The Dutch ambassador to Thailand, Joan Boer, visited Krabi together with his British and Canadian colleagues.
He spoke to senior police officers there about a number of recent incidents involving tourists. Two days earlier, the same delegation visited the Thai island of Phuket to speak with Governor Maitri Inthusut. The ambassadors have expressed concern about the safety of tourists on Phuket.
In Krabi, Provincial Police Commander Nunthadej Yoinual and Ambassadors Mark Kent to the United Kingdom, Philip Calvert of Canada and Joan Boer discussed the handling of a number of high-profile cases. The ambassadors wanted to know more about the background and the actions of the police in the case of the rape of a young Dutch woman on Krabi, the attack on British tourist Jack Daniel Cole and the death of the two Canadian sisters on Phi Phi Island.
The ambassadors expressed their displeasure with the coverage of these tragic incidents. It was very painful for the victims' families and relatives to have to hear the information through the press.
The police chief noted that communication problems are mainly due to the poor command of the English language among the local police in the district. The British embassy then offered to teach English to Thai police officers. This offer had already been made by the TAT following the aftermath of the YouTube video 'The Evil Man From Krabi'. This video, made by the Dutch father of a young woman who was raped in Krabi, quickly spread through social media.
Police Chief Gen Nunthadej said the "misunderstandings" about the investigation and handling of this case are due to the differences between Thai criminal law and criminal law in other countries.
Source: Phuket Gazette
“Police Chief Gen Nunthadej said that the “misunderstandings” over the investigation and handling of this case are due to the differences in Thai criminal law and criminal law in other countries.”
I don't understand why our ambassador took the trouble to sit around the table with these mafia figures. Anyone who is a little aware of the ins and outs of the police in Thailand knows that the Men in Brown are in cahoots playing with the local mafia. No, it is due to the differences in the legal system according to the police chief. This Capone is absolutely right about that. In other words, mind your own business.
If I had been the ambassador I would have told him: You clean up now, or we'll put a warning on our website to avoid Phuket like the plague and I'm going to tell my fellow ambassadors to do the same thing. We're gonna bleed your island dry. We don't need you, you need us.
John de Boer. Idea for your next visit?
Cor for amassador! Not very diplomatic, but probably effective. And at least a lot cheaper. Cor is right, because Boer's visit will not change the actual situation on Phuket and Krabi. The interests of the local mafia and police officers are far too great for that. It remains as it was, perhaps a little more covered.
You don't know what was said behind the scenes 😉 You don't become an ambassador if you're completely unworldly, so the best man knows how it works. But of course you don't say a lot of things publicly, so a bit of window dressing to the outside is also part of it if you have a political position.
Whether they can do anything is of course another question 🙂
Cor, take a good look at the photo. Nonverbal communication says much more than words. Joan Boer, hands on hips, is clearly concerned about the situation. The Thai police officer looks somewhat bored with a look like: “What are you worrying about, that's just how it goes in Thailand”.
Dear Khan Peter,
Me too,.. now take a good look at the photo, and give MY personal interpretation to it,
Can't it be that this is just an easy attitude from Mr. Farmer
@Google something like 'hands in the side'. Usually means dominance or angry.
By the way, I have never seen a Thai with his hands on his side….
It is a pity that the sentence “It is just the way things are” seems/is so accepted.
In my opinion, this is where it goes wrong. Surely this cannot be acceptable anywhere in the world! For the ambassador (and of course I don't know what was said behind the scenes!) it's time to take a clear stand on the safety of people who want to enjoy a carefree holiday! For the tourist, make healthy choices, keep thinking and immerse yourself in the country you are going to and don't do things that you wouldn't do in your own country with your common sense. I myself am a Dutch woman who stays alone in Thailand several times a year and in the 14 years that I have been here I have been harassed twice by white men! If I don't trust business I don't do it and if I don't trust people I don't do business with it! Thailand has a responsibility to the tourist, but the tourist also has his or her own responsibility!
I totally agree with you about taking your own responsibility.
I have been coming there for many years, I still feel safe, but you have to be careful everywhere, especially in "safe" Thailand.
The story also has 2 sides, and also know the other story where the Dutch young lady has handled it herself with her so-called ?? Thai rapist. She had contacted him before and sent her Ned. friend home, and went to a lot of drinks that evening, after which things escalated. Whether there was an actual rape remains a big mystery to me. Especially if you flirt with a Thai man and send your own friend home. rage for the well-known road, and for a Thai this is an offer you cannot refuse. The father may be understandably angry, but does not understand Thai law, where you are released on bail and have to wait until you have to appear He has taken this out of his contest, but he knows for sure that the punishment here is much heavier than in the Netherlands. Criminal law is treated here a little more seriously than in the Netherlands. Recently a Thai man was sentenced to 3 years in prison for 50 rapes. Tidy is tidy.
