It was confirmed by rumour, as far as I’m concerned. Two high school boys informed me that 1) Thailand has more coconut trees per square kilometer than anywhere else, and 2) more people in Thailand die from coconuts falling on their heads than anywhere else.

Obviously this is entirely unsubstantiated, but various people have heard such things for years, and have not bothered to confirm anything. We are happy to accept the assertions of two bright teenagers. If they are cool enough to actually hold a conversation with an old lady, then this is enough to establish their credibility and maturity. The facts can just follow on from that.