The Koh Tao murders had a big impact on the island, it left a very deep impression! Regional Surat Thani governor Chatpong Chatphum said the Koh Tao murders had dealt a serious blow to tourism. It doesn't necessarily mean they are transgender, or that they are doing drag, they just live as women. 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! on Koh Tao in September 2014. The island became world news when two British backpackers, David Miller and Hannah Witheridge were brutally murdered on the island in 2014. His family has accused police of a cover-up. They'd start fining people or confiscating bikes in this week to get some extra cash for the holidays. She was found dead in her bungalow with a mix of medication and alcohol in her system in 2015 - leading the coroner to ascertain she died of an accidental overdose. Simple things your parents would tell you too: dont walk along the beach on your own at night. They accuse Thai police of improperly collecting evidence at the crime scene, intimidation and abuse of witnesses and suspects which the police deny and not sharing key forensic evidence with the defence, a move they say seriously impedes a fair trial. Thai police said a post-mortem examination showed he drowned. The story is, they had met at the previous bar and wanted 1 more drink before heading back to a hotel. In the back of my mind I had a feeling there might be something wrong. Are you looking to stay in remote bays then keep in mind thaT after sunset there is nothing to do. From then on Ko Tao was nicknamed the murder island or the Death Island. But although David's family called the verdict 'justice', the trial. I If you would like to be prepared for your trip to Thailand then have a look at my guide telling you everything you need to know when you travel to Thailand: visas, safety issues, scams, the culture, things to do and things NOT to do, the best national parks, about the street food, the travel adapter you need, the vaccinations and many more things. The case has shocked Britain. David handed over the equivalent of $25-30 for drinks worth no more than $5. Horrible stories from an island that is well known for its laid-back vibe! Enough experiences to tell you that YES you always have to be aware of what is happening around you and be responsible in what you do. Apparently a 50,000 THB ($1,400 USD) fine is what can happen and your passport will be taken from you until the fine is paid. The Koh Tao Murders happened just a couple hours after I was celebrating my birthday on the same beach in the very early morning of September 15, 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. Of course tourists get drunk and alcohol makes you do crazy things. Note: in all my continuous travels around the world since December 2012, I have never ran into a bad situation. In case you've missed it. States of Jersey Police said family liaison officers were working with a family and close relatives of the dead man were thought to have been informed. Hannah Witheridge and David Miller were brutally murdered while staying on Koh Tao. That is the price you pay to get from Sairee Beach to Chalok Bay. In a statement following his hearing, James Gissing, who was in Thailand with Luke, said he felt police were covering up as it was the death of another foreigner on Koh Tao, referring to the Witheridge and Miller murders. The murders on the popular dive island of Koh Tao drew intense media attention from across the world. A number of possible reasons. In the end it was stated by the police that it was a tragic accident. This news blows up in the UK. After living through it for months, I think this conclusion, which was agreed on by many on the island at the time, is the closest to the truth that will ever appear. On Thursday the 29 th of August 2019, the Supreme Court of Thailand handed down its decision to uphold the death penalties for Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo, the Burmese migrant workers found guilty of the rape and murder of British holidaymaker Hannah Witheridge and the murder of fellow countryman David Miller in September 2014 on Koh Tao in Thailand. The family of Witheridge said in a statement on Wednesday: Hannah was a beautiful person, inside and out, she brought a room alive just being there. A blood-stained hoe was found near the bodies and was thought to be the murder weapon. Even now that in 2023 things have drastically changed and that weed and smoking marijuana is pretty much decriminalised in Thailand, it still is a grey area. I love Koh Tao, but these guys are a blot on this tropical paradise. The victims have been named by Thai authorities as 23-year-old Hannah Witheridge from Great Yarmouth,. There is a big chance you will fall in love with this little paradise. But an unexplained fire that evening burned down three bamboo huts - including the one Elise had been staying in. The couple were Thai-Indian nationals Rakeshwar Sachathamakul, 59, and his wife Anshoo, 55. Koh Tao is an amazing place to enjoy your holiday and you should be totally fine! Get email updates with the day's biggest stories. A member of staff told police he heard four to five cries of someone in shock approximately 10 minutes . Thailand's Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence for two Burmese migrant workers convicted of murdering two British backpackers on a Thai resort island in 2014. Thanks a lot! 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. A big discussion started when I posted a picture on my Facebook Page with the caption that Koh Tao was a peaceful paradise. They were all run by the book. Maybe a week before, a Thai guy jumped off a 5ish story building whilst on it and died immediately, no tourist knew about this. Although Koh Tao is one of the most beautiful islands in Thailand, it has always been shrouded by a dark mystery. Weve all heard about the 2014 backpacker murders of two British tourists in Koh Tao, Thailand. Respect the Thai people! I think one, or both of them said or did something discriminatory to a ladyboy. 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. She is still missing. We all knew who had done it but the police were dragging their feet. He also had to track down a man seen on surveillance footage leaving his daughter's flat hours before she was discovered. If you can improve it further, please do so. May be it is the truth, may be it is a myth. It was revealed yesterday that on April 28 Elise became the latest tourist found dead on the island of Koh Tao. If you caused no trouble, you would have no problems and they didn't seem to have any issues with each other. 