Must Read Authorities fire back over Koh Tao ‘Death Island’ label

[rooster59]

Authorities fire back over Koh Tao ‘Death Island’ label

By THE NATION

 

 

IN A BID to clear the name of Koh Tao, dubbed “Death Island” where some foreigners have died and gone missing, Surat Thani authorities yesterday held a press briefing to detail all the deaths and cases of missing people there, saying most of the cases were not crime related and were solved.

 

The briefing took place as the Koh Tao district chief filed criminal charges against a local news website, samuitimes, for allegedly giving the popular beach destination that name.

 

Attending the press briefing were Pol Lt-General Thanet Pin-ngammuang, the assistant national police chief overseeing the region; Surat Thani Governor Uanchai Intanak; and Surat Thani police chief Pol Maj-General Apichart Boonsrirote. Thirawat Pitpayan from the Belgium Embassy in Bangkok was also present.

 

Surat Thani police chief Apichart said investigation into all the deaths – Briton Nick Pearson, 25 (January 1, 2014), French Dimitri Povese, 24 (January 1, 2015), British Christina Annesley, 23 (January 21, 2015), British Luke Miller, 26 (January 9) – were already concluded as not being related to crime and their families had agreed with the conclusion.

 

The case of Russian Valentina Novozhyonova, 24, who went missing in February this year on the island, is still open because her body was not found, while the death of Elise Dallemagne, 30, a Belgian, has been reopened despite the autopsy concluding that she had committed suicide.

 

Only the deaths of David Miller, 24, and Hannah Witheridge, 23, on September 15, 2014, were crimes and the killers were sentenced to death by the First and Appeals courts.

 

 

Speaking at the same briefing, Surat Thani Governor Uanchai said that tourists and people could be confident of safety on the island as all the local authorities have made their best efforts to take care of people and tourists. 

 

The governor said he had already instructed the district chief to file criminal charges against the local online news outlet Samui Times, after it ran an article last month that questioned the police account of Dallemagne’s death and referred to Koh Tao as “Death Island”. 

 

AFP reported that the island authorities are now suing the online news site for violating the Computer Crime Act, which outlaws uploading false information online. Koh Tao Mayor Chaiyan Thurasakul said the website is accused of “damaging Koh Tao’s reputation by calling it Death Island”.

 

The charges were filed on Thursday by local district chief Krikkrai Songtanee, who said the report had caused “panic” in tourists and many had cancelled their bookings”.

 

 

Samui Times, which said it had yet to be contacted about the charges, defended its reporting in an online post. “The Samui Times believes that it is in the best interests of any visitor to the island to be aware of the numerous tourist deaths and the fact that many families of those who died on the island are not satisfied with police investigations,” it said. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/national/30320196

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-07-08

[steven100]

11 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

saying most of the cases were not crime related and were solved.

sorry  Apichart  and Gov  .....   it just don't cut it ... 

[Samui Bodoh]

11 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

Speaking at the same briefing, Surat Thani Governor Uanchai said that tourists and people could be confident of safety on the island as all the local authorities have made their best efforts to take care of people and tourists. 

 

Well, I feel better already!

 

Good to know that everything is hunky-dory now.

[NUUM]

Will they start getting family permission before cremating victims bodies ?

[JLCrab]

General Purpose ThaiVisa response: Who do they think they are kidding? Yeah -- in a pig's eye! You can fool some of the people some of the time! Nice try lick-spittle! Boy we've heard that one before! From those wonderful people who brought you (fill in blank)! ...

[Jeremy50]

Too late. It will always be Death Island now, and deservedly so.

[darksidedog]

I wonder if this bullshit being offered up is connected to the recent headline stories in the UK papers ? It is about time they stopped with the denials, that no one believes and start a very serious and thorough investigation as to what and who is behind all the deaths. By now it is common knowledge that the island is mafia controlled and people there know, but are too scared to talk about it.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/3953216/koh-tao-death-island-mystery-brit-mafia-threatened-hang-frame-murder-tourist/

[JLCrab]

This has been going on for almost 3 years now that everybody knows but not one person is willing to come forward with any credible evidence to prove as to what everybody knows. Maybe it is true that everybody knows but if actually nobody knows anything credible it would be the same outcome.

And the above linked article in the Sun is in part a re-hash of the article 2 days ago in the Independent and in part a re-hash of what was printed in the Sun 2014 with 3 year old pictures of you-know-who.

[tukkytuktuk]

10 minutes ago, JLCrab said:

This has been going on for almost 3 years now that everybody knows but not one person is willing to come forward with any credible evidence to prove as to what everybody knows. Maybe it is true that everybody knows but if actually nobody knows anything credible it would be the same outcome.

 

[StealthEnergiser]

not convinced 

 

 

Sean McAnna - Brit pal of victims flees island

 

 

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/gallery/sean-mcanna---brit-pal-4303618

Sean McAnna - Brit pal of victims flees island

[JLCrab]

4 minutes ago, tukkytuktuk said:

 

Thank you -- published on YouTube Sep 22, 2014

[tukkytuktuk]

While not strictly a “mafia” in the traditional meaning, the island is controlled by ruling families.

