THE MYTH is being perpetuated today that ''British tourists are more likely to be killed in Thailand than any other destination.''

This lie forms part of the introduction to a report at the timesonline.co.uk, which gets the latest FCO British Behaviour Abroad Report horribly wrong.

The timesonline report, based on outdated information, has also been lifted in its entirety by thaivisa.com and sent out in an email news alert to members.

Thus lies about ''dangerous Thailand'' are being spread, far and wide. The truth is that Thailand is no more dangerous than most other destinations for British tourists, and others.

The wrong figures have been used in the original timesonline article, and the wrong conclusions have been reached.

Here's one prominent paragraph: ''Motorbike accidents are the main reason why 269 Britons died there last year, according to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)''

Actually, that's a figure from a previous year. In the year to April 1, 2009, a total of 288 Britons died in Thailand.

However, as the British Embassy in Bangkok or the Foreign Office could have told the reporter, most of those deaths were natural and had nothing to do with motorbikes.

The timesonline report simply ignores the 41,000 Britons who are residents in Thailand and who in the course of events die from natural causes, and the 810,000 visitors (not 860,000) some of whom just happen to die while on holiday.

When it comes to motorbikes, the Foreign Office stats record 198 Brits hospitalised in Thailand to April 1 . . . not the 324 quoted by the timesonline. That high figure was in a previous year, when motorcycles were clearly more of a problem.

As Andrew Biggs wrote in the Bangkok Post earlier this month: ''We get wild rumors on the internet dressed up in coats of serious journalism telling us how dangerous Thailand is for tourists.

''Somebody says hundreds of tourists were 'maimed or murdered' in Pattaya and suddenly it's all over the net.

''Who said it? Kevin the backpacker from Cardiff? Barry from the British Chamber of Commerce? Nui from B-NOW?

''It turns out last year five British tourists were murdered in Thailand out of a total of 12 foreigners.''

Earlier, another investigator found that the chances of a Brit being murdered are greater in Britain than they are in Thailand . . . especially if you happen to be close to a pub brawl or at a football match next to someone with a knife.

Phuketwan reporters make mistakes, too, from time to time. We are not perfect. No journalism can be. When we do make mistakes, we try to correct them.

In this instance, Thailand and tourists deserve a correction from those who started the myth, and those who spread it.


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