A Dutchman, reported missing on Koh Tao by his father last week, has turned up safe and sound in, you guessed it … Pattaya.
According to Tourist Police, 45-year-old Dennis Wielaard never even went to Koh Tao after arriving in Thailand a month ago. Following a viral “missing persons” post shared by his father on Oct. 20, Thai police found Wielaard yesterday afternoon at Nonze Hostel, a guesthouse 800 meters away from Pattaya’s Walking Street.
His family was allegedly “kept in the dark” after Wielaard ceased contact with them last Monday. Before this, he had been talking with his girlfriend almost every day, according to Dutch newspaper Ad Nieuwsmedia.
His father, Hans Wielaard, told the news outlet that Thailand has always been his son’s dream destination, although he has advised against it because the country is “not safe for someone who travels on a long journey for the first time.”
The family filed a missing persons report in the Netherlands on Wednesday.
Thai Immigration Police said that Wielaard arrived via Suvarnabhumi Airport on the night of Sept. 25. He then stayed in Bangkok before checking into a hotel in Chiang Mai on Oct. 10. The Dutchman has been in Pattaya since last Sunday — yup, just about the time he had lost contact with his girlfriend.
“He never went to Koh Tao. He only told his friends he wanted to. We’ve contacted the Embassy of the Netherlands so that they could notify his family,” Pol. Col. Wanchana Bawornboon, Commander of Surat Thani Immigration told New TV.
Ensuring the police of the Dutchman’s safety, Woraporn Jantathai, a new Thai friend of Wielaard, told officers she had spent time with him in Pattaya and that he had no issues she was aware of since arriving in the country.
Woraporn said that Wielaard has since called his mother, Matichon reported.
It’s not a surprise that Wielaard’s “disappearance” sent a panic to his family, as Koh Tao has been struggling with a bad reputation following the brutal murders of two British backpackers: David Miller and Hannah Witheridge.
Recently, a British teen claimed she was raped on the same beach where the bodies of the two Brits were found, an allegation that the Thai police denied.
Pattaya, of course, has its own sterling reputation, which we shall save for another day.
Reader Interactions