Canadian Sought In Thailand For Alleged Sex Crimes

[sriracha john]

Canadian sought in Thailand for alleged sex crimes

Less than two weeks after a British Columbian man was arrested in Thailand on allegations of having sex with boys, Thai police are searching for another Canadian suspect in similar crimes, CBC News has learned.

Orville Frank Mader, 54, of Kitchener, Ontario is accused of sexually abusing an eight-year-old boy.

Thai authorities allege the boy was kidnapped by a Thai man and then sold for sex in Thailand.

An arrest warrant has been issued for Mader and there is now an alert for his whereabouts, the CBC's Michael McAuliffe reported from Bangkok.

The 24-year-old Thai man who took the child from a shopping centre is in custody and will be arraigned Wednesday before a judge in the resort city of Pattaya.

Earlier in October, British Columbian Christopher Paul Neil was arrested in Thailand on charges of detaining and having sex with boys.

- CBC News (Canada)

===============================================================================

Another Canadian wanted in Thailand on pedophilia charges

An update now on a story we featured yesterday concerning the abduction of an 8 year old Boy from the Carrefour Shopping Center [in Pattaya]. He was allegedly taken by Khun Yotsapan, aged 24, and he was then “sold” to foreigners for sex.

One of the hotels used by the suspect was the Ben Mansions in Soi VC, which is the same hotel as Christopher Neil, a Canadian arrested earlier this month in Korat stayed.

We can now report that another Canadian National who stayed at the same hotel is also wanted in connection with this case. He was named as one of the foreigners who allegedly had sex with the 8 year old boy.

CCTV pictures from the Ben Mansions were taken by police to confirm his identity and a copy of his passport was also obtained. An arrest warrant has been issued for Mr. Orville Frank Mader, aged 54, who at this time cannot be located.

Police were told that he paid 500 Baht to have sex with the boy and similar to the Christopher Neil case, he his now the subject of an intense man-hunt.

Police are urging Mr. Mader to hand himself in as soon as possible or if anyone knows him, please contact Pattaya Police as soon as possible. The Canadian Embassy are also involved in locating the suspect and all border crossings and airports have been alerted to detain the man if he attempts to leave the country.

- Pattaya City News

[sriracha john]

The earlier report referenced in the 2nd article above:

8 Year Old Boy abducted and sold to Foreigners for sex in South Pattaya

On 28th October, Khun Natarigar, aged 39, made a report at Pattaya Police Station which stated that she had lost her 8 year old son at the Carrefour Shopping Center.

Since then she has been frantically searching the streets of Pattaya for him and in the early hours of Tuesday morning, she spotted her son in Soi Sunee Plaza in South Pattaya. The boy was with an older man and thanks to a quick response by police, the man was arrested and the boy was returned to his mother.

At Pattaya Police Station, Khun Yotsapon, aged 24, explained that he abducted the boy at Carrefour and then took him to Soi Sunee Plaza and sold the boy to foreigners. The boy was given 100 Baht every time he went with a customer.

Police are now searching for the foreigners who engaged in sexual activities with the boy and Khun Yotsapon is now behind bars on various charges relating to the case.

- Pattaya City News

[ZukiSuzuki]

Looks like this passport was issued in Jakarta and only valid for 1 year, it expired in May of this year?

[britmaveric]

Good month for Canadians.

[thai_narak]

i hope he is not a teacher or used to be a teacher in thailand. i'm keeping my fingers cross.

[sriracha john]

Good month for Canadians.

and an especially bad 24 hours for the Brits.....

From this morning:

Briton Arrested For Alleged Child Porn Trading

Just posted:

Briton Arrested For Alleged Major Drug Dealing

[Bpraim1]

Getting harder to say " I'm Canadian"... Locals start to like us as much as our southern neighbours!! hahahaha

But that's Canada A

[sriracha john]

i hope he is not a teacher or used to be a teacher in thailand. i'm keeping my fingers cross.

It's a concern for many as described in this related article just published:

Thai police consider background checks on foreign teachers after pedophilia arrests

BANGKOK, Thailand: Thai police may begin making background checks on foreign teachers after arresting two on pornography-related charges in less than two weeks, authorities said Wednesday.

