Containers of bodies found

[Loburt]

just today?

[Oo.Cloud.oO]

haha

we'll im damn curious about the possible victims

this is an interesting story to say the least tho

wonder how much attention it will receive in the mainstream media

my guess

not much

[Loburt]

oh, really. like every newspaper in Thailand wouldn't be all over this if they actually had some FACTS to print, instead of rumors like the Pattaya Mail.

and of course, mainstream Thai media like Thai Rath, the biggest-selling paper in the country, would rather ignore the story instead of racing to put pictures of piles of dead bodies on their front page if they could get them.

no, that wouldn't get their attention. not much.

[LakeGeneve]

Some updates with a Black May relatives group pushing for a quick investigation;

Black May group pushes quick inquiry 13/05/2009

The government is coming under growing pressure to speed up an investigation into the mysterious undersea graveyard discovered off Chon Buri. A group representing Black May victims believes the bones may belong to those who perished in the military crackdown which followed mass protests from May 17-21, 1992 against the government of General Suchinda Kraprayoon.

May Heroes Relatives Group leader Adul Khieoboriboon said the government should speed up the investigation to shed light on the mystery. "We ask that the government act quickly on this for the sake of clarity," Mr Adul said. "It will also return justice to the families of our heroes."We don't hope for too much apart from collecting the bones of our relatives." Mr Adul said he had learned the military might be reluctant to allow access to the underwater containers full of human bones. News reports say three to five cargo containers stuffed with human skeletons have been found in the sea off tambon Samasarn in Chon Buri's Sattahip district.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/16566/black-may-group-pushes-quick-inquiry

Pornthip to survey containers off Chon Buri By The Nation May 15, 2009

A team of forensic scientists and Navy personnel will today survey five spots in Sattahip Gulf off the Chon Buri coast where eight sunken containers rumoured full of human skeletal remains are located. Forensic expert Pornthip Rojanasunant will lead the expedition with logistical support, including equipment, vessels and aircraft, mainly from the Navy. The operation, under direct orders from Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thuagsuban, has also enlisted manpower from several civilian organisations.

The eight freight containers have been resting on the seabed since 1993. Fishermen have reportedly netted human skulls and skeletons from time to time. Speculation has intensified that the unclaimed containers may hold the bodies of people who went missing during the 1992 bloody upheaval.

Pornthip, director of the Justice Ministry's Central Institute of Forensic Science, said she would also visit Chong Samaesarn Temple, where skulls and skeletons collected by fishermen have been kept for inspection and future identification. Many of the skulls are being sent to the CIFS for examination and DNAbased identification. Pornthip was shown a newlyfound skull during her visit to a charitable foundation in Chon Buri where some skulls have been stored.

She said it belonged to a person of underdetermined gender aged around 40. The skull had been submerged in seawater and was covered with barnacles, making DNA identification difficult because the flesh and hair were long gone, she said.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2009/05/15/national/national_30102727.php

[Nave]

Will we ever hear the facts or will this be hushed up like everything else?

....and ''cannot be confirmed until the containers are recovered'' where the hell are these containers, at the bottom of the ocean?

watched Ch. 3 last night, and they showed the old tape that they went to search for the container as told by local fishermen. Deep down at 29 m ( if my memory is not wrong ), they found a container.

But don't know yet what's inside. I assume that it could be from the cargo vessels..

Or this could be the new promote plan for Chonburi after the red monkeys invaded Pattaya !!!

[Guest FLGlenn]

Sounds like a case for the X-Files!

[beej]

Think it might be another reason for canceling the Asean summit?

Imagine if these containers of bodies are no just nobody burmese, and are hushed up Thai massacres! The shits REALLY going to hit the fan, but I can't imagine how bad a state these bodies must be in by now, it might explain why the water in Chonburi stinks so much!

[Admin_2]

http://www.pattayaone.net/news/2009/may/news_06_05_52.shtml

Containers full of bodies reported to have been discovered off the coast of Sattahip.

