Looks like bash-a-farang season in Phuket
The recent spate of attacks on foreigners in Phuket has a lot of people on the island worried. These attacks occur late at night on quiet stretches of road. Thai youths are targeting foreigners driving motorbikes.
Thais attacking Thais is nothing new, but so many muggings of foreigners is cause for concern. It’s unsafe to ride alone at night, particularly if you don’t know the roads well.
Norwegian Simen Knudsen was robbed and stabbed to death recently on a quiet stretch of road near Kata viewpoint. The three boys arrested for the killing were released shortly after, undermining a high-profile police investigation.
Just this week, an Australian woman riding with her friend was pushed off her motorbike and robbed at gunpoint in the same area. Cases like this are happening more frequently.
Every time, after a week of the police being certain of their investigations bearing fruit, nothing happens and the attacks are quietly forgotten.
This might all be about to change after the Knudsen murder. The Norwegian press has been all over this story and Norwegians are choosing to avoid Phuket and Thailand altogether. The three prime suspects being released was the real clincher here.
The message being sent out to would-be attackers is that the police often struggle to nail criminals. The relative ease with which guns are available fuels this trend.
I’m not trying to scaremonger here, and I realize that my last two posts have been negative, but when you can’t rely on public transport in Phuket and you risk being attacked if you use a motorbike at night, I wonder why this issue cannot be dealt with effectively.
October 14th, 2007 at 12:01 pm
The classic thai way of letting go of criminals to save face, genius in every step taken!
the victim is only a farang, they can afford to fix themselves up so why bother huh? Right who’s taken the weekly bribe money from ?
October 14th, 2007 at 12:41 pm
Please think before you write
These cases are isolated and not the be all end all.
If you have any problems with transport or are worried about your journey home, let us know and we are sure we can help you out.
Peace
October 14th, 2007 at 1:38 pm
I have just written to the TAT Phuket branch, regarding the incident that took place in the area. I have also phoned the local police about the issue. I have reported to one officer about this problem and he said he would tell those who have responsibility to do something about it. I am not sure if he will take my complaint seriously.
If more problems occur in the future or the same old issue has not been solved, I will recommend you contact this number and email: 076-212129 and Email preecha_sonjit@hotmail.com, they belong to an officer who has a duty to take in any complaint.
This is a wesbite of Phuket police, in Thai language : http://phuket.police.go.th/muang/
I hope this might help you my man! In the meantime, I will carry on listening to the new Radiohead album.
“This is my way of saying goodbye
Because i can’t do it face to face
I’m talking to you
Before…”
October 14th, 2007 at 2:08 pm
They were released? Oh, good grief!
October 14th, 2007 at 2:47 pm
Come on Matt, how long have you been in Thailand? 10 days? Get the stars out of your eyes and smell the coffee. This is normal standard police work. No confession + no informer = no case. The Thai police will seldom act more than half-heartedly when a foreigner is the victim of a Thai, and then only when there is a big fuss; then they only worry about Thailands ‘image’ and not justice. Even in those few cases, if a confession or an informer is found, they get a case, otherwise they ride the wave of outrage and then quietly forget it. They don’t give a shit.
Fonzi once said that the problem with Thais is they have no integrity. They act for all the world with the same maturity and sense of integrity/honour as 9-year-old kids in the Western world.
October 14th, 2007 at 6:53 pm
Matt,
You work for the Phukett Gazette. Why haven’t your reporters investigated why criminal suspects have been released? Why hasn’t your newspaper investigated who is behind the taxi mafia?
I don’t understand the Thai media. What is the point of having a press at all if it doesn’t serve the public’s interests?
October 15th, 2007 at 1:03 am
They were released because the police didn’t think they committed the crime. We have already reported about their release. This is a frustrating issue and one we are covering. The Knudsen murder needs some positive action. One point to note is that I am NOT saying that they are guilty and were released.
And the taxi mafia is like Burmese immigrants: it’s already well-known and we have reported on it numerous times before. Read the paper.
October 15th, 2007 at 1:13 am
Bob, the point of the post isn’t about me and my journeys. These are concerns that people are starting to raise. I think the issues raised are valid. I know what you are saying though, but with this being all over the Norwegian press, surely some positive action is needed. But yes, they were probably isolated incidents. I’m not trying to say that this sort of thing happens all the time, but it does happen.
October 15th, 2007 at 3:25 am
Yes this sort of thing does happen, especialy in low season when nobody is making any money, and perhaps foreigners riding motorbikes home late at night are easy pickings for these petty thieves. It is very unfortunate that a gentleman lost his life, but whether it be in Caracas, London, New York or the small Island of Phuket, the best advice to any travellers would be to not resist. It is far better to walk away with your life, than try to fight over some personal possesions.
The main point im trying to make is that muggings happen all over the world, and perhaps things like the above should not be blown out of proportion.
The offer of a lift still stands.
Peace
October 15th, 2007 at 3:35 am
Yes you’re quite right actually Bob. Good points.
October 15th, 2007 at 4:17 am
Bob. The fact that muggings happen elsewhere doesn’t make them acceptable, nor does it mitigate the fact that the police are too corrupt, lazy and incompetent to do the job they are paid to do and find the culprits. Thai police do not take a ‘foreigner’ incident seriously unless there is a hue and cry. If they had integrity they would be more effective but that applies to Thais generally.
I imagine your approach would quickly change if you were mugged yourself.
October 15th, 2007 at 4:58 am
I think the real point Bob is making is not to blow the issue out of proportion and say that Phuket is any more or less dangerous than other places.
October 15th, 2007 at 5:05 am
The real issue is this: what is there to reassure tourists of their safety after these attacks, after flight OG269? If things like this are getting covered in the global media, there needs to be action take to reassure people. You can’t dodge this issue.
