If you are one of the victims, PLEASE CONTACT ME ASAP. Until I’ve accounted for everyone I will not let up the search. Just tell me you’re safe and what happened after the police separated us. If you need help I can still direct people to come find you. Like I told you that night, don’t worry about persecuting the Phi Phi police until you are safe.
- Update on 3/26/2011, 2:30PM BKK Time
The Phuketwan published a story here:
http://phuketwan.com/tourism/phi-phi-police-beat-tourists-says-phuket-expat-13870/
I’ll clarify some of the details that the Phuketwan reporter stated soon, but I spoke with him last night and he published today, and for that I am grateful. This is the kind of exposure the story needs. I am not “seeking attention,” except in the way that I’m seeking the attention of press to bring awareness to the situation that I witnessed. Right now my words have a much greater capacity to be helpful to the people I am concerned about. The more publicity my story receives, the more likely we are to learn of the fate of those people, which is the ultimate goal. Of course, I’m aware that my website will be getting extra visitors to hear my side of the story, but that should not be confused with a desire for personal attention. I’ll update as soon as I can.
Another thing. You always hear about corruption in the news, but I saw it TRULY first hand. The Phuketwan reporter quoted me accurately when he said I was still traumatized by what I witnessed, and I have two ambivalent emotions going through my head: the first is to distance myself from the situation as much as possible to heal my psyche, and the second is to get involved as much as possible until I know the victims of the police are safely off the island and well. Check the comments at the bottom of this article for my latest updates. When I have more significant news I will write a new article.
If you are a concerned family member, friend, or member of the press, I will post all of the information the victims send me on this blog as soon as I receive it. You can subscribe for instant updates to this blog by clicking on the large email logo in the right-side tool bar or by clicking here.
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To my dear friends and family: I got off the Island of Phi Phi disguised and safely, then caught a taxi back to Tiger Muay Thai in Chalong, Phuket. I am staying with a friend outside the camp now to ensure an even greater level of personal security. They live in a gated, protected community in a rich part of the city and have a good deal of influence in Phuket and with the police here. I am safe.
None of that matters to me right now, though. The five victims of the Phi Phi “Police/Security” force brutality that occurred 36 hours ago are still missing. They should have my contact information, yet none of them have contacted me. I am now working directly with the US Embassy to find them. My next task is to make this an international story, as the victims are (as far as I know) of Australian, UK, and American nationality. At least two of them (the women) were seriously hurt the last time I saw them. There are five missing victims in total, and each one of them has families of their own that either don’t know their loved ones are in serious trouble or are extremely concerned for their livelihood. I need to rest now, but when I wake up I will work tirelessly to make sure the victims are safely off the island. Please read the email I sent out last night for more information until I can provide further updates.
Note on 3/25/2011, 1:41PM BKK Time: I have made some minor changes to the original email in order to make it as accurate and objective as possible now that I have had some time to distance myself emotionally. Journalistic integrity is important to me, and as hard as it is when you’re personally involved in something so disturbing, I appreciate the fact that my words and actions now are being closely scrutinized and any details I share that are in some way inaccurate could jeopardize the mission of my publication, namely the safety of the victims, by appearing to sensationalize the events. From this point forward I will state facts and evidence and everything that’s not fact or evidence is my personal account until more witnesses of the events (and hopefully the victims themselves soon) can corroborate my story.
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Written 17 hours ago, 3/23/2011, I wrote the following email to my friends and family. Some of the information is old, and the story is not down completely, but it highlights my personal account as much as I’m able to right now.
Dear Friends and Family,
Please Spread This Email to anyone you can as rapidly as possible. The important information is at the bottom, please do everything in your power to help. Thank you.
