American Woman Nearly Killed While Helping Thai Woman

[sriracha john]

Even though this incident occurred last July, it's only being written about now, after she has returned to the USA:

Santa Cruz woman nearly killed helping another woman in Thailand

On the back of Seaira Smith's neck is a tattoo of the word "tsunami" written in Thai. Just to the right of it is a four-inch souvenir from a machete attack that nearly killed her.

"It's becoming my little wall of art from Thailand," Smith said of her tattoo, the scar from the July night when she saved a girl's life in Phuket and the attack that left her unable to use her right arm.

When it happened, Smith was on an extended vacation with her father and brother. As she tells it, in the early morning of July 19 Smith was at Joe's Bar on Kata Beach drinking Thai beer with fellow travelers from New Zealand and Scandinavia when a girl of about 17 ran in screaming. Chasing her was a man wielding a machete.

The girl tried to climb atop some furniture stacked in the corner of the bar. No one moved to help her except Smith, who rushed at the man and knocked him over. She stood with her foot on his chest while the girl ran away.

"She was just a beautiful young girl and no one was going to help her," Smith, 28, recalled recently from the comfort of a Santa Cruz cafe. "It was so scary to hear her screaming and see her pleading for her life"

The girl escaped, and then reality set in. Smith was dealing with an angry man holding a machete.

"It was definitely an adrenaline-charged moment," she said. "Once I had a moment of clarity I realized, 'Oh my God, I just attacked a guy with a machete.' "

Smith ran too, but the man followed her and slashed at her neck, opening up a deep gash from the base of her skull to just above her right shoulder. She collapsed and the man ran. Smith's father and brother were at home, asleep. Doctors told her she could have bled to death if the Irishman who helped her hadn't come along.

In one night, she was taken to four different hospitals, finally landing at Bangkok Phuket Hospital. She stayed there for more than a week. Smith praised the medical care she received, but was disillusioned by the country's legal process.

The man admitted to police that he had attacked her, but according to Smith, he's a free man and there's a chance he'll never be prosecuted. She said that police tried to tell her that she imagined the episode.

"I didn't trust the system," she said. "We were told in subtle ways not to ask too many questions and just forget about it"

Chuwit Sirivajjakul, assistant director for the Tourism Authority of Thailand in Los Angeles, said that he was somewhat familiar with Smith's case but that it was being handled by agencies in Thailand. He dismissed any notion that his country is unsafe for American tourists.

"It's like traveling anywhere, people have to be aware, but Thailand is basically a very safe country," Sirivajjakul said.

The U.S. Department of State does not have a general travel advisory warning Americans to avoid Thailand, but last week, the agency did issue a caution after several bombs went off in Bangkok around New Year's Day. The caution advised travelers in Bangkok to stay indoors and avoid crowds. Since 2005, four American citizens have been murdered on the border between Thailand and Laos.

Smith, who's first name is a combination of "sea," "air" and "ra," the Egyptian sun god, is a life-long Santa Cruz resident. She said she loves Thailand, where she lived for months in late 2004 and early 2005. She was there for the tsunami and spent months volunteering with aid organizations, taking food to survivors and building boats for people who had theirs washed out to sea.

"I don't want to give a bad impression of the country," she said. "I have a lot of wonderful things to say about the people and the culture. This kind of stuff can happen anywhere. I took on a local and everyone knows you don't take on a local"

In Santa Cruz, Smith is trying to rebuild her life. The nerve damage she suffered has rendered her right arm almost useless. It hangs limply at her side when she walks and she folds it into her lap when she sits.

She can't work, can't draw and paint like she used to and can't handle much physical activity. She's hoping to attend classes for disabled students at Cabrillo College in the spring and get living expenses from the state's Victim Compensation Program.

In the meantime, Smith is waiting for Thai authorities to move forward with a case against her attacker and for time and physical therapy to restore the use of her arm.

"When you don't have a job and can't do your usual recreational activities you wonder what you're going to do with your time," she said. "So far, I see a lot of doctors and lawyers"

- Santa Cruz Sentinel (USA)

--------------------------------------------------------

Was this ever covered locally at the time?

[donna]

i never heard about it. what a brave woman. what a cowardly 'man'. what a ridiculous legal system.

