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[Asianrider]

Hope BBC / CNN don't pick up on this story, efforts to revive tourism again will be knocked sideways again ....

[NanLaew]

It's very hard for conventional ships to drop sea containers safely and quickly over the side. Heavy cranes and powerful winches are needed, very low vessel free board and possibly an open stern. These attributes are not easily found on conventional container ships (that rely on port facilities to move containers), oilfield supply vessels (cranes not heavy enough) or fishing boats (just too small).

However, military amphibious landing craft....

[KhaoNiaw]

The local fisherman said that skulls have been turning up since about 1994, so it could well be related to 1992. Only skulls have been found, I think, with no other body parts, probably over 100 so far. The containers are located at 3 different points, about 7 nautical miles, 40 n. miles, and 70 n. miles off the coast.

In the aftermath of the 1992 demonstrations, there was a lot of speculation and rumour about what happened to the bodies. I seem to remember an area in at least one military base being dug up and the other popular theory was that the bodies had been dropped from planes into thick jungle bordering Burma. It could lead to renewed efforts to make public the details of the investigation that was carried out. Don't hold your breath though.

[noahvail]

Boksida, on 2009-05-07 09:08:58, said:

timekeeper, on 2009-05-07 07:13:34, said:

bangkokrick, on 2009-05-06 23:57:19, said:

I just saw Thai TV news and they sent out divers to check the containers. There are indeed skeletal remains around the containers and the news reader said that they are possibly related to deaths from to the troubles in Bangkok some years ago. They will bring up the containers over the next few days, so I suppose we will get some factual information at that point.

Cheers, Rick

i saw a report from Channel 3 last night where one of their own reporters went out on a fishing boat, donned his dive gear & went down with a film crew and filmed everything at the container site.
there will be no sweeping this one under the carpet now.....

If it does turn out to be the missing from 1992, there won't be much of an effort to clear it up from a military installed government.

17 years later, corroded containers, salt water and fish...I reckon that the best one could hope for are dental records, if records were even kept that long. And I'm guessing that with skulls being picked up since 1994 (which I recall the fisherman saying), there are many who will not be able to be identified. Very sad...

[sriracha john]

I very much appreciate the mods cleaning and mopping up this thread, but could consideration be also given to continued cleaning and mopping up of posts that somehow think a hundred dead bodies is something to make a joke about?

Thank you.

[raro]

sriracha john, on 2009-05-07 18:02:03, said:

I very much appreciate the mods cleaning and mopping up this thread, but could consideration be also given to continued cleaning and mopping up of posts that somehow think a hundred dead bodies is something to make a joke about?

Thank you.

guess you meant "posters" here and I am 100% with you...

[monkfish]

Any English language news threads on this story? Can't seam to find anything

[iforget]

monkfish, on 2009-05-07 18:35:33, said:

Any English language news threads on this story? Can't seam to find anything

Couldn't find any myself, and I've been looking for three days, since the very first, brief reports appeared. It's all very mysterious. Last night's TV report stated that the containers were still sealed - so if the skulls came from them, how did they get out? Also, it was pointed out that sinking a sealed container is pretty much impossible - with the air inside, they just keep bobbing on the surface. Yet here we have, in one case, three containers sitting neatly together on the bottom, all sealed. The conclusion would seem to be that someone went to the trouble of opening the containerrs, sinking them, then sealing them. But then, the skulls.....

[LivinginKata]

A number of off topic posts & tasteless remarks have been removed. Let's keep to the OT folks.

[crudy21]

Strange story, you would think the world press would be right on to it!

[john b good]

Meg_2003, on 2009-05-05 22:42:11, said:

Surely there should be more news reports on this?

ARE you kidding?? This sort of thing (if it gets out) is not good for tourism. Well is it ?

