British woman tourist dies in Songkhla hotel fall

[nausea]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

 

Police ruled out foul play as they said her room showed no signs of a robbery and believe she committed suicide or accidentally fell.

 

I remember reading in the dim past that Thai police watched Silence of the Lambs to get some tips on handling crime, maybe they should try watching True Detective.

 

"You got a chapter in one of those books on jumping to conclusions? You attach an assumption to a piece of evidence, you start to bend the narrative to support it.
Prejudice yourself." (Marty, True Detective, Season 1, Episode 1)

[wirat69]

4 hours ago, Stubby said:

where people fall to their death from tall buildings.  You just don't read about it in other countries.

Many countries have a supression on reporting self harm to reduce the copy cats!!

[lordblackader]

4 hours ago, Stubby said:

In all my years of living, I've never come across a place like this where people fall to their death from tall buildings.  You just don't read about it in other countries.

 

While there seems to be a lot of it about in Thailand, the reason you don't read about it in other countries is that it's intentionally not reported - by consensus agreement with the media so as not to encourage others to commit suicide, that's not to say it doesn't happen regularly.

 

In Melbourne where I lived for a number of years the media would say something like "there's a delay on the Belgrave line due to an incident," and that's all they'd say and a lot of the time that "incident" was someone committing suicide. Even in the English press - unless it's someone high profile, they only become news if the family chooses to publicize it or there's a question as to whether it was an actual suicide or not. 

[MadMuhammad]

As much as many people find it astounding accidental/drunken/drugged/suicidal falls are a legitimate occurance. 

My current girlfriend and has her previous boyfriend were holidaying during uni trimesters. She checked him into a hotel on Khao San to go out with his mates and went home to her mothers to spend time with her family. 

The next day she's being dragged into the police station after learning of his fall and was seriously dragged over the coals with the finger of blame unfairly pointed squarely at her. 

It took quite a lot of proving her alibi was legit and people coming into give account of where she was that night to get her free. 

The police gave her a hard time regarding any monies he may have had, possessions etc. 

His family were only told it was not suspicious and and an accidental fall. So even though they say this immediately and report same I'm of the belief there are investigations carried out without our knowledge. 

Not particularly helpful for the public lunch mobs to feel like justice has been served but there must be a reason for this 'non-reporting' course of action. 

[Classic Ray]

4 hours ago, watcharacters said:

 

I question if the railings heights are  unusually low compared to Western countries.

 

"Problem is, if they made them higher they would cost more and spoil the lovely views of the sewage flowing out to sea." ?

 

 

This lady appeared to have a lot of positive things going for her but, of course,  who knows what thoughts were circulating in her head 

Spain especially, and France, Portugal etc, have had a problem with balcony falls for years, usually associated with alcohol abuse. Some of them have started building them higher now, but many are still dangerous. Usually what prompts action is the negative publicity of naming and shaming the resorts/hotels where deaths have occurred. But here with the gag of defamation suits preventing this, the pressure to take action over deaths of foreigners/tourists is much less.

[cyberfarang]

4 hours ago, watcharacters said:

 

I question if the railings heights are  unusually low compared to Western countries.

 

"Problem is, if they made them higher they would cost more and spoil the lovely views of the sewage flowing out to sea." ?

 

 

This lady appeared to have a lot of positive things going for her but, of course,  who knows what thoughts were circulating in her head 

An investigation should include, questioning people who last saw her alive, asking what condition she was in when last seen, was she depressed? Drunk? On drugs? Was she partying at the hotel? Was she staying alone at the hotel or with someone else or a group of friends?

 

But I doubt this will happen, easier to just write it off as a suicide or an accident. Case closed. 

[KuhnRalph]

4 hours ago, Stubby said:

The poor, poor girl, I hope her family gets some answers. There can be nothing worse than not knowing.

 

In all my years of living, I've never come across a place like this where people fall to their death from tall buildings.  You just don't read about it in other countries. It's not even a local issue, it's a nationwide occurrence. It's usually foreigners too. These types of incidents happen so often they hardly break headline news. One can only assume the safety railings are failing somehow. Maybe they're lower than in other countries. Whatever the cause, something doesn't add up.

 

RIP

 

Stubby

 

I do agree. There does seem to be a disproportionate number of such cases.

 

However, in most other countries, among the media, there is an un-written and sometimes written rule not to report on suicides due to the established link between suicide reports and copycats (eg: Vienna train suicides of the 1980's). Perhaps the impression we have of so many suicides occurring in Thailand is because suicides in other countries could simply be not reported unless they have an element of celebrity or notoriety. Statistically, based on 2015-2017 numbers, Thailand is #47 in terms of suicide rates per 100,000 people, with many developed and "Western" countries leading with more suicides.