"It shouldn't be enough to wear white shirts and have a university degree. We need to know their background," said police Col. Apichart Suribunya, head of Thailand's liaison office for Interpol, the international police agency.

Briton Paul Cornelius Jones, 39, who has lived in Thailand for seven years, was arrested Tuesday after police raided his Bangkok apartment and found a computer containing hundreds of photos of naked boys and girls, Apichart said.

His arrest came after Thai police arrested Christopher Paul Neil of Canada on Oct. 19 on charges of having sex with several young Asian boys.

Jones was arrested after a tip-off from British counterparts, who told police Jones had been sending photos of naked children to Britain over the Internet, Apichart said.

Jones had been working as a teacher at a Bangkok private school, police said.

"It's easy for teachers to gain trust and respect from people, especially in Asian cultures which hold teachers in high regard," Apichart said.

He said police would seek records of any convictions in home countries and from Thai immigration police before teachers are hired. Police also are considering background checks of foreign teachers already in Thailand, he said.

"Academic background is one thing, but we need to also check for other information," Apichart said.

There are more than 1,000 foreign teachers legally working in Thailand, he said.

Jones, of Cardiff, Wales, has been charged with distributing pornographic photographs of children under age 15, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, Apichart said.

Another officer in the Thai Interpol office, Maj. Phongphon Iamwicharn, said Jones did not appear in the photos, and that there was evidence he had sold the pictures.

Thailand became a focus of cases of sexual abuse of children after Interpol began a manhunt for an alleged child abuser, Christopher Paul Neil, earlier this month. It issued an unprecedented worldwide appeal to identify and apprehend him.

Interpol found about 200 pictures on the Internet of Thai, Cambodian and Vietnamese boys being sexually abused by a man whose face was digitally obscured. German police computer experts unscrambled the photos so the man's face was recognizable and tip-offs led Interpol to identify Neil as a suspect.

He was arrested by Thai police and charged with child sexual abuse, but police are still investigating the case.

Neil has also worked as a teacher at schools in Thailand, South Korea and Vietnam.

- Associated Press

Edited October 31, 2007 by sriracha john

[cdnvic]

They need to start doing it ASAP, otherwise Thailand's foreign teachers will all be suspect. Rigorous background checks will hopefully deter the rogues from coming to Thailand in the first place.

[farang prince]

Background checks on teachers and other people in positions of trust are a little overdue, don't you think? I'd love to see them do background checks on everyone arriving in LOS, but that's a little much to expect.

Edited October 31, 2007 by farang prince

[ThaidleHands]

Thoroughly irresponsible to post his passport.

[Jingthing]

I'd love to see them do background checks on everyone arriving in LOS, but that's a little much to expect.

Yes, it is. Why stop at Thailand. Why not a police state all over the world where you need a background check to take a piss. Geez!

[farang prince]

I'd love to see them do background checks on everyone arriving in LOS, but that's a little much to expect.

Yes, it is. Why stop at Thailand. Why not a police state all over the world where you need a background check to take a piss. Geez!

Gee Jingthing, aren't you a little over the top? It isn't a police state to want to protect the safety of young innocent people.

There have been too many incidents in Thailand involving pedophile teachers and other foreigners coming into the country to abuse young children. Background checks on teachers should be mandatory. As far as running background checks for anyone else coming into Thailand, with the volume it just wouldn't be practical. Too many tourists. But there should be a computerized "watch list" to catch pedophiles coming here. It is one reason why law enforcement agencies around the world need to a more efficient means of exchanging information about pedophiles and other people with serious criminal backgrounds.

[sriracha john]

Thoroughly irresponsible to post his passport.

It's being broadcast around the world as it is currently posted on no fewer than five different Canadian news websites and it is an expired passport, as well. He's a criminal suspect very much wanted by law enforcement for a particularly disturbing crime. Why is it irresponsible?

[Jingthing]

Prince, you are just spinning what you said you want. Your later post is reasonable and is nothing like what you said the first time. Nice try. A background check for everyone is not the same thing as having a watch list, now is it, not even close. Your mentality reminds me of Bush think. Attacked by terrorists supposedly "because of our freedoms" (what a croc) and the response is to occupy a country that didn't attack him and voluntarily suspend the very freedoms he said they were attacking us for. I think it is you who is knee jerk reacting. A tiny percentage of people are pedos or murderers. So treat everyone in the world as a suspect, now that is extreme.