[Vespa]

i never heard about it. what a brave woman. what a cowardly 'man'. what a ridiculous legal system.

Wonder if a Thailand tourism website with all these types of stories posted on it would help ?

[sbk]

In my experience, when the victim leaves the country the legal process appears to stop. No action is taken if the complainant is not available for court.

Unfair and most certainly wrong, but there you go.

As for the cowardly man, what about all the cowards in the bar who let a woman deal with it alone?

[Dupont]

Interesting that she is seeing doctors and Lawyers.

If theres one thing Thais understand, its money. Hope she breaks the TAT and nails their propaganda outlet in the States.

"somewhat familiar" = cowardly weasely statement from a slimball trying to cover up something.

"handled by agencies in Thailand" = nothing is happening other than we are hoping it will go away.

If only she had had the foresight to give the girl or her family the machete whilst she was standing on the guys chest!

Well done indeed, and its good to see that not all farangs are craven cowards sitting in bars pontificating on how Thais should never be tackled. All bullies and cowards should be tackled, its part of being a man and the shame of males in this country is that it should take a plucky american woman to step up to the plate and show the way.

[LivinLOS]

Well done indeed, and its good to see that not all farangs are craven cowards sitting in bars pontificating on how Thais should never be tackled. All bullies and cowards should be tackled, its part of being a man and the shame of males in this country is that it should take a plucky american woman to step up to the plate and show the way.

Maybe it hasnt occurred to you but the very reason that line is taken is the result of the above post..

No one knows what the man would have done to the initial girl, before he lost face by being tackled by a woman in public.. No one knows anything except farang gets involved, farang maimed for life, Thai guy no punishment..

Now those pontificating cowards.. The ones with 2 working arms.. They were so wrong were they ??

Of course others in the bar should have disarmed the man the situation could have been handled differently.. But to say that staying back and not being maimed is the wrong course of action.. Well your up next..

[Dupont]

Well done indeed, and its good to see that not all farangs are craven cowards sitting in bars pontificating on how Thais should never be tackled. All bullies and cowards should be tackled, its part of being a man and the shame of males in this country is that it should take a plucky american woman to step up to the plate and show the way.

Maybe it hasnt occurred to you but the very reason that line is taken is the result of the above post..

No one knows what the man would have done to the initial girl, before he lost face by being tackled by a woman in public.. No one knows anything except farang gets involved, farang maimed for life, Thai guy no punishment..

Now those pontificating cowards.. The ones with 2 working arms.. They were so wrong were they ??

Of course others in the bar should have disarmed the man the situation could have been handled differently.. But to say that staying back and not being maimed is the wrong course of action.. Well your up next..

Ok mate, leave it to the girls then! American at that! All the flack they (Americans and Women) take on here and it takes an american woman to show some balls.

Part of the problem is that most Thai men think (know) that most farang men are cowards, other than shouting at the wife in the carpark of Tescos and Big C, they will not confront even the smallest Thai guy.

All the westerners "fights" follow then same pattern. Find somebody smaller and punch his lights out ususally with an unexpected first strike!

Well your up next.. cretin!

Edited January 25, 2007 by Dupont

[britmaveric]

Applaud the ladies heroism, but she lost use of her arm. Bad thing is the lad took his wrath out on her for interfering, and probably got the intended victim another time. You would have thought the others there would have got involved though and least disarmed the lad.

[cobra]

As for the cowardly man, what about all the cowards in the bar who let a woman deal with it alone?

Indeed, sorry state of affairs when the only one with any backbone to act is a young gal,

And yes we've all heard the tired refrain, mind your on business and stay out of harms way.

I guess it's always going to be about character and one's personal code.

Hoping for an eventual full recovery for her.

[taxexile]

this woman was brave , if a little foolhardy to tackle the maniac. its hard to predict how we would react in the same situation.

the fact that the culprit has admitted his guilt , yet remains unpunished , is the most disturbing part of this story. the vaguaries of the thai legal system are hard to understand at the best of times.

a story like this should be publicised internationally , the thais are quick to blow their own trumpets when some goodness is perceived to emanate from the kingdom , so they cant complain when a story that shows thai systems ( and the police) up to be somewhat medieval comes to light.

once again , the anger of a thai man , probably fuelled by drugs and alcohol , is directed at women.

of course , i wouldnt dream of generalising or stereotyping , but.................

