Michael Writes Home Seeking Help

Then he vanished and our man found him at The Jasmine, on Patiya’s beach, - a bar offering girls for sex. He was working for £2 per night touting for customers.

Asked if he intended to return the cash he had defrauded, he replied, “ I can’t even afford the price of a beer”.

Thai Police and Immigration officials are now looking into the fraud.

One British yachtsman who fell for the con is architect Fred Howell of Christchurch, Dorset.

He sent off his £55 after seeing Clarke’s ad in November, and even rang Thailand to check.

Mr Howell, 55, said, “someone there said they would look for him in his office, so I assumed it was genuine” .

Yacht skipper Alan Stevens of East London, also wrote but smelt a rat.

“When I contacted Yachting Monthly they admitted they had lots of complaints about the advert”, said Alan, 47.

No one from Yachting Monthly was available to comment.

Michael Writes Home Seeking Help

Needless to say Michael got himself into trouble and wrote home to our Mum and Dad for help. This is Michael’s letter home that he sent shortly after this news article.

Punnee Bar Babbua Muang, Kanchanaburi Thailand 7100

Dear Mum and Dad,

10/06/92

How are you both? Keeping well I hope. It will be good weather in England so you will be able to enjoy your garden. It’s been four months since your last letter, which you sent to Punnee Bar in Kanchanaburi. That was the only letter I ever received from there. I did reply to that letter but everyone seems to be having problems with mail to and from England.

Last time I wrote I was working for a tracking company but after I set them up with two main agents they double-crossed me. Things here are getting from bad to worse. Six weeks ago I lost all my money £700. I was in my room on a raft house. A big storm came, which caused a lot of damage, a lot of my belongings went to the bottom of the lake 100 meters deep, together with my money and Passport. I reported it to the police and got a report to give to the Embassy in Bangkok. I wrote to the Embassy in Bangkok but so far no answer. In my letter I told them I had a photocopy of my passport and lost my money. I am in Thailand with no money and my visa is out of date about £400. I also told them I had no one in England to help me financially. The tourist police told me not to worry, as it was an accident, which should stop me from going to prison. Now I don’t know what to do. At the moment