Yesterday I witnessed a brutal assault of five Westerners by the Phi Phi “security” and “police” forces. I came across the scene because I was lost on my way back to my room. Being used to dealing with physical violence I assumed that the commotion I heard was another common bar brawl and I rushed in to make sure nobody ended up with a big hospital bill. I’m saving my long explanation of the details for another time because right now I’m actually still in danger. When I’m safe I’ll post updates to www.millerwilliamsaction.com. Beyond how disturbing seeing handcuffed women brutally beaten by Phi Phi police was, was seeing the way their “system” worked to cover their own backs. The corruption is so indescribably rampant. I spent the hours of midnight through four AM breaking up the (several) assaults and trying to aid the victims in every way possible. THE WORST NEWS IS THIS: I HAVE NOT SEEN OR HEARD FROM ANY OF THE VICTIMS SINCE THE INCIDENT, AND THEY ALL HAVE MY CONTACT INFORMATION. As of now, I consider this to be an extremely urgent matter. I personally saw the group unhandcuffed by telling the Phi Phi police commander that night, who would only reveal himself as “Mr. Dune” that I was an American Attorney and had already called the US Embassy–at that point I had not. The police refused to give badge numbers, names, or anything else to identify themselves. The victims were left on the street, the women still bleeding from head trauma and having panic attacks, the men dazed and overwhelmed. The head of police at Phi Phi asked to speak to me in private. The man who had instigated the attacks (I say this with confidence because there were at least 20 witneses), the police chief, and I sat in the office. The details of the conversation I’ll wait to disclose, but when we were finished he told me the victims had been taken to the hospital about a mile down the road.
I asked to be taken to the hospital. The police refused. I desperately paid a trashman with a tuk tuk at roughly 2AM to drive me there. When I arrived the lights were off. I rang the bell. The victims were not there, the hospital staff hadn’t heard anything, but they let me use the computer at which point I posted my Facebook “EMERGENCY” message.
Copy from last night:
EMERGENCY: IN PHI PHI AND POLICE HAVE BEATEN UP WESTERNERS. PLEASE CALL AMERICAN EMBASSY AND HAVE THEM SEND SOMEONE TO PHI PHI. The POLICE HERE ARE CORRUPT. THIS IS NOT A JOKE. I CAN’T EXPLAIN MORE RIGHT NOW. CONTACT ME ASAP.
I tried to contact the US Embassy but could not from the hospital, so I ran back outside and after running for a few minutes found a group of people. One of them had a phone and let me use it after I quickly explained the situation. I got through to the Embassy and after saying I had an emergency was put on hold for 3-4 minutes.
During those minutes the group I was with then was approached by one of the armed “security” forces. The entire “force” obviously knew what was going on since the whole night had been spent dealing with the drama, and then trying to cover it up and scare people into silence on their part. Every single officer on Phi Phi knows my face because they took pictures of me as I helped earlier.
The man first actually offered to sell our group cocaine, holding out a bag of white powder. I let the group of people talk while I waited on hold. My assumption at the time was that he was trying to get one of the group members to do something stupid so he could arrest them (and therefore me by association). After the group refused the cocaine the security officer (one of them) tried to get me off the phone. The group heroicly stood in his way long enough for me to talk to the embassy rep. in Bangkok. I told him as quickly as possible what happened (impossible to summarize properly in the circumstance, or now for that matter).
I was told that nobody could come to help the situation, the best the embassy could do was make a phone call.
I hung up.
I’ve been in hiding on the island since then, scared for my welfare, and especially distraught that I haven’t seen or heard from the victims of the attack.
I’m doing everything I can to disguise myself and get off the island. I’m writing this rapidly from a secluded internet cafe.
There’s a good chance I will run into trouble while trying to get off on the ferry tomorrow morning. My plan is to leave in about 6 hours from now on the morning ferry. The police and authorities here seem to have no limits to their brutality and corruption anything seems possible. I am praying I get safely from Phi Phi to Phuket without conflict.
At this point I am extremely concerned for the safety of the victims. I decided to stay on the island today in order to find them. I’ve looked around, asked people, and observed, and seen nothing. It’s like they’ve disappeared. I truly hope they’re just hiding out somewhere on the island and that their injuries were superficial. Either way, it’s prudent to consider them MISSING until they contact the US Emassy and/or myself (since I have business cards for my website www.millerwilliamsaction.com, they all have my contact information and I believe they will write to me as soon as they’re able, but like I said I haven’t heard anything).
Please do everything in your power to put pressure on news organizations (International, Thai, US, etc.), the US/Thai embasses both in the States and in Thailand, and anyone else capable of helping, to MAKE THE STORY PUBLIC. There are over twenty witnesses not including myself or the victims that saw what happened, and I know they’ll come forward when they feel safe. My first concern is the whereabouts of the victims, my second is the prosecution of the brutal and corrupt police force on Phi Phi. The more people that call around and make this story known the better the outcome is likely to be for myself and for the victims. Please call the US/Thai Emassies and express your concern.
