Thailand’s rising tall-building deaths demand transparency. Reports and investigations must stop overlooking details as privacy concerns are presently in vogue. Accidents, suicides, or crimes? Public trust is at risk in the face of increased foreigner fatalities. In short, the risk of lack of heightened concern due to the rising frequency of incidents.
The increasingly frequent deaths involving high buildings and falls are leading to such stories barely registering as news in Thailand anymore. Indeed, in recent years, the reporting of such incidents increasingly leaves out key details. For instance, the identities of victims and the progress of police inquiries. In particular, regarding foreigners, consular officials at embassies are also less likely to offer explanations to the press. Undoubtedly, many cases involve misadventure and, increasingly, suicide. Nonetheless, some of the cases may also be crimes or accidents that require the spotlight of public scrutiny. Indeed, it is arguable that all deaths should be examined with diligence, and details made public. The disturbing trend coincides with a newer emphasis on privacy with regard to misadventures and criminal cases in recent times. In short, this trend towards privacy over public accountability is both unhealthy and dangerous for society.
On Sunday, there was yet another death after a fall from a tall building in Pattaya linked with a foreign tourist or resident. In short, it was a South Korean holidaymaker, part of an extended tour group.
The Korean had been drinking the day before. At length, his friend woke up in the middle of the night. After that, he called the hotel room desk for help.
Incidents of falls involving foreigners in Pattaya are becoming disturbingly common. Enquiries lead nowhere
Meanwhile, the roommate’s shoes were found on the floor of the apartment. However, when staff looked out the window, there was a body visible underneath. It had landed in a garden area on the fifth floor, which extended underneath the room’s balcony.
The problem is that for decades now, such incidents have become commonplace in Thailand, most particularly in Pattaya, where there are expat foreigners and holidaymakers.
For instance, on the Thursday prior, or last week, a New Zealand man met his end in the same way. At the same time, there is also a tendency for such deaths to be quickly closed up.
Indeed, there is also now a tendency not to report the identity of victims. Certainly, the notoriety associated internationally with Pattaya’s reputation as a sex destination is a factor in this, indeed similarly with Bangkok, Phuket, and the kingdom as a whole.
Undoubtedly, Pattaya Police launch investigations into the deaths, but there is an interest among both Thai officials and foreign embassies to close the file. Afterwards, the body is shipped home, and consular officials are tight-lipped. Indeed, so are news reports in foreign countries. This is a disturbing trend.
Lack of transparency in media reporting of crime against foreigners in Thailand raises serious concerns
For example, there was a very disturbing case in June where a 64-year-old Belgian died in a hospital at home. His death took place in Gasthuisberg Hospital in Leuven.
In short, his name was Jan Valkenborg. Mr. Valkenborg had been holidaying in Thailand in April when he was, in effect, murdered. The Belgian was attacked by a wild German man on the street in Hua Hin.
Vicious, random murder of a Belgian by a German in Hua Hin flew under the radar. Disturbing case
The attacker, reportedly on drugs and linked with martial arts, randomly attacked the Belgian man. However, there were no press reports of the attack in Thailand. That did not come until later when a friend from Belgium travelled to investigate.
Neither has there been any report on the arrest of Mr. Valkenborg’s attacker. Certainly, the attacker’s identity has never been reported, nor his legal status. It is not clear why this is. However, it may be linked to a lack of diligence or enthusiasm for reporting such cases. In particular, misadventures linked with foreign tourists in Thailand. Certainly, this is aided by consular officials who often wish to keep the identities of victims private.
Withholding information about deaths in Thailand may be motivated by privacy. But it may have consequences
In short, while this may be out of consideration for families, it also has the unintended consequence of making Thailand a more dangerous place. Such incidents should be fully reported, documented, and where possible, investigated.
The alternative is to erode public trust in Thailand as a tourist destination.
Undoubtedly, many cases are simply accidents or misadventures. However, many cases are linked to suicide, particularly among older men visiting and living in Thailand. Here too, diligent reporting should be required.
For example, the death in mid-August of an Irish tourist in Pattaya. The holidaymaker, reportedly 67 years old, died at a five-star hotel in the resort city.
It was not a heart attack. In truth, the man fell from the 31st floor of his five-star hotel. Certainly, police were informed at 5 am in the morning when the body was discovered. It was cordoned off by hotel security. After that, it was removed to Bang Lamung Hospital.
Lack of transparency in investigations into foreigner deaths in Thailand is bound to fuel a lack of trust
Undeniably, the police will have opened a file. However, neither the name of the victim nor any further information has been released, nor will it likely be. Was it suicide, misadventure through alcohol, or just simply an accident?
In Ireland, the Department of Foreign Affairs simply reported: “The Department of Foreign Affairs is aware of the death and is providing consular assistance. As with all consular cases, the department does not comment on the details of any specific case.” Again, the modern trend towards privacy prevails.
There are hundreds of these cases each year in Thailand. Just for example, take the case of another Irish man who fell to his death from a building in Thailand.
Growing number of foreigner deaths in Thailand raises questions about safety and investigation procedures
In June 2023, Callum McCarthy fell to his death from his condominium in Bangkok. His body was recovered after he hit part of the building on his way down. The young 23-year-old Irish teacher, it was known, had argued before his death with his Thai girlfriend.
He was also known for having parties at his apartment with friends. A police investigation was launched. Perhaps like so many deaths linked to foreigners in Thailand, this was a case of heartbreak.
