UK family struggles to bring home a beloved father from Thailand. A devoted Doncaster Rovers fan’s tragic death in Thailand sparks a fundraising effort to repatriate his remains. With only £2,000 raised, the family faces immense hardship. This ordeal sheds light on safety concerns for UK tourists in Thailand.
A UK family is desperately struggling to fundraise the money to repatriate the remains of a beloved father of two from Thailand. Wayne Parkin died on April 17th in another motorcycle crash on Thailand’s notorious roads. The Brit was a dedicated fan of Doncaster Rovers, a legendary British football club. Indeed, Wayne’s partner, Rebecca Booth, hit upon the idea of rallying support through her loved one’s association with the club’s efforts to reach a Wembley playoff spot for League One. Unfortunately, on Friday night, Doncaster went down 3-4 on penalties despite being up 2 goals from a previous leg. The family has only raised £2,000 so far and is struggling with the burden of reuniting the British man with his family in death.
Certainly, the situation is another indictment of the current state regarding safety for UK tourists in Thailand. Undoubtedly, it speaks of the need for proper insurance coverage to prevent additional heartbreak when such devastating incidents occur.
The family of a UK man who lost his life in Thailand in a motorbike crash received another setback yesterday.
They had been hoping to rally support for the cause of Wayne Parkin who died in Thailand on April 17th.
Football club reaching a playoff in Wembley at the centre of the UK families fundraising pitch to repatriate a fan’s remains from Thailand after his death
This is an extremely sad story. It must also be said it is unedifying for any family to be forced to such lengths at this painful time.
His favourite UK football team, Doncaster Rovers, were on the verge of a playoff place. This would have led the team to be elevated to League One. League One is the second tier in British football behind the Premier League.
In the United Kingdom, soccer is a sporting obsession, and Doncaster Rovers is a famous football club with an illustrious history.
Wayne Parkin was a devoted fan and very well-known among the club’s supporters.
His distraught family had been appealing for support. The family is desperately trying to raise £15,000 to bring Mr Parkin’s remains back home to Britain.
A GoFundMe page was established. Please see the link below.
Help the family of Wayne Parkin who died in a motorbike accident in Thailand on April 17th last (Click here)
His partner, Rebecca Booth, is leading the drive. Indeed, there was a social event in Mansfield on Saturday.
Ms Booth reminded fans of Wayne’s love for the club. She noted that he had followed his team through the UK in its quest for promotion.
Hopes dashed as Doncaster Rovers lost on Friday night
However, the dream was cut short on Friday night. Despite coming into the second leg of their clash with Crewe Alexandra with a two-goal lead, the match ended in a draw. Afterwards, Doncaster Rovers went down 4-3 on penalties.
Previously, Rebecca had pinned her hopes on her partner’s team reaching the final.
‘Most of you at Doncaster Rovers will at some point have come across Wayne,’ she said in an emotional pitch. ‘I’m hoping I’m going to be back and really hope we’re going to Wembley as that would have been his dream and all my family and friends can be there to celebrate with us. Love you lots Wayne, same as everyone else did.’
At this time, the fundraising appeal has reached just short of £2,000. The family needs help in what must be a nightmarish situation that also involves children.
Wayne Parkin had reportedly been ‘struggling’ when he travelled to Thailand on holiday. His partner said he was seeking some ‘inner peace’ and freedom
Ms Booth told her UK audience that Wayne had travelled seeking ‘inner peace’. She described her partner as a ‘free spirit’ who had been struggling with life for years.
The clearly emotional and upset woman said that Wayne’s friends and family were not prepared for the shock caused by his death. In addition, the UK man left behind two devastated children.
‘Wayne has two beautiful and heartbroken children who need their dad back home to rest where he belongs. They cannot process that he is not with us while he is thousands of miles away, alone,’ she explained.
Unquestionably, it is a heartbreaking situation. At the same time, it is extremely damaging publicity for the kingdom as a foreign tourist destination. Certainly this is not a once-off or infrequent occurrence.
Questions must be asked about safety and in addition, insurance when things go wrong.
Endless series of GoFundMe campaigns is serial advertising telling people why they should not visit Thailand. Dramatic tales of misfortunate are damaging
Indeed, an endless series of GoFundMe appeals which are appearing with increasing rapidity are highly damaging to Thailand.
They are nothing but an incessant series of viral advertisements putting people off visiting the country. For instance, by their nature, these appeals are shared and discussed on social media networks.
Already distraught families should not have to do this when a family member finds misfortune in Thailand.
Every year, between 550 and 600 British people die in the country. Many are elderly retirees, but many also die in road traffic accidents, particularly involving motorbikes. 20,000 people die annually on Thailand’s notoriously dangerous roads.
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The situation is worsening as Thailand’s foreign tourism industry has returned to normal after its closure up to 2022 due to the pandemic.
In brief, this has meant weekly reports of fundraising exercises for UK tourists either injured in Thailand or families seeking to repatriate their remains.
Thai government decided to introduce automatic insurance cover for all incoming tourists last December. Within days the proposal was scrapped by officials
In December last year, the Thai government in cabinet, agreed to introduce an insurance scheme to cover all inbound tourists. The proposal was a key component of a tourism-levy plan.
However, just days later, the scheme was scrapped by the Minister of Tourism and Sports, Sudawan Wang-Suphakitkosol. It was reported that a fund already existed for this purpose.
However, that fund was previously removed by the former government, a situation which was later shown up.
At length, this happened when officials sought to compensate victims of a mass shooting in October 2023.
It is not clear how this fund works or what the criteria are for claiming payments. Undoubtedly, it does not offer universal coverage for tourists. Before the proposal for the tourism insurance fund was scrapped, tourism activists called for adequate provisions.
In short, they demanded medical coverage, repatriation of remains and significantly, medical evacuation coverage for injured tourists. At length, seriously injured tourists often prefer treatment in their home countries.
Tourists travelling to Thailand strongly advised to seek out and make certain they have not just an insurance policy but adequate coverage for all eventualities
Ms Sudawan was subsequently removed from her role as Thailand’s tourism minister in a reshuffle at the end of April. She took up a new role as the kingdom’s Minister of Culture.
In the meantime, UK tourists and all international travellers are strongly advised to have proper insurance coverage before travelling to Thailand.
It is especially important not to accept cheap package offers which are usually found wanting when claims are made. At that point, the Thai hospital providing medical care will be relying on this for payment.
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Tourism fee fund to be fast-tracked after payouts to families in the Siam Paragon mass shooting
If disaster strikes, the bill can be quite expensive. Notwithstanding the fact that health services and medical treatment in Thailand are substantially cheaper.
The problem is that there is no state subsidy. However, there is the possibility of applying to the aforementioned Thai state compensation fund. Last year, Thailand allocated ฿50 million to it.
Certainly, the eligibility criteria are strict. In addition, the process of claiming any such support takes time and involves paperwork.
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Further reading:
Tragic death of a Taiwanese tourist is another wake-up call for the government on insurance cover
66-year-old Thai woman highlights Thailand’s official tiered pricing in hospitals for foreigners
Negative reaction and horror at Thailand’s plan to charge foreigners more than locals at hotels
Thailand could introduce tourist tax or levy next year as expert group begins to examine plans
UK man stranded in Thailand facing a £100,000 medical bill
Battlefield friends help UK man and wife escape medical bill of £12k in Thailand. Now safely home
