Koh Tao Police seek help of foreign divers as hunt for missing Russian woman continues

[webfact]

Police seek help of foreign divers as hunt for missing Russian woman continues

 

Picture: Thairath

 

KOH TAO: -- Police in Koh Tao spoke to more than twenty foreign dive company owners and individual divers yesterday as the hunt for Valentina Novozhyonova continued.

 

Police have various CCTV footage and were able to narrow down the area where Valentina is thought to have gone free diving. It is quite near to where she was staying at Koh Tao Hostel, Thairath reported.

 

Tomorrow the divers are expected to help in further searches of the area around Ao Chalok Ban Kao.

 

Police have examined CCTV from three areas but apart from a promising sighting on a convenience store camera they cannot be sure of the images they have found.

 

They have collected her clothes from her room to compare with images of western women caught on the CCTV footage.

 

She is believed to have come to the island from Chumporn on the 9th of February. Efforts are still being made to find the exact vessel she boarded.

 

Police are also following up reports about her attending a party.

 

Source: Thairath

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2017-03-07

[thaiboy99]

 

 

Hi Thai Visa Forum,

My name is Sean,

I am a Padi rescue diver and medic first aid.

I am an advanced open water and wreck diver specialist.

I am in the Uk and was trained in Drysuit at open water level.

I have several friends all over South East Asia, diving Instructors and rescue divers.

I have come to this forum to offer my expertise in Thailand scuba diving.

I was trained in Pattaya in 2002 on the Hardeep wreck in sattahip and Koh Krock search and recovery.

 

I have read the article on the Koh Tao missing person girl from Russia. Valentina Novozhyonova.

 

I would like to offer my services to the investigation in any way.

I am not a free diver but I can get you in contact with rescue and divemasters in Thailand and Asia who can come and volunteer on Koh Tao in the next 48 hours if the Thai police can fund the buses and some hostels or hotels on Koh Tao whilst during the search.

I have many divers who can come from worldwide if this investigation gets bigger.

You can contact me here.

 

Sean

 

Edited March 6, 2017 by thaiboy99

[smedly]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Police are also following up reports about her attending a party.

where was she attending this party, more details might help track her down as other people may also have attended this party and seen her

 

also it seems to being suggested that she joined a dive trip to do some diving

 

someone knows something surely

Edited March 7, 2017 by smedly

[docshock13]

"Efforts are still being made to find the exact vessel she boarded."

 

 

[ChrisY1]

Not much information coming out of the cops to date....kind of leaves everyone speculating outcomes.

The question I ask is, has there been some kind of cover up for the past 2 weeks or so .....the only news of her being missing was released just a few days ago...that in itself is questionable.

[mki8]

why are they using divers ?

do they think they would be silly enough to leave them in the sea again,

they did that last time and look what happened.

 

then again, they got away with it last time too so maybe...

 

[ChrisY1]

2 hours ago, ChrisY1 said:

Not much information coming out of the cops to date....kind of leaves everyone speculating outcomes.

The question I ask is, has there been some kind of cover up for the past 2 weeks or so .....the only news of her being missing was released just a few days ago...that in itself is questionable.

Noticed in the Australian media news this morning,  "island of death" has been referred as Koh Tao.....hopefully the international media are beginning to understand.

[Miss Pickle]

Hi Sean what a lovely offer to help out it will be interesting to see if your offer is taken up by the Police. Sadly I don't think it's going to be a good outcome for this young girl. There should be a warning to young travellers about this island as something is going on too many things happening to young travellers they should stay away .

[webfact]

Search continues this morning for missing Russian girl at Koh Tao

 

 

KOH TAO: -- Thai authorities started the search of the missing Russian female tourist and diver Ms Valentina Novozhenova for the fifth consecutive day this morning after she went missing from her hotel room on February 15.

 

The search, both on shore and in the air was taken part by over a hundred of local officials, volunteers, air force rescue planes, and both Thai and foreign divers and instructors.

 

But by noon today, the search team could not yet locate her.

 

The search was put off from yesterday to this morning after the head Inspector of the Koh Tao police station, Pol. Lt. Chokechai Sutthimek, called a meeting with volunteers, divers both Thais and foreigners yesterday afternoon, along with a team of 20 Russian divers to plan the underwater search for the missing Russian tourist.

 

Authorities suspected that she might have gone diving when something went wrong, which could be an accident or she could have gone kost near the underwater area in Chaloak bay.

 

The meeting concluded that the search should be moved to this morning at 6 am, as a lot of time was needed to fill up the oxygen tanks as much as possible for the divers to carry out longer searches this afternoon.