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I have no idea but it's safe to say it was the vast majority. Add in everyone at BAR being on Meth and they took their anger out on them. PHOTO: More information is coming out about the deaths of the billionaire couple in a Koh Tao pool. Two Myanmar workers on Thursday lost their final appeal against the death penalty for the 2014 murder of a . There was a bar you avoided due to potential violence occurring. My passion to inspire other people to travel the world turned into a lifestyle. He was discovered floating in the water by a member of hotel staff, with his death coming just days after a tragic final Facebook post on New Year's Eve, in which he said: "Can honestly say this new year I am living the dream". Metropolitan police detectives were sent to Thailand in 2014 to look over the case and report back to officials and the families. First off let me tell you that if you think Thailand is dangerous for tourists, you are wrong! The final theory, is all down to money. More photos here: Sue White after the attack. Picture: Viral Press/Australscope (via Kusonsattha Rescue Service) Details are emerging on the tragic drowning death of a billionaire hotel owner and his wife in Koh Tao last week as police investigate further. Defense lawyers for the two men later alleged that police had rushed the investigation to . Plus crime scene photos. But keep in mind that Koh Tao is NOT Bangkok. Follow this journey in the link. If you are a solo traveler, taxi drivers will most likely rip you off. 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. Interested to join me on one of my trips? 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. It could mean I have been lucky, but please travelers: USE COMMON SENSE and your intuition and be aware that traveling involves risks! Koh Tao was plunged into the spotlight when the semi-naked bodies of backpackers Hannah Witheridge and David Miller were found on a beach. Questioned by the prosecution, he said he received a call at 6:30am on September 15, 2014 by a fellow officer. For a few weeks/months leading up to the murders, violence was getting worse, but it never happened in Westerner hangouts. Yes, that is more than 10 years of moving around the globe, not staying in one place longer than 2-3 weeks mostly! But remember this only hurts your wallet! My mind boggles when you order a taxi ride that takes about 10 minutes and they charge you $20. Christina Annesley, 23, was one of the many young Brits who sadly died in Koh Tao. But they later retracted their confessions, saying they had been tortured and threatened with death by their interrogators. You knew who you could trust, you knew who liked to stir up drama etc. I'm so desensitised, as gruesome as this one was, to seeing dead bodies at this point that I just get back on my bike and go to work. 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 . I know these people. UPDATE: Attempted murder by Thai diving instructor, Santi Khokpool in the Fishbowl Beach Bar, Koh Tao on 28-year-old British tourist on 15 August 2020. My beloved Koh Tao felt it had lost its dignity. We ask that the media treat Hannah with dignity in their reporting of the trial., Please allow the police and the court to do their jobs during the coming weeks and months. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. The police took the Burmese guys to Bangkok and they eventually confessed. The family of Hannah Witheridge, a backpacker who was murdered in Thailand, have had their "hearts broken" by a second death. On 15 September, the bodies of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller were found on Sairee Beach on the island of Koh Tao, between 4 and 5 am, a few hours after their deaths. 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. Due to many many reasons I doubt the definitive version of the story will ever emerge. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. In case you do decide to get your own motorbike don't get drunk and then jump on your motorbike. In January 2018 a British traveler was found death in a hotel pool along Sairee Beach. House is a generous term, it was a wooden shack. It mostly always comes down to your own behaviour and therefore I wrote a Thailand travel guide, with everything you need to know. But Koh Taos reputation for crime has already earned it global notoriety, with the couples death the latest on a long death toll. All of the witnesses will be investigated as well. The men, apprehended soon after the pair's bodies were found, initially confessed to the crime only to retract their statements amid claims they were extracted by torture. For example, Songkran is the Thai New Year. As the love for Koh Tao and Thailand is real, you might think I am biased writing this blog. Three judges sat high above the small court room on Koh Samui, a larger island near Koh Tao, where witnesses will testify over the next three days. Besides that, islands are like small communities and they all know each other. Pool photo, 0130 exhibit 29 Make sure you have a seat by buying your ticket online and safe a lot of hassle. Police officer gives testimony about bodies of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller who were found dead on a beach on Koh Tao island in September 2014. 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. He had not been questioned by police - even though officers had his name in their files. Fire show boys were named notorious, however I never ran into anyone that this actually happened to. Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo also known as Win Zaw Htun are 22-year-old bar and restaurant migrant workers from Burma. Asking yourself the question is it safe to travel to Thailand, starts with yourself. But please dont get scared! 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. Police Lieutenant Jakkapan Kaewkao, the second police officer at the scene, said he found David Miller face down in the surf and Hannah Witheridge 12 metres away on the beach. She spoke to police and wasn't given the time of day. Matthew McConaugheys wife was among the passengers on board a Lufthansa flight struck by severe turbulence and has described the chaos. I will give a TLDR at the end of this section because it will probably be longer than the story. While most of the millions of tourists who flock to the island for its world-class scuba diving opportunities, lavish resorts and unending sunshine have the time of their lives, a disturbingly high number who visited the island never came home.