Thai Means Die: Volunteer Warns of Dangers

News about missing Russian tourists in Thailand often appears in the media and social networks. Vacationers from different regions of Russia lose their documents, fall under someone else«s influence, and some even end up in slavery.

Getting out of such a situation can be not just difficult, but impossible without outside help, and public figures have to get involved. One of the most well-known volunteers searching for missing Russians is Svetlana Sherstoboeva, a native of Omsk who has lived in Thailand for over 13 years and runs the group «Pattaya from A to Z» on Facebook (owned by Meta Inc., whose activities are recognized as extremist and banned in the Russian Federation) and Telegram.

She has covered such high-profile cases as the death of a Vladivostok official in Thailand and the disappearance of Erika V., who abandoned her daughter in a hotel, and also sought relatives of a sailor who lost his memory, and information about veterinarian Daria from Artyom who stopped getting in touch.

A correspondent from VLADIVOSTOK1.RU spoke with Svetlana Sherstoboeva to find out how she got into volunteer work, what are the most terrifying situations she has encountered, and what Russians planning a trip to Thailand need to know.

No other country captured my heart like Thailand

Svetlana Sherstoboeva was born in Omsk, and spent her childhood in Berdsk, Novosibirsk region, where she also finished school. Later she enrolled in the journalism faculty at Chisinau State University of the Moldavian SSR, but transferred to Tomsk State University, and it was in this city that she flourished as a journalist.

Svetlana«s move to Thailand is a story in itself, resembling a TV series plot. In 2012 she quit her job, personal problems arose, and she moved from Tomsk to Novosibirsk.

«In Tomsk I worked as editor-in-chief and startup manager at Rossiya 24. Tomsk. I headed that channel, but due to some political reasons there was no place for me, and I moved to Novosibirsk to a wonderful position at GTRK. There I was also an editor. I sold my apartment in Tomsk and bought an apartment in Novosibirsk,» Svetlana said.

Svetlana met her current husband Alexander completely by chance. He turned out to be the building manager of the house she moved into, and she approached him because she wanted to install a garage.

The structure did not stand long: city officials quickly appeared and sealed it, and then Svetlana turned to Alexander again. On April 21, 2012, he invited her to his dacha to discuss all matters and spend the evening together, and on November 14 they got married and a week later went on their honeymoon to that very Thailand.

— Why did you decide to fly to Thailand specifically? Had you been to other countries before?

— At that time I had visited many countries, on business trips and vacations, but no country captured my heart like Thailand. I didn«t want to live in any other country, and my husband was there for the first time. We went there and stayed.

We sold our apartments, cars, bought a house here and started life anew.

— An interesting contrast: you are a Siberian, from cold places. Why did a country with the opposite climate captivate you so much?

— That«s exactly what captivated me. Probably there are no such wonderful countries where the climate is comfortable and it»s summer all year round. Here you can swim all the time, and I love swimming with fins, I adore snorkeling. There was no acclimatization, we immediately started enjoying ourselves.

— Do you live in Bangkok?

— No, we didn«t consider the capital because you can»t swim there. We live in Pattaya.

I Started a Blog and People Began Asking for Help

— How did you get into volunteer work? Did you have any experience?

— Since I had been in journalism all my life, after moving I started running a group, something like a blog. I already knew Thai at that point, and at first there were some small requests, like helping to get a deposit back.

Then came the first big task we solved — finding the mother of a girl named Siam with Thai roots, who participated in the show «You»re Super! Dancing« (6+) on NTV channel (Russian dance competition). That girl was 15 years old and had wanted all her life to find her biological mother, but all she had was her birth certificate issued at a Bangkok maternity hospital. It wasn»t even a certificate, but a worn old piece of paper.

Taking that piece of paper and setting out on a search, I found her Thai mother; at that time she was in Sweden. After that, I think people began to understand that if I could accomplish such a task, they could turn to me.

Now we have a lot of missing people, we can no longer even identify them by names and give them nicknames.

— You mentioned in your posts that your husband worked in law enforcement.

— Yes, he was in operational work and state security, and I worked in the investigations department, was an editor. We worked at a newspaper, investigated, found things, but of course there was nothing even close to the activity I do now.

— Does your husband«s work experience help in searching for missing people?

— We do everything together, brainstorming when we hit a dead end. We think about where to go next, although sometimes there is nowhere to go. Unfortunately, we have one person we still haven«t found, and we don»t know where he is. There is a suspicion that he is no longer in Thailand, because any person leaves traces, but he has not been found.

— So your husband fully participates in the searches?

— Yes. The only thing is, if a trip to Bangkok is needed, my husband doesn«t really like going there and searching. Then I take a taxi and go. If I need advice or don»t know what to do, I call him on the phone, we quickly discuss it and develop a further plan.

Svetlana and her husband periodically return to Russia, for example, they took part in one of the recent episodes of «Let Them Talk» (16+) (Russian talk show), dedicated to Russians who escaped from slavery.

No Search Is Like Another

— What do you do first when you learn about a missing Russian tourist? What is the plan of action?