A disturbing story now from Sattahip District involving the discovery of containers thought to contain dead bodies. The story first broke last week on Thai TV Channel 3 following the discovery of a container surrounded by reportedly hundreds of skeletons. This discovery was made almost two months ago but remained a closely guarded secret until the story was leaked to the press last week.. We understand that a total of 8 containers have been found in three separate locations between Phie Island and Pram Island and 30 nautical miles off the Coast of Juang Island which are all located in the Gulf of Thailand. For many years fishermen have reported the capture of skeletal remains in their fishing nets, however many cases have remained unreported. There is a suggestion some of the containers have been at the locations for up to 20 years. Now that the exact locations of the containers have been identified and a full report has been made to the Police, it is thought these containers will now be recovered and the contents will be revealed. Locals fear the worse and suggest the containers are full of bodies, but this cannot be confirmed until the containers are recovered. We will follow this story and update you when new information is received by us.

The eight containers have magically disappeared!

"No containers of bones on seabed

By: BangkokPost.com

Published: 15/05/2009 at 02:31 PM

A search by divers has failed to find any sign of shipping containers reputed to contain human skeletons on the seabed in Chon Buri province, the head of Silpakorn University's Division of Underwater Archaeology said on Friday

Imprem Watcharangura said the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) asked his division to organise a search of the ocean floor off Sattahip for the containers reported to have been seen by other divers.

He could confirm there were no containers there, Mr Imprem said.

Mr Imprem said fishermen have told the team that they would surely know if there were dead bodies hidden there, because fish would have flocked to the area to feed and the news would have spread.

He said people had been filing complaints based on the rumoured containers for the past 20 years. Diving teams had searched the area and found no evidnce of the containers.

On Friday morning, a team of navy divers began searching a location there for the containers.

Scuba divers claim to have come across a large number of skulls on the seabed during a coral reef adventure dive. They reported the find to the media.

The DSI said it would have another look at the site."

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breakingnews/143351/no-containers-in-sattahip-sea

[English_Bob]

It reminds me of a story from a great British newspaper... they airbrushed a picture of a plane onto a moonscape and ran this headline...

The following week, they ran the same picture without the plane and the scoop headline.

"World War II Bomber Disappears!"

[Stramash]

It reminds me of a story from a great British newspaper... they airbrushed a picture of a plane onto a moonscape and ran this headline...

The following week, they ran the same picture without the plane and the scoop headline.

"World War II Bomber Disappears!"

and if I remember rightly, was the following week not a space shuttle chasing the WWII bomber through space?

My ex flat mate's brother worked for the Sunday Sport for a while. In its infancy (when it was worth reading for a giggle) they employed all the journos who had been sacked from proper papers for drink or drug abuse. No wonder some of their classic headlines came about!!

[Oo.Cloud.oO]

Sounds like a case for the X-Files!

the truth is out there

[zeusbheld]

It reminds me of a story from a great British newspaper... they airbrushed a picture of a plane onto a moonscape and ran this headline...

The following week, they ran the same picture without the plane and the scoop headline.

"World War II Bomber Disappears!"

that story was carried by the Weekly World News in the US... best part of it was the follow-up shocker a couple of months later:

"world war 2 bomber on the moon DISAPPEARS!!!"

[CiaranM]

It reminds me of a story from a great British newspaper... they airbrushed a picture of a plane onto a moonscape and ran this headline...

The following week, they ran the same picture without the plane and the scoop headline.

"World War II Bomber Disappears!"

that story was carried by the Weekly World News in the US... best part of it was the follow-up shocker a couple of months later:

"world war 2 bomber on the moon DISAPPEARS!!!"

i'm guessing u didn't read all of dave's post !!!!

[LakeGeneve]

It reminds me of a story from a great British newspaper... they airbrushed a picture of a plane onto a moonscape and ran this headline...

The following week, they ran the same picture without the plane and the scoop headline.

"World War II Bomber Disappears!"

that story was carried by the Weekly World News in the US... best part of it was the follow-up shocker a couple of months later:

"world war 2 bomber on the moon DISAPPEARS!!!"

i'm guessing u didn't read all of dave's post !!!!

I suspect zeus is just imitating the journos who write this stuff.