[cdnvic]

Now those pontificating cowards.. The ones with 2 working arms.. They were so wrong were they ??

Yes, they were wrong. They saved their own yellow skins but let a woman take a machete to the back of the neck. Brave woman. Too bad those pussies couldn't step in and help. Maybe she would have been spared her injury.

[LivinLOS]

Well done indeed, and its good to see that not all farangs are craven cowards sitting in bars pontificating on how Thais should never be tackled. All bullies and cowards should be tackled, its part of being a man and the shame of males in this country is that it should take a plucky american woman to step up to the plate and show the way.

Maybe it hasnt occurred to you but the very reason that line is taken is the result of the above post..

No one knows what the man would have done to the initial girl, before he lost face by being tackled by a woman in public.. No one knows anything except farang gets involved, farang maimed for life, Thai guy no punishment..

Now those pontificating cowards.. The ones with 2 working arms.. They were so wrong were they ??

Of course others in the bar should have disarmed the man the situation could have been handled differently.. But to say that staying back and not being maimed is the wrong course of action.. Well your up next..

Ok mate, leave it to the girls then! American at that! All the flack they (Americans and Women) take on here and it takes an american woman to show some balls.

Part of the problem is that most Thai men think (know) that most farang men are cowards, other than shouting at the wife in the carpark of Tescos and Big C, they will not confront even the smallest Thai guy.

All the westerners "fights" follow then same pattern. Find somebody smaller and punch his lights out ususally with an unexpected first strike!

Well your up next.. cretin!

I have over the years had quite a few rucks with Thai guys.. One of which turned into a full on 10 on 1 situation..

Those were however rucks of my own creation..

When Thais fight among themselves I leave em to it.. And keep my working limbs..

I sincerely doubt the man waving the knife would have hacked up the woman.. So all she did was make a bad situation worse and ruin her own life..

[ashacat]

I sincerely doubt the man waving the knife would have hacked up the woman..

He DID hack up a woman albeit a different one, his intentions were quite clear.

[LivinLOS]

Yes he hacked a farang woman who made him lose face in a bar in front of others.. One where he very likely correctly assumed that he wouldnt pay the price.

I remember a fight between 2 women in a bar on sea dragon.. At first it looked the usual women fighting funny.. Claws and hair.. Then one got on the other on the ground and started to pummel her face into the concrete.. Repeatedly.. I am near the crowd of people.. Ok enough is enough.. Another largish fella gives me the nod, you grab that one I grab this one..

Just as we are gonna dive in and seperate them Massumo (the bar owner) comes flying over the bar grabs me as I go in to break them up. I started to say come on you cant watch this girl get her face broken up on the concrete but he points out two thai guys calmly sitting and watching the whole thing at the edge of the ruckuss.. They were the husband and boyfriend of the two fighting.

After a while here you get to realize Thai guys slap thier women about.. I dont agree with it.. But its not my job (and it doesnt work) to change what is a norm in Thai social systems.. Its also usually not wanted by either party.. The amount of TG's I know whose gik regularly gives them a slap or they have black eyes is mind blowing.. I remember wifey once saying to me when we were first living together that "if you beat me it ok.. I not leave you" I mean <deleted> !! what do you respond to that.

Where ever I go in the world.. My first priority is taking care of me and mine.. Thats seen me through war zones and conflicts.. back alleys and bar brawls.. You wanna go and attack a wired up thai guy whose got a machete then up to you.. But dont expect my respect for it or sympathy when you face the consequences. I dont ask or expect others to lay thier life down for me, i can and will take care of my own biz, but I still maintain you put yourself in situations like that in the 3rd world you pay the price. This aint kansas any more Dorothy.

[ballzafire]

C'mon, guys!!

You mean to tell me you wouldn't have even make the effort to disarm the murderous punk to save a defenseless girl's life!?

Crikey!

What kind of wusses are ya?! Sheesh!

If it had been me, there might have been a danger in the loser punk becoming some 'fresh shark bait' that mornin'...........

[britmaveric]

Personally I'd jumped in and assisted the farang lady. Disarmed the lad and called the MIB. Then high tail it out of the area because WE ALL KNOW the nutty thai will return and probably bring his mates.

