tourist died in thailand

Cyanide in blood, teacups of 6 Vietnamese and Americans found dead in luxury Bangkok hotel

Investigators believe six Vietnamese and American guests who died at a luxury Bangkok hotel were poisoned with cyanide , after traces of the poison showed up in an initial autopsy, Thai authorities said Wednesday.

In a press conference Wednesday, Bangkok Police Lt. Gen. Thiti Sangsawang identified two American dual nationals among the three Vietnamese men and three Vietnamese women who had died. Police said they were between 37 and 56 years old.

Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said that the United States and Vietnamese embassies had been contacted over the deaths, and that the FBI was enroute to investigate, according to The Associated Press.

The bodies were found by a maid Tuesday when the guests failed to check out. The door to the room at the Grand Hyatt Erawan, Bangkok, was locked from the inside. Police, who found traces of cyanide in the tourist’s teacups, a tea flask and the blood of one of the dead men, said there was no sign of a struggle and that a full autopsy report is expected Thursday. 

Police interviews revealed that four of the six victims had invested money together and that there may have been a dispute over debt relating to the investment. Noppasin Punsawat, Bangkok's deputy police chief, told a press conference that the investment had been intended to build a hospital in Japan.

Given the personal nature of the situation, Noppasin said the case would likely not affect a conference with Russian Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilev set to take place at the hotel later Wednesday. “This wasn’t an act of terrorism or a breach in security. Everything is fine,” he said.

The men and women were last seen alive Monday afternoon when staff brought food and drinks to the room. CCTV footage then showed the six entering the room before closing the door for the last time.

Lt. Gen. Trairong Piwpan, chief of the Thai police force’s forensic division, said that police have ruled out a mass suicide because members of the group had arranged activities with guides and drivers. He added that the six bodies were found in different parts of the room, meaning it was unlikely that they had intentionally consumed the poison and waited to die. 

In 2023 in Thailand, a serial killer named Sararat Rangsiwuthaporn, also known as “Am Cyanide,” was charged with poisoning 15 people with the deadly chemical , which interferes with the body's ability to absorb oxygen, over a number of years. She killed at least 14 people whom she owed money to with one person surviving, the Associated Press said. She was the nation’s worst serial killer and its first female one.

Aishwarya Thapa Chhetri is an intern for NBC News based in Hong Kong.

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Who were the six people found dead in Bangkok's Grand Hyatt Erawan hotel? What did Thai police find in the room?

People walk outside the Grand Hyatt Erawan hotel in Bangkok where six people were found dead in a room on Jul 16, 2024. (Photo: AP/Napat Kongsawad)

Update: Thai police concluded on Wednesday (Jul 17) that this was a case of murder-suicide , with one of the dead believed to be behind the poisonings.

Mystery has surrounded the discovery of six bodies at a luxury Bangkok hotel room on Tuesday (Jul 16), in what Thai media initially said was a shooting. 

Police now suspect that the six people found dead - all of Vietnamese descent - were poisoned.

Here is what we know so far:

WHAT HAPPENED?

The six foreign nationals checked into Bangkok's Grand Hyatt Erawan hotel at two separate times after arriving on Saturday and Sunday, according to the chief of Bangkok's Metropolitan Police, Thiti Saengsawang.

The group of three men and three women checked into different rooms - four on the seventh floor and one on the fifth floor.

Guests in the seventh-floor rooms were meant to check out on Monday afternoon but they did not. The check-out timing for the fifth-floor room was scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.

Cleaning staff discovered the six bodies on Tuesday afternoon - all in the fifth-floor room.

The police were called at about 5.30pm local time.

There was a seventh guest on the booking and authorities are looking for this person.

WHO ARE THE SIX PEOPLE?

All six were Vietnamese, according to Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin.

Two of them had dual US nationality, identified in Thai media as Chong Sherine, 56, and Dang Hung Van, 55. 

According to the Bangkok Post, the other four were Nguyen Thi Phuong Lan, 47, Pham Hong Thanh, 49, Tran Dinh Phu, 37, and Nguyen Thi Phuong, 46.

Some of them appeared to have been on their first trip to Thailand.

The seventh guest, who has yet to be found, is a Vietnamese citizen.

WHAT WAS FOUND IN THE ROOM?

Four bodies were found in the living room area. The other two were in the bedroom, according to the Bangkok Post, citing the Bangkok police chief Thiti.

“Suspicious substances” were found at the bottom of glasses in the hotel room, said the police.

There were also five tea cups on another table and it looked like people had drunk from them.

Plates of uneaten food ordered from room service were left on a table. Some of them were still covered in plastic wrap.

It was not clear at this point when the six were last seen. 

Their bags were packed. Suitcases were found near the front door, the Bangkok Post reported.

The Grand Hyatt Erawan has over 350 rooms. It is located in a popular tourist district that is home to several upscale shopping malls and the Erawan shrine, a visitor draw.

WHAT'S THE FOCUS OF INVESTIGATIONS? 

Thai authorities say there were no signs of robbery or assault. The room had not been ransacked. It was locked from the inside.

"The initial suspicion is that it might involve something ingested, based on the autopsy and forensic evidence," said the Thai prime minister, who visited the hotel late on Tuesday with senior police officials. 

"It is suspected that they have been dead for about 24 hours."

The police also ruled out a suicide, without providing further explanation.

"What we can prove now is that they are not dead from suicide but from the killing of others,” said police chief Thiti.

From the fingerprint investigation, no outsiders had entered the room, he told reporters.

“It is possible that it occurred from the inside, possibly a hideout,” he said, adding that none of the six people had any injuries.

The police said they were looking for a motive and were looking into the guests' whereabouts before they were found dead.

"We are tracing every step since they got off the plane," said Thiti.

An autopsy should reveal if the six people were poisoned.

Thai interior minister Anutin Charnvirakul told CNA he did not think the deaths were a result of any act of terrorism or organised crime.

"This is very rare but this doesn’t involve any local people or any act of violence," he added as he sought to assure people that Thailand is a safe place for tourists.

As it happened: Bangkok hotel deaths, Thai police investigate possible poisoning

Six found dead in Bangkok hotel room in suspected poisoning

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Six found dead in luxury Bangkok hotel room after suspected cyanide poisoning

Topic: Crime

Police said a preliminary examination found no evidence of injuries but suggested all six had ingested a toxic substance. ( Reuters: Chalinee Thirasupa )

Six foreign nationals were found dead in a luxury hotel room in Thailand's capital Bangkok.

All six of the deceased were Vietnamese, two of whom had dual US nationality.

What's next? 

Bangkok police are investigating whether an investment among the six could be a motive. 

Six foreign nationals have been found dead in a luxury hotel room in central Bangkok, with police suspecting one of them poisoned the others with cyanide over a bad investment. 

Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin told a press conference at the Grand Hyatt Erawan hotel in the upscale Pathum Wan district, where the incident took place the six victims were Vietnamese and two had dual US nationality.

"There were no signs of a struggle," he said. 

The victims were three men and three women, with ages ranging from 37 to 56, according to Bangkok's deputy police chief Noppasin Punsawat. 

He said the case appeared to be personal and would not impact the safety of tourists.

Lieutenant General Trairong Piwpan, chief of the Thai police force's forensic division, said there were traces of cyanide in the cups and thermoses that police found in the room. 

This was later confirmed by the initial autopsy results of the six bodies that was performed at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn Hospital. 

The hospital's forensic medicine head Kornkiat Vongpaisarnsin said at a news conference that a CAT scan showed no signs of blunt force trauma on the dead, reinforcing the hypothesis that they had been poisoned.

Chulalongkorn's dean of medicine, Chanchai Sittipunt, said the team "believe the cyanide to be the answer."

"Whether they were taking sleeping pills or other stuff, we don't know, but we can know enough from the cyanide to determine (cause of death )," he said.

Thailand Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said all six victims were Vietnamese and two had dual US nationality. ( Reuters: Chalinee Thirasupa )

The six had last been seen alive when food was delivered to the room Monday afternoon, local time. 

The staff saw one woman receive the food, and security footage showed the rest arriving one by one shortly after. 

There were no other visitors, no one was seen leaving and the door was locked.

A maid found them Tuesday afternoon when they failed to check out of the room.

Investment made between six to build a hospital 

A husband and wife among the dead had invested money with two of the others, suggesting that money could be a motive, Bangkok's deputy police chief Mr Noppasin said, citing information obtained from relatives of the victims. 

The investment was meant to build a hospital in Japan and the group might have been meeting to settle the matter.

Mr Noppasin added on Wednesday that a seventh person whose name was part of the hotel booking was a sibling of one of the six and left Thailand on July 10.

Police believe the seventh person had no involvement in the deaths.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller expressed "our sincere condolences to families on their loss" and said the agency was "closely monitoring the situation" and was "ready to provide assistance to those families".

The area where the crime took place is popular with tourists and home to several upscale shopping malls and the Erawan shrine, a visitor draw.

The incident happened at the Grand Hyatt Erawan hotel in an area popular with tourists. ( Reuters: Chalinee Thirasupa )

Last October, a 14-year-old boy opened fire at the Siam Paragon mall in the area, killing three people.

The shooting came just days before the anniversary of a massacre at a nursery in northern Thailand that left 36 people dead.

It happened amid government efforts to bolster tourist numbers.

Some 28 million people visited Thailand in 2023, up from 11 million the year before, but still well down from the 40 million who came in 2019, the last year before the pandemic.

The country has just expanded its visa-free entry scheme to 93 countries and territories in an effort to revitalise the tourism industry. 

Six people found dead at Grand Hyatt Erawan hotel in Bangkok

Authorities in Thailand have said the six people are all foreigners. Investigations into their deaths are ongoing.

Six people have been found dead at an upmarket hotel in Bangkok, the Thai government said.

“The prime minister [Srettha Thavisin] has ordered all agencies to urgently take action to avoid impact on tourism,” the Thai government said in a statement on Tuesday.

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In a separate statement, the Thai police said that the six people were all foreign nationals.

Police officers explained that they found the deceased at the Grand Hyatt Erawan after receiving a call from the hotel’s staff at around 5.30pm (10:30 GMT).

A police official also dismissed earlier reports in Thai media that the six people had been killed in a shooting.

“There is no sign of a shooting,” the official told Reuters, adding that there were Vietnamese nationals among the dead.

The Grand Hyatt Erawan, which has more than 350 rooms, is located in a popular tourist district known for luxury shopping and restaurants.

Tuesday’s incident comes as Thailand looks to further promote its tourism sector, a key driver of Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy.

But this isn’t the first time the country’s tourism sector has been shaken by such incidents. Last October, a shooting spree at a luxury shopping mall, close to the Hyatt, killed two foreigners, prompting government measures to improve confidence in tourism.

More than 28 million foreign tourists visited Thailand last year, spending 1.2 trillion baht ($33.3bn) in the country, where other key sectors of the economy have been slow in recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The government expects 35 million foreign arrivals this year, on the back of longer visa stay periods and waivers for several nationalities.

• Entertainment

Irish man, 60s, dies in Thailand after falling from hotel balcony

An Irish tourist has died in Thailand after he fell from a balcony at a luxury hotel in Pattaya in the early hours of yesterday morning.

The Department of Foreign Affairs is said to be providing consular assistance following the shock passing of the Irish man.

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Story continues below.

Local reports say authorities are now waiting to review CCTV footage to determine the circumstances of the incident and the direction of the investigation.

Rescue workers removed his body from the area after hotel workers cordoned off the area. His body has since been moved to a local hospital where his remains will be formally handed over to his family.

A spokesperson for The Department of Foreign Affairs told Extra.ie: ‘The Department of Foreign Affairs is aware of the death and is providing consular assistance.’

Approximately 100,000 people live in the city of Pattaya along Thailand’s south coast, with the popular destination situated some 150 km southeast of Bangkok.

The city, popular with tourists, is well known for its beaches and nightlife.

Extra.ie have reached out to the Thai embassy for a statement.

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More: Trending News

Koh Tao Murders: Is Koh Tao Safe in 2024?

Unfortunately more tragic news from the so called Death Island of Koh Tao occurred when on June 4th 2021 the 2 lifeless bodies of a Thai/Indian billionaire couple were found dead in the Jamahkhiri Resort & Spa hotel pool. There was no evidence of a misdemeanour, but the bodies were sent to the police hospital for autopsy. Sadly another case of tourists deaths on Koh Tao.

In January 2018 a British traveler was found death in a hotel pool along Sairee Beach. There were at that time a lot of rumors going around but no one really knows what happened. In the end it was stated by the police that it was a tragic accident. Fact is that they found another dead body in Koh Tao under suspicious circumstances. One of the many tourist deaths in Thailand per year.

Death Island or Murder Island

Koh Tao has already been struggling with a very bad reputation after the Koh Tao murders in September 2014 when a British couple was killed and left behind on Sairee Beach. From then on Ko Tao was nicknamed the murder island or the Death Island.

Will Koh Tao ever be able to get rid of that negative image?

As the love for Koh Tao and Thailand is real, you might think I am biased writing this blog. But don't worry I am not here to promote Koh Tao as a tourist destination or telling you  island hopping in Thailand  is completely safe. I simply want to give you some more information about the safety issues in Thailand based on my personal experiences as I lived in Koh Tao and traveled around Thailand uncountable times since 2008.