Technically, zeus is also highlighting that the US press is always about 2 months behind the UK press.

[English_Bob]

Actually UK newspapers don't write the news.... they predict it!

Look at this one from 2015!!!

[zeusbheld]

It reminds me of a story from a great British newspaper... they airbrushed a picture of a plane onto a moonscape and ran this headline...

The following week, they ran the same picture without the plane and the scoop headline.

"World War II Bomber Disappears!"

that story was carried by the Weekly World News in the US... best part of it was the follow-up shocker a couple of months later:

"world war 2 bomber on the moon DISAPPEARS!!!"

i'm guessing u didn't read all of dave's post !!!!

i'm guessing you missed the turn. :wink:

[zeusbheld]

...

Technically, zeus is also highlighting that the US press is always about 2 months behind the UK press.

a lot more than a couple months. the US doesn't have anything like the UK press in terms of self-important twats like Piers Morgan blathering on about nothing while his gik gets a column to blather on about even less.

and the US sports press hasn't figured out how to fabricate transfer rumors out of thin air.

and what about the booby pics? where are the gratuitous photos of "fit birds" with their great giant titties out in the US press????

ffs it's more like a couple decades behind than a couple of months.

[Nelis]

http://www.pattayaone.net/news/2009/may/news_06_05_52.shtml

Containers full of bodies reported to have been discovered off the coast of Sattahip.

A disturbing story now from Sattahip District involving the discovery of containers thought to contain dead bodies. The story first broke last week on Thai TV Channel 3 following the discovery of a container surrounded by reportedly hundreds of skeletons. This discovery was made almost two months ago but remained a closely guarded secret until the story was leaked to the press last week.. We understand that a total of 8 containers have been found in three separate locations between Phie Island and Pram Island and 30 nautical miles off the Coast of Juang Island which are all located in the Gulf of Thailand. For many years fishermen have reported the capture of skeletal remains in their fishing nets, however many cases have remained unreported. There is a suggestion some of the containers have been at the locations for up to 20 years. Now that the exact locations of the containers have been identified and a full report has been made to the Police, it is thought these containers will now be recovered and the contents will be revealed. Locals fear the worse and suggest the containers are full of bodies, but this cannot be confirmed until the containers are recovered. We will follow this story and update you when new information is received by us.

The eight containers have magically disappeared!

"No containers of bones on seabed

By: BangkokPost.com

Published: 15/05/2009 at 02:31 PM

A search by divers has failed to find any sign of shipping containers reputed to contain human skeletons on the seabed in Chon Buri province, the head of Silpakorn University's Division of Underwater Archaeology said on Friday

Imprem Watcharangura said the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) asked his division to organise a search of the ocean floor off Sattahip for the containers reported to have been seen by other divers.

He could confirm there were no containers there, Mr Imprem said.

Mr Imprem said fishermen have told the team that they would surely know if there were dead bodies hidden there, because fish would have flocked to the area to feed and the news would have spread.

He said people had been filing complaints based on the rumoured containers for the past 20 years. Diving teams had searched the area and found no evidnce of the containers.

On Friday morning, a team of navy divers began searching a location there for the containers.

Scuba divers claim to have come across a large number of skulls on the seabed during a coral reef adventure dive. They reported the find to the media.

The DSI said it would have another look at the site."

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breakingnews/143351/no-containers-in-sattahip-sea

Wow they searched the entire coast in only 2 days, must have been some manpower involved!

[grezzzy_greer]

IF the containers are/were there, then the May 92 uprising is a good candidate for the source of the bodies - I recall my ex and some of her friends were driving along a street outside a hospital near the area at that time and saw HUNDREDS of dead bodies lined up on the footpath - several hundred people are still missing since that "bloody" day.

Interesting that they suddenly cant find the containers - surely if the divers really found something like that they would have marked the place with a buoy? Or are they that stupid that they just forgot where it was? A few holes in BOTH sides of this story!

[Admin_2]

Ok, so they HAVE found at least one container! Sorry...this shouldn't be a funny topic, but the way that this has been handled, one needs to laugh as it's safer than banging your head on the wall.