Edited January 26, 2007 by britmaveric

[Briggsy]

One of the disheartening aspects of stories like this is the anonymity that is seemingly given to the aggressors by the Thai police. Often in crime stories, foreigners are named, but the names, addresses and pictures of the Thais appear to be withheld by the police.

[gburns57au]

Personally it sounds like BS to me....

an attack of this nature would have made the local papers at the time...

But what do we have....more than 6 months later an article appears in the Santa Cruz Sentinel.

I dont believe that the local Police would try and cover this up...it is far too serious for that and heaps of witnesses too...He admitted the attack and isnt in custody.....BS

She tackled a guy with a machete and then pinned him on the ground with her foot in his chest and then let this guy stand up while he still had the machete...please !!! And no one made a move to help her...come on people think about it !!!!

Edited January 26, 2007 by gburns57au

[calibanjr.]

Personally it sounds like BS to me....

an attack of this nature would have made the local papers at the time...

But what do we have....more than 6 months later an article appears in the Santa Cruz Sentinel.

I dont believe that the local Police would try and cover this up...it is far too serious for that and heaps of witnesses too...He admitted the attack and isnt in custody.....BS

She tackled a guy with a machete and then pinned him on the ground with her foot in his chest and then let this guy stand up while he still had the machete...please !!! And no one made a move to help her...come on people think about it !!!!

On point one, making the papers, I'm not an expert on the area in question, but I saw a bit in Pattaya in my moderately ill-fated 9 months in town that was on a par with this incident, no machetes, but life-threatening results, that never made the papers.

As to point two, nobody made a move to help her, I'll just politely say that it's an understatement to say that I find it highly possible.

[sbk]

Personally it sounds like BS to me....

an attack of this nature would have made the local papers at the time...

But what do we have....more than 6 months later an article appears in the Santa Cruz Sentinel.

I dont believe that the local Police would try and cover this up...it is far too serious for that and heaps of witnesses too...He admitted the attack and isnt in custody.....BS

She tackled a guy with a machete and then pinned him on the ground with her foot in his chest and then let this guy stand up while he still had the machete...please !!! And no one made a move to help her...come on people think about it !!!!

Do you read the Thai newspapers? It could possibly have made the news there. There is quite a bit going on in this country that never makes it into the english language papers.

[Briggsy]

The Thai press relies almost exclusively on police press releases for its crime reporting. If the police had decided to sweep this one under the carpet for whatever reasons ( machete man is connected?; machete man has paid off the police?; farang victim has no social standing in Thailand and leaves country?), then it stands to reason the police will not publicize the case. This makes it unlikely it will be reported in the Thai press.

In addition as Phuket is a family tourist destination, there would be a knee-jerk reaction from authorities to play down the incident as much as possible.

[britmaveric]

Not so sure - plenty of crime gets reported in the Gazette which is less than flattering to Phuket and tourism.

[Briggsy]

Right, Britmaveric. Plenty of crime is reported but in this case the machete man will not be charged so no "bad guy" to blame and no "heroic police" to laud so the police will not be putting this one to the press.

But I take your point that there is not blanket suppression of all news negative to tourism.

[cobra]

... dont expect my respect for it or sympathy when you face the consequences. I dont ask or expect others to lay thier life down for me, i can and will take care of my own biz, ...

Understood, so I'll just calmly finish my beer while you and yours get hacked up, because you'll never need any help, yeah right.

You ought to know shi.. can go bad in a nano-second, pulling you in something when you least expect.

I need to get a good nights sleep, and watching a young girl, you and yours, or who ever get hacked up while I sit on my ass doesn't work for me.

Edited January 26, 2007 by cobra

[Tony Clifton]

The man admitted to police that he had attacked her, but according to Smith, he's a free man and there's a chance he'll never be prosecuted. She said that police tried to tell her that she imagined the episode.

As usual, useless pr!cks...

[gburns57au]

She said that police tried to tell her that she imagined the episode.

As usual, useless pr!cks...

Makes another point doesnt it....she is sitting where ever...police station, the scene, or the hospital with a bloody great gash in her neck....and the police are supposed to have said that.....That does stretch the point of credibilty just a tad, dont you think ???