I understand, because I am a sporty and fit 1.86 meter (6'1) tall Dutch guy, I might not be the best benchmark for writing an article about how safe it is to travel to Koh Tao. With all due respect but I obviously have no idea how a small blonde girl would feel visiting Koh Tao. But in this article I express my personal opinion on the safety issues in Koh Tao island based on my own experiences.

A big discussion started when I posted a picture on my 650K Instagram account @traveltomtom with the caption that Koh Tao was a peaceful paradise. It reminded me again of the horrible scenes that took place on this pristine island and that will forever be engraved in people's minds. While traveling to Koh Tao lately I was in such a good mood, surrounded by good vibes and excited by all the cool things to do in Koh Tao that I forgot about the dark past of Koh Tao and its nickname of Murder Island.

UPDATE about the Koh Tao Murders

On the 29th of August 2019 the Thai supreme court upheld the death sentence for the two Burmese men who allegedly are guilty for the Koh Tao Murders which happened on my birthday September 15th in 2014.

In August 2020 the death sentence was commuted to life in prison under royal pardon by the decree.

The Koh Tao Murders happened just a couple hours after I was celebrating my birthday on the same beach in the very early morning of September 15, 2014. The rest of the week, the island wasn't the same anymore.

My beloved Koh Tao felt it had lost its dignity!

I have traveled to Thailand more than 20 times. The global pandemic stopped me from traveling to Thailand for a while but I was back recently and added some cool activities to my already long list of the best things to do in Koh Tao .

you may also like...

This time I also got a change to visit Koh Chang and the Golden Triangle up North. Interested to see my ultimate Thailand itinerary  then have a read in the link.

Is Thailand safe for tourists in 2024?

First off let me tell you that if you think Thailand is dangerous for tourists , you are wrong! It mostly always comes down to your own behaviour and therefore I wrote a Thailand travel guide , with everything you need to know. Don't let your Thailand holiday be ruined by your own stupid mistakes! Be a responsible tourist in the first place.

Asking yourself the question is it safe to travel to Thailand , starts with yourself. Like during all your travels around the world the golden rule is: use common sense and when you feel something is not right then walk away from the situation!

Secret Thailand travel tip: did you know that flying from either Phuket or Krabi towards Chiang Mai is 50% cheaper than the other way around. These and more tips for a searching for the best domestic flights in Thailand  in my latest Thailand travel blog, click on the link!

Is Koh Tao Safe?

Although they say that the last casualty (guy found dead in a hotel pool) was a tragic accident, the odds are against Koh Tao. Hacker group Anonymous hacked the Thai police stating that they wanted justice for the Koh Tao murders in September 2014. Horrible stories from an island that is well known for its laid-back vibe! Unfortunately there is a dark side of Koh Tao and some people call it the Wild Wild West Island. Rumours go that a couple very influential families, kind of like Koh Tao Mafia style, rule the island. May be it is the truth, may be it is a myth.

Koh Tao Mafia

But please don’t get scared! I have lived on the island for more than 7 months in total and traveled there uncountable times on top of that. I have never seen anyone running around with a gun on the island or heard stories that they knock on your door for a share of your business.

Koh Tao Mafia truth or myth... as a tourist you are not willing to get in touch with any of these things, right? But trust me if you travel to Koh Tao you don’t get involved with daily politics on the island! I am 100% sure about it. So how safe is Koh Taoi? It mostly depends on how you behave yourself.

Note: in all my continuous travels around the world since December 2012, I have never ran into a bad situation. It could mean I have been lucky, but please travelers: USE COMMON SENSE and your intuition and be aware that traveling involves risks!

Koh Tao Murders

Although I was living on the island at the times of the murders and even celebrating my birthday on the same beach a couple hours before the Koh Tao Murders happened, I never ran into any issue on the island ever. That said, it was my second time I lived in Koh Tao and it was the second time there had been a fatal incident.

I will never forget the day I turned 30 and I cheered with friends until early morning 02.00 am on Sairee Beach. A couple hours later a British couple got brutally murdered and left behind only two hundred meters away from where I had been drinking beers and having fun with my friends. The Koh Tao murders had a big impact on the island, it left a very deep impression! Creepy…

There is a big chance you will fall in love with this little paradise. The island is small and gifted with loads of hidden gems and completely deserted bays. There are amazing hiking trails and viewpoints in Koh Tao , it is one of best scuba diving destinations in the world  and there are many more other  cool things to do in Koh Tao .

Scuba diving is the main tourist drag and when the scuba lessons are over the partying starts. With such incredible sunsets on the main party beach, the party starts early. Loads of beach bars to choose from and happy hours to get you started. Of course tourists get drunk and alcohol makes you do crazy things. But remember you are still in Thailand!

So how safe is Koh Tao? Should I really travel to Koh Tao? Any reasons to be worried? Yes of course! The Koh Tao Murders may have been a fatal incident on its own, but people got murdered. Could this have happened on any other island in Thailand as well? Personally I think so...

I have now visited Koh Tao over 10 times and I have never had any problem at all! Enough experiences to tell you that YES you always have to be aware of what is happening around you and be responsible in what you do. But also to tell you that NO Koh Tao is not a murder island.

The vast majority of the hundreds of thousands of tourists that visit Koh Tao every year never have any issues or whatsoever.

Get around Thailand safely

Traveling in Thailand became much easier and safer since I started using 12Go Asia. Buying your tickets for boats, trains, flights and busses is the safest and most reliable online.

This search engine for Thailand transportation also shows you all the available options in one overview. Flights are faster, but more expensive, trains more comfortable than busses, but overnight, etc. Try it below yourself.

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Get all the info about prices, time tables, company reviews and trip duration and book your ticket directly online. Pick your preferred seat and get the your ticket confirmation instantly in your email.

9 Koh Tao safety tips

If Koh Tao is part of your Thailand itinerary there are a couple things you have to keep in mind, but this basically counts for every tourist destination in Thailand and in the world.

1. Respect the Thai people and their culture

Respect the Thai people! You are the tourist, you are visiting their country so YOU should adapt to their standards and not the other way around! Don’t argue with them for too long, don’t feel too cool to say sorry and walk away from the scene. You never know who you are up to, don’t let a small issue ruin your holiday.

These Thai people might seem like little boys to you but they could be ferocious fighters, be careful! Besides that, islands are like small communities and they all know each other. It will always be you against the island. Think twice before getting yourself into trouble! and stay away from fighting with locals.

2. Stay away from drugs

Stay away from drugs! That sounds like an obvious thing, but on islands where the atmosphere is so extremely chilled it is a very tempting thing to do. Island life is all about flip-flops, bathing suits and funny t-shirts, life is at low pace and many tourists smoke weed. Yes, I have been there and yes I have smoked weed myself when traveling to Koh Tao.

