Lew Toulmin, Ph.D., MN ’04, F.R.G.S., has issued a 687 page report analyzing the disappearance of Jim Thompson, the “Silk King of Thailand,” who went for an afternoon walk in the high jungles of the Cameron Highlands of central Malaysia in March 1967, and was never seen again.

This disappearance led to headlines all over the world, and resulted in the biggest search on land in SE Asian history

because J. Thompson  was one of the most famous Americans in south-east Asia at the time, was a decorated former intelligence and military officer, had resurrected the Thai silk industry, was a millionaire, and lived an amazingly glamorous lifestyle at his house-museum in Bangkok. His disappearance resulted in the biggest search for an individual in Malaysian (and perhaps south-east Asian) history.

Lew traveled to Malaysia and Thailand, explored the jungle search area, interviewed search leaders and participants, compiled and analyzed OSS, CIA, DoS, FBI and other records, and undertook mathematical evaluations of the search from a scientific SAR perspective, which had never been done before.  The report (and executive summary) is downloadable for free at:  www.themosttraveled.com/new/new_land.html.  

Lee Toulmin  serves as senior advisor and deputy to the Chief Information Officer of the Republic of Vanuatu (SW Pacific), launching a whole-of-government e-gov program with a budget of over $USD 40 million, and a focus on various key areas, including Customs, Lands, Health, Education, Finance, National Statistics, Human Resources, Foreign Investment and Disaster Management.

Worked with the Commonwealth Telecom Organisation and United Nations University to develop the first ever detailed mobile e-government (M-GOV) strategy in the world, for Vanuatu.