I know this changes nothing for the families and ones left behind... but maybe is explains the apparent trend.

[TKDfella]

My condolences to her family. Well, Mr. policeman, the first thing to find is; were her injuries consistent with falling for her own flat in the 31st floor? Or did she fall from someone else's?

[All right]

Drop the aliens with Thai balconies continues. To come to die, how sweet!
Good business idea: to build a hotel not more than two floors for foreigners. And the government of Thailand to ban foreigners accommodated above the second floor!.

[Aussieroaming]

6 hours ago, Stubby said:

The poor, poor girl, I hope her family gets some answers. There can be nothing worse than not knowing.

 

In all my years of living, I've never come across a place like this where people fall to their death from tall buildings.  You just don't read about it in other countries. It's not even a local issue, it's a nationwide occurrence. It's usually foreigners too. These types of incidents happen so often they hardly break headline news. One can only assume the safety railings are failing somehow. Maybe they're lower than in other countries. Whatever the cause, something doesn't add up.

 

RIP

 

Stubby

I was living in Manila about 10 years ago, on the 17th floor with a balcony that i had never used or even accessed. I woke up one morning and my feet were filthy, turns out that i had been sleep walking, pacing up and down on the balcony and no idea what triggered it. I wedged a wooden rod into the sliding door track after that scare. It still gives me the heeby geebies when i think about it.

[Jonmarleesco]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

Police ruled out foul play as they said her room showed no signs of a robbery and believe she committed suicide

Ah, if all else fails - or nothing else comes to mind - roll out the all-singing, all-dancing, suicide theory.

[Thaidream]

I am also  somewhat miffed at the sheer number of foreigners who allegedly commit suicide by falling off balconies while in Thailand.  Unfortunately, there is no way to compare numbers vis a vis number of Thais who die in similar circumstances. In addition, is it an actual suicide or is there an issue with foreigners walking out on balconies while drinking and lose their balance or if wet also slipping over the side. Are Thais more careful knowing that balconies up high cause falls?   I just really don't know but it appears to be a strange phenomenon.

[eliotness]

Thailand the HUB of falls from tall buildings.

[Kevbo]

3 hours ago, MadMuhammad said:

As much as many people find it astounding accidental/drunken/drugged/suicidal falls are a legitimate occurance. 

My current girlfriend and has her previous boyfriend were holidaying during uni trimesters. She checked him into a hotel on Khao San to go out with his mates and went home to her mothers to spend time with her family. 

The next day she's being dragged into the police station after learning of his fall and was seriously dragged over the coals with the finger of blame unfairly pointed squarely at her. 

It took quite a lot of proving her alibi was legit and people coming into give account of where she was that night to get her free. 

The police gave her a hard time regarding any monies he may have had, possessions etc. 

His family were only told it was not suspicious and and an accidental fall. So even though they say this immediately and report same I'm of the belief there are investigations carried out without our knowledge. 

Not particularly helpful for the public lunch mobs to feel like justice has been served but there must be a reason for this 'non-reporting' course of action. 

Yes, the police should round up those lunch mobs and confiscate their sandwiches

[Thaidream]

I believe when there is no suspected foul play- the police will always list the death as a suicide as I doubt the hotels in Thailand carry any liability insurance which would come into play if the death was deemed accidental or there is a flaw in construction.  I will never go out on a balcony in any hotel in Thailand simply because I do not trust the construction of such balconies and I am afraid of heights. 

[Jimdandy]

So sad. It always seems to be either an expat or a tourist who falls. How do you explain that? 

[Thaidream]

That's what I do not understand- I have never heard of a Thai falling but maybe it is either because it is never reported or if reported only in Thai newspapers. I do not read Thai but watch the Thai news channels and have never heard it reported.

[Stubby]

Thanks to those who clarified my points. I had no idea other countries covered such incidents up for reason of public concern. I guess that answers my question

 

Stubby

[Nemesis7]

RIP> sad indeed. hope the truth is exposed

[CanuckThai]

1 hour ago, Thaidream said:

That's what I do not understand- I have never heard of a Thai falling but maybe it is either because it is never reported or if reported only in Thai newspapers. I do not read Thai but watch the Thai news channels and have never heard it reported.

Ahhh yes, but it all comes back to the all import saving face.  

[MyFriend You]

6 hours ago, Aussieroaming said:

I was living in Manila about 10 years ago, on the 17th floor with a balcony that i had never used or even accessed. I woke up one morning and my feet were filthy, turns out that i had been sleep walking, pacing up and down on the balcony and no idea what triggered it. I wedged a wooden rod into the sliding door track after that scare. It still gives me the heeby geebies when i think about it.