In fact Koh Tao definitely became a place where  you can easily find organized parties, like jungle raves, etc. And whatever you want, you can find.

Although things have drastically changed in the last couple years and smoking marijuana is pretty much decriminalised in Thailand, it still is a grey area. I lately traveled to Bangkok and saw marijuana stores everywhere. It was something shocking to see.

But keep in mind that Koh Tao is NOT Bangkok. Different place, different rules. When smoking marijuana in Koh Tao be very careful!

Don’t forget that Thailand is still ruled by a Military regime. The rise in tourist deaths in Thailand brought more police to the islands and stories of being caught with marijuana are still pretty common.

Apparently a 50,000 THB ($1,400 USD) fine is what can happen and your passport will be taken from you until the fine is paid. I don’t know if that is law in Thailand but on Koh Tao the police sometimes makes their own laws.

Simply stay away from drugs when visiting Koh Tao that makes it all much easier.

3. Be responsible and use common sense

Use common sense and stay out of trouble in the first place! Yes go partying, get drunk, play beer-pong, drink buckets, get shit-faced but always make sure you are able to get home properly. Simple things your parents would tell you too: don’t walk along the beach on your own at night. There is a big change nothing will ever happen, but a wasted tourist is an easy victim.

4. Choose where to stay in Koh Tao wisely

Think on forehand where you want your Koh Tao hotel to be. Are you into partying then book your accommodation close to Sairee Beach. Are you looking to stay in remote bays then keep in mind that after sunset there is not much going on.

To get around Koh Tao at night you should have your own motorbike or take an expensive taxi ride. Read my complete guide on where to stay in Koh Tao for more tips.

Don't walk home alone or with just the two of you. The streets are not well lit at night. Take a taxi just to be sure. ALthough expensive, just take a taxi at night.

5. Don't drink and drive

In case you do decide to get your own motorbike don't get drunk and then jump on your motorbike. Yes I know that drinking and driving is totally accepted in Koh Tao, but try to not be one of those diving class students that show up in the morning all bruised because they fell off their motorbike driving drunk back home.

6. Renting a motorbike

A common Koh Tao scam occurs with renting motorbikes. The island is very challenging to navigate as there are a lot of dirt roads and some are really steep. Unfortunately a lot of motorbike accidents happen on the island and it sincerely is a Koh Tao safety issue. My advice is to rent a motorbike with insurance . Click on the link to read my article about it and where to go.

7. Don't accept drinks from strangers

In my time living on Koh Tao there were a lot of stories about spiking drinks. Fire show boys were named notorious, however I never ran into anyone that this actually happened to. Just simply never accept drinks from strangers and keep your own drink closely. This is not a specific safety tip for Koh Tao, but everywhere around the world. However you are on holiday and partying, things can ugly go wrong, so please be aware that these things can happen and protect yourself from it.

8. Don't walk alone at night

Another thing that should actually be clear is to never walk away from a party alone. Especially at night just always stay around other people. If there really is no other solution just ask the help of an other random group of tourists. They are most likely willing to help out a stranger.

9. Stay connected

Yes, being offline is the new luxury, but don't fool yourself. When traveling around Thailand life is much easier with data on your phone and not being dependent on WiFi. Staying connected solves a lot of problems, use Google Maps to not get lost, instant access to your banking apps, ordering a taxi via an app and of course in emergencies.

Avoid high roaming costs by just $9.99 USD. Check out my guide for buying a prepaid tourist sim card in Thailand or check my list of the best e-sim cards for traveling to Thailand in 2023 .

Especially nowadays it is so easy to get an e-sim card for Thailand or buy a sim card at Bangkok Airport on arrival .

Taking a taxi in Koh Tao

Well if talking about the Koh Tao Mafia here you go. Taking a taxi in Koh Tao is simply very expensive, but if you are ready to pay the hefty rates then there is no safety issue here either. My mind boggles when you order a taxi ride that takes about 10 minutes and they charge you $20. That is the price you pay to get from Sairee Beach to Chalok Bay. Of course when splitting with 4 people this is fine.

Some Koh Tao travel blogs tell you that prices depend on your haggling skills. Very much not true I can tell you! Prices for taxi rides in Koh Tao are fixed and they all stick to it. May be the significant drop in tourists because of the Corona pandemic in 2020 and 2021 made these taxi drivers charge more sane prices, but I doubt it.

Thai people are lovely, but just like in any other tourist destination around the world the taxi drivers in Koh Tao will do all they can to rip off people. They drive like maniacs, think they are untouchable, are often rude and over charge tourists any time they can! I love Koh Tao, but these guys are a blot on this tropical paradise destination in Thailand.

If you are a solo traveler, taxi drivers will most likely try to rip you off. But remember this only hurts your wallet! Stay safe and always take a taxi at night.

Koh Tao Island Guide

Koh Tao is an amazing place to enjoy your holiday and you should be totally fine! Almost every tourist that visits Koh Tao is not yet ready to leave at the end of their trip and sails away with mixed feelings: happy to have experienced this little paradise, but sad they have to go already!

Need any advice on where to stay in Koh Tao then let me help you book a place on the right side of the island. Adventurous and want to hike to the best viewpoints ? Or want to know the best hidden bays or a secret sunrise spot? Click here to read about the best things to do in Koh Tao . About to rent a motorbike ? Let me tell you where you can book one with insurance, so you wont get scammed.

I have traveled around the islands extensively and would love to help you plan your trip to Thailand . Take a look at my suggested Thailand island hopping tours  or check out which islands to go in Thailand  for your purpose of travel or read here all the  things I miss about Thailand .

If you would like to be prepared for your trip to Thailand then have a look at my guide telling you everything you need to know when you travel to Thailand: visas, safety issues, scams, the culture, things to do and things NOT to do, the best national parks, about the street food, the travel adapter you need, the vaccinations and many more things. Click on the picture to read all about it.

Still in doubt whether to travel to Philippines or Thailand? Let me help you as in my article Travel to Thailand or Philippines I compare my two favorites island destinations!

Boat, ferry, bus, train and flight tickets for island hopping in Thailand

Don't get dodgy boat tickets from street vendors. Secure your seat online! Safer, easier and no hassle. Check your Thailand routes below and 12Go Asia tells you all the options (bus, boat, train, flights) including time tables and direct booking options.

If this Koh Tao blog about safety issues was helpful for your trip please pin it on Pinterest, share it in a Facebook Group or tweet it on Twitter. A small thing for you to do, but it can make a big difference for me. Thanks a lot!

May you have any additional questions please leave me a comment below and I am happy to help you out with everything you want to know about the beautiful Koh Tao Island.

