Solved! The disappearance of 

Jim Thompson in 

the Cameron Highlands

To date, volumes have been written about Jim Thompson, by far, the best known legend of Southeast Asia. He disappeared from Malaysia's Cameron Highlands on Sunday, 26 March 1967. 

I first came to have an interest in Thompson's disappearance as a result of reading about it in the newspapers. My initial impression was he got lost as a consequence of falling into a pit of quicksand. Years later, I came to realise this was not the case. 

In 1994, while on a trip to the Cameron Highlands, I traced the route he took after he left the Moonlight bungalow. While walking down Kamunting Road (Malay: Jalan Kamunting), several questions crossed my mind: One, why did he have to choose this road when there were other avenues opened to him? Two, what were his intentions for heading for the Lutheran Mission bungalow? Three, while he was at the premises, what made him want to leave the place? Lastly, did he have an appointment to be picked up by someone?

When I returned from the hill station, I went through a stack of files to see if I could pinpoint the exact time he left the bungalow. I remembered being told he departed the cottage at 1.30pm. What later proved to be a disappointment was this: most reports, if not all, claimed he left the estate at 3.30pm. Later, while going through the past issues of the Eastern Sun, I came across an article which not only stated he left the premises at 1.30pm; equally interesting, it also mentioned he waved goodbye to his friends before leaving. Armed with this detail, I went ahead to write a book entitled SOLVED! The "Mysterious" Disappearance of Jim Thompson, the Legendary Thai Silk King. Of the many who read my work, none came around to say they were “short changed”.

I have to admit it was no easy task solving Thompson’s exit from the Cameron Highlands. Over the years, a lot has been said about him. But what was written about him did not bring his departure to a satisfying close. At best, it was an unsolved mystery; at worse, it was a rehash of what others had had to say. 

For my recent edition, I visited the Kamunting precinct in October 2016. I enjoyed my 1.5km walk from the "Moonlight" bungalow to the Lutheran Mission bungalow. It not only gave me a nice “feel” of the route which Thompson took; it also made me more aware as to why he opted for this path. Except for the presence of a government-owned building (Kumpulan Wang Simpanan Perkerja), nothing much has changed in the area. Throughout my walk, I hardly came into contact with anyone. It was much the same when I first travelled this road some years ago.

If you are planning a trip to the Cameron Highlands, this is the one place you should not miss. After you have done so, you would be in a better position to understand why Thompson was on this street for more than two hours and on it again for a questionable period of time.

Condensed from Prologue, pages xiii-xv, Jim Thompson -- METAMORPHOSIS, Solved! The disappearance of Jim Thompson in the Cameron Highlands.  ISBN: 978-981-11-2584-3. Published: January 2017, Copyright ⓒ 2017 Edward Roy De Souza.