Scholarship for two Hmong sisters wrongly accused of theft
The photo of the two girls in traditional costumes went viral on Reddit and caused quite a stir. A British tourist accused the children of stealing her missing watch. The girls were pilloried by British media, including The Sun.
It later turned out that the girls were completely innocent. The 'stolen' woman has found her watch. “I must confess that she was a bit drunk at the time,” her husband writes on Reddit, who quickly deleted his account afterwards.
The parents and the girls aged 7 and 10 were very upset by the incident. After also seeing the allegations against their daughters on the internet, the parents of the girls decided to go to the police themselves. The girls were interrogated in the presence of their village chief.
The mother stated: “Every weekend the girls go to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep temple in Chang Mai. They earn some money by posing with tourists. They don't beg for money, the tourists give what they want”. The mother could not believe that her daughter could steal a watch without anyone noticing.”
Yesterday, to provide moral and financial support to the family, the governor of Chiang Mai, his wife (who is president of the Red Cross) and other officials went to a Hmong family. Among other things, the girls were offered a scholarship.
Very good and I hope the girls have a beautiful and happy life
I think it's lame that the British couple didn't reach out themselves, nor did the 'Sun'…
British mentality?
Very British!
Perhaps the British couple was afraid of being arrested and going to jail ?? That is why the man deleted his account very quickly.
Did the couple who falsely accused the girls also contribute to the scholarship? That would be the bare minimum to make up for it.
Awful. I thought the story was rattle as it can be.
Indeed, the accusers in the pillory should perhaps learn to deal with reality a little more objectively. A lesson for all of us that the truth is not guaranteed with every publication. Not even in journalism where normally, not always, a second source is sought to confirm the news before it is published.
Moving action by the governor, but indeed where are the culprits with their apologies? And has a correction been made by the relevant English newspapers?
While there has been damage to this beautiful country, people have been made lying. Have they also made this known in the long and wide in the Sun of the error?
Then the true British nature emerges…and they bury their heads in the sand.
Worldwide negative image needs to be compensated in the same way!!
Touching story. It's fantastic that it has been rectified and then very bad that a story is prematurely publicized. I find it touching that this brings a scholarship and that all bad talk gives a head start in good education.
I am deeply ashamed that I was convinced of the theft on the previous piece about this on Thailandblog.
Sometimes you, as a human being, are completely wrong with your conclusion. I therefore offer Thailand blog and its readers my apologies for my reaction to the previous piece. From now on I will think carefully before I comment on something. Apologies again. Perhaps I was a little too influenced by the many “swindled abroad” TV shows I've seen.
How nice for the girls that they get a scholarship, it has been good for something after all.
Hans
A very recognizable story for me personally, because I once, and coincidentally also in Thailand, wrongly accused someone of having cheated me financially...
When I later discovered in my hotel room that I had made a mistake, I drove back to the young man to apologize.
He didn't appreciate my apology at all and got very angry again, after which I accelerated hard with my scooter because otherwise he would have beaten me...
So I'm glad the girls didn't steal anything, because when I read it I thought it dented Thailand's excellent image in that area.
Also nice that the couple has admitted wrong.
Actually a nice story!
How wonderful that justice is done to these girls and their families.
And how outrageous that the lady has not publicly apologized herself.
Straight is straight and crooked is crooked.
It is that it was about those sweetest children, but so much nonsense is being sent around the world that everyone takes for sweet cake, that the Thai street dogs certainly don't like bread of it.
This woman should give the children a reward and be banned from entering Thailand for good, because drunk women who say something like that don't belong in Thailand.