PHUKET: The diabolical riddle of what killed four young women on the Thai holiday island of Phi Phi may be resolved with a ruling by a Canadian coroner that is due tonight.
While the murder of British tourists Hannah Witheridge and David Miller on the Gulf destination of Koh Tao provided the shock deaths of 2014, it was the mystery of what killed Canadian sisters Audrey Noemi Belanger at a Phi Phi resort that dominated Phuketwan crime reports in 2012.
The sisters' deaths seemed remarkably similar to the deaths of American Jill St Onge and Norwegian Julie Bergheim on the same Thai rites-of-passage island in May of 2009.
Sharp detective work by a team of journalists from CBC's Fifth Estate pointed strongly towards highly toxic pesticide used to control bedbugs being the likely cause of the Belanger's deaths.
In Quebec at 10.30am, a coroner will present her report on the deaths of the Belangers.
The commitment to coronial investigations by Britain and some other Western countries often sheds additional light on mysterious deaths in Thailand.
Few cases have been as perplexing for onlookers and as agonising for families and friends as the cases involving the Belangers, Jill St Onge and Julie Bergheim.
If the inappropriate use of industrial pesticide is determined as the cause of the deaths of the Belanger sisters, it will be up to the Thai government to ensure that the product is never misused in such a way again.
Thailand's government is under constant pressure to improve tourism safety but sensational murders, needless drownings, motorcycle and bicycle deaths and a multitude of other hazards continue to make the Thai travel marketers' task a difficult one.
Priorities appear to be a problem.
While unnecessary monsoon season drownings and motorcycle crash fatalities on Phuket are what concerns ambassadors based in Thailand, the holiday island administration seems to have become obsessed with banning tourists from bringing their own chairs to beaches.
If tonight's coronial report sheds light on what killed four young women, it might help to deliver a dose of reality. Life or death issues are much more important than beach chair arrangements.
The four deaths on Phi Phi have also proven how important it is for forensic investigation skills to be upgraded in Thailand so that the causes of deaths can be accurately determined with speed.
While the murder of British tourists Hannah Witheridge and David Miller on the Gulf destination of Koh Tao provided the shock deaths of 2014, it was the mystery of what killed Canadian sisters Audrey Noemi Belanger at a Phi Phi resort that dominated Phuketwan crime reports in 2012.
The sisters' deaths seemed remarkably similar to the deaths of American Jill St Onge and Norwegian Julie Bergheim on the same Thai rites-of-passage island in May of 2009.
Sharp detective work by a team of journalists from CBC's Fifth Estate pointed strongly towards highly toxic pesticide used to control bedbugs being the likely cause of the Belanger's deaths.
In Quebec at 10.30am, a coroner will present her report on the deaths of the Belangers.
The commitment to coronial investigations by Britain and some other Western countries often sheds additional light on mysterious deaths in Thailand.
Few cases have been as perplexing for onlookers and as agonising for families and friends as the cases involving the Belangers, Jill St Onge and Julie Bergheim.
If the inappropriate use of industrial pesticide is determined as the cause of the deaths of the Belanger sisters, it will be up to the Thai government to ensure that the product is never misused in such a way again.
Thailand's government is under constant pressure to improve tourism safety but sensational murders, needless drownings, motorcycle and bicycle deaths and a multitude of other hazards continue to make the Thai travel marketers' task a difficult one.
Priorities appear to be a problem.
While unnecessary monsoon season drownings and motorcycle crash fatalities on Phuket are what concerns ambassadors based in Thailand, the holiday island administration seems to have become obsessed with banning tourists from bringing their own chairs to beaches.
If tonight's coronial report sheds light on what killed four young women, it might help to deliver a dose of reality. Life or death issues are much more important than beach chair arrangements.
The four deaths on Phi Phi have also proven how important it is for forensic investigation skills to be upgraded in Thailand so that the causes of deaths can be accurately determined with speed.
Priorities appear to be a problem.
They certainly are as you say, people are needlessly dieing all over Thailand.
Yesterday my wife had to sit through a days waffle about the new alcohol advertising laws with stupid fines of 10,000 bht for even having a beer mat advertising beer.But that's easy money with no investigative work involved .Just turn up mob handed with their hands out as usual.
Posted by stu on March 3, 2015 10:51