 

Meanwhile Surat Thani governor has reiterated to all concerned agencies to carry out searches on the water surface, land, and underwater, as well as to bring in modern technology to help with the search.

 

He also laid out a plan to construct an observation tower with round-the-clock surveillance to ensure better safety for visitors.

 

He further asked for cooperation from lodging entrepreneurs in keeping track of the checking-in and checking-out of their guests each day.

 

Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/search-continues-morning-missing-russian-girl-koh-tao/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2017-03-07

[Beats56]

Something bad going on with this island. Too many coincidences here.

Either there is a psycho on the loose or some other deranged person.

 

[scubascuba3]

 

 

Hi Thai Visa Forum,

My name is Sean,

I am a Padi rescue diver and medic first aid.

I am an advanced open water and wreck diver specialist.

I am in the Uk and was trained in Drysuit at open water level.

I have several friends all over South East Asia, diving Instructors and rescue divers.

I have come to this forum to offer my expertise in Thailand scuba diving.

I was trained in Pattaya in 2002 on the Hardeep wreck in sattahip and Koh Krock search and recovery.

 

I have read the article on the Koh Tao missing person girl from Russia. Valentina Novozhyonova.

 

I would like to offer my services to the investigation in any way.

I am not a free diver but I can get you in contact with rescue and divemasters in Thailand and Asia who can come and volunteer on Koh Tao in the next 48 hours if the Thai police can fund the buses and some hostels or hotels on Koh Tao whilst during the search.

I have many divers who can come from worldwide if this investigation gets bigger.

You can contact me here.

 

Sean

 

There will be 100s of instructors and divemasters on koh Tao who can help.

The diving part sounds suspicious, so she had her own gear and its missing?

[NCC1701A]

" He also laid out a plan to construct an observation tower with round-the-clock surveillance to ensure better safety for visitors."

 

is it across the street from the police station?

[smedly]

yeah she went on her own stuck on a weight belt and sunk to the bottom

 

I don't think so

 

she was either snorkeling of a beach or a dive shop took her on a trip or nothing at all to do with diving

[dageurreotype]

This girl was last seen at 6 pm close to her accommodation. So it's dark then. Hardly the time to go diving is it. And oh what have we here! The police found, no wait for it, a Line message to a psychiatrist on her 'phone stating she had an unreasonable fear of something' and also implying she had 'mental issues'.  Where's this message then? Photograph it and make it public (simply to allay any fears, given the history of this island), without the aid of Photoshop.

 

Kee Kwai.

Edited March 7, 2017 by dageurreotype

[smedly]

1 hour ago, dageurreotype said:

This girl was last seen at 6 pm close to her accommodation. So it's dark then. Hardly the time to go diving is it. And oh what have we here! The police found, no wait for it, a Line message to a psychiatrist on her 'phone stating she had an unreasonable fear of something' and also implying she had 'mental issues'.  Where's this message then? Photograph it and make it public (simply to allay any fears, given the history of this island), without the aid of Photoshop.

 

Kee Kwai.

line message  ?

 

and just how exactly would her psychiatrist be using Line, not sure of the popularity in Russia but I know many of my friends in the west have never heard of it, it is a mostly Asian App

 

I am really starting the smell a rat regarding this young girl, yes they might now be showing to make an effort to find her but somehow I get the feeling she will never be found, one of the easiest and most effective ways to hide foul play is get rid of the body - I hope I am wrong....................someone knows something 

Edited March 7, 2017 by smedly

[stephenterry]

The fact that her diving equipment and blue towel were missing from her room indicates that she had planned a diving trip, most likely using a boat to deeper water than swimming out from the beach, where her towel would have been found.

 

That indicates at least one (kept his trap shut) third party was involved, and the absence of anyone coming forward  indicates misadventure (covered up) at best, or a more sinister situation (again, covered up).

 

I think it unlikely she'd be found alive, if in fact, found at all. Another death island victim. A lovely woman. Very sad.

[jing jing]

Let's hope this young lady is still alive, somewhere, somehow, but after all this time the odds are not in her favor.

 

Normally when someone drowns, their body will float to the surface and wash ashore within a few days.  My gut feeling is that something else happened here.  Perhaps those she trusted to take her out to a dive spot had other ideas.

 

It's all speculation at this point.

[smedly]

my understanding is that free divers use weights to help them descend and once they have reached the depth they were targeting then they release the weights and float/swim to the surface - this type of competitive free diving requires support people that know what they are doing who have air tanks that can be used if required.

 

The other type of free is diving is simply snorkeling were weights are not required, they do exactly what everyone else does - hold their breath and explore, with practice they can hold their breath for longer periods than most people.

