Koh Tao looks like a paradise, but it's known among Brits as 'death island' Credit: Alamy In a new Sky documentary, Death On The Beach, families open up on how they believe Thai police covered up . Thai police claim Elise hung herself - but her devastated mother does not believe them, and thinks somebody else was involved. Burmese migrant workers crossing the Thai-Myanmar friendship bridge in the bordertown Mae Sot, Thailand. In March 2015, she vanished from her hostel, with her mobile phone, passport and camera left behind. This is not a specific safety tip for Koh Tao, but everywhere around the world. I have traveled to Thailand almost 20 times. If there really is no other solution just ask the help of an other random group of tourists. Michele claims that Elise used a fake name of "Elise Dubuis" to check into the Triple B Bungalows next to Mae Head Pier on Koh Tao as she travelled via the island on a ferry bound for Chumphon province on her route back to capital Bangkok. The 25-year-old's mum Tracey told a documentary about the island she would warn parents not to allow their children to travel to the island. There were 3 main families that each controlled certain sections of the island. In case you do decide to get your own motorbike don't get drunk and then jump on your motorbike. In a 2012/13 New Year's Eve party Londoner Stephen Ashton, 22, was killed in a bar on Haad Rin beach on the Thai island of Koh Phangan - a resort where the FCO warns British travellers to beware "vicious, unprovoked attacks by gangs". Nicola Gissing, who was also on holiday with Luke when he died, has claimed her friends death was no accident. 2 minutes read. Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo also known as Win Zaw Htun are 22-year-old bar and restaurant migrant workers from Burma. However, according to Rhys Bonney, an immigration adviser to expats in Thailand, the legality of the businesses are an extremely grey area. I know this because one of my closest friends, and my neighbour was with them when the murders happened. Before I begin, this will get long and there are lots of things I need to explain about the island before I can get into the story. I will give a TLDR at the end of this section because it will probably be longer than the story. The victims of the attack in Koh Tao have been named as 23-year-old Hannah Witheridge from Great Yarmouth and 24-year-old David Miller from Jersey. This time was different. That DNA should by all rights be either that of the real murderers or someone who has messed up the crime scene, which, Dr. Porntip said, was what happened. The young backpacker had been living at a yoga and tantra retreat, which neighboured the party island of Koh Phangan, in between travelling round Asia, for two years. Koh Tao has already been struggling with a very bad reputation after the Koh Tao murders in September 2014 when a British couple was killed and left behind on Sairee Beach. It's not like I could do anything but get in the way anyway. Almost every tourist that visits Koh Tao is not yet ready to leave at the end of their trip and sails away with mixed feelings: happy to have experienced this little paradise, but sad they have to go already! Unfortunately more tragic news from the so called Death Island of Koh Tao occurred recently when on June 4th 2021 the 2 lifeless bodies of a Thai/Indian billionaire couple were found dead in the Jamahkhiri Resort & Spa hotel pool. The Koh Tao murders involved the death of two British tourists in Thailand in 2014. This appears to be a situation where the accused had been tortured to confess to the crimes, said lead defence lawyer Nakhon Chompuchat said in a statement before the trial started. Two Burmese men, Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Tun, were arrested over the crime. I dont believe well ever find out what happened to her. It is not known who released the photos from the crime scene. This story was huge at the time in the UK as they were both British. But human rights groups have called the mens convictions profoundly disturbing amid allegations of mishandled forensics and claims by the men Thai police had tortured them into confessing. Shocked cries in Ko Tao billionaire's death - Thai Examiner The victims have been named by Thai authorities as 23-year-old Hannah Witheridge from Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, and 24-year-old David Miller from Jersey, in the Channel Islands. Interested to see my ultimate Thailand itinerarythen have a read in the link. I genuinely think she is telling the truth. These Thai people might seem like little boys to you but they could be ferocious fighters, be careful! The couple were Thai-Indian nationals Rakeshwar Sachathamakul, 59, and his wife Anshoo, 55. Two migrant workers accused of murdering David Miller and Hannah Witheridge on the Thai tourist . Talk:Koh Tao murders - Wikipedia In the end it was stated by the police that it was a tragic accident. Get email updates with the day's biggest stories. I got a clear view of Hannah's body, but not David's. Koh Tao murders - Wikipedia Photograph: PA The island, two hours by boat from the nearest airport, has a low-key, undeveloped feel and. She was later identified by dental records and previous x-rays. koh tao murders crime scene photos - Sozyaz.com Best Contents 2023 - 2022 Photographs of the bodies . Dark side of Koh Tao: The seven tourists found dead on Thailand's Stay safe and always take a taxi at night. Koh Tao: Millionaire couple found dead on Thailand's Death Island Dont forget that Thailand is still ruled by a Military regime. They were at the same party together. They are also being bribed, they are under intense pressure from the British government for any kind of 'justice', they want it pinned on a Burmese guy so the Thai reputation doesn't plummet, the police have planted fake evidence or they just don't care. It's pretty common knowledge that torture doesn't get you the truth, it gets you what you want to hear. Around 10k people on the island with only 3 corrupt police officers. A number of possible reasons. Secret Thailand travel tip: did you know that flying from either Phuket or Krabi towards Chiang Mai is 50% cheaper than the other way around. It will always be you against the island. She wasn't really friends with them, they were only together due to being friends with someone else who was having a house party. