Phuket Expat Restaurant Owner in Patong Feels Downturn, Found Hanged
Sunday, November 1, 2015
PHUKET: A Belgian man who ran three restaurants in Patong was found hanged in his apartment today.
The 60-year-old man was worried and unable to make enough money to pay all the staff, his Thai wife told investigating police.
She said her husband had become seriously concerned about the future. He had been drinking heavily.
Officers from Kathu Police Station and paramedic rescuers found the man, dressed only in shorts, hanged in the toilet of an apartment off Phrabaramee Road.
He left two notes, one to the restaurants manager, and one to the owner of the apartment, apologising for his behavior and asking that his possessions be sold to cover debts to staff and others.
Phuketwan has been supplied with the man's name but will not publish it until relatives have been notified.
|
Comments
Comments have been disabled for this article.
I hope one day the authorities will realise that there are more Thai workers affected by the negative publicity that surrounds tuktuks, taxis, jet skis and beach management.
Yes, those are the powerful lobby groups, but everyone is affected by the downturn of tourists who spend money in local businesses. I have been trying to go to a restaurant in Patong for some months now - can't park anywhere near it, I am not going to be ripped off by tuktuks, so they lose my family's business on a weekly basis
I can understand how this poor man must have felt. So sorry for his family and friends.
Posted by
Discover Thainess
on
November 2, 2015 01:03
Err, what downturn ?
According to TAT and AOT we are enjoying record numbers of tourists, right ?
Posted by
Herbert
on
November 2, 2015 06:38
@ Discover Thaines. Yes, I agree with you. When you live on Phuket, after a while you skip the idea of going Patong for a dinner or something else, simply there is no parking space for normal people. It is all occupied by 'limousines' ( legal or still illegal) and tuktuks, with a chance to be bullied and threatened by these 'professionals' if you not move on.
Actually thai and foreign owned business ( shops,restaurants,bars) in Patong loose a lot of customers ( money!) due to the 'parking policy' of limousine and tuktuk drivers. They are the law.
Much more relaxed to go to other locations on the island for a relaxed way to park and have a dinner without asking yourself the whole time or someone will scratch your car or flatten your tire.
Thai authorities don't care, Discover Thainess. We see the prove every day.
Lack of their Law enforcement.
Posted by
Kurt
on
November 2, 2015 09:27
Parking in Patong? Simply go behind Jungceylon opposite the one-stop car service place. Plenty of free space there. A five-minute walk from Bangla.
Posted by
Sam Wilko
on
November 2, 2015 10:55
I fail to see how parking has to be mentioned in the commentary. RIP to the Belgian chap.
Posted by
geoff
on
November 2, 2015 11:43
@Kurt, quite agree, you are completely correct - I would far rather drive the family to somewhere nicer than run the risk of threats by taxi drivers for trying to park. The authorities need to realize that pandering to the taxi people affects the lives of other Thais dramatically
@Herbert. Yes ! You are quite correct, silly me ! Haha
Posted by
Discover Thainess
on
November 2, 2015 12:18
OT, but I totally agree with the comments regarding parking discouraging any visit to Patong with the family. Same goes for Kata/Karon for that matter. Threatening tuk-tuk drivers descend on you while you are trying to un-buckle your 2,5 year old..It's just horrible
Posted by
christian
on
November 2, 2015 13:17
OT, but I totally agree with the comments regarding parking discouraging any visit to Patong with the family. Same goes for Kata/Karon for that matter. Threatening tuk-tuk drivers descend on you while you are trying to un-buckle your 2,5 year old..It's just horrible
Posted by
christian
on
November 2, 2015 13:38
I'm not sure why anyone would actually want to live in patong, worst place in thailand
Posted by
Anonymous
on
November 2, 2015 18:03
"I'm not sure why anyone would actually want to live in patong, worst place in thailand".
Posted by Anonymous on November 2, 2015
You obviously haven't seen much of Thailand. I'd rather live in Patong than experience a living death in any village in Nakorn Nowhere.
Posted by
Sir Burr
on
November 2, 2015 18:13
@Sam Wilko
The restaurants we wanted to get to are down past Christin Massage, try walking with two small children and a mother in her 80s from jungceylon!
The point being that local businesses are affected by the taxis monopolizing all the parking which means they don't make any money
Also the high fares demanded by the taxis discourage people from using them, again, taking income away from these businesses
And the lack of income appears to be one of the reasons for this poor chaps demise.
Hope that makes sense to everyone !
Posted by
@Sam Wilko
on
November 3, 2015 05:07
|
I hope one day the authorities will realise that there are more Thai workers affected by the negative publicity that surrounds tuktuks, taxis, jet skis and beach management.
Yes, those are the powerful lobby groups, but everyone is affected by the downturn of tourists who spend money in local businesses. I have been trying to go to a restaurant in Patong for some months now - can't park anywhere near it, I am not going to be ripped off by tuktuks, so they lose my family's business on a weekly basis
I can understand how this poor man must have felt. So sorry for his family and friends.
Posted by Discover Thainess on November 2, 2015 01:03