Yes, teachers and people who work with kids need to be screened of course. Common sense.

Edited October 31, 2007 by Jingthing

[mrtoad]

Background checks on teachers and other people in positions of trust are a little overdue, don't you think? I'd love to see them do background checks on everyone arriving in LOS, but that's a little much to expect.

1984, anyone?

I agree with certain types of work (children, vulnerable adults), and with the correct interpretation. But, you could end up with someone being prevented from entering the country based on non-payment of a council tax fine in 1994.

Be realistic.

As for convicted Sex offenders, then it should be the responsibility of their home country to prevent them from travelling if they are such a high risk.

[sriracha john]

Additional information on the checks being conducted....

Foreign teachers under scrutiny after Thai paedophile arrests

BANGKOK — Thai authorities are conducting background checks on more than 1,000 foreigners working in Thailand after a spate of arrests for alleged child sex abuse, a senior officer said Wednesday.

Colonel Apichat Suriboonya, of Thailand's Interpol office, said police had contacted the home countries of many of the targeted foreigners, most of whom are teachers.

"We are now scrutinizing more than 1,000 foreign teachers working in Thailand," he told AFP.

"Before, educational institutions would only look at their academic qualifications, but that is not enough," he said.

Apichat did not say how police had chosen the foreigners in question.

Thailand has become the focus of international concerns over sexual abuse of children after the arrest of Canadian teacher Christopher Paul Neil earlier this month in northeast Thailand.

His arrest followed a worldwide Interpol campaign to track down a man in 200 Internet photos abusing Asian boys.

Police said they arrested a British national on Tuesday for allegedly posting photos of naked children on the Internet.

Paul Jones, a 39-year-old teacher, was arrested at his Bangkok home by British and Thai authorities, Apichat said. Jones had admitted to sending pornographic pictures to friends in England, he said.

Last week Briton Alan Charles Mawson, 74, was charged with sexually abusing a Thai boy in the resort of Pattaya after he was found with more than 100 albums of pictures of nud_e children, police said.

- AFP

[sriracha john]

i hope he is not a teacher or used to be a teacher in thailand. i'm keeping my fingers cross.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but he was a teacher....

Thai police seek another Canadian in child-sex case

Teacher charged with child abuse in Cambodia but released

TORONTO -- Thai police have issued an arrest warrant for a Canadian man for allegedly paying to have sex with an eight-year-old boy, two weeks after a teacher from British Columbia was apprehended in Thailand on similar charges.

Officials in Pattaya, about 110 kilometres south of Bangkok, confirmed Wednesday they were searching for Orville Frank Mader, a 54-year-old teacher originally from Kitchener, Ont., who was imprisoned in Cambodia three years ago on accusations of sexual crimes against children before those charges were dropped.

According to Pattaya City News, a local media outlet, Mader is accused of paying 500 baht -- roughly $15 in Canadian funds -- to have sex with an eight-year-old child at a hotel in the resort town.

The boy was reportedly abducted from a shopping centre and then sold to foreigners for sex. His mother reported his disappearance to Pattaya police on Sunday.

Two days later, she says she spotted him in the company of a 24-year-old man at a local plaza. Police arrested the man, who said he gave 100 baht ($3) to the boy each time he went with a customer.

As part of their investigation into the boy's abduction, local police released pictures Wednesday of Mr. Mader taken by security cameras at the Ben Mansions hotel in Pattaya.

The same hotel was reportedly frequented by Christopher Paul Neil, a 34-year-old Canadian who was the subject of an international manhunt earlier this month. Mr. Neil, who worked as an English teacher in South Korea, was eventually arrested in Thailand and now faces molestation and kidnapping charges.

Pattaya City News reported Wednesday that Thai police had instructed border officials to detain Mr. Mader if he attempted to leave the country.

Marina Wilson, a spokeswoman for the Department of Foreign Affairs. confirmed the Canadian government was "aware" of reports Thai police had issued an arrest warrant for a Canadian.

"Officials are monitoring the situation closely. At this time, due to the Privacy Act, no further information can be released," Mr. Wilson said.

An RCMP spokeswoman was similarly unable to comment on whether Canadian police were assisting with the investigation into Mr. Mader.