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. The family of Hannah Witheridge, a backpacker who was murdered in Thailand, have had their "hearts broken" by a second death. Passport photos of David William Miller, and Hannah Victoria Witheridge, both 24, were placed on this memorial on Koh Tao on Wednesday. Whether this means they were having sex, making out or anything else I'm not sure. After visiting 100 countries by the end of 2019 I felt inspired to visit every country in the world. I simply want to give you some more information about the safety issues in Thailand based on my personal experiences as I lived in Koh Tao and traveled around Thailand uncountable times since 2008. Rumours go that a couple very influential families, kind of like Koh Tao Mafia style, rule the island. One of the many tourist deaths in Thailand per year. A member of staff told police he heard four to five cries of someone in shock approximately 10 minutes . Dimitri Povse, 29, from France. With crystal clear water and stunning greenery, the Thai island of Koh Tao is seen as a backpacker haven. Very much not true I can tell you! The major problems started when Meth became heavily used. Thai people are lovely, but just like in any other tourist destination around the world the taxi drivers in Koh Tao are idiots. Finally, it was an unspoken rule that we never revealed the shit going on the tourists never saw. For any of you who have been to Koh Tao, it was the bar on the far end of the yellow brick road, past the Go Pro shop in Sairee. Use common sense and stay out of trouble in the first place! This led to dozens of charges accusing Alex Murdaugh of stealing nearly $5million in settlement money from lawyers who sued him over the death.. Valentina was reported to have been visiting the island to go freediving an activity the area is famed for among backpackers. Yes, that is more than 10 years of moving around the globe, not staying in one place longer than 2-3 weeks mostly! But, his sister Maria and the family told the BBC they would not rely on what Thai police said as there was still speculation over the circumstances surrounding the death - and that they had received 'different versions' of what might have happened. But Elise had disappeared. This story was huge at the time in the UK as they were both British. But keep in mind that Koh Tao is NOT Bangkok. Thai beach murders: First pictures of British tourists killed Post-mortem examinations showed that the young backpackers, who had met on the island while staying at the same hotel, both suffered head wounds and that Hannah had been raped. But among some foreigners, Koh Tao has taken on a more sinister reputation. The Backpacker Murders of Koh Tao. What really happened there? Murder On Koh Tao: The Untold Story - Crime Documentary | Real Life Stories Documentaries Reality TV - Real Life Stories Documentaries 677 subscribers Subscribe 79 views 9 months ago Show. So how safe is Koh Taoi? But an unexplained fire that evening burned down three bamboo huts - including the one Elise had been staying in. The murders on the popular dive island of Koh Tao drew intense media attention from across the world. Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo were sentenced to death for the killings. Plus crime scene photos. But don't worry I am not here to promote Koh Tao as a tourist destination or telling youisland hopping in Thailandis completely safe. Even people you didn't know well, you would know what their reputation was. Photographs appear to show the mobile phone of Hannah Witheridge submitted to police by her friends, despite police claims it was found in one of their suspect's possession. My beloved Koh Tao felt it had lost its dignity. Pictures of Thai murder victim Hannah Witheridge's body - Cosmopolitan She was part of the sect of the Sathya Sai Baba cult movement, and lived with a self-proclaimed "guru", and left the island on April 17 to return home. Due to many many reasons I doubt the definitive version of the story will ever emerge. The families of the deceased both present for the first time at the hearing have asked for privacy. The family of some of the deceased - including three more Brits - have accused local cops of not investigating the deaths of their loved ones. 28 Serial Killer Crime Scene Photos From Famous Murderers - All That's I don't remember exactly the time as it varied constantly between 5 and 9am, but I'm fairly sure it was closer to 5am. In January 2016, he was found at the bottom of a swimming pool at the Sunset Bar at Sairee Beach. Disturbing online photos leave family of backpacker Hannah Witheridge disgusted By Sophie Goddard 9 Oct 2014 Rex Features Last month, the tragic revelation that backpackers Hannah Witheridge, 23,. He also had to track down a man seen on surveillance footage leaving his daughter's flat hours before she was discovered. This is one of the crime scene photos from the attack on Sue White by Gerald Arthur Lee on 11/05/06 in Cherokee County, GA. A case of wrong time, wrong place. May be it is the truth, may be it is a myth. Different place, different rules. The story is, they had met at the previous bar and wanted 1 more drink before heading back to a hotel. If this Koh Tao blog about safety issues was helpful for your trip please pin it on Pinterest, share it in a Facebook Group or tweet it on Twitter. The body of 48 year old diving instructor Neil Giblin, from Birmingham, UK, was found dead in his rented bungalow on the island after he failed to turn up to a diving . Hi! 2 minutes read. If you caused no trouble, you would have no problems and they didn't seem to have any issues with each other. If you were going to find trouble, it was at the bar, though until Meth really became an issue, you'd realistically never have any problems. Weve all heard about the 2014 backpacker murders of two British tourists in Koh Tao, Thailand. "The embassy are urgently seeking information from the local authorities and consular staff stand ready to provide assistance to friends and family at this tragic time.". Whatever the reason I didn't see him. I trusted the people I called friends with my life, literally. Thailand's Dark Secret: Should Tourists Avoid Koh Tao? - Culture Trip Then came a stumbling police investigation, speculation about a cover-up to protect a prominent local family, the alleged framing and torture of two young Burmese migrant workers, questions about the handling of key forensic evidence and the controversial observer role of Metropolitan Police officers alongside Thai investigators. On tiny Koh Tao, there are some 2,000 expats alongside the 2,500 registered Thais, according to Mayor Chaiyan Turasakul. The bodies were found 100 metres away from the scene of a beach party, according to a local report.It was believed that attackers may have been waiting to target the pair as they walked off at the end of the party, which was attended by a group of international revellers. Just simply never accept drinks from strangers and keep your own drink closely. I have now visited Koh Tao over 10 times and I have never had any problem at all! Koh Tao murders: Thai court upholds death penalty for two men convicted Hannah Witheridge and David Miller were brutally murdered while staying on Koh Tao. The investigation will cover the depth of the swimming pool, their health conditions and possible foul play, Mr Puridech said.