 

I think this whole diving thing is being exaggerated and played upon, and yes speculation is increasing as time goes by, we now hear mention of a social or party even that she may have attended 

 

This girl is gone without a trace on the Island of Koh Tao, I think it only natural that people want answers, the difference being that she has not been found hanging with her hands tied or floating in a swimming pool or fallen off a cliff and washed up on the beach - or bludgeoned on her way home from a night out, so far there is nothing to investigate except that she is missing and silence seems to fallen on Koh Tao residents again, just a pity that more people who holiday on Koh Tao don't know about these threads, I would love to hear from someone that was in the company of Hannah and David that night so they can fill in a few blanks

[hotchilli]

He also laid out a plan to construct an observation tower with round-the-clock surveillance to ensure better safety for visitors.

 

Would be better to fence off the whole island & keep tourists out all together, the place seems to be a death trap..
Best leave the local mafia & police to themselves.

[realenglish1]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Search continues this morning for missing Russian girl at Koh Tao

 

 

KOH TAO: -- Thai authorities started the search of the missing Russian female tourist and diver Ms Valentina Novozhenova for the fifth consecutive day this morning after she went missing from her hotel room on February 15.

 

The search, both on shore and in the air was taken part by over a hundred of local officials, volunteers, air force rescue planes, and both Thai and foreign divers and instructors.

 

But by noon today, the search team could not yet locate her.

 

The search was put off from yesterday to this morning after the head Inspector of the Koh Tao police station, Pol. Lt. Chokechai Sutthimek, called a meeting with volunteers, divers both Thais and foreigners yesterday afternoon, along with a team of 20 Russian divers to plan the underwater search for the missing Russian tourist.

 

Authorities suspected that she might have gone diving when something went wrong, which could be an accident or she could have gone kost near the underwater area in Chaloak bay.

 

The meeting concluded that the search should be moved to this morning at 6 am, as a lot of time was needed to fill up the oxygen tanks as much as possible for the divers to carry out longer searches this afternoon.

 

Meanwhile Surat Thani governor has reiterated to all concerned agencies to carry out searches on the water surface, land, and underwater, as well as to bring in modern technology to help with the search.

 

He also laid out a plan to construct an observation tower with round-the-clock surveillance to ensure better safety for visitors.

 

He further asked for cooperation from lodging entrepreneurs in keeping track of the checking-in and checking-out of their guests each day.

 

Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/search-continues-morning-missing-russian-girl-koh-tao/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2017-03-07

Maybe I am dumb but I just don't Get it with the Thais and that you have to notify them of your lodging or the hotel and place you stay at has to WHat safetly is there when you do

Its for the convenience of the authorities not the Foreigner It's called Xenophobia 

[dick dasterdly]

I think there's a lot of confusion as to whether the "diving equipment" missing from her room was dive kit, or snorkeling kit - i.e. only mask and fins?

 

Either way, her disappearance is being directed towards a free-diving accident which doesn't make a lot of sense IMO - unless there is deep water a few metres from the shore somewhere near where she was staying.  Swimming (even with fins) further than a few metres with weights just doesn't work!

 

So (unless there is deep water a few metres from the shore close to where she was staying), it seems likely that she must have 'employed' either a boat or dive school to take her to deep water - so why did nobody come forward to say 'we lost a diver/free-diver on one of our trips'?

 

Which is why I'm not sure as to why the 'diving/free-diving accident' is being put forward as the best explanation as to why/how this young woman has disappeared?

 

[Briggsy]

Wait for another misdirection story from the cops probably around 48 to 72 hours from the last one.

[NCC1701A]

"On Thursday afternoon dive teams found five “objects” thought to be body parts described as bone and flesh. A further search of the same area of water that lies 400 meters from the beach at Chalok Baan Kao Bay divers found a green vest and diving glasses 4-5 meters under water.

The lead investigator is reported as saying all items have been sent for forensic examination in a bid to determine if the body parts are that of Miss Novozhyonova."

 

https://www.stickboybangkok.com/news/body-parts-found-search-missing-russian-woman/

 

 

[Briggsy]

On 08/03/2017 at 2:14 PM, Briggsy said:

Wait for another misdirection story from the cops probably around 48 to 72 hours from the last one.

Bingo.

[frank83628]

On 7 March 2017 at 4:04 PM, smedly said:

  just a pity that more people who holiday on Koh Tao don't know about these threads, I would love to hear from someone that was in the company of Hannah and David that night so they can fill in a few blanks 

without wanting to go off topic, but in answer to your....'somebody that was in their company'....what about any of the 3-5 others pictured around the table earlier on? its been 2 years now and to my knowledge there have never been any stories from any of them about that night? 

Edited March 12, 2017 by frank83628