From the US Embassy Websites numbers to call:
66 2 20504049
Call Center Service: 001-800-13-202-2457
Tel: +66-2-205-4049
E-mail: acsbkk@state.gov
Tel: +66-53-107-777
Fax: +66-53-252-633
E-mail: acschn@state.gov
Thai Embassy in US
Call +813-3222-4101 to 200, 275.
Line. +81 3-3222-4121.
Fax +81 3-3222-4122.
I will post updates to www.millerwilliamsaction.com AS SOON AS I’M SAFELY BACK TO PHUKET. Otherwise I will rely on emailing my closest friends/family to spread news.
Sincerely and Gravely and with Love to All my Friends/Family,
Miller Williams
www.millerwilliamsaction.com
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If you are one of the victims, PLEASE CONTACT ME ASAP. Until I’ve accounted for everyone I will not let up the search. Just tell me you’re safe and what happened after the police separated us. If you need help I can still direct people to come find you. Like I told you that night, don’t worry about persecuting the Phi Phi police until you are safe.
If you are a blogger, journalist, or in any position to have this news spread internationally or especially in the area of Phuket/Thailand, please do everything in your power to spread this urgent news. You can contact me through this website and I will respond promptly if you are a member of the press.
13 comments
1 ping
mal
March 25, 2011 at 8:02 PM (UTC 7)
put your story on here it may help
http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?app=core&module=search&do=active
Miller Williams
March 26, 2011 at 1:14 PM (UTC 7)
Thanks, I’ll do that as soon as I get a chance.
Phuketwan has picked up the story: http://phuketwan.com/tourism/phi-phi-police-beat-tourists-says-phuket-expat-13870/
Miller Williams
March 27, 2011 at 3:15 PM (UTC 7)
Haven’t had a chance to post anything on other websites yet, but many news organizations have picked up the story and I’m being contacted by several international journalists. The event itself was only five days ago, and these things take time, unfortunately. I’ve been trying to emotionally distance myself from the events so that I can be more effective and objective about the situation when the time is right for me to add more details.
Some important details I left out, for example:
1) There was one photograph taken of the victims’ backs facing the police chief and a few other Phi Phi “officers.” I gave the camera to one of the Englishmen that was helping me because the police threatened me when they saw I had a camera.
2) The American Embassy is well aware of the situation, we’ve been in touch several times, and they’ve contacted the police at Phi Phi, expecting them to not reveal anything significant, which is exactly what happened. For those that haven’t experienced police corruption in a place like Phi Phi, it may be hard to understand the depths to which the “official police” will sink to cover their own backs.
Miller Williams
March 26, 2011 at 2:31 PM (UTC 7)
The Phuketwan published a story here:
http://phuketwan.com/tourism/phi-phi-police-beat-tourists-says-phuket-expat-13870/
I’ll clarify some of the details that the Phuketwan reporter stated soon, but I spoke with him last night and he published today, and for that I am grateful. This is the kind of exposure the story needs. I am not “seeking attention,” except in the way that I’m seeking the attention of press to bring awareness to the situation that I witnessed. Right now my words have a much greater capacity to be helpful to the people I am concerned about. The more publicity my story receives, the more likely we are to learn of the fate of those people, which is the ultimate goal. Of course, I’m aware that my website will be getting extra visitors to hear my side of the story, but that should not be confused with a desire for personal attention. I’ll update as soon as I can.
Another thing. You always hear about corruption in the news, but I saw it TRULY first hand. The Phuketwan reporter quoted me accurately when he said I was still traumatized by what I witnessed, and I have two ambivalent emotions going through my head: the first is to distance myself from the situation as much as possible to heal my psyche, and the second is to get involved as much as possible until I know the victims of the police are safely off the island and well.
Thank you,
Miller
bob
March 26, 2011 at 6:39 PM (UTC 7)
Mind you’re own business for fucks sake , you drama queen.
Theodor
March 26, 2011 at 10:23 PM (UTC 7)
Bob, you are nothing but an utterly despisable wanker. Go to fucking hell!
Miller, you are a star.