• koh tao murders

Traces of cyanide found on teacups in Grand Hyatt hotel where six tourists died, say Thai police

P olice in Thailand have found traces of cyanide on teacups in a room where six foreign nationals were found dead in a luxury hotel in central Bangkok on Tuesday.

The bodies of at least two Vietnamese-Americans and four Vietnamese nationals were found in the Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok, police said.

America’s FBI has joined the Thai police in investigating the deaths at the hotel, which is very popular with visiting tourists .

The victims, three men and three women, were aged between 37 and 56, according to Noppasin Punsawat, Bangkok’s deputy police chief.

Forensics officials said on Wednesday that traces of cyanide were found on cups and vacuum flasks in the suite where the bodies were discovered.

Tests are still being conducted on the victims and a formal cause of death has not been announced. But officials at the Chulalongkorn Hospital, to which the bodies were brought, said an autopsy also found traces of cyanide.

The bodies showed traces of the rapid-acting chemical and had purple lips, indicating a lack of oxygen, Chulalongkorn Hospital’s Kornkiat Vongpaisarnsin told reporters.

The Thai government said prime minister Srettha Thavisin has ordered all agencies involved to take urgent action, as the country seeks to avoid any further impact on the wider tourism industry. It said the Vietnamese and the American embassies had been contacted over the deaths.

The bodies were discovered by hotel staff after the group missed their check-out time, and police were called at around 5.30pm on Tuesday.

The six had last been seen alive when food was delivered to the room on Monday afternoon. The hotel staff said they saw one woman who received the food, and security footage showed the rest arriving one by one to the room shortly after.

Hotel staff found that food ordered from the previous day was left untouched, with some servings of fried rice still under plastic wrap. On a nearby table, several used teacups were found next to two vacuum flasks.

It has been reported that two of the victims were a husband and wife who had invested the equivalent of £213,267 with two of the other victims to build a hospital in Japan. It has been speculated that the group might have been meeting to settle the matter.

The couple reportedly suspected Vietnamese-American national Sherine Chong of cheating them due to a lack of progress in the project and decided to fix their differences in Thailand.

“The case likely stems from a debt problem. There are no other possibilities. The culprit is among the six because they were the only people who entered the room. There were no others,” police major-general Theeradej Thumsuthee told reporters.

Police said they suspect Chong may have poisoned the others with a drink brought in a flask that did not belong to the hotel.

A seventh person whose name was part of the hotel booking was identified by police as a sibling of one of the six victims, authorities said. Police say they have established that the seventh person had no involvement in the deaths.

Thai authorities have ruled out the possibility of a mass suicide as some of the victims had arranged future details of their trip, such as guides and drivers. The bodies were not grouped in the same place – some were in the bedroom, some in the living room – suggesting that they did not knowingly consume poison and wait for their death together, said Trairong Piwpan, the chief of police.

He said two of those who died appeared to have been trying to reach for the door but appear to have collapsed before they could do so.

The prime minister said the incident was not “an act of terrorism or a breach in security”, adding that “everything is fine”.

The Grand Hyatt Erawan has more 350 rooms and is located in a popular tourist district known for luxury shopping and restaurants.

More than 28 million foreign tourists visited Thailand last year, spending £25.94bn in the country, where other key sectors of the economy have slowed down since the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Thai government expects 35 million foreign arrivals this year, on the back of longer visa stay periods and visa waivers being extended to more nationalities.

The tourism sector was shaken last October by a shooting at a luxury shopping mall , close to the Hyatt, in which two foreigners were killed, prompting government measures to improve confidence.

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Dark side of Koh Tao: The seven tourists found dead on Thailand's 'murder island' after backpacker 'eaten by lizards'

Koh Tao was plunged into the spotlight when the semi-naked bodies of backpackers Hannah Witheridge and David Miller were found on a beach

• 09:37, 30 Jun 2017
• Updated 09:39, 30 Jun 2017

With crystal clear water and stunning greenery, the Thai island of Koh Tao is seen as a backpacker haven .

But behind paradise lies a grubby underbelly where, according to one report , there are "enough suspicious disappearances to warrant the island its own CSI franchise".

Dubbed 'Death Island', the illusion of a safe haven has since shattered following the brutal deaths of a number of tourists .

On tiny Koh Tao, there are some 2,000 expats alongside the 2,500 registered Thais, according to Mayor Chaiyan Turasakul.

Most are running guesthouses, eateries and scuba-diving operations or working as diving instructors.

However, according to Rhys Bonney, an immigration adviser to expats in Thailand, the legality of the businesses are an “extremely grey area”.

And insecure residency tends to breed compliance. “Once you’ve been living there for a while, you’ll turn a blind eye to some pretty sketchy stuff,” says Mike Earley, 30, from New Zealand, who spent six months on the island working as a DJ.

Complaining about wrongdoing may invite official questions and demands for passports and documentation.

Expats “don’t want to lose their time in paradise,” Earley tells Time , “as it’s cheap, it’s nice living, and it’s very easy to ignore what happens".

Fears over the safety of idyllic Koh Tao were heightened after the killings of Brits Hannah Witheridge and David Miller in 2014.

“I’ve never been happier than here,” David, a 24-year-old on holiday with friends, told relatives in Jersey in what was to be his last phone call home.

Hannah was also revelling in her time staying at Sairee Beach with another group of travelling companions.

But it was in this idyllic setting that their horribly bludgeoned bodies were discovered, their blood seeping into the sand and staining the water.

The brutality of the killings made headlines worldwide and cast a shadow across Thailand’s image as a safe and carefree destination for 20 million foreign visitors a year.

Then came a stumbling police investigation, speculation about a cover-up to protect a prominent local family, the alleged framing and torture of two young Burmese migrant workers, questions about the handling of key forensic evidence and the controversial observer role of Metropolitan Police officers alongside Thai investigators.

Revealed on Thursday, Elise Dallemange, 30, was found dead in the jungle on the island in April, having been half-eaten by lizards, eight days after she said she was leaving to return to her native home in Belgium.

Thai police claim Elise hung herself - but her devastated mother does not believe them, and thinks somebody else was involved.

The family of some of the deceased - including three more Brits - have accused local cops of not investigating the deaths of their loved ones.

Elise's death is the latest in a string of seven fatalities in three years on the island .

Elise Dallemange

It was revealed yesterday that on April 28 Elise became the latest tourist found dead on the island of Koh Tao.

The young backpacker had been living at a yoga and tantra retreat, which neighboured the party island of Koh Phangan, in between travelling round Asia, for two years.

She was part of the sect of the Sathya Sai Baba cult movement, and lived with a self-proclaimed "guru", and left the island on April 17 to return home.

Elise's heartbroken mother, Michele van Egten, has now proclaimed she does not believe police account of events.

