognizable.

 

He had been dead for at least five days.

 

Police hope the autopsy will determine whether the may died as a result of entering the water or was killed first then dumped. They are checking all resorts and bungalows in the area to see if anyone is missing.

 

The Thai Rath report further theorized that the victim may have been harpooning fish and used the rocks to weigh himself down but did not question why he would have clothes and a phone charger in the bag as well.

 

Source: Thairath

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2016-10-29

[dinsdale]

5 large rocks in backpack. Suicide obviously or is this a Thai version of concrete shoes?

[cumgranosalum]

The sad thing is that whatever the conclusion, after all the previous publicity surrounding the island, one can never have complete confidence that the police and other authorities will do a proper professional job on the matter.

[roo860]

Don't people always take a phone charger with them when harpooning?

[Gjk7777]

Why would you have 5 large rocks in your bag? Unless he was a geologist,I think he died before entering the water.

[grumbleweed]

Quote

The Thai Rath report further theorized that the victim may have been harpooning fish and used the rocks to weigh himself down but did not question why he would have clothes and a phone charger in the bag as well.

 

Clouseau eat your heart out. Looks like someone's after a job with the RTP 

[bokningar]

Harpooning fish naked with a phone charger in his backpack??

Who comes up with this stuff? 

[darren84310]

Well unless he was a petrologist..... I think we can rule out accident.

[silent]

17 minutes ago, Gjk7777 said:

Why would you have 5 large rocks in your bag? Unless he was a geologist,I think he died before entering the water.

 

A different version of one toke over the line?

[silent]

7 minutes ago, bokningar said:

Harpooning fish naked with a phone charger in his backpack??

Who comes up with this stuff? 

Collecting Yaba rocks while harpooning fish appears to be a long standing practice among locals in some areas.

[JustNo]

RIP lad, lets hope this is something that is gotten to the bottom of, but I have very little hope in that :/

On a side note, they actually used the word 'Caucasian' in the report! I have been here 7 years and 'farang' was the first word I learned in Thai lol, mainly because I heard it everywhere. My gf doesn't even know why Thai people refer to us whiteys with this word, foreigners who are of colour never get this treatment! 

[Gandtee]

1 hour ago, roo860 said:

Don't people always take a phone charger with them when harpooning?

Hoping to find an electric eel? Whatever reason for his demise, RIP

[Old Croc]

I know when I went harpooning (?) fish, I always strapped on a backpack full of rocks to help keep me on the bottom.

And it makes sense to have some dry clothes in the pack to change into when/if you manage to get back to the surface.

 

Are these people for real? Almost certainly murder with a small chance of a weird suicide.

[hobobo]

1 hour ago, dinsdale said:

5 large rocks in backpack. Suicide obviously or is this a Thai version of concrete shoes?

You're obviously not a diver...

[dotpoom]

1 hour ago, Gjk7777 said:

Why would you have 5 large rocks in your bag? Unless he was a geologist,I think he died before entering the water.

 

" the victim may have been harpooning fish and used the rocks to weigh himself down"

[fish monger]

1 hour ago, cumgranosalum said:

The sad thing is that whatever the conclusion, after all the previous publicity surrounding the island, one can never have complete confidence that the police and other authorities will do a proper professional job on the matter.

I think by now we can all agree that, they just don't care. Everything disappears in time.

[amykat]

12 minutes ago, Old Croc said:

I know when I went harpooning (?) fish, I always strapped on a backpack full of rocks to help keep me on the bottom.

And it makes sense to have some dry clothes in the pack to change into when/if you manage to get back to the surface.

 

Are these people for real? Almost certainly murder with a small chance of a weird suicide.

 

I agree with you. However I'm thinking the Thais are thinking from their perspective of maybe what they see dirt poor Burmese men doing to catch fish as compared to a cashed up Western person who would be wearing a weight belt and proper gear for spear fishing, and hopefully not doing it alone, etc.

[flyingdoc]

R.I.P whatever the circumstances.

[lucifer666]

Love all the Sherlock's on here. Maybe, he just forgot that the phone charger was in there and i also have used rocks when i found myself too buoyant in water.

