Muggings of farangs continues

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izzix
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Muggings of farangs continues

Post by izzix » September 29, 2008, 11:24 pm


Monday, September 29, 2008

Muggings in Rawai continue

RAWAI: A year after the still-unsolved murder of Norwegian Simen Knudsen, violent robberies against foreigners on motorcycles continue in Rawai – with the the perpetrators now carrying out attacks in populated areas during broad daylight.

The latest victim is 38-year-old Sandra Ullrich, who suffered two fractures to the back of her skull when a pair of Thai men on a motorcycle tried to steal her shoulder bag about 1 pm on Thursday.

The attack occurred as Ms Ullrich, a four-year resident of Phuket, was riding her motorbike past the Banana Corner restaurant, at the corner of the three-way intersection of Saiyuan and Wiset Rd, in the heart of the Rawai-Nai Harn area.

The victim’s husband, Dutchman Hans Ullrich, told the Gazette shortly after the accident he was incensed at the response of the Chalong Police and that he was prepared to “take matters into my own hands” if they fail to take action to catch the perpetrators.

“I just went to the police station. If these guys don’t take care of it, I am going to absolutely freak out. I am going to sit in the bush myself with a couple of my friends and take care of it, because this is absolutely insane. They don’t do [anything] about it, ” said Mr Ullrich, a well-known member of the local dive industry.

“I know these types of things happen everywhere, but it just seems to be getting too much lately,” he said.

Mr Ullrich said he knew of three other similar attacks that have happened over the past six weeks.

Police sometimes patrol risk areas, such as the road from Rawai to the Kata Viewpoint, in the high season, but otherwise only after high-profile cases such as the Knudsen killing, he said.

Mrs Ullrich on Friday was still in the intensive care unit of Phuket International Hospital, where she had yet to regain her hearing, though she is expected to make a full recovery, he said.

The skull fractures, which occurred even though she was wearing a helmet, resulted from the awkward way she fell from the motorbike, he said.

When reporting the incident at Chalong Police Station, he was shown entries in the daily log of two similar attacks over the previous two days, he said.

The attack against his wife came little over a month after Mrs Ullrich’s best friend, American Sheila McCormick, was attacked in similar fashion on the viewpoint road from Rawai to Kata, not far from where Mr Knudsen was stabbed to death on September 24 last year.

In that attack, on August 15, Ms McCormick was riding along the viewpoint road at about 9:30 pm. As she reached the bottom of the hill near the elephant camp, she passed two men on a single motorbike who appeared to be drunk, she told the Gazette.

“Then I knew I was being followed, so I put some distance on them,” she said.

Suddenly they sped up and the man on the back of the bike reached out to grab her bag, but the pair lost control and crashed into the guardrail at the bottom of the hill going about 100 kilometers per hour, she said.

“They didn’t get my bag. They just got really hurt,” she said.

But Ms McCormick also crashed, suffering two broken ribs, bad abrasions and a sprained ankle that left her unable to walk for a week, she said.

“The area has a reputation for this kind of thing happening, but the reputation is for attacks that happen at one o’clock in the morning against people who are alone, possibly drunk… When I went to the police station, I found out that they had attacked another foreign woman on the same hill a few hours earlier, at about 7 pm,” said Ms McCormick.

She added that she got a very good look at her attackers and was told by police that her description of the two men matched that of two men who had carried out the attack two hours earlier.

A simple patrol dispatched to the scene of the first attack could have scared off her assailants and prevented the attack against her, she said.

Chalong Police did not record a police report in the case of her attack, even though she talked to them three times, she said.

“That was the whole point. They didn’t do anything for me and they didn’t do anything for [Sandy],” Ms McCormick said.

“I really love this place and I really felt safe, even as a woman. So I am really surprised about all the things going on,” she said.


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Re: Muggings of farangs continues

Post by izzix » September 29, 2008, 11:28 pm


Monday, September 29, 2008

Chalong cops nab snatch-and-run bandit

Ms Gopkul, who provided key information leading to Nop’s arrest, points to her assailant at Chalong Police Station.

KATA: With the wave of snatch-and-run robberies in Chalong Police District making national television news in recent days, police there have been under intense pressure to put the guilty behind bars.

Their first break came early yesterday morning with the arrest of a construction worker whose crime spree came to an abrupt halt at about 4 am when he crashed his rented motorbike at high speed into a parked pickup truck along a road in Kata.

As Ms Gopkul Se-jorhor was reporting a bag snatching to police at about 2 am yesterday, construction worker Manop “Nop” Tongboon, a native of Phichit province, was stashing the stolen handbag at his current home, a construction site near the Municipality Health Clinic in Kata. He then, according to Chalong police, went out in search of his next victim.