Michelle, who says the death would have gone unnoticed if not for her public appeal for help, said: "I do not believe what the police have told us.

"We fear somebody else was involved.

"We're more and more thinking that the police information is not the right explanation."

The mother told Der Farang magazine that she had been promised an autopsy report - but has still not been delivered.

Phone records show that Elise called her mother on Skype on April 17 before leaving on a Ferry April 19 - but it is not known why she alighted on Koh Tao instead of continuing on to the mainland.

Michele claims that Elise used a fake name of "Elise Dubuis" to check into the Triple B Bungalows next to Mae Head Pier on Koh Tao as she travelled via the island on a ferry bound for Chumphon province on her route back to capital Bangkok.

But an unexplained fire that evening burned down three bamboo huts - including the one Elise had been staying in.

Elise fled 2.5km to through the jungle to Tanote Bay and took a room at the Poseidon Resort where she booked another ticket for Bangkok leaving on April 24.

Eight days later when locals living near the island's idyllic Tanote Bay became suspicious of a monitor lizard going back and fourth into the jungle they discovered Elise's half-eaten body on May 27 among rocks behind the Tanote Family Bay Resort.

Police told Elise's mother Michele that her daughter had committed suicide by hanging herself from a tree around three days before she was found.

But no suicide note or message were recovered and Michele is desperate for information surrounding the mysterious death.

Elise's bags mysteriously appear to have been loaded onto the ferry she was due to take, and arrived at Chumphon province where she should have caught a bus to the capital.

But Elise had disappeared. She was later identified by dental records and previous x-rays.

Hannah Witheridge and David Miller

Brits Hannah Witheridge and David Miller were murdered as they walked back to their hotel rooms in September 2014.

Hannah, 23, from Hemsby, Norfolk, and David Miller, 24, from Jersey, were found dead on the island of Koh Tao on September 15.

Post-mortem examinations showed that the young backpackers, who had met on the island while staying at the same hotel, both suffered head wounds and that Hannah had been raped.

Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo were sentenced to death for the killings. But although David's family called the verdict 'justice', the trial of the two Burmese migrant workers was plagued by accusations of human rights abuses.

The men, apprehended soon after the pair's bodies were found, initially confessed to the crime only to retract their statements amid claims they were extracted by torture.

Luke Miller

Luke Miller, a bricklayer from the Isle of Wight, was found dead in a swimming pool at the Sunset Bar at Sairee Beach on January 8 2016, with an inquest earlier this month finding "no evidence" he was murdered.

He was discovered floating in the water by a member of hotel staff, with his death coming just days after a tragic final Facebook post on New Year's Eve, in which he said: "Can honestly say this new year I am living the dream".

Thai police said a post-mortem examination showed he drowned.

But, his sister Maria and the family told the BBC they would not rely on what Thai police said as there was still speculation over the circumstances surrounding the death - and that they had received 'different versions' of what might have happened.

In a statement following his hearing, James Gissing, who was in Thailand with Luke, said he felt “police were covering up as it was the death of another foreigner on Koh Tao”, referring to the Witheridge and Miller murders.

David is not related to Luke.

Nicola Gissing, who was also on holiday with Luke when he died, has claimed her friend’s death was no accident.

Christina Annesley

British holidaymaker Christina Annesley, 23, died on the island in January 2015 after apparently mixing antibiotics she was taking for a chest infection with alcohol.

But her parents slammed Thai authorities for failing to investigate the death.

Christina, from Orpington, South East London, died shortly after arriving on Koh Tao.

Her dad Boyne said a toxicology report was not carried out.

He said at the time: "We don't know how or why she died. She had medication for a chest infection and was drinking, but the Thai police failed to investigate if the combination was sufficient to kill her."

He also had to track down a man seen on surveillance footage leaving his daughter's flat hours before she was discovered. He had not been questioned by police - even though officers had his name in their files.

Nick Pearson

Nick Pearson, from Derby, was found floating in the sea on New Year's Day 2014.

His parents believe he was murdered - despite police claims he fell 50ft and drowned.

The 25-year-old's mum Tracey told a documentary about the island she would warn parents not to allow their children to travel to the island.

She said: "I would tell them to do everything in their power to stop them going. It's dangerous.

"In view of what's happened to David Miller and Hannah Witheridge and various other people I've read about, it just all leads to the same thing. Their parents must be going through hell just like we are and we have been for the last almost two years. It just doesn't go away."

Valentina Novozhyonov

Russian tourist Valentina Novozhyonova, 23, vanished from her hostel on Koh Tao in March and has still not been found.

She had checked into the hostel on February 11 and was due to check out on February 16 – but failed to do so.

A few days later, staff checked her room to discover her mobile phone, passport and camera had all been left behind.

Valentina was reported to have been visiting the island to go freediving – an activity the area is famed for among backpackers.

Police chief Apichart Boonsrirote said he assigned teams to check all surveillance cameras around the hostel and on the island to find out where she was last seen, The Phuket News reported.

Dimitri Povse

Frenchman Dimitri Povse, 29, was found hanged in a bungalow on the island on New Year's Day 2015 and his death was ruled as suicide despite his hands being tied behind his back.

Associate Professor Charnkanit Krittiya Suriyamanee, a criminologist and lecturer at the faculty of social science and humanities of Mahidol University, said he doubted the suicide theory citing some irrelevant evidences, according to Chiangrai Times .

He said that the victim had been drunk to the extent that he was unable to control himself, he would not have been able to tie himself up so tightly that he died of suffocation.

Had he hanged himself, the professor pointed out that the bruises should have appeared on the neck than on his wrists.

Also, he noted that the several pieces of rope which were used in the suspected suicide appeared to be different which might suggest that the death was not caused by suicide.

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Autopsy reveals cyanide in blood of Americans and Vietnamese found dead in Bangkok hotel

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Initial autopsy results showed traces of cyanide in the blood of six Vietnamese and American guests at a luxury hotel in central Bangkok, and one of them is believed to have poisoned the others over a bad investment, Thai authorities said Wednesday.

The bodies of the six were found Tuesday in the Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok, a landmark at a central intersection in the capital busy with malls, government buildings and public transit.

The six had last been seen alive when food was delivered to the room Monday afternoon. The staff saw one woman receive the food, and security video showed the rest arriving one by one shortly after. There were no other visitors, no one was seen leaving and the door was locked from the inside. A maid found them Tuesday afternoon when they failed to check out of the room.

Upon entering the room, hotel staff found that food ordered from the previous day was left untouched, with some servings of fried rice still under plastic wrap. Though the food was untouched, several used teacups were on a nearby table, next to two thermos bottles.

World & Nation

Two Vietnamese Americans among six found dead at luxury hotel in Bangkok

Police in Thailand say poisoning is suspected in the deaths of two Vietnamese Americans and four Vietnamese nationals at a luxury hotel in Bangkok.