Reportedly the son of a high-school guidance counsellor, Mr. Mader comes from a large family that sprawls across southwestern Ontario.

No one answered the door at the home of Mr. Mader's parents or his brother's home in Kitchener Wednesday. Neighbours at an uncle's home said the family had received word of the arrest warrant and left to avoid media attention.

Relatives contacted by phone said Mr. Mader moved to the Vancouver area about 30 years ago and had little contact with relatives since leaving. A woman married to one of his first cousins said she had never met Mader, saying the family is not particularly close.

An aunt declined to discuss his case before hanging up while another cousin expressed surprise that Mader was still free.

Mr. Mader has been accused of similar crimes in the past.

In 2004, Cambodian police arrested him in Phnom Penh, alleging he committed sexual offences against two boys, aged 11 and 14. While he was imprisoned for five months, charges were eventually dropped against him.

At the time of his arrest, Mr. Mader's mother, Elise Mader, told the National Post it was unlikely he had committed any crime.

"I don't see how they could charge him with anything like that, because he teaches children. He's so good with children and all that," she said, adding she thought the arrest related to noise complaints at his hotel.

Elsie Mader said Mader had taught English to children in Nagoya, Japan, between 2002 and 2004. Scant additional information is available on his life since he was released from Cambodian custody.

He appears to have renewed his passport in Jakarta, Indonesia, last year. In addition, he seems to maintain a residence in Surrey, B.C., although phone calls to the home were not returned Wednesday.

- National Post (Canada)

[sriracha john]

Additional info:

A Canadian man is among a group of foreigners being hunted by police in Thailand for allegedly having sex with a young boy.

This is not the first time Mader has been suspected of sexually abusing children. In February 2004, Mader was arrested in Cambodia when police raided his rented house in the capital Phnom Penh. He was charged with molesting five boys aged 10 to 14 but the charges were dropped five months later.

- Montreal Gazette

Edited November 1, 2007 by sriracha john

[sriracha john]

Is it possible for mods to delete inappropriate posts and deal with the specific individuals making them rather than close the thread and thus removing the potential discussion for the entire forum who can avoid making inappropriate posts.

Edited November 1, 2007 by sriracha john

[PeaceBlondie]

We moderators will try to remove the worst posts and keep the subject open. The alternative, other than closing the thread entirely, is to lock it and only allow news articles to be posted, because with over 50,000 registered members, ThaiVisa topics about sex offenders invariably bring out the rabid "hang them after you castrate them" suggestions.

The Thai police promised to start requiring background criminal checks for all farang teachers during the John Mark Karr incident which was ....how long ago? They did not do it very much, and they should do a complete check.

[dog412]

it's great that foreign countries are disseminating information on these types of people. now when i begin to see some Thai names getting the same scrutiny, i will start to believe this country is serious, and not just after the "good" publicity. where are the parents in all these cases? they must take some of the responsibility, i would think to some degree.

[WaiWai]

"It shouldn't be enough to wear white shirts and have a university degree. We need to know their background," said police Col. Apichart Suribunya, head of Thailand's liaison office for Interpol, the international police agency.

Well said.

These constant reports inevitably make one wonder how many such people are never caught.

It is undeniable that Pattaya is one of the places attracting them. This man stayed in the same hotel that as Christopher Neil ? ? A hotel with CCTV ?? It does seem some measure of "protection" has recently been lifted.

[geriatrickid]

One of the reasons why Canadians, British, Australian and Americans make the headlines more often is that those countries have specific task forces assigned to the problem. Their respective police agencies tasked with the job regularly share information and assist each other in their investigations. The lack of other nations coughing up some of these offenders is not because those nations are chaste and respectful. Rather it is because they do not fully cooperate with other agencies or mount the same enforcement effort.

[sbk]

Interesting post geriatrickid--which countries are less than cooperative or don't seem to pursue these things abroad? Belgium had no problem asking for help going after bailjumping drug dealers so is it that these crimes are being committed abroad that makes them less than interested?

[sriracha john]

The abducted 8 year old was not his only victim...

Thailand issues arrest warrant for suspected Canadian pedophile

BANGKOK, Thailand: Police issued an arrest warrant Thursday for a suspected Canadian pedophile accused of sexually abusing several children, including an 8-year-old boy he allegedly lured to his hotel room in the Thai beach town of Pattaya.