Look at the people involved already....witnesses in the bar, the nursing staff at the hospital...it would be too hard to cover up an incident of this seriousness...Did she contact her Embassy...surely they would have stepped in.

Sorry guys but if it was me I would be doing everything I could to see that this guy goes to jail.

Edited January 27, 2007 by gburns57au

[sriracha john]

She said that police tried to tell her that she imagined the episode.

As usual, useless pr!cks...

Makes another point doesnt it....she is sitting where ever...police station, the scene, or the hospital with a bloody great gash in her neck....and the police are supposed to have said that.....That does stretch the point of credibilty just a tad, dont you think ???

With the Thai Police involved??

With all the fiascos they've been involved in??

Doesn't stretch the credibility at all...

Sorry guys but if it was me I would be doing everything I could to see that this guy goes to jail.

Perhaps she's read reports of some of the cases the Thai Police have been involved with regarding foreigners...

One other point... if there's nothing to it. Why would the L.A. office of TAT even acknowledge her case, let alone be "familiar" with it?

Edited January 27, 2007 by sriracha john

[gburns57au]

She said that police tried to tell her that she imagined the episode.

As usual, useless pr!cks...

Makes another point doesnt it....she is sitting where ever...police station, the scene, or the hospital with a bloody great gash in her neck....and the police are supposed to have said that.....That does stretch the point of credibilty just a tad, dont you think ???

With the Thai Police involved??

With all the fiascos they've been involved in??

Doesn't stretch the credibility at all...

Sorry guys but if it was me I would be doing everything I could to see that this guy goes to jail.

Perhaps she's read reports of some of the cases the Thai Police have been involved with regarding foreigners...

One other point... if there's nothing to it. Why would the L.A. office of TAT even acknowledge her case, let alone be "familiar" with it?

Doesnt stretch the credibility if you want to stereotype every cop in Thailand as most do on this board....personally I havent found them to be anything like most people here say.

The LA office of TAT is familiar with the case because they have heard about it from one source or another...maybe someone wrote them a letter ???

Mind you I dont see what it has to do with TAT...Tourism Authority of Thailand....I would be more interested to see what the Thai Consulate has to say.

[sbk]

She said that police tried to tell her that she imagined the episode.

As usual, useless pr!cks...

Makes another point doesnt it....she is sitting where ever...police station, the scene, or the hospital with a bloody great gash in her neck....and the police are supposed to have said that.....That does stretch the point of credibilty just a tad, dont you think ???

Look at the people involved already....witnesses in the bar, the nursing staff at the hospital...it would be too hard to cover up an incident of this seriousness...Did she contact her Embassy...surely they would have stepped in.

Sorry guys but if it was me I would be doing everything I could to see that this guy goes to jail.

I knew a girl who was attacked and it took 2 years from attack to court date. I guess this girl is supposed to stay here this long?

As for the Embassy, well the girl I knew contacted her embassy and they told her to go to the police. Who, btw, did investigate and eventually put the guy in jail but only because some concerned Thai people were willing to testify that they had seen the attack.

[gburns57au]

She said that police tried to tell her that she imagined the episode.

As usual, useless pr!cks...

Makes another point doesnt it....she is sitting where ever...police station, the scene, or the hospital with a bloody great gash in her neck....and the police are supposed to have said that.....That does stretch the point of credibilty just a tad, dont you think ???

Look at the people involved already....witnesses in the bar, the nursing staff at the hospital...it would be too hard to cover up an incident of this seriousness...Did she contact her Embassy...surely they would have stepped in.

Sorry guys but if it was me I would be doing everything I could to see that this guy goes to jail.

I knew a girl who was attacked and it took 2 years from attack to court date. I guess this girl is supposed to stay here this long?

As for the Embassy, well the girl I knew contacted her embassy and they told her to go to the police. Who, btw, did investigate and eventually put the guy in jail but only because some concerned Thai people were willing to testify that they had seen the attack.

Thats about average here in Perth as well....2 years from incident to trial.

But lets look at this case....There is no mention of.....police reports, witness statements, hospital records, embassy contact and so far no pictures....All we have is a girl with an alleged injury that she says was caused when she heroically defended another woman against a maniac with a machete in a bar in Phuket....reported in a US newspaper 6 months or so after it was alleged to have happened...

And you wonder why I doubt it ???