a golden rule of swimming anywhere anytime is never enter the water if youve had a drink or taken a drug.

her family claim she was a strong swimmer & to be that you also have to have experience & in australia they are taught from a very early age about swimming.

things dont make sense in this incident & to have that derogatory word written on her thigh is alarming.

could it be yet another perfect murder concealed as death by misadventure or suicide as so often happens around the world.

markd wrote: could it be yet another perfect murder concealed as death by misadventure or suicide as so often happens around the world.

And yet it could also be as simple as her being a bit drunk, slipping and hitting her head before landing in the water.

One would judge by her swimming costume that she intended going in the water at some point, even if it was just on the rope swing

Most Australians are strong drinkers. I remember when the Australian Drinking Team accidentally won the Crickef World Cup.

Kirsty's cause of death is unlikely to ever be confirmed, just speculation. After visiting the area myself yesterday there are many potential factors. I must also share that it's disappointing as the backpackers are content with sweeping the story under the rug. Their belief is to keep the happy vibes constant, which is unrealistic considering these incidences are going to happen, and probably more frequently as Arcadia continues to grow. People who go there are aware of death happening at these sorts of places in general, treating it like its the most negative, detrimental thing to the business is an insult to our family. In addition, my father and I wanted to have a ceremony for my sister, which was allowed, but not comfortably welcomed. The owner also seemed very hesitant to have us stay the night when our only intentions were to celebrate Kirsty's life, not dampen the spirits of the place. It's a beautiful position on the river, it's just a shame that travellers aren't pre warned about the serious dangers associated with the venue and we didn't feel very welcome when we came seek some peace of mind

it is the new vang vieng.
that must have been teh global accidental death capital of the world for backpackers when it was peaking.
the Laos got sick of it.
the kampot backpacker's hostels should publish a danger guide.
why on earth people do not look out for their mates I cannot fathom.

Tlo wrote:Kirsty's cause of death is unlikely to ever be confirmed, just speculation. After visiting the area myself yesterday there are many potential factors. I must also share that it's disappointing as the backpackers are content with sweeping the story under the rug. Their belief is to keep the happy vibes constant, which is unrealistic considering these incidences are going to happen, and probably more frequently as Arcadia continues to grow. People who go there are aware of death happening at these sorts of places in general, treating it like its the most negative, detrimental thing to the business is an insult to our family. In addition, my father and I wanted to have a ceremony for my sister, which was allowed, but not comfortably welcomed. The owner also seemed very hesitant to have us stay the night when our only intentions were to celebrate Kirsty's life, not dampen the spirits of the place. It's a beautiful position on the river, it's just a shame that travellers aren't pre warned about the serious dangers associated with the venue and we didn't feel very welcome when we came seek some peace of mind

Backpackers in south east asia are a horrible breed.

Hi Tlo. I am really sorry for your loss. I hope you do find the answers and some peace in being able to visit and say your goodbyes.

@Tlo : Sorry that the Arcadia owners were not able to be more compassionate about this tragedy. They obviously want to wash their hands of the whole affair and pretend it never happened. Their cool vibes attitude of "one big happy Arcadia family" seems to become a cover-arse attitude when things go wrong. Shame you had to deal with that.

Also, thanks for your posts here. I understand that some of Kirsty's friends were offended by the forum speculation, and it must've terrible for you all, but sometimes it's important to give visitors a heads-up that all is not rosy and fun in Cambodia all the time. The message is "Keep yourself safe, because you are the only person you can count on."