October 15th, 2007 at 7:46 am
Vanalli, you are right. Sort of. The cave disaster reported today is yet another example of Thai incompetence. Of course in true ‘closing the stable door after the horse has bolted’ fashion they say they will NOW put up warning signs about caves and rainy seasons, as if this is the first time the cave has been flooded… highly unlikely. Another suggestion is to close the park when it rains, apparently…
Nothing will happen to improve safety in Thailand, the Thai tradition of ‘delay and double-speak’ (which they evidently seem proud of and regard as a positive virtue) will make it all OK in a bit… Stupid foreigners have short memories eh?
The Thai approach to life and living and safety management and police work is simple.
Step 1. If nothing bad happens then everything is OK, no need for prevention or safety management or police.
Step 2. If something happens, wait awhile until nothing else happens then refer to step 1.
October 15th, 2007 at 4:26 pm
Here is the illustrious Phuket Gazette’s investigative reporting on police activity on the subject:
Since that night, police have twice been back to the camp to question her about the attack, but Ms Lomas was not sure if the officers were from Chalong Police, which has jurisdiction in this case, or Phuket City Police, who have been assigned by provincial police to take over the high-profile Knudsen murder investigation that took place in the same vicinity.
Chalong Police earlier announced they had arrested a young suspect who had admitted to killing Mr Knudsen, with the help of a brother and a friend. The other two suspects were arrested soon thereafter by Phuket City Police, who after questioning ruled out all three as suspects in the Knudsen murder.
Yeah, there you have it. That is the Phuket Gazette holding the police’s feet to the fire.
No quote from a police colonel. No reason why one admitted guilt, no reason why others were arrested and were released. Are there any other suspects in the case? What other leads do the police have? How come the suspects weren’t questioned by the reporters on why they were released? Why didn’t the police identify themselves to the victim or tell her were they could be reached if she could recall pertinent information.
Yeah, Matt, your paper is doing an excellent job covering this.
Your editors need to start sending the reporters back into the field if they come back with copy like this. Also, the editors should be giving guidance to reporters on what questions to ask before they go into the field.
This shit is journalism 101.
October 15th, 2007 at 5:19 pm
What do you expect me to say or do? We have a small, inexperienced team. I do the damn best I can to edit, rewrite, write, get reporters to make calls, get reporters to find the information I want, lay out pages, turn issues over, cover sports, turn news over, dead edit, and so on. Do NOT come here and tell me how to do my job.
You’ve also quoted the wrong story and are confusing two separate incidents.
Do you know how much trouble we have getting ANY information out of the police? I think I’ve already written about the difficulty of getting stories out of reporters, but for you to come here and infer that me or my boss are not doing everything we can is out of line. Come down here and do it better. We do not have a perfect team and I know this, but don’t insult me and my work.
October 15th, 2007 at 6:05 pm
Matt-
I’m sorry. I know you work at a thankless job where you are overworked and underpaid. You are a foreigner working in Thailand trying to make the best of it.
My frustration has more to do with the Thai media as a whole rather than you in particular.
People are being murdered and mugged and the police sit on their hands.
But my reasoning is if the media doesn’t check government malfeasance, then who does?
October 15th, 2007 at 6:37 pm
I think I have mentioned before that it is better to totally ignore Fonzi. The shark is merely looking for someone to have an argument with. Personally, I think you have been doing quite a good job to let us know about the problem that has been going on in the area. If there are lots of mafia in the area where you reported, I don’t think it will be a good idea to go around and ask those suspects since they might turn again you. It is best to keep bombarding the Phuket police with a heap of complaints. If the problem has still not been solved, you can let us know again. I would appreciate it.
October 15th, 2007 at 6:42 pm
I think Fonzi has some legitimate points Matt. Your comments and tone illustrate very clearly that you agree with him but feel considerable frustration about the situation.
You can only do what you can do; as I have said before, westerners working with Thais have a real problem with 1) basic competence and 2) the inability of most Thais to take a pride in their work. perhaps you will prevail in the end.
Why does your paper not comment that the police are secretive and likely corrupt as well as incompetent? Perhaps it would shake their complacent little fantasies about actually being a good police force if people and newspapers start calling them stupid and incompetent.
Why don’t you complain to the new police chief? He seems to be a good man and is shaking some trees.
Lots to do Matt…
October 15th, 2007 at 10:18 pm
Part of the reason for my outburst was out of frustration that he is right. If we point fingers at the police, they stop talking to us.They can be a fickle bunch.
Fonzi, sorry for the outburst. Day after day I bang my head against a brick wall.
October 16th, 2007 at 2:55 pm
Amazing. The police have a hissy fit and stop talking to newspapers? Does the Thai public have no balls at all? Why are these comics not held to account? It is an axiom that people get the government they deserve and the police force they are prepared to accept.
Says a fair bit about Thais I suppose.
December 21st, 2007 at 8:19 pm
I appreciate your hard work and effort in trying to get to the bottom of this matter. Unfortunately, I believe you are beating a dead horse that was led to water and fell over dead because it didn’t drink. The policeman everywhere in this world ALWAYS have a boss, someone they HAVE to answer to. This would include Thailand. You are right in that the Norwegian govt are taking this very seriously, but nevertheless, the Norwegian govt does not hold any great foreign power. If this were to happen to an American, I can assure you that this case would never be laid to rest and that the American govt would use every imaginable remedy to have this case revealed. And it most likely would. It really isn’t a matter of Phuket being any worse off than other places in terms of crime, it’s about authorities that are paid by govt officials to protect their number one source of income, tourism, that are turning a blind eye not on the Farang, but the country itself. Hopefully it won’t get as bad as Brazil.