" MARINE MYSTERY

Porntip seeks quick move on container

Central Institute of Forensic Science director Porntip Rojanasunan yesterday urged a quick decision from the government to ensure that the truth about a mysterious shipping container on the Chon Buri seabed, rumoured to contain human skeletons, would be known this month.

Leading a team to inspect Samae San Bay in Chon Buri's Sattahip district, Porntip said two methods of inspection were on the table.

One was to cut open the container, believed from the coral growth to have been lying there for 20 years, and use a camera to survey it. The other was to lift the container out of the water and then open it.

The latter method would cost at least Bt10 million and might destroy fertile corals covering the container, she said.

Porntip said they had not cut it open on Friday as they feared the container might have explosives in it and they would first use a GT 200 bomb-detecter to check it.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said he had assigned officials to assess the possibility of cutting open the container and using cameras to survey as it seemed on the face of it the more practicable way.

Regarding reports that many more containers were under the sea, Porntip said she could not confirm that.

Villagers have confirmed the existence of this container.

Since this is not a normal sea-lane, it is impossible to assume that an accident led to the sinking of the container, she said.

It is more likely that it was intentionally dumped, possibly for disposal of a dangerous substance, she added.

Regarding discovery of skulls, she said it was her personal view that they could be the remains of immigrant workers.

The previous suspicion that they might be from the May 1992 incident is not totally ruled out yet, she |added.

Porntip said that if the government made a quick decision, the truth should be known this month. As for the search for other containers, which the Navy minesweeper boats were asked to do, when to start should be known on Monday, she added.

Meanwhile, local residents who asked not to be named said seven containers had been detected by the radar of trawlers and urged the investigation to proceed without pleading budget restraints.

"If the government does not act, and soon, we the people will open the containers ourselves," they said.

They suspect that the container Porntip is working on contains dangerous substances or chemicals, as rumour has it that toxins from Rayong were regularly dumped. But the other six containers remain a mystery because fat has reportedly leaked out of them and come to the surface, they said."

Please don't let the locals open it up themselves...

[Count_Jason]

..

[zeusbheld]

Pity about the possibility of explosives/dangerous substances (how reliable's that assertion?) ... you'd much rather have the locals open and expose them than the government.

no idea how reliable that is, it sounds pretty far-out. not sure why anyone would assume that, but i haven't been following the story closely as it will take some time before we know anything solid.

one thing that's good is that it is a very high-profiile story and therefore people are likely to keep poking at it until some portion of the truth comes out. i hope.

[LakeGeneve]

Pity about the possibility of explosives/dangerous substances (how reliable's that assertion?) ... you'd much rather have the locals open and expose them than the government.

no idea how reliable that is, it sounds pretty far-out. not sure why anyone would assume that, but i haven't been following the story closely as it will take some time before we know anything solid.

one thing that's good is that it is a very high-profiile story and therefore people are likely to keep poking at it until some portion of the truth comes out. i hope.

Thinking about the number of containers that must have entered and exited via the Gulf over the last 30 years; there must be hundreds lying around the bottom of the gulf.

Abhisit seems to be at pains yesterday to suggest that the one container found was pre 1992 (understandable given that the country is yet to reconcile with many dark events of the last 35 years);

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/143522/pm-container-not-linked-to-black-may

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/143631/hole-found-in-container-camera-likely-option

And a long article in Sundays Spectrum;

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/investigation/16855/something-fishy-in-those-containers

[Count_Jason]

..

[Oo.Cloud.oO]

Pity about the possibility of explosives/dangerous substances (how reliable's that assertion?) ... you'd much rather have the locals open and expose them than the government.

no idea how reliable that is, it sounds pretty far-out. not sure why anyone would assume that, but i haven't been following the story closely as it will take some time before we know anything solid.

one thing that's good is that it is a very high-profiile story and therefore people are likely to keep poking at it until some portion of the truth comes out. i hope.

Given that the eastern seaboard of Thailand is heavily industrial, it may be plausible. But it seems like an ideal smoke screen. The main thing is, yeah, the media stays focused on it.

but how much truth will come out of all of this?