Comments on: Following a chain of unexplained deaths in Thailand

By: niktemadur

niktemadur — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 09:40:00 +0000

Considering that @GlyphGryph:disqus wrote above that individuals of all genders and ages are dying in similar circumstances, the conversation is broadened by eliminating the serial killer pattern, there could be some extreme allergic reactions to pesticides used in Southeast Asia. Considering the amount of known deaths under these “mysterious circumstances”, it would still be a fraction of a percent of those exposed, and that would fit a probabilistic pattern.

The chemical solution is pretty horrible and used by a lot of people.
I’ve never been to Thailand, but I do remember reading that the government had to outlaw toilet paper used as napkins in restaurant tables.
That same “thrifty” lack of… ummm… conscientious attitude, can manifest itself in markets and restaurants spraying a coat of pesticide on food in storage, to keep the bugs at bay, without visualizing the potential consequences. So now shoppers and patrons are ingesting poison, and some have a severe reaction.
Developing the idea as I go along here, it’s sounding very plausible and fits the Occam Razor.

So two questions:
1. Has everybody who presents symptoms died?
2. Are there numbers on similar cases within the local population?

By: GlyphGryph

GlyphGryph — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 21:27:00 +0000

Except whatever is happening ISN’T just killing young white women. From the article:
“a Canadian, Bill Mah, 59 on January 26; followed by the death of a Thai tour guide, Warapom Pungmahisiranom, 47 on February 3; New Zealander Sarah Carter, 23, on February 4, and a British couple, Bill, 78, and Eileen Everitt, 74, two weeks later”

It seems to be more common among young women, but is by no means limited to them.

By: Michael Smith

Michael Smith — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 20:51:00 +0000

The insecticide theory is interesting. I have slept in beach side shacks in Malaysia where you just want to smother the place in insect spray to keep the mosquitoes out. Lately I have been travelling with mosquito nets as an alternative. The chemical solution is pretty horrible and used by a lot of people.

By: Boundegar

Boundegar — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 20:19:00 +0000

What if the poison was in the cocaine? Did that even occur to you? The um… vaginal… um… cocaine, that’s it! That would explain everything!

But really, the friends and family of the victims should chip in and mount some sort of Twitter campaign or something. “Visit Thailand – Die Mysterious Death – Click for details.” Fleeing tourism dollars might just get results from the authorities.

By: jandrese

jandrese — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 20:05:00 +0000

It needs more national news attention I think. Right now the authorities are definitely in the mindset that “Telling the world about our mysterious tourist poisoning serial killer is probably going to hurt our tourism income.” Because it’s not a big story, they’re just sweeping it under the rug. If this took off in our national news they would be forced to confront the problem and maybe try to actually solve it.

Also, they would have to give up on the ridiculous notion of the pesticide that only kills young white foreign women.

By: Jenz Seeger

Jenz Seeger — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 19:59:00 +0000

Yep! First thing that came to my mind too.
Great novel (german title “der Schnupfen” literally “the cold”).

By: Lexicat

Lexicat — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 19:03:00 +0000

One of the dead women was a friend of mine and part of my community. It is eerie not to know the whys and wherefores of her death. It is beyond frustration that the local and national authorities in Thailand are not taking an investigation seriously and with transparecny.

By: Trevel

Trevel — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 18:32:00 +0000

Where’s Dexter when we need him?

By: SumAnon

SumAnon — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 18:25:00 +0000

Man, that’s fucking scary. I spent 3 weeks in Thailand in June/July 2009, and I never heard a peep about this.

By: Zhiva

Zhiva — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 18:24:00 +0000

Reminds me of Stanislaw Lem’s novel: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chain_of_Chance