[raro]

iforget, on 2009-05-07 18:50:01, said:

monkfish, on 2009-05-07 18:35:33, said:

Any English language news threads on this story? Can't seam to find anything

Couldn't find any myself, and I've been looking for three days, since the very first, brief reports appeared. It's all very mysterious. Last night's TV report stated that the containers were still sealed - so if the skulls came from them, how did they get out? Also, it was pointed out that sinking a sealed container is pretty much impossible - with the air inside, they just keep bobbing on the surface. Yet here we have, in one case, three containers sitting neatly together on the bottom, all sealed. The conclusion would seem to be that someone went to the trouble of opening the containerrs, sinking them, then sealing them. But then, the skulls.....

It is correct that containers are quite watertight and float for a while...unless you drill holes in them

[crudy21]

john b good, on 2009-05-07 13:06:36, said:

Meg_2003, on 2009-05-05 22:42:11, said:

Surely there should be more news reports on this?

ARE you kidding?? This sort of thing (if it gets out) is not good for tourism. Well is it ?

Not really the sort of thing you can keep quiet.

[KhaoNiaw]

monkfish, on 2009-05-07 18:35:33, said:

Any English language news threads on this story? Can't seam to find anything

The TV show that's been going with the story is ข่าว 3 มิติ on Channel 3 about 10.30 pm, every day except Tuesday. It's a programme that looks behind current news and does some limited investigative features into other long-running, almost-forgotten, or little-known stories, which they often run over a number of days.
In this case, they're following up on the stories that locals have been telling about the containers and finding the skulls over a period of years, so it's not 'hot' news as such. But it could become so when/if real discoveries are made.

Edited by KhaoNiaw, 2009-05-07 19:28:26.

[john b good]

iforget, on 2009-05-07 18:50:01, said:

monkfish, on 2009-05-07 18:35:33, said:

Any English language news threads on this story? Can't seam to find anything

Couldn't find any myself, and I've been looking for three days, since the very first, brief reports appeared. It's all very mysterious. Last night's TV report stated that the containers were still sealed - so if the skulls came from them, how did they get out? Also, it was pointed out that sinking a sealed container is pretty much impossible - with the air inside, they just keep bobbing on the surface. Yet here we have, in one case, three containers sitting neatly together on the bottom, all sealed. The conclusion would seem to be that someone went to the trouble of opening the containerrs, sinking them, then sealing them. But then, the skulls.....

Again, do you think that sea containers are gonna be still floating after 17 years

They might if they were completely welded and hydrotested but otherwise "no way Jose"

[basjke]

raro, on 2009-05-07 23:10:15, said:

monkfish, on 2009-05-07 21:40:58, said:

john b good, on 2009-05-07 20:18:08, said:

NanLaew, on 2009-05-07 15:21:46, said:

It's very hard for conventional ships to drop sea containers safely and quickly over the side. Heavy cranes and powerful winches are needed, very low vessel free board and possibly an open stern. These attributes are not easily found on conventional container ships (that rely on port facilities to move containers), oilfield supply vessels (cranes not heavy enough) or fishing boats (just too small).

However, military amphibious landing craft....

What a load of shyt (that you have written)

I am not saying that it happened this way or indeed that it happened at all but on one of my recent project's we had heavy lift ships with a lifting capacity of at least 4,000 tonnes.

You need to go back to your "tonka toys"

Wow!! 4000 tons = at least 200 cars in one go, they must be meen ass lifts!!

they are mean ass lifts and those ships do exist.If that is still not enough, get a floating crane to assist.

/edit: still I doubt that a regular liner would accept a job tossing containers into the sea. without asking lots of questions. The landing craft theory sounds much more plausible for the time being. Even if they do not have own cranes it is no big deal putting a mobile crane on board.

Maybe I'm not the smartest but what would you think about those platforms they use to transport vehicles from one side of the river to the other side with the containers with an anchor attached?Just drop the anchor and keep cruising.

[Basil B]

I still say, whether these containers were dropped off a container ship, fishing boat, pontoon, barge or warship there would have been so many people involved in filling the containers, loading them on a vessel and dumping them at sea you just could not keep the story secret.