At about 4 am, Nop struck again, snatching the bag of Orchid Resort Hotel employee Oranee Chalermchol in similar fashion.

By that time the roads were being scoured by police who had gathered more clues from the company that had rented the motorbike to Nop.

Because he thought that someone was pursuing him, Nop, who told police that he had been high on alcohol and ya bah, sped up and then smashed into the pickup. Sub Lt Chatchawan Poonaruemit found him conscious but disoriented and took him to hospital before going to Chalong Police Station.

At the station, Ms Gopkul, an employee of the Moonlight Bar, said that “At around 2 am, he followed me past Club Med, then drove alongside and began pushing my bike with his foot. Then he ripped my handbag from my shoulder, breaking the strap before speeding away. There was 1,120 baht and a five-thousand-baht pair of sunglasses from my German boyfriend in my handbag.”

Nop said at the station that after a binge on alcohol and amphetamines, the sight of the key in the motorcycle’s ignition proved too tempting and he decided to drive around Kata and "have some more fun."

"This is the first time I have behaved like this in Phuket,” Nop averred.

When asked if he stole elsewhere, he replied, “In Bangkok I did the same thing. I cannot remember how many times, but by the time the Klong Luang Police caught me I had collected over 800,000 baht worth of stuff. They sent me to Tanyaburi Prison for three years, but I was let out after two years for good behavior.”

“In Bangkok, my arrest made the front pages of national newspapers. I do not wish to be famous again. Can we not make some deal?” he asked the police.

The Gazette asked Nop about the recent snatch-and-run thefts involving foreigners.

“I would never steal a bag from a foreigner as that is not good for the tourist industry and the police and courts would be very hard on me if I was caught stealing from a foreigner, so I only steal from Thai girls.

“My wife is eight months’ pregnant and I would love to see my child born. My last wife left me when I was caught bag snatching in Bangkok. I think my new wife will be more loyal to me though,” said Nop.

Ms Gopkul told Nop, “So you steal from girls do you? Be careful. One day it might not be a real girl, but a ladyboy who would probably beat you to death.”

When asked if there were more bag snatchers working in the Rawai/Kata area, the duty officer at Chalong police station told the Gazette that, “We are still actively trying to track down bag-snatchers. Usually they are hard to catch as most of them are from upcountry and only strike using rented motorbikes. They often leave the island after carrying out a crime.”


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Re: Muggings of farangs continues

Post by izzix » September 29, 2008, 11:35 pm

the answer is to have stooges dressed as women driving around in the small hours with fat loaded handbags and then when they try to take a bag blast them with a pistol.
word will soon get round that they are likely to get shot dead if the try bag snatching and the problem will cease .

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Re: Muggings of farangs continues

Post by westerby » September 30, 2008, 1:58 am

izzix wrote:the answer is to have stooges dressed as women driving around in the small hours with fat loaded handbags and then when they try to take a bag blast them with a pistol.
word will soon get round that they are likely to get shot dead if the try bag snatching and the problem will cease .
Have you been watching Taxi Driver? :-k

The problem starts when the tourist takes a potshot at the mugger - and the mugger fires back or the mugger fires first (let's hope our sex tourists are good shots).

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Re: Muggings of farangs continues

Post by beer monkey » September 30, 2008, 4:16 am

westerby wrote:
izzix wrote:the answer is to have stooges dressed as women driving around in the small hours with fat loaded handbags and then when they try to take a bag blast them with a pistol.
word will soon get round that they are likely to get shot dead if the try bag snatching and the problem will cease .
Have you been watching Taxi Driver? :-k

The problem starts when the tourist takes a potshot at the mugger - and the mugger fires back or the mugger fires first (let's hope our sex tourists are good shots).
There is only ONE pistol they are interested in firing off....no what i mean.. :-"
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Re: Muggings of farangs continues

Post by NickD » September 30, 2008, 3:12 pm

I think that the hot tourist spots like Phukhet, Samui, Bangkok and Pattaya are likely to attract more thieves and criminals as there are more tourists - and tourists are easy targets.

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Re: Muggings of farangs continues

Post by Khun Paul » September 30, 2008, 4:06 pm

I think that the hot tourist spots like Phukhet, Samui, Bangkok and Pattaya are likely to attract more thieves and criminals as there are more tourists - and tourists are easy targets.