Miller Williams
March 27, 2011 at 3:09 PM (UTC 7)
To quote the editor at Phuketwan,
“As you know, there are more experts on journalism than practitioners. It’s an appalling saga, but this young chap is a messenger . . . so the pack instinct is to pull him down. The Phi Phi bars are, like certain Hua Hin property sales organisations, unlikely to cooperate. News from Phi Phi is an oxymoron. Business people there are more concerned these days about what’s happening on the island than they are about maintaining the picture-postcard image. By day, everything is wonderful. After dark? Anything goes.”
People like “bob” could have a hundred reasons for their vitriol. They could be shop owners on Phi Phi that don’t want tourism to be hurt, etc. The empty insults don’t get to me. My concern since the beginning (and until the end) has been and will be the safety of the missing people I helped that night. It’s been five days without word. The story is spreading around, and each of the victims told me that they wanted to pursue legal action. I told them to wait until they were safe. Once legal action is pursued (if they still feel the same), or once they contact one of the many news organizations reporting on the story, all the silly allegations people are making about me and my story will be put to rest.
Lee
March 28, 2011 at 5:16 PM (UTC 7)
Can you answer these questions? Do you have names of those involved? You state 4 people being hit with batons, but looking for 5 people, where did the 5th person come from? If you were in fear of your life, why stay in Phuket, why not go to the US Embassy? Police do not carry batons, you might want to change your blog again
I live here, this is your first visit 
Miller Williams
March 28, 2011 at 5:40 PM (UTC 7)
Lee.
You must be referring to Phuketwan’s quote: “Official Phi Phi police arrived and I and 20 others saw the police punch, kick and strike the four with batons,” Mr Williams said. ”Some of the punches were to the face.”
While Alan Morrison’s (the Phuketwan reporter who wrote the article) efforts to spread the news of this story has been helpful, we have been in touch since he published the article on Phuketwan about several misquotations. For example the article originally stated that I told the police I was a US embassy representative, which I did not.
Mr. Morrison and I spoke at 5:30AM and he wrote the article based off notes he took. If you look at the article again, you’ll notice a “CLARIFICATION” list at the end. A few more clarifications: the incident happened on Tuesday night and Wednesday in the early AM, not Monday.
What I did tell Mr. Morrison when we spoke was that one of the victims told me they had been struck with a baton. I can only guess at what they meant (a bamboo stick, or an actual baton).
In response to your other questions:
Names: Jack, Ollie, Claire. The other two I didn’t get. I was only able to get these while the events were occurring because as I’ve stated I knew none of the victims before I came across the chaotic event.
Why there were five people: there were two couples and another female. There were also two Englishmen that came with me after I told them the situation who I came across at the Irish Pub on my way to the police station.
Your attacks against my character and eyewitness account of a serious incident is concerning and makes me wonder why you have gone to such lengths to discredit me. What is your stake in this story? What do you have to lose by the story being public?My only goal is to find out what happened to those people that night and find out if they are safe. What is your goal?
MF
April 10, 2011 at 7:58 PM (UTC 7)
Is there anything happening with this? I just saw the story in the phuketgazette.com I think it was.
It’s been many days now – anything?
I live in Krabi – if any of the people involved in the incident want to meet me somewhere in Krabi – email me at the address above and I can help.
Cheers,
MF
MF
April 10, 2011 at 8:00 PM (UTC 7)
Well, it didn’t show my email – it’s singhapour@gmail.com.
Miller Williams
April 11, 2011 at 5:18 PM (UTC 7)
MF,
Still no word from the people involved. I’m praying that time will tell. If months go by without word of missing people reports that match the victims’ descriptions I will have to settle for that. It’s a really strange situation and I have resigned myself to “waiting,” for now.
My educated guess is that the people are trying to physically and mentally distance themself from what happened (understandable) and they are almost definitely not on Phi Phi anymore. They could’ve left on the ferry the next morning.
I’d love to know what happened to them, but until we hear anything it’s just a waiting game.
Sincerely,
Miller Williams
Miller Williams recently posted..Reflections on Viktor Frankl- The Phi Phi Violence- and Bystander Apathy
albert g
June 11, 2011 at 11:39 PM (UTC 7)
Has any more been heard about these people?
The March, 2011 Phi Phi Beach Incident Part I
March 31, 2011 at 7:57 AM (UTC 7)
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