Thai police probe mystery deaths of Lincolnshire couple: Hotel to be demolished.

[yy]

Totally damaging to Thai tourism. And what a tragic loss of lives!

[Khun Don]

Governor reports on deaths of 4 guests at local hotel

By Phitsanu Thepthong

Chiang Mai authorities are still working urgently on the investigation of the deaths of four people at the Downtown Inn Hotel near the Night Bazaar last month it was reported at a press conference. In three separate cases a Thai tourist guide, a New Zealand student and a British couple all died at the same hotel within days of each other.

Chiang Mai Governor M.L. Panadda Diskul reported that samples are being sent to the U.S. and Japan for further investigation, especially in the case of the New Zealand girl, Sarah Carter, originally reported as food poisoning.

The Provincial Public Health Office, the Office of Epidemiology, the Communicable Disease Control and Prevention Center, Maharaj Nakhon Chiang Mai Hospital, the Institute for Forensic Medicine, forensic police and Chiang Mai Provincial Police are all involved in the cases.

Thai authorities said the cause of death in two cases was still not clear; Mrs. Waraporn Yinghasawanont, 47, a Thai tour guide who checked in and stayed at the hotel February 2. After sightseeing tours to Doi Suthep the previous day, she was found dead in the morning of February 3 in front of the bathroom in her hotel room. Doctors reported that she had asthma and Pol. Col. Montri Sampunnanont, the Deputy Chiang Mai Provincial Police Commander told the Chiang Mai Mail that she had been seen with labored breathing and that might be the cause of her death.

However, Dr. Paskorn Arkarasewee, the Director of the Office of Epidemiology said the real cause of the death of the guide Mrs. Waraporn had not been determined and that the cause of death of Sarah Carter, the New Zealand tourist, was still unclear.

A Chiang Mai Muang District Police said that Ms. Sarah Katherine Carter, 23, a student from New Zealand traveled from Phuket to Chiang Mai and checked in to the hotel on February 2 with two friends. On February 3 they were found seriously ill with vomiting and nausea so the hotel staff called an ambulance to take them the hospital for treatment where, on February 6, Sarah Carter died. The other two girls also ill, eventually recovered and returned home.

Dr. Derek Bunnachak of the Medical Faculty of Maharaj Nakhon Chiang Mai Hospital told Chiang Mai Mail that bacteria might be a cause of food poisoning. Dr. Pasakorn of the Epidemiology Office said they were seriously sick, with bad stomachaches and vomiting, and Miss Carter may have gone into shock from this. “This was really a rare case.”

He added that the primary diagnosis suspected the E Coli bacteria caused by unclean food. “However, samples were sent for further examination in both the United States and Japan to find the real cause,” confirmed Dr. Pasakorn Arkaraseree, Director of the Epidemiology Office.

Provincial Public Health Office Deputy Head Dr. Surasing Wisarutrat said the case will not be concluded until all test results are in. Doctors confirmed that they did not eat seaweed as earlier reports suggested.

The Governor expressed his sadness and concern over the death of the young New Zealand girl, “Thai authorities are looking hard at the case to find the cause and we will inform formally and immediately the family members through the New Zealand Embassy.

He spoke on behalf of Thai authorities that “We are very much concerned and definitely look after all visitors to Chiang Mai.” He has ordered government officials to step up inspection of all food shops, restaurants and hotel services to ensure food cleanliness.

Chiang Mai Police then reported that the elderly British couple, Eileen and George Everitt who checked into the hotel on February 9. They were scheduled to check out February 19 but when they did not appear, staff called their room and then entered the locked room with a master key after they had not answered the phone. There they found the couple dead, Eileen Everitt, age 74 on the bed and George Everitt, 78, sitting near the bed.

Police found no evidence of a break in, no signs of illness or vomiting, no drugs or poisonous substances in the room. It is believed the couple died on February 17 or early morning the 18th since they did not appear for breakfast on the 18th. Doctors reported that both couples suffered from severe blockage of the arteries that resulted in a coronary thrombosis.

CHIANGMAI MAIL

[Khun Don]

Death hotel' doomed
Published: 27/05/2012 at 02:30 AMNewspaper section: News


The Chiang Mai hotel at the centre of a scandal after four guests - three of them foreigners - mysteriously died there last year is being demolished.

The Downtown Inn, in the Chiang Mai tourist centre near the Night Bazaar, made headlines early last year and was dubbed ''the death hotel'' as claims emerged chemicals used there might have caused the deaths, all of which happened over a two-week period.

The Disease Control Department's report _ released after a five-month probe into the incidents _ concluded that three of the deaths were probably connected to the use of pesticides, but many questions remained unanswered.