July 16, 2024

Lt. Gen. Trairong Piwpan, chief of the Thai police force’s forensic division, said there were traces of cyanide in the cups and bottles.

Initial results from autopsies of the six bodies, performed at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn Hospital, were shared later Wednesday. Kornkiat Vongpaisarnsin, head of the forensic medicine department at Chulalongkorn University’s medical school, said at a news conference that there was cyanide in the blood of all six, and that there were no signs of blunt-force trauma, reinforcing the hypothesis that they had been poisoned.

Chulalongkorn’s dean of medicine, Chanchai Sittipunt, said the team knew enough from the cyanide to determine it was likely the cause of death.

Bangkok’s police chief, Lt. Gen. Thiti Sangsawang, identified the dead as two Vietnamese Americans and four Vietnamese nationals , and said they were three men and three women. Their ages ranged from 37 to 56, according to Noppasin Punsawat, the deputy police chief. He said the case appeared to be personal and would not affect the safety of tourists.

A husband and wife among the dead had invested about 10 million baht ($278,000) with two of the others, and that could be a motive, said Noppasin, citing information obtained from relatives. The investment was meant to build a hospital in Japan, and the group might have been meeting to settle the matter. Police say one killed the rest but did not say which of the six was the suspect.

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Sangsawang said Tuesday that four bodies were in the living room and two in the bedroom. He said two of the people appeared to have tried to reach the door but collapsed before they could.

Noppasin said Wednesday that a seventh person whose name was part of the hotel booking was a sibling of one of the six and left Thailand on July 10. Police believe the seventh person had no involvement in the deaths.

The Vietnamese and U.S. embassies have been contacted over the deaths, and the FBI was en route, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said. “This wasn’t an act of terrorism or a breach in security. Everything is fine,” he said.

Trairong said a mass suicide was unlikely because some in the group had arranged future parts of their trip, such as guides and drivers. He said the bodies being in different parts of the hotel room suggested they did not knowingly consume poison and wait for their deaths together.

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U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller in Washington offered condolences to the families of the dead. He said the U.S. is closely monitoring the situation and would communicate with local authorities. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke with his Thai counterpart on Tuesday, but Miller said he thought that call happened before the deaths were reported and he didn’t know if the incident came up in their conversation.

The five-star Grand Hyatt Erawan is one of Bangkok’s landmark hotels. The Erawan Shrine that sits on the corner of its block has been a major tourist attraction since it was erected on the advice of astrologers during the hotel’s construction in 1956 to ward off bad luck.

Visitors worship at the shrine, requesting divine intervention on issues from relationship troubles to exam preparation. The shrine was the target of a 2015 bombing that killed 20 people and injured more than 100.

In 2023, Thailand was rocked by reports of a serial killer who poisoned 15 people with cyanide over a span of years. Sararat Rangsiwuthaporn, or “Am Cyanide” as she would later be called, killed at least 14 people to whom she owed money. One person survived.

Saksornchai and Kongsawad write for the Associated Press.

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Spike in tourist deaths sparks ministry concern

PUBLISHED : 11 Feb 2016 at 05:59

NEWSPAPER SECTION: Business

WRITER: Chadamas Chinmaneevong

The Tourism and Sports Ministry is working to address the issue of tourist safety after a 54% jump in the number of foreign tourists who lost their lives in Thailand last year.

A report by the Bureau of Prevention and Assistance in Tourist Fraud revealed that 83 foreign tourists died in Thailand last year, up 54% from the previous year. Another 166 were injured, down 160% from the previous year. The figures were compiled from reports from the ministry's 10 offices nationwide.

Of the 83 deaths, 34 were from road accidents, nine from swimming and boating accidents, six from congenital disease, four from suicides and 30 from other causes.

The report named several risky swimming areas for tourists, including Tawan Beach on Pattaya's Koh Larn (Chon Buri) and Chaweng Beach on Koh Samui (Surat Thani). Mu Koh Similan (Phangnga) and Koh Hae (Phuket) were noted as risky areas for scuba diving.

Dangerous roads for tourists included highway 1095 from Chiang Mai to Pai district in Mae Hong Son, highway 118 from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai, highways 2258 and 2296 to Khao Khor (Phetchabun) and highway 4233 to Karon mountain (Phuket).

Putting the numbers in focus . In 2015, visitors to Thailand had about

• one chance in 301,204 of dying
• one chance in 735,294 of dying in a vehicle crash
• one chance in 2,8 million of dying while swimming or boating,
• One tourist in every 6,250,000 committed suicide

Although Thailand's tourist industry has been growing, with the number of tourist arrivals reaching almost 30 million visitors last year, tourist safety is still a major concern.

According to the World Economic Forum's Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index 2015, Thailand ranked 35th globally and 10th in Asia-Pacific.

For safety and security, Thailand came in 132nd place out of 141 countries and was the lowest in Asean with a score of 3.75.

The issue came to the forefront last Friday when Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha expressed his concern after Russian tourists were seriously injured in a speedboat accident near Koh Phi Phi. Gen Prayut's remarks prompted authorities overseeing tourist safety to seek out a solution.

The Tourism and Sports Ministry held a meeting on Tuesday to address the issue with the Commerce Ministry, the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the Public Health Ministry, the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Airports of Thailand and the Tourist Police Division.

Pongpanu Svetarundra, permanent secretary at the Sports and Tourism Ministry, accepted that Thailand needs to upgrade its safety and security standards for tourists as soon as possible.

"In the past, we did not deal with the root causes of the tourist safety problem. From now on, we will look at the issue and address it seriously," he said. He hoped to see the country's ranking in safety and security move up to the middle tier of Asean countries.

The study on water accidents will be done in Krabi while data on road accidents will be gathered in Chiang Mai. Governors of the two provinces will chair the research committee with the reports expected to be completed within three months.

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• Travel Updates
• Health & Safety

Trouble in Thailand as tourist deaths soar

NEW figures have been released concerning one of Australia’s much-loved holiday spots: Thailand. The authorities are worried about them.

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NEW figures have been released concerning tourist deaths in Thailand and they are so worrying that the local government has finally promised to work on improving visitor safety.

There was a 54 per cent jump in the number of tourist deaths at Australia’s much-loved holiday destination last year, according to a report by Thailand’s Bureau of Prevention and Assistance in Tourist Fraud.

Data collected from the ministry’s 10 regional offices showed that while 83 foreign travellers died in 2015, another 166 were injured (a drop of 160 per cent year on year).

While the main cause of death was road accidents (34), swimming and boating accidents claimed nine lives, congenital disease six, suicides four, and other causes 30.