   Holy crap, In Iraq, I have woken up in the middle of the night half dressed, still sitting on my bed..........semi-retired now, think I'll install one of those bar locks on my balcony door, I am only on the seventh floor with the condo pool right below me, but why take a chance    Thanx for sharing, cause you never know ....................

[Elkski]

I wonder how tall she was and how tall the railing is.   So sad.  RIP

[lemonjelly]

I can't think of a hotel with 31 floors in hat Yai except possibly Lee Gardens, and I'm sure it doesn't have balconies


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[George FmplesdaCosteedback]

7 hours ago, Thaidream said:

I believe when there is no suspected foul play- the police will always list the death as a suicide as I doubt the hotels in Thailand carry any liability insurance which would come into play if the death was deemed accidental or there is a flaw in construction.  I will never go out on a balcony in any hotel in Thailand simply because I do not trust the construction of such balconies and I am afraid of heights. 

I live on the 7th floor (ground included) in Bangkok and have a fairly big balcony. That is a deadly drop of about 64 feet (21m), but I am not tall and the railings are 3' 9" (1.1m) and it would need me to climb over or stand on a chair or something to jump off. Falling off accidentally is almost impossible.

I had a place with a wall on the 6th floor which was wide enough to sit on and possible fall off when very drunk. I too am afraid of heights so sitting on a balcony wall that high up never entered my head. 

You never hear of broken railings, so there has to be a reason so many are found at the bottom smashed to death by the impact. Falling from above 20 feet can easily be fatal unless you have a soft landing of some kind, like diving into a swimming pool.

 

RIP to the girl, and deepest sympathy to her parents and friends.

 

 

 

[Adeeos]

I'm quite sure,, many of these falls are from substandard railing heights,, If you make it a point to look at them, when passing places,, they are way too low for an average sized adult, People from countries that have a standard, safe height, don't think about it... As mentioned before, it's so much, "easier" for the authorities in charge, to list them as suicides, as I'd doubt that ALL the buildings with substandard railing heights want to deal with negligence/improper building specs claims from the families of the victims,,,,  I lived in a smaller condo in Phra Khanong area, an older building that was refurbished into a modern looking place,, I couldn't believe it when the management sent in a crew to extend the height of all the balcony railings, and the building only had 6 floors, in a very non-tourist area... I asked the office who complained,, they claimed it was a safety issue, and no one had complained... I had much more respect for the building management after that.. 

[Damrongsak]

3 hours ago, lemonjelly said:

I can't think of a hotel with 31 floors in hat Yai except possibly Lee Gardens, and I'm sure it doesn't have balconies

An article in Pattaya One said it was the Lee Gardens Plaza hotel.  33 stories. (The one that was bombed in 2012.) I looked at some pictures of the outside and the rooms and I didn't see any balconies.

[LomSak27]

10 hours ago, Thaidream said:

That's what I do not understand- I have never heard of a Thai falling but maybe it is either because it is never reported or if reported only in Thai newspapers. I do not read Thai but watch the Thai news channels and have never heard it reported.

It's reported, there was one a couple months back in the paper ..... The Thai police usually investigate it as a murder. .... not suicide, strange that.

[elektrified]

On 8/25/2017 at 0:14 PM, impulse said:

Though Hat Yai is in Songkhla province, the headline would be like claiming a guy died in New York, when the event happened in Buffalo.  Technically correct, but a little misleading.

 

It's not in any way misleading. It is totally accurate. Many of my family was born in Hat Yai but they never say they are from Hat Yai, rather from Songkhla. That would be like saying someone is from San Kampaeng and not Chiang Mai. Nobody refers to the Amphur, rather the Changwat.

[elektrified]

On 8/29/2017 at 7:19 PM, Thaidream said:

That's what I do not understand- I have never heard of a Thai falling but maybe it is either because it is never reported or if reported only in Thai newspapers. I do not read Thai but watch the Thai news channels and have never heard it reported.

It is reported often. If you don't read or speak Thai then you wouldn't know.

[impulse]

5 hours ago, elektrified said:

It's not in any way misleading. It is totally accurate. Many of my family was born in Hat Yai but they never say they are from Hat Yai, rather from Songkhla. That would be like saying someone is from San Kampaeng and not Chiang Mai. Nobody refers to the Amphur, rather the Changwat.

 

Perhaps not misleading, but I don't think it does beach tourism in the town of Songkhla any favors when they report insurgent violence in "Songkhla" when it's happening 50-100 miles away from the town itself- which is a pretty friendly place aside from some grumpy fishermen.  (Acknowledging that this article isn't about insurgent violence)  More of a PR faux paux than anything.  Most tourists don't understand the distinction.