To that I do agree, however the other night I was driving back after dropping some of the family off at their house and drove through town at about 0215, the number of farangs around Tongs and walking in various ways to theri hotels or whatever, was amazing, we have had muggings here before and I would say that even here walking alone or even with a Thai girl friend, can be just as dangerous.
All are advised to be careful in the nighttime, if walking on dimly lit streets or walking back to the hotel
We are easy targets, many of us are here now, have a friend who can pick you up if you are unsure.

many many farangs have said no problem I can take care of myself and have ended up in hospital in this country.

Be very careful gentlemen.

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Re: Muggings of farangs continues

Post by izzix » September 30, 2008, 11:50 pm

thais have higher aspirations these days and dont have the funds or the possibility of getting those funds without resorting to crime. Katoeys need a bigger pair of jubs so cant resist a crack at all those drunken easy targets walking around to make a quick killing . wonder how many muggings are never reported ?
arabs must be the best targets as they are walking around with ginormouse sums of cash

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Re: Muggings of farangs continues

Post by beer monkey » October 1, 2008, 1:29 am

Yes who knows whats hidden under those dress things that some wear....a large money belt with 16 pockets full with dosh.......thinking way back (20 yrs) i can't remember anything about lady boy crimes against tourists in patts..guess its a sign a the tymes.
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Re: Muggings of farangs continues

Post by hxjohn » October 1, 2008, 10:40 pm

haveing just broke my arm #-o i dont intend to be carrying large sums of money around udon this comeing festive sesason 2 small children could probaley have me at the moment :oops:

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Re: Muggings of farangs continues

Post by westerby » October 2, 2008, 1:43 am

hxjohn wrote:haveing just broke my arm #-o i dont intend to be carrying large sums of money around udon this comeing festive sesason 2 small children could probaley have me at the moment :oops:
Let's hope you don't bump into to Roy's nephew. :lol:

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Re: Muggings of farangs continues

Post by vlad » October 2, 2008, 5:11 am

Hi All ive been having trouble logging on lately but ive been keeping up with all the posts.

I fully agree with the boys in the room the bike crimes that are increasing weekly.

In patong the tourist ride round with jewelry dripping off them and cameras draped over there shoulders you have to see it to believe it and , there obliviouse to the danger there in from the thai scum thives that are that lazy to get a job. A simple handout at the airport for 1st time visitors should be on hand telling them the dangers from the ever increasing bag snatchers. but I think the governer and traffic police dont or wont admit the problem is on the rise for obviouse reasons. No way would you ride at night from karon to patong but now the scum are targeting rawai and na hain in broad delight sorry about my thai spelling. I always carry a pepper spray with me and always look at the bike next to me when i have to stop at lights.

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Re: Muggings of farangs continues

Post by beer monkey » October 2, 2008, 5:25 am

pepper spray...Mmmmm, how about a Broom handle to thrust through the front wheel of the perps motor-cy...that should teach them nasty robbing bar stewards a lesson.

and Hx john you could hide your cash stash inside the plaster cast on your arm.
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Re: Muggings of farangs continues

Post by Roy » October 2, 2008, 7:09 am

westerby wrote:
hxjohn wrote:haveing just broke my arm #-o i dont intend to be carrying large sums of money around udon this comeing festive sesason 2 small children could probaley have me at the moment :oops:
Let's hope you don't bump into to Roy's nephew. :lol:

:lol: :lol: :lol:
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Re: Muggings of farangs continues

Post by snowman » October 9, 2008, 1:44 am

beer monkey wrote:pepper spray...Mmmmm, how about a Broom handle to thrust through the front wheel of the perps motor-cy...that should teach them nasty robbing bar stewards a lesson.

and Hx john you could hide your cash stash inside the plaster cast on your arm.
Good idea BM will remember that next time incountry

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Re: Muggings of farangs continues

Post by izzix » October 9, 2008, 1:50 am

its a job for a charles bronson type to tame these muggers .

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Re: Muggings of farangs continues

Post by beer monkey » October 9, 2008, 4:40 am

Do you mean this Type of 'Charles Bronson'.......

Britans most 'dangerous' inmate..Charles Bronson

Image

yeah should do the trick actually. :yikes:
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Re: Muggings of farangs continues

Post by hxjohn » October 9, 2008, 5:16 am

=D> yes good idea our would a tight bundle be better slipped in my underpants surely no body would grop around down there :guiness:

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Re: Muggings of farangs continues

Post by Prenders88 » October 9, 2008, 1:37 pm

I say give 'em the old cold steel, they don't like it up 'em.
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Re: Muggings of farangs continues

Post by beer monkey » October 9, 2008, 3:20 pm

Prenders88 wrote:I say give 'em the old cold steel, they don't like it up 'em.
Well does anybody like it up em..? :mrgreen:
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