The statistics showed that in 2015, visitors had a 1 in 301,204 chance of dying in Thailand, including a 1 in 735,294 chance of being killed in a road crash.

However, figures from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) over a similar time frame suggest this is just the tip of the iceberg. Between July 2014, and June 2015, DFAT recorded 109 deaths of Australians in Thailand , that’s not even factoring in tourists from other countries.

Either way, they are numbers that authorities say cannot be ignored any longer.

Pongpanu Svetarundra, Sports and Tourism Ministry secretary, told the Bangkok Post : “In the past, we did not deal with the root causes of the tourist safety problem. From now on, we will look at the issue and address it seriously.”

Meetings have been held between government officials to address the issue, with a study on water accidents set to be conducted in Krabi, and road accident data will be gathered in Chiang Mai.

The report also listed some of the riskiest places in the country for swimming, scuba diving and driving, including:

• Tawan Beach on Pattaya’s Koh Larn (Chon Buri)

• Chaweng Beach on Koh Samui (Surat Thani)

• Mu Koh Similan (Phangnga)

• Koh Hae (Phuket)

• Highway 1095 from Chiang Mai to Pai district in Mae Hong Son

• Highway 118 from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai

• Highways 2258 and 2296 to Khao Khor (Phetchabun)

• Highway 4233 to Karon mountain (Phuket)

Almost 30 million visitors flocked to Thailand last year, but it was ranked low on a recent list for safety and security in the Asia Pacific. It came in at 132nd place out of 141 countries in that category in the World Economic Forum’s Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index 2015.

TRAGEDY IN PARADISE

Last month, a British backpacker was been found dead in mysterious circumstances on Thailand’s Koh Tao island, the same place two backpackers were found beaten to death in 2014.

The body of Luke Miller, 24, was found floating in a hotel swimming pool, reported the UK Telegraph . Before his death Miller had taken to social media to post about how much he was enjoying his trip.

“Can honestly say this new year I am living the dream of to the full moon party on a speed boat drink cocktails strawberry daiquiris living life to the full yolo so let’s do this,” he wrote.

He had been on a five-week holiday.

The island of Koh Tao is no stranger to tourist deaths. In 2014 the semi-naked bodies of British backpackers David Miller, 24, and Hannah Witheridge, 23, were found beaten to death on the beach. Witheridge was raped before her murder.

Two Burmese men were charged and sentenced to death over the killings.

DFAT’S TRAVEL ADVICE FOR THAILAND

• The standard of medical facilities throughout Thailand varies. While private hospitals with international standard facilities can be found in major cities, services can be limited elsewhere. Private hospitals generally require confirmation of insurance or a guarantee of payment before admitting a patient. Costs can be very expensive.

• Motorcycle and other road accidents are very common in Thailand, including in resort areas such as Phuket, Pattaya and Koh Samui.

• Water-borne, foodborne, parasitic and other infectious diseases (including tuberculosis, cholera, hepatitis, leptospirosis and typhoid) are prevalent with outbreaks occurring from time to time. We advise you to boil all drinking water or drink bottled water, avoid ice cubes and raw and undercooked food, and avoid unpasteurised dairy products. Seek medical advice if you have a fever or are suffering from diarrhoea.

• Illness caused by naturally occurring seafood toxins such as ciguatera as well as scombroid (histamine fish poisoning) and toxins in shellfish can be a hazard.

• The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade strongly recommends that you take out comprehensive travel insurance that will cover any overseas medical costs, including medical evacuation, before you depart.

See more tips at DFAT’s website here.

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Russian couple among 10 killed in landslide on thai holiday island phuket.

Three people were still missing and 19 were injured following Friday's landslide which slammed into a residential area, the government said in a statement.

Police said Friday that a Russian couple, a Myanmar national and Thai citizens were among the dead, adding that officers were working to identify other victims.

More than 400 people from 200 households in three districts have been affected, the government statement said.

Footage of the disaster shared on social media showed destroyed homes, piles of rubble and volunteers trying to pipe out the muddy water.

Thailand has endured heavy monsoon rains this week, largely affecting the kingdom's southern coast and areas in the north.

Rescuers, military personnel and volunteers have been deployed to deliver supplies to those in need and to help with clean-up efforts.

"More funds have been put in place to help the victims, and a team has been set up to study the cause of the landslide," the government said.

While Thailand experiences annual monsoon rains, man-made climate change is causing more intense weather patterns that can make destructive floods more likely.

Widespread flooding across Thailand in 2011 killed more than 500 people and damaged millions of homes around the country.

• Tắt chia sẻ

Searchers dig in muddy swamp near Bangkok where plane carrying 5 Chinese tourists, 4 Thais crashed

Searchers dug into the mud of a flooded mangrove swamp outside Bangkok for plane fragments and the remains of the five Chinese passengers and four Thai flight crew members believed killed in a crash shortly after takeoff

BANGKOK — Searchers dug into the mud of a flooded mangrove swamp outside Bangkok on Friday for plane fragments and the remains of the five Chinese passengers and four Thai flight crew members believed killed in a crash shortly after takeoff.

Around 300 officers and rescue volunteers have been searching the crash site and will send any remains they are able to recover for forensic identification, Chachoengsao province Gov. Chonlatee Yangtrong said late Thursday night. Only small body parts had been recovered so far.

The crash site about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Suvarnabhumi Airport was flooded when tides rose from from a nearby river that flows into the Gulf of Thailand. Video showed fragments of the plane in water in the middle of a wooded area. A rescuer worked in muddy water up to his chest.

Five Chinese tourists and four Thais, a pilot, co-pilot and two airline service personnel, had been on board the plane, provincial government spokesperson Sangdune Jewyu said.

The tourists were initially said to be from Hong Kong, but Hong Kong’s Immigration Department said Friday they were not Hong Kong residents. Photos posted on social media and on Thai media websites showed all of their passports had been issued in Shanghai.

Thai media, including the Bangkok Post newspaper, identified the Chinese victims as Zhang Jingjing, 12; Zhang Jing, 42; Tang Yu, 42; Yin Jinfeng, 45; and Yin Hang, 13.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand said the turboprop Cessna Caravan C208B operated by the Thai Flying Service Company had departed at 2:46 p.m. and air traffic control lost radio and radar contact with the aircraft 11 minutes later, when it was about 35 kilometers (22 miles) southeast of the airport.

It had been headed to Trat, a coastal province with beach resorts about 275 kilometers (171 miles) southeast of Bangkok.

The authorities said the cause of the crash is not yet known, and an investigation is underway. The weather at the time of the flight was clear.

Pongthep Sirisawat of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Committee of Thailand said they have recovered about 30% of the plane so far. Because the plane had no black box and there are likely no survivors, it is necessary to collect as many pieces of the plane as possible to determine the cause of the accident, he said.