"Amazing Thailand" - so the slogan goes. But while Thailand shines brightly on many fronts
its exuberant capital, mesmerising beaches, bucolic countryside, lip-smacking food
it is mirrored by a dark side, a far cry from the tourism authority's vision of paradise.

During my years living in the Land of Smiles, I heard almost daily tales of horrific motorbike,
car, boat and bus accidents, scams and property frauds, drownings and diving incidents, stabbings,
suicides and highly-suspicious deaths. Most distressing among them were the murders
of British youngsters Hannah Witheridge and David Miller, who were brutally killed
on the southern island of Koh Tao in 2014. At the time of the event,
I was asked by an international news agency to gather some quotes from foreigners living on the island.


Resting in the Gulf of Thailand, a two-hour ferry ride north of Koh Samui,
Koh Tao is best known for its incredible marine life, which over the years has attracted a small
but buoyant expat community of around 2,000 people, many of whom run dive centres,
restaurants and B&Bs. But my requests to long-time residents and business owners were met with fear,
as they made it quite clear they felt their lives would be in danger if they spoke on the record.

Off the record, however, they told of an island held in the iron grip of a mafia family,
who demanded protection money, controlled the local police force and were not above attacking
or burning down the homes and businesses of people that crossed them.

Later, the investigation into Ms Witheridge and Mr Miller's murders was widely criticised,
with the police accused of incompetence, mismanagement
and the scapegoating of two Burmese migrant workers, who are now awaiting the death penalty.
With attention focused on the island, a number of other disturbing deaths soon came to light,
including that of Nick Pearson, from Derby, who police concluded had fallen from cliffs and then drowned,
and French tourist Dimitri Povse, who was found hanged with his hands tied behind his back.
Since then, I have refused to visit the island, have strongly advised friends and family
not to go and have declined to include Koh Tao in any of my travel-related articles.
The recent discovery of the body of Elise Dallemange, the seventh young backpacker to have died
in suspicious circumstances in just three years, has only strengthened my belief that
Koh Tao is a place to be avoided at all costs.