[samuijimmy]

As per usual nonsense posts,  so far a few removed, others will follow if idiotic remarks continue ...

 

Please show some respect and cease with the speculative nonsense.

[adhd]

amateur rock collector ?  suicide ?

[hobobo]

32 minutes ago, Johnniey said:

My God.  unbelievable.  speechless.

Young People like adventure and living dangerously . did you work as a  traffic warden  or something,?

This Island did have it's own law,  back in the late 80's  when the  full moon parties started  but still with less than 100 people,  there were gruesome  murders  like  beheadings. I lived there for 6 months  and  it was paradise.  still is for some

 

But If it weren't for  young adventurous  travellers all the old farts  would still be retiring to Malta  or a  trailer park in Florida.

I agree. Posts like canceraid's should be removed!

[roo860]

I agree. Posts like canceraid's should be removed!

Am sure he will realise himself how stupid post like that are...........
Well maybe not.

[kiwikeith]

1 hour ago, Gjk7777 said:

Why would you have 5 large rocks in your bag? Unless he was a geologist,I think he died before entering the water.

 

Yes but he had to bash his face in first then put the rocks into the bag and drown himself, these suiciders are getting very clever.

RIP but hope they find the perps , or just another keystone investigation.

[apalink_thailand]

2 hours ago, Gjk7777 said:

Why would you have 5 large rocks in your bag? Unless he was a geologist,I think he died before entering the water.

An autopsy would prove that. I believe the autopsy can show if water had been aspirated into the lungs.

[JustNo]

1 hour ago, Canceraid said:

No sympathies for foreigners or their families who die in whatever ways in the resort areas of the Southern Provinces. Despite all the past incidences and reports and negative news in the media about these Southern areas, , they still come , so its their own fault when something happens.

So I should pretty much not visit any country on this planet according to your skewed logic; lets take the US for example, I have read reports there of muggings, violent homicide, terrorist attacks and a murder rate that matches that of many third world countries, should I stay away? 

[The manic]

1 hour ago, JustNo said:

RIP lad, lets hope this is something that is gotten to the bottom of, but I have very little hope in that :/

On a side note, they actually used the word 'Caucasian' in the report! I have been here 7 years and 'farang' was the first word I learned in Thai lol, mainly because I heard it everywhere. My gf doesn't even know why Thai people refer to us whiteys with this word, foreigners who are of colour never get this treatment! 

Yes this term is offensive especially when referring to a tragedy. Foreigner would have been sufficient and not have the racist connatation of ' farang' which is thought, lazy and dismissive.

[lungnorm]

We will never know. They will say its a back packer who lost his way.

[daveAustin]

2 hours ago, dinsdale said:

5 large rocks in backpack. Suicide obviously or is this a Thai version of concrete shoes?

 

Why obviously?

 

2 hours ago, bokningar said:

Harpooning fish naked with a phone charger in his backpack??

Who comes up with this stuff? 

 

He wasn't naked. Interesting you find it funny though.

[fin5prtw]

RIP - another sad story I hope that we can all have some respect for this young mans family and friends.

 

1 hour ago, JustNo said:

RIP lad, lets hope this is something that is gotten to the bottom of, but I have very little hope in that :/

On a side note, they actually used the word 'Caucasian' in the report! I have been here 7 years and 'farang' was the first word I learned in Thai lol, mainly because I heard it everywhere. My gf doesn't even know why Thai people refer to us whiteys with this word, foreigners who are of colour never get this treatment! 

Wikipedia has a big long page on the etymology of the word 'farang' - although my husband is adamant it derives from the work 'farangsayt' (French)

 

 

1 hour ago, Canceraid said:

No sympathies for foreigners or their families who die in whatever ways in the resort areas of the Southern Provinces. Despite all the past incidences and reports and negative news in the media about these Southern areas, , they still come , so its their own fault when something happens.

All of Southern Thailand!? Seriously? What about the incidences, reports & bad news from the rest of the country - or world? Comparatively Southern Thailand is pretty darned safe I would say.