Doors and windows of the hotel are being removed by a building demolition company. Signs stating that the hotel is to be pulled down have been placed around the premises.

Workers for the demolition company said they knew nothing of the future of the site but, according to the Building Control Division of Chiang Mai's local administration, the Downtown Inn will be replaced by a new upmarket hotel.

''We have received a request from the Changklan Way Company to tear down the Downtown Inn hotel building. The same company has also filed to build a new hotel,'' an official from the Building Control Division speaking on the condition of anonymity said.

With registration capital of 330 million baht, Changklan Way also owns the Empress Hotel and the Park Hotel on Chiang Mai's Changklan road.

Management representatives for the Downtown Inn were unavailable for comment despite repeated requests.

The hotel gained notoriety early last year when news broke that three foreign tourists and a Thai tour guide who stayed at the hotel had died mysteriously.

Three of the deaths occurred at the hotel, while the fourth guest died in hospital.

Chiang Mai's head of public health, Surasing Visaruthrat, who joined the World Health Organisation investigation team in their probe into the Downtown Inn deaths, said the four deaths were caused by poisoning.

''We could not determine which toxic substance killed them. It could have been food poisoning, pesticides, the result of fires set to burn rubbish or it could be related to other toxins. The evidence we gathered did not point us to anything specific,'' Dr Surasing said.

Dr Surasing said he had a difficult time trying to explain the cause of deaths to the public.

He said the incident damaged the image of Chiang Mai as one of the country's top tourist destinations.

One of the victim's families has launched a website discouraging tourists from visiting Thailand which they say uses substandard health and hygiene practices.

''But it has also brought about new mechanisms to look after tourists coming here, to prevent history from repeating itself. Immediately after the deaths, eight mechanisms were put up and they are still active,'' Dr Surasing said.

These mechanisms include creating an online report centre for food poisoning on Chiang Mai's public health website and regular hygiene inspections of restaurants in tourist areas.

A network between police, foreigner associations, hospitals and public health officials has also been formed. Every hospital must now report any instance of a foreigner falling ill or dying to the public health office.

Samples of pesticides used in hotels by pest control operators are sent to local labs to ensure they are safe for guests, a mechanism initiated by Chiang Mai's hotel association.

''Public health officials also visit pest control operators regularly to ensure they don't use harmful chemicals,'' Dr Surasing said.

The burning of refuse in municipal areas has also been prohibited.

Dr Surasing believes these measures should prevent similar deaths in the future and help revive Chiang Mai's reputation as the ''heaven of the North''.

No further deaths from poisoning have been reported. However, public health reports say four to five tourists die in Chiang Mai monthly from other causes.

BANGKOK POST

[yy]

I'm wondering where's justice for these people. Sometimes, as mere humans, all we want to see is just justice in the here-and-now, and not in some far-off karmic turns of events in the next life or 50 years down the road. It doesn't even have to mean having to see vicious retributions, but rather more of a complete validation and legal acknowledgement that yes, this company or this person is at fault and the fault lies this way.

Maybe the site where the demolished hotel used to sit will sprout the next generation of Thai horror stories... Gd luck to them.

[billyboy]

This is all very weird, people do not die for nothing, here you have a range of deceased people of all different ages who have lost there lives for whatever the cause, there are so many iffs buts and maybees accociated with these tragedys it does not make sense. In this day and age surely there are some people who can determin the cause of death in even one of the four people who where deceased here at this hotel last year. Surely the hospital who treated the two surviving friends of the young girl who lost her life could determin what the problems where that caused there illness? They said' bacterior might be a cause of food poisoning'...it all seems assumptions. As for the two elderly people aged 74 and 78, granted they where of an old age with a blocked arterie problem but to live to an age of 74 and 78 then die together more or less at the same time just does not quite seem right to me, i suppose it is possible, but.......?

I have seen and breathed the pesticedes they belch out in the early hours in Chiang Mai, it smells awefull but i am still here.Maybe it is just me but i think this is all so strange, but to pull a building down because of what happened last year just seems again strange, granted it has a bad reputation now but to sweep it under the carpet so to speak will not be good enough for the familys of the deceased, answers are needed.To me this reads of pull the building down and close the book to this bad story!

Billy.

[Khun Don]

To me this reads of pull the building down and close the book to this bad story!~ I think that is exactly what is happening in the time honoured Thai way. But to be fair leaving the hotel standing is not going to solve this mystery any more than demolishing it will. The building now has a bad reputation and has to go-a new one will be built-with no doubt some very careful ceremonies to the spirit of the site and a very suitably located spirit house.

[Curt]

The "report", issued by the "Thai panel", which basically parroted all the concerns of Mr. Cater, without placing any blame, was the Thai, time honored solution. Demolishing the hotel is the owners last act of desperation.