— No search is like another. In one case it is known where the person was, in another there is no information, so there is no algorithm of action, each time it is a new scheme. I give the missing person«s relatives the consulate»s email so they can write a letter, but the consulate does not conduct search operations, they have no team. The police also do not accept reports without the personal presence of relatives, so the only way to find a person is probably me.

Every month there are more volunteers in other cities. Interpreters appear, but their work must be paid, and relatives must pay if a person goes to the police. Sometimes there are cases when I personally ask or pay for services.

— Speaking of which. In your posts you sometimes mention that you can pay for flights and legal expenses free of charge. Where do you get the money?

— We have a small fund that I can manage, but I have to report to readers. If we need to buy a ticket for citizen Ivanova, who is in a deportation center but has no relatives, we announce a collection. People can send 100,000 rubles (approximately $1,100 at current rates), and the ticket costs 83,000 rubles (approximately $920 at current rates). We don«t give those 17,000 rubles (approximately $190 at current rates) to the person, but leave them in the fund. Basically these funds are collected from leftovers; we call it a »savings piggy bank«.

— What does it depend on whether you will help a person financially or not?

— If a person has relatives, we do not take money from the fund. Because of this, some find it strange when a person is behind bars and I start asking where his mom and dad work. We conduct a cross-examination of the parents to understand whether they can buy a ticket or not. It«s very hard to deceive us; we look into social networks and use other verification methods.

— Have there been cases when someone tried to deceive you?

— No, I don«t recall such. Basically, if a person has money, they buy tickets without a word.

— How do people react to free help? Were there those who saw some catch or tried to return the money?

— Very rarely do people return money to us. Usually people who get into such a situation, with no relatives and no ability to take a loan, are troubled people. They were troubled and remain troubled. We pulled them out of prison, they came to Russia, but their situation did not improve. Some say: «Lend me money,» but we don«t lend, we give it for good. If the person later has the opportunity, they return it.

— But you never asked for the money back?

— Many, when they leave, simply disappear. Are we going to run after them and demand money? We have better things to do. This is charitable money.

— Are there people you will not help financially?

— We have a rule: we do not spend money on drug addicts and alcoholics under any circumstances.

— Are we talking about those who have long had an addiction, or if a careless tourist was drawn into something, does it also apply?

— «A careless tourist was drawn into it» — that doesn«t happen with us. I»m not going to check cameras to see if someone was drawn into drugs or used them himself. It«s impossible to find out.

— But will there be informational support?

— Yes, we also search for relatives and friends. For example, we had a girl in Phuket who was hallucinating badly under drugs, but I found both her grandmother and friends. They are worried, ready to buy her a ticket. Helping in that way — yes, financially — no.

— You have a large group on Facebook (owned by Meta Inc., whose activities are recognized as extremist and banned in the Russian Federation). Has it become harder to communicate with people and search for relatives after the social network was blocked in Russia?

— I don«t experience particular difficulty. I have Max, and even if parents don»t have it, they can call me from Russia. It«s a paid call, but if a child is missing, probably no expense is spared.

Nine Out of Ten Relatives Are Dissatisfied

— Were there people who behaved strangely or even ungratefully after rescue?

— Yes. The most ungrateful recently were the friends of veterinarian Daria from Artyom. She responded the same day I made the publication, but they considered it a mere coincidence. They persuaded me not to write that she was found. I didn«t do that and wrote when she was found and under what circumstances. After that they took offense and stopped communicating with me, but they used all the contacts they got from me to bring her out.

A very strange case now. I can«t say it»s ingratitude, but a request came into my group about a missing girl, her mother is looking for her. I got the mother«s phone number, we talked — it turned out the daughter had disappeared six months ago under strange circumstances. I said: »Listen, your daughter has been missing for six months, no news from her, and you haven«t written to the consulate, haven»t taken any action.«

I wrote to her everything that needed to be done: send a full-length photo, face, and so on. Usually, when a child goes missing, parents send this information within 3–5 minutes, but after that she stopped answering the phone and sent nothing. I have two options: either something happened to the mother, or there is some dark story and she doesn«t want to expose her daughter, but without publicity it»s impossible to find a person. I can«t run around all of Thailand, it»s a huge country.

But of course, I worry about both the girl and the mother. We often have situations where stress from what children do causes strokes in mothers. Once they wanted to turn a plane around because a mother had a stroke on board. Another ended up in the hospital when her son was in a hopeless situation: he needed blood and there was none. She was so worried she immediately collapsed into the next ward.

There was another girl who ended up in the hospital and forgot who she was. We found her name and surname, relatives, but when she recovered and flew home, she immediately went to her mother«s funeral: her mother couldn»t bear the stress.

— Were there moments when you wanted to quit what you do? Perhaps because of such cases?

— Probably not. My whole life is in journalism, although there have been lawsuits and dissatisfied people, but we have toughness and a healthy irony about everything. Everything I do, I don«t do with a serious face and a sense of special importance. I find an opportunity to laugh at the situation in everything, it relaxes me and doesn»t let me get too immersed in it.