Dear Collin, if this three-time rapist had enough cash, he would be free tomorrow because: This Is Thailand., for sure!!
Can't anyone do anything right anymore if someone takes action. Personally thanked our ambassador after addressing the governor of Phuket over 2 battered Ned. tourists. This did result in 3 Thais being arrested within a few days. And now back to Krabi, class because I've never seen this action before with its predecessors. Just complaining doesn't help, but appreciate the action of our ambassador to show his teeth here again. If you do nothing, nothing will happen.
I have been robbed of my gold chain with cross 30 grams, I had it for 30 years.
The police told me that I was lucky, it could have been worse, I'm still alive, well!!! could have been worse, go back to the Netherlands and never come back here, I was also ripped off by a motorbike taxi man, it was a hundred baht, but afterwards I had to pay 400 baht, I didn't want to pay that, but several taxi people came and I had to deal with it can be beaten.
I went to the politir buro but I'm farang so what are you complaining about 400 bath you're still alive I'm tired of that corrupt mess.
Of course, a robbery can never be justified. But to show off a gold chain weighing no less than 30 grams in a country with many poor people is of course taking the cake. Leave those expensive things at home. And those problems with motorbike taxis, tuktuks and regular taxis mainly happen to people who visit Thailand for the first time. First find out where you are going and what risks you are taking. Corruption only occurs if the police financially benefit from a crime. That is not a denial of corruption in Thailand, but a statement of fact.
Dear Hans Bosch,
In addition to your response,…corruption is when a Government Official benefits,…FOR PERSONAL GAIN…
It should be clear that a police officer also holds a government function.
PS This in addition,….NOT because you don't know this,
and in my opinion this also includes indoctrination and manipulation, but that is a little more difficult, because that could be the social interest?
Moderator: Don't want to capitalize words, that's equivalent to yelling.
Apart from the shouting in capital letters, the rest of the spelling also leaves much to be desired. What is the personal gain for the policeman if he doesn't go after the thief or the taxi driver who charges too much? The comment about indoctrination, manipulation and the social interest makes me boil a soup.
Colin, there are two sides to a story. You bring in all kinds of things, like she sent her Dutch boyfriend home. She had drunk too much. Flirting with a Thai man.
Ask for the known way. An offer that a Thai cannot refuse. Do you have a license to rape (and also abuse) such a woman?
What is Thai Law? Rape is rape and assault is assault.
What do you do if you think all this is normal with a Thai woman who has had too much to drink?
J. Jordan.
The NL ambassador has apparently (hence the photos) made serious efforts to investigate 'first hand' exactly what happened in these incidents and what actions the Thai authorities intend to take to prevent such serious cases in the future.
It seems to me that he has done this on behalf of his superiors in NL, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and must report on it. With that report on his desk, the Minister of Foreign Affairs can summon the Thai Ambassador in The Hague to discuss matters.
Unfortunately, similar incidents will not stop as the number of tourists in Thailand continues to rise. The latter is decisive because it is one of the most important benchmarks for the Thai economy and the Dutch diplomats understandably cannot argue with that.
Sounds like a bus, Robert. It always strikes me that when a Thai official states that abuses need to be addressed, the reason given is that tourism is being harmed. So the point is not that murder, rape, etc. is wrong in itself, but that it hits the Thai in the wallet. So as long as the monetary loss is not felt, there is only a small incentive to do something about it and people limit themselves to lip service.
Apparently nothing is being taught and I get the feeling that for some this is a new phenomenon: rape, robbery, murder, corruption, theft. It was already 35 years ago when I first came to Thailand and it still is today. Not easy to talk about, of course, but also not avoidable. In fact, I'm surprised that so little is happening, when you consider that the number of tourists has soared, the type of tourists has been downgraded from adventurers to vacationers, wealth has increased, population has grown, temptations have increased, and morality has fallen are.
In short, in the 35 years that I have been coming to Thailand, it surprises me that so little happens and that this country is quite a lot safer than many other countries. Just go to South America or Africa… Then you will see the difference.
Perhaps the helmsmen ashore were a bit premature in their criticism of the ambassador. Or maybe he read Thailandblog and took Cor's advice to heart? Who knows 😉
https://www.thailandblog.nl/nieuws/thai-phuket-lichten-nederlandse-toeristen-op/