One English woman, who has lived in the area for many years, told the Guardian: “The mafia here aren’t the sort who carry guns in violin cases, or knock on doors extorting people. They’re the families that go back for generations, and who ran the islands before the police even got here.”

But real fear is lurking on the island, which is traditionally meant to be a rather safe area compared to other more dangerous spots of the country.

 

http://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/warnings/mafia-island-from-paradise-to-bloodshed/news-story/f182352ffcef3eea28363ba1ef7c4525

[JLCrab]

4 minutes ago, tukkytuktuk said:

 

 

 

http://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/warnings/mafia-island-from-paradise-to-bloodshed/news-story/f182352ffcef3eea28363ba1ef7c4525

Great January 13, 2015. If there was any credible evidence in these  old articles to bring the house down then the house would have already been brought down.

[inactiveposter]

Was it Shakespeare, me thinks thou does't protest too much?


Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect

[tukkytuktuk]

Note on safety: there is an ongoing Murder trial into two British tourists killed in 2014. This has uncovered the significant issues of drugs, police corruption, and mafia-style families which run the island. In addition several tourists have drowned while swimming in the last few years

 

http://wikitravel.org/en/Ko_Tao

[Shoeless Joe]

52 minutes ago, JLCrab said:

This has been going on for almost 3 years now that everybody knows but not one person is willing to come forward with any credible evidence to prove as to what everybody knows. Maybe it is true that everybody knows but if actually nobody knows anything credible it would be the same outcome.
 

So in your opinion....everybody knows! 

 

Regards

 

Joe

[canuckamuck]

I hope they keep denying it. Their denials are informing the world of the disturbing realities of Koh Tao. Hopefully a major book and film are upcoming.

[JLCrab]

8 minutes ago, Shoeless Joe said:

So in your opinion....everybody knows! 

 

Regards

 

Joe

In my opinion, everybody thinks they know because someone who says they know talked to someone who thinks they know because someone told them what they think they know.

[tukkytuktuk]

First of all, whilst this island is Thailand, it’s not run like the rest of Thailand. It’s still run by a lot of families, sort of like powerful mafia families who own and control segments of the island. It’s slowly changing into a more government-run island and they are now talking about adopting more official procedures for water, power, and waste management. Presently though, there are not many laws on the island for anything. For instance, Koh Tao only just got a ban on polystyrene!

 

https://wodara.org/2013/07/14/live-on-a-tiny-thai-island/

[JLCrab]

AS noted in URL, article from 2013.

[sweatalot]

the only way to clear the name of death island is to stop lying first then  find the real murdereres of David and Hannah and get them punished appropriately, set the scapegoats free with an appropriate compensation, sack their police and  get the island out of the hands of its mafia. And don't forget to make the truth of every suspicious death public.

[tukkytuktuk]

http://screwtheninetofive.com/lessons-from-the-koh-tao-mafia/

Mar 25, 2013

 

[tukkytuktuk]

For obvious reasons I never went into this aspect of life on Koh Tao much, but it is an island controlled by the Thai mafia, as I learned more and more clearly with every month I lived there. It’s a place where gangsters and hit men are in control, not the police.

 

http://www.alexinwanderland.com/2012/05/30/living-lawless-with-the-landlord-from-hell/

[LannaGuy]

Could they call it the 'hub of death' would that help?

[AGareth2]

27 minutes ago, JLCrab said:

In my opinion, everybody thinks they know because someone who says they know talked to someone who thinks they know because someone told them what they think they know.

that's how rumours start

like

a body half eaten by lizards

[DiscoDan]

The other paper is saying the defense team of the B2 failed to lodge an appeal to the supreme court  and the case is now closed, anyone else heard this ?

[AGareth2]

1 minute ago, DiscoDan said:

The other paper is saying the defense team of the B2 failed to lodge an appeal to the supreme court  and the case is now closed, anyone else heard this ?

read it the same as you

if true

then disappointing

[DiscoDan]

1 minute ago, AGareth2 said:

read it the same as you

if true

then disappointing

Not really just proves us right they were guilty all along. There best chance of a fair hearing was at the supreme court according to their supporters.

 

"It's easier to fool someone than to convince them they have been fooled"

 

http://www.dvb.no/news/koh-tao-murder-evidence-mishandled-says-legal-team-amid-last-ditch-appeal/76024

 

Aung Myo thant lawyer for the Burmese embassy is who the Burmese signed power of attorney over to after their arrest, he was the one that also made the torture claims yet failed to provide any proof.

[JLCrab]

32 minutes ago, sweatalot said:

the only way to clear the name of death island is to stop lying first then  find the real murdereres of David and Hannah and get them punished appropriately, set the scapegoats free with an appropriate compensation, sack their police and  get the island out of the hands of its mafia. And don't forget to make the truth of every suspicious death public.

That will take someone or few coming forward with demonstrable irrefutable corrabable evidence and not just the hearsay that 'everybody knows'  and so what?

[JLCrab]

13 minutes ago, AGareth2 said:

that's how rumours start

like

a body half eaten by lizards

and sometimes rumors just end up being rumors.