Certainly, there are many cases of suicide linked to affairs of the heart. For instance, in 2019, 44-year-old Federico Maistrello jumped from an escalator at a popular mall in Bangkok. He was having problems with his Thai girlfriend.
One week previously, a Western man with $200 in his pocket lay down in front of an oncoming bus in Bangkok.
Thailand’s women, culture and weather are all factors which lead to more foreign suicides
Irishman severed in two in a horrific condo jump in Bangkok after a heated row with girlfriend minutes earlier
Such incidents continue to happen. In particular, there have been several reports of foreigners dying at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport or Phuket International Airport. One of these was also an Irish man on his second attempt.
Tragic incidents involving foreign tourists in Thailand highlight the need for safety measures and support
Previously, he had told police after his first suicide attempt that he did not have the money to pay for a flight home to Ireland. He later completed his suicide mission when police allowed him a cigarette break from detention.
Meanwhile, the incidents keep happening. In an eight-day period at the beginning of June, five foreigners fell to their deaths in Pattaya alone. Many of the cases involve alcohol and mental health issues. Some are undoubtedly simply accidents.
One particular theory is that Thai buildings and structures are designed for smaller people. For instance, over the last decade, it has been reported that balconies on many older Thai hotels are just 700 mm high. In short, just over waist level for the average Western visitor.
At the same time, the number of visitors and the age profile of visitors to Thailand must also be taken into account. The kingdom is targeting 38 million visitors this year, many of them heading for tourist hotspots such as Bangkok, Pattaya, and Phuket.
Financial and health crises may additionally drive some elderly foreign expats in Thailand to tragic decisions
Among these deaths, for instance, are elderly foreign expats. Many are diagnosed with terminal conditions. On finding themselves with no way home, scant resources, and lack of medical insurance, they opt for this course.
Every year such stories emerge in Bangkok, Pattaya, and Phuket in particular.
For example, Max Holden, a Pattaya resident in November 2018. Dressed in shorts and having left a letter for his Thai wife, he took his own life. The former engineer had designed an extensive execution mechanism and hung himself from the 23rd floor of his condominium building.
Nevertheless, the constant publication of such incidents must be noted with some alarm. Undoubtedly, there are many distress factors and reasons. Furthermore, each case should be pursued vigorously, and a full understanding of what is happening arrived at.
Certainly, in the long run, such an approach would serve Thailand’s foreign tourism industry better and help all concerned in foreign countries.
Growing number of unexplained deaths and dangerous incidents in Thailand raises alarm for foreign tourists
Thailand already has a problem with its dangerous roads and a series of unexplained deaths, particularly on southern islands. Certainly, these are separate but also important issues that require maximum transparency and accountability.
On June 8th, a woman was found dead after falling from a 27th-floor condominium building in Pattaya. She was not identified except for the fact that she was 30-40 years old. Three days previously, a German tourist fell from the 33rd floor of a luxury apartment in the resort city.
The day before it was a 43-year-old American. The day before that, it was a Russian tourist, and on June 1st, a 23-year-old Thai man plunged to his death. However, there is some good news.
Russian survives 8th-floor jump in Pattaya. Previously a suspect in his girlfriend’s fatal 2023 fall in Jomtien
On August 16th last, on a Friday morning, a Russian tourist jumped from his eighth-floor apartment. Afterwards, the life of Mr. Oleg Nabokov Fedor was saved. In brief, a large cushion was put in place as police negotiators talked with him.
Recent incidents of suicides and attempted suicides among foreigners in Thailand underscore a critical need
Nonetheless, the rescue of Mr. Fedor still left him with injuries requiring hospitalisation. The Russian wanted to take his own life.
In August 2023, in the Jomtien area of Pattaya, he was involved in a similar but less fortunate incident. He was seen by shocked neighbours suspending his girlfriend from a seventh floor window of an apartment building.
The Russian man was extremely drunk. She later fell to her death. Afterwards, police attempted to arrest Mr. Fedor, but a court ruled there was insufficient evidence to prosecute him.
Just under a year before that, again, a 30-year-old Kyrgyz woman fell to her death in Pattaya. Her body was found surrounded by hard currency.
Freak death of Kyrgyz woman in Pattaya linked to Chinese gang who forced her into prostitution
30-year-old Anara Seitaleva had, three days earlier, reported herself as a victim of a Chinese human trafficking gang. In short, she had been lured to Thailand from her home country and sent to Laos.
Held afterwards in Bangkok, she had escaped her handlers and fled to the refuge of friends in Pattaya. Indeed, she had filed a police complaint with Pattaya Police Station three days before her death on September 13th, 2022.
Undoubtedly, for every death from a high-story building, there is a story that needs to be told despite the sensitive nature of such situations. Anything less is less than healthy in the long run for society in Thailand and related countries.
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Further reading:
Drunk Russian arrested on Sunday after he let his partner fall from the couple’s 7th-floor condo
Arrested foreigners uncooperative with Phuket police after Russian woman dies in balcony fall
Sex drugs found in hotel room of Australian man who died from balcony fall on Tuesday in Phuket
Myanmar men who murdered two UK backpackers on Ko Tao have their death sentences commuted to life
UK man in Phuket jailed on drunk driving charge just hours before flying to reunite with family
Wife and mother from Northern Ireland flies to Thailand after tragic death of her husband
83-year-old man rescued by a compatriot from a small room where he was fed on rice and water