The arrest warrant for Orville Frank Mader, 54, was issued after the boy told police he had been sexually abused by the Canadian, police Lt. Sompol Nakkumpan said. Police believe he abused at least three other boys.

"We are looking all over Pattaya for this man," Sompol said. "It's a small town and we will find him sooner or later."

Immigration police at border crossing points and airports have been alerted in case Mader attempts to leave the country, he said.

The case comes just weeks after a world-wide manhunt for another suspected pedophile ended with the arrest of Canadian Christopher Paul Neil in Thailand.

Neil has been charged with child sexual abuse. Police found about 200 pictures on the Internet of Thai, Cambodian and Vietnamese boys being sexually abused by a man whose face was digitally obscured. German police computer experts unscrambled the photos so the man's face was recognizable and tip-offs led Interpol to identify Neil as a suspect.

Neil and Mader frequented some of the same places, including a hotel in Pattaya, police said.

Pattaya, a popular tourist destination, is known for its beaches, thriving sex industry and high crime rate.

On Wednesday, police said they may begin making background checks on foreign teachers in Thailand after arresting two teachers on pornography-related charges in less than two weeks.

Paul Cornelius Jones, 39, who has lived in Thailand for seven years, was arrested Tuesday after police raided his Bangkok apartment and found a computer containing hundreds of photos of naked boys and girls, Apichart said.

Jones, who had been working as a teacher at a Bangkok private school, was arrested after a tip-off from British counterparts, police said.

Jones, of Cardiff, Wales, has been charged with distributing pornographic photographs of children under age 15, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, Apichart said.

Several Southeast Asian countries are popular among pedophiles and sex abusers because of poverty that drives children and their parents to accept money for sexual favors, and sometimes because of lax law enforcement.

- Associated Press

[sriracha john]

On Wednesday [yesterday], Neil, 32, made a brief court appearance via video link from Bangkok's Remand Prison.

The judge in the case agreed to a police request for an order extending Neil's incarceration for another 12 days.

Col. Manas Tongsimuang, the officer in charge of the Neil investigation, told CBC News on Wednesday that Neil's trial could begin before the end of November.

- CBC News (Canada)

Edited November 1, 2007 by sriracha john

[WaiWai]

On Wednesday [yesterday], Neil, 32, made a brief court appearance via video link from Bangkok's Remand Prison.

The judge in the case agreed to a police request for an order extending Neil's incarceration for another 12 days.

Col. Manas Tongsimuang, the officer in charge of the Neil investigation, told CBC News on Wednesday that Neil's trial could begin before the end of November.

- CBC News (Canada)

Thanks.

Hmmm, a video-linked court appearance - sounds strangely ... efficient !

[Scott]

Just for the record, where I work, we have to have criminal records checks on all employees (teachers) before they are issued with a work permit or the non-immigrant B visa.

[sriracha john]

'It upsets me to no end,' man's kin says

Relatives of Orville Mader aren't surprised to be getting phone calls from reporters wanting to know about the accused pedophile's background, one said yesterday.

"I know what you're calling about," said the relative, who didn't want to be identified. "The more I think about it, the more upset I'm getting."

Although he hasn't lived in Kitchener since moving to B.C. in the 1970s, Mader became a topic of conversation in his hometown after getting arrested by Cambodian police in 2004 for allegedly sexually abusing kids.

He denied the charges, and they were dropped five months later.

Now similar charges have been laid by Thai police, who allege the 54-year-old bought an 8-year-old boy for $15 and had sex with him.

"I heard something about this guy in 2004. It was such a shock to me when I heard it," the relative said, adding most of the family talked little of the scandal. "They don't talk much about stuff like that -- it's pretty hush-hush.

"I have grandchildren myself and it just upsets me to no end."

The suspect's mother, Elsie Mader, was quoted in media reports in 2004 denying his involvement.

"I don't see how they could charge him with anything like that, because he teaches children. He's so good with kids," she had said. "This is one of the reasons we didn't want him to go to that area. These are dangerous countries."

Mader left Canada to teach English in Japan in 2002 and has been in Asia ever since.

Thai police now have an arrest warrant for him and the Canadian Embassy is said to be assisting with the manhunt.

- Toronto Sun