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Tourists who end up dead in Thailand



 
 
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  #1  
Old March 18th, 2004, 08:25 PM
scuffler
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Default Tourists who end up dead in Thailand

Posted: 18 March 2004 1100 hrs

Sex, alcohol and motorbikes killing hundreds of tourists in Thailand

BANGKOK: A volatile mix of Viagra, alcohol and reckless motorbike
riding takes a heavy toll on Thailand's tourists, and every year
hundreds fail to survive their holiday in the kingdom.

"The tourist death toll amounts to more than two Bali bomb attacks
every year just from recklessness," said Steven Martin, co-author of
the Lonely Planet Thailand guide book.

"At home people wouldn't dream of having a few margaritas, renting a
motorcycle without a license and then riding around in a bikini and no
helmet, it's the holiday mind-frame," he said.

Of some 9.7 million tourists who came to Thailand last year, British
citizens recorded the highest number of deaths with 148, while there
were 137 from the United States, 120 from Germany and 73 from Japan.

Thailand's tourist police recorded only 119 tourist deaths last year,
but 10 embassies representing just under half the foreign nationals
visiting the kingdom in 2003 reported at least 595 fatalities.

While the causes of death varied -- Japan had a high suicide rate with
13 of its citizens killing themselves in Thailand -- traffic
accidents, alcohol and impotency drugs proved to be the biggest
killers.

Martin said Thai authorities and the travel industry had worked hard
over the past decade to make the kingdom as safe as possible, but it
was powerless to enforce common sense.

"Each country is different so even if you think you know how to ride a
motorbike well, you might not be used to coconut trucks, stray dogs
and livestock at each curve, not to mention the Asian style of
driving."

While traffic accidents involving rental bikes are one of the biggest
killers, Viagra -- usually mixed with alcohol and physical overload --
is another, according to embassy officials.

Despite government efforts to quash the kingdom's reputation as Asia's
red light capital, Thailand continues to attract millions of sex
tourists each year, many of them elderly men.

"It's a combination of old age, alcohol, the hot and humid climate in
Thailand that Europeans are not used to, certain kinds of medication
and above-average physical exhaustion," said Karsten Tietz, head of
consul at the German embassy.

"They have fun, they're on their vacation, they drink more than at
home and tend to be a lot less cautious."

Travel industry experts say Thailand's disproportionately high tourist
death toll is the result of its attracting a huge volume of tourists
while also offering high-risk activities typically found in less
well-trodden places.

"There are many contributing factors to this," said John Koldowski,
spokesman for the Bangkok-based Pacific Asia Travel Association.

"But primarily Thailand is the region's main tourism hub and the bulk
of people coming here are geared towards having a good time rather
than being here on business."

Diplomats said thousands of tourists injured each year also risked
financial problems due to their careless behaviour.

"Drink driving or driving without a licence means that you have broken
the law and your insurance will not cover any of your injuries," said
Warren Macilwain from the Australian embassy.

"A young man crashed recently in the far north with serious injuries
and no insurance and his family could not afford the medivac (medical
evacuation) back to Australia," he said. "People forget these things
run into tens of thousands of dollars."

Those dealing directly with the victims and their families said they
continued to be shocked by the avoidable nature of many of the deaths.

"Every case is different and you never get used to telling a mother
her child has died, that your brother has died, it is awful, and
usually very traumatic for the family," said Ursula Simon from the
German embassy.

"The hardest is when you contact someone and they don't know what to
do, or can't talk about it, and especially when the people don't care
about the person who has died," she said.

Simon said holidaymakers should not fall into the trap of thinking
that different rules abroad meant no rules at all.

"Take the same safety precautions you would at home, but be even more
vigilant," she said.

Thai mortician Hirun Phurdnampetch, who has spent more than two
decades dealing with the remains of dead tourists from Europe and the
United States, has a similar message.

"When a foreigner dies it is usually on a motorbike, riding without
skill or protective clothing and usually in the most popular places
like Pattaya and Samui, with heart attacks the second biggest cause,"
said Hirun.

"If they would just not drink so much, be sensible and wear a helmet
if they must ride a motorbike, it would mean a lot less work for me."

- AFP


© 2004 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved.
  #2  
Old March 18th, 2004, 09:24 PM
Oxygene2002
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Default Tourists who end up dead in Thailand

Here is a list of non-smoking restaurants in Thaïland
http://www.smokefreeworld.com/asia-pac.shtml#thai
  #3  
Old March 19th, 2004, 07:20 AM
Edwardseco
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Default Tourists who end up dead in Thailand

In article ,
(Oxygene2002) writes:

Here is a list of non-smoking restaurants


You are one sick puppy. I don't know if this a forged address but I will find
out shortly.
 




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