— Speaking of humor. In your groups, indeed, there are not just dry posts about searches, but whole stories, sometimes seasoned with irony and sarcasm. How do people feel about this? Are there many dissatisfied?

— Probably nine out of ten relatives are dissatisfied with my style. They think I should, like «LizaAlert» (a Russian volunteer search organization), publish photos, height, weight, and that«s it. Who will search for people based on those little announcements without knowing the story? There was a situation where two very similar cases happened: two different groups of girls and guys said they would go to one country, but went to another — and disappeared. Even Sasha and I couldn»t figure out who was who, and what would the reader understand?

We call it the «theory of paired cases,» when similar situations happen to different people, and it happens quite often.

— And how do people react if some discrediting information appears about their loved ones? For example, about drug connections?

— I can say that if we are looking for an alcoholic, we should look for him near liquor stores. If a person is a drug addict, we should look for him near cannabis shops. So I am not going to hide this information; no persuasions not to write something work on me. I will do what is necessary to find the person.

— Are there people with whom, on the contrary, you still communicate well, are friends?

— Yes, there are people who have become our friends. Just a week ago, Alexander and I once again talked to some crazy mother, it surprised us, but later I called another woman who buried her son in Thailand, and I told her: «You are the best mother to us.»

In No Other Country Do So Many People Disappear

— Many discuss the stories you cover on various forums and social networks. Some users admit they have become cautious about vacationing in Thailand because they have the impression that it is dangerous there. Is it really so, or is Thailand being demonized, the impression wrong?

— Thailand is not being demonized. I think that in no other country do so many people disappear as here, but thank God, they are found.

— What is this connected with?

— I think it«s connected to the legalization of marijuana. People not only disappear but also end up in psychiatric hospitals. Clinics are already overcrowded, it»s very hard for a farang to get in.

Farang is a word used in Thailand, Laos and some other Asian countries to refer to white tourists and foreigners of European origin.

— What should a tourist do to be safe in Thailand? How to properly prepare?

— You must take out medical insurance, and if you plan to ride a motorbike or a water scooter, you must take an extension with extreme sports coverage. Then if you get into trouble, everything will be paid for. There is also an extension with alcohol: if you are drunk, everything will be paid for as well. It«s all more expensive, but you must take it.

You also need to know that if you have a negative blood type, the first, second, third or, God forbid, the fourth, you should never leave the big cities: Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket. You have a rare blood type, and if something happens, no one will find it. There is no blood exchange fund in Thailand; it«s impossible to donate blood in Bangkok to have it delivered somewhere to Koh Samui.

— Can you describe a typical tourist who is in potential danger in Thailand? Perhaps it«s a girl who flew to the country alone?

— These are men aged 19 to 47 and women roughly 20 to 38, often looking young. These are the people who usually use mind-altering drugs. They end up in the hospital, tied by all limbs to beds, rubbing their hands and feet down to the bone, or in the police station, naked and tied to the bars. It«s a common occurrence when a person under drugs strips naked, and no one will dress them.

Of course, all this is terrible. I have seen it all personally, and these are powerful images that stay in your head for life. You understand that these are your compatriots, someone«s children.

— If a person understands that he is in danger, but has means of communication, what should he do?

— Such people don«t understand that they are in danger. Parents should understand that if a child stops getting in touch with the necessary frequency, starts to distance themselves, be rude, be cheeky, it may be a sign that they are going crazy from drugs.

Also, many parents do not have a scan of the passport, and we have to obtain them in various ways. It doesn«t matter if the child is 20 or 43, there must be a passport scan.

— What is the most terrifying story you remember?

— The most terrifying story is about a well-off, I«d even say wealthy, couple. They came to Thailand to open a cannabis farm and a shop, but while tasting, both got drawn into it.

They had a wonderful life, looked good, rented luxury rooms, the man gave the girl 30,000-40,000 baht for a night in a hotel, but one day she ended up in the hospital because she went crazy, doing wild things. She was tied to a bed, no one visited her. I found her mother, and later her husband started visiting her. She needed to continue treatment, but he insisted on her discharge, and literally half an hour later she fell from a 17th-floor window. Nothing remained of her.

Another resident of Vladivostok flew to Pattaya on vacation, left his belongings, went for a massage and the same day fell from a roof. He fell into a narrow well and went entirely in. Still we cannot get his belongings, phone. I think we never will, too much time has passed.

There was also a case. The common-law wife of a 60-year-old resident of Magadan contacted me. He had gone to Thailand and was supposed to return but stopped getting in touch. I came to the airport and asked everyone who fit the description: «Are you Igor?» Then I asked one man, he confirmed it was him. He had been sitting for four days watching planes take off; they had drugged him.

— People from which regions of Russia go missing most often?

— I can«t say, there is no statistics by region.

Svetlana has also written and sells the book «Thai Means Die,» which she describes as an ironic thriller and a collection of romantic short stories based on real events, centered on unhappy love for Thai women.