Just wonder if it was the Khmer Rouge when the killing fields got full?

[a99az]

I would like the truth out to h-ll with what it could or could not do for tourist dollars. Shame on you.

[basjke]

Basil B, on 2009-05-08 01:01:34, said:

I still say, whether these containers were dropped off a container ship, fishing boat, pontoon, barge or warship there would have been so many people involved in filling the containers, loading them on a vessel and dumping them at sea you just could not keep the story secret.

Just wonder if it was the Khmer Rouge when the killing fields got full?

Ever thought about that the people involved loading may have ended up inside the container?

[kenai]

Did anyone watch this program? I saw part of it - I did not see any skeletal remains, they did dive down to a container. I did not watch all of it though so maybe missed something?

I remain a skeptic. There have no doubt been some very bad things done here I'm sure - I just know that containers falling off ships is not really rare and fisherman would find more fish around them since the fish like the structure. A container can sink like a rock or float awhile depends on the contents - right?

[john b good]

Basil B, on 2009-05-08 01:01:34, said:

I still say, whether these containers were dropped off a container ship, fishing boat, pontoon, barge or warship there would have been so many people involved in filling the containers, loading them on a vessel and dumping them at sea you just could not keep the story secret.

Just wonder if it was the Khmer Rouge when the killing fields got full?

Secret ???

It is clearly not a secret if 70,000 ++ folk on TV have the opportunity to see it (well is it)

[john b good]

basjke, on 2009-05-08 01:14:25, said:

Basil B, on 2009-05-08 01:01:34, said:

I still say, whether these containers were dropped off a container ship, fishing boat, pontoon, barge or warship there would have been so many people involved in filling the containers, loading them on a vessel and dumping them at sea you just could not keep the story secret.

Just wonder if it was the Khmer Rouge when the killing fields got full?

Ever thought about that the people involved loading may have ended up inside the container?

That could have happened but I think that you have been reading too many Stephen King novels

[LPCustom69]

Especially as the picture of the skull appears to have a bullet hole in it.

timekeeper, on 2009-05-07 01:13:34, said:

bangkokrick, on 2009-05-06 23:57:19, said:

I just saw Thai TV news and they sent out divers to check the containers. There are indeed skeletal remains around the containers and the news reader said that they are possibly related to deaths from to the troubles in Bangkok some years ago. They will bring up the containers over the next few days, so I suppose we will get some factual information at that point.

Cheers, Rick

i saw a report from Channel 3 last night where one of their own reporters went out on a fishing boat, donned his dive gear & went down with a film crew and filmed everything at the container site.
there will be no sweeping this one under the carpet now.....

[KhaoNiaw]

kenai, on 2009-05-08 01:29:16, said:

Did anyone watch this program? I saw part of it - I did not see any skeletal remains, they did dive down to a container. I did not watch all of it though so maybe missed something?

During the dive they didn't turn up any remains, but they weren't diving at the site where skulls have turned up. It's only one of the three sites where skulls have been found - according to local fishermen. Fair to say that a definite connection between containers and skulls has yet to be determined.

[timekeeper]

KhaoNiaw, on 2009-05-08 08:45:29, said:

kenai, on 2009-05-08 01:29:16, said:

Did anyone watch this program? I saw part of it - I did not see any skeletal remains, they did dive down to a container. I did not watch all of it though so maybe missed something?

During the dive they didn't turn up any remains, but they weren't diving at the site where skulls have turned up. It's only one of the three sites where skulls have been found - according to local fishermen. Fair to say that a definite connection between containers and skulls has yet to be determined.

my wife made the observation that what if the containers were used as makeshift holding pens for prisoners and they decided to dispose of all the problems in one go.
she said its not unknown in Thailand
she also wondered if the people inside were alive when the containers entered the water.

she does have a mind for the ghoulish, too many Thai horror movies..........