Rape In Chiang Rai

[GuestHouse]

It's about accoutability, or the lack thereof.

Nobody wants to be held accountable for their actions or lack of actions.

The sin of ommission is a concept beyond Thai society and unfortuanately, as demonstrated by Dido, beyond many who move to Thailand.

If a crime is committed on a premises then it is not too much to believe that the place is not controlling what goes on there.

Anyone of us seeing a girl getting pissed with a bunch of guys can figure out the risk to the girl, especially in Thailand and especially if the girl is foreign and the guys Thai.

A simple policy controlling who is allowed access to rooms would be a step in the right direction.

If I was looking for accommodation in Chiang Rai I would be giving this place a wide berth.

And Yes, I agree with Maerim on this too. Police investigations are a sham. Warning people about the risks and the lack of help they will get if they have a problem might not be a contracted duty but it is nevertheless a duty for anyone who has any humanity.

[lannachiangrai]

I appreciate the number of people who have shown concern in this issue, especially the ones that realize factual information has tremendous value and would prefer to know about something rather than remain ignorant. Next I have to ask, what does being a "newbie" have to do with anything? I speak when I have something to say, not in a vain attempt to show how clever I am.

I know about this rape because my wife is a doctor and was at the hospital when the young woman came in. The woman went to the hospital because of rips in her vagina. She was worried about internal injuries and had to subject herself to all kinds of unpleasant tests. The doctor who was on duty, Dr. Pitsanuk. If you would like to get his opinion, call the Chiang Rai public hospital.

I do not allow the police or the Thai legal system to dictate what justice is. About a month ago, a friend, Brad Talley, was killed by his wife. There is more than enough evidence to convict her in most countries but what I have seen of the Chiang Rai police, a group of boy scouts would make better detectives. That is why the police opinion means next to nothing to me and I spent no time calling them. If their opinion matters to you, why don't YOU give them a call?

Ask yourself, what do I have to gain in reporting this? I don't know the woman and I don't operate a rival guesthouse. I just dislike corruption of all kinds and I hope that I can find some like-minded individuals who know that they can make a positive contribution to society by exposing corruption and injustice wherever it rears its ugly head.

[GuestHouse]

Ian,

I'm with you on this and I hope you will accept that I did try to accertain the truth of the news by calling the guesthouse.

I do however take a slightly different view.

We know the police are corrupt, we know about the risks. We can't do anything about either but we can at least warn people.

OK occasionaly we might be wrong, but what is a bit of lost business compared with what the viciim is going through?!

[medicinebox]

Its not rape if she blinks twice for yes.

[chuckd]

Guesthouse:

If it is about accountability, as you state earlier, on the part of the Lek Hotel, then why doesn't the Aussie lady have the same accountability issue applied to her actions?

You are setting double standards here. One, of accountability, on the hotel and one, of no accountability, on the part of the Aussie.

I don't see how you can have it both ways.

Perhaps, if the lady had remained sober, this might not have happened to her at all.

[stroll]

Maybe she wouldn't have been raped if she had been more careful.

Maybe your house wouldn't have been broken into if you had a more sophisticated burglar alarm installed.

Maybe your friend wouldn't have been killed in a pub brawl if he had stayed home that night.

[Johpa]

I don't care how much money they have, take a look at O.J.Simpson you can get away with murder if you have the wherewithal to do so.

In Thailand it does not take all that much money to get away with murder or other felonies. A modest sum and decent connections will suffice. The best man at my wedding (puan jao bao), a respected teacher in the Amphoe, was mudered and although everyone knew the perpetrator, he was never brought to justice. In rural Thailand in the villages there is little outrage when a felon or rapist goes free, just a resigned mai pen rai.

So a Farang woman gets raped and you people expect an arrest? Well maybe if the perpetrator is a lowly tuk-tuk driver. But Thai men with enough means to be drinking at a well known tourist establishment, and the Lek Guesthouse in Chiang Rai is an institution in that city, well forget about it.

Bottom line, no tourist and few enough ex-pats should expect to be able to get drunk with a group of Thai men they do not know well and escape unscathed.

[Yohan]

1- Various crimes, like robbery, rape, theft, molestering and so on are happening even in well guarded 5-star hotels everywhere around the world. The hotel-staff cannot be everywhere present in the whole house and cannot be kept responsible.

2- You are a young woman, travelling as a single, and you check into a cheap guesthouse in Chiang Rai in Thailand, and you drink alcohol with unknown local men in the night time until you do not even remember, who brought you into a bed when opening your eyes next morning.....

3- What should the police really do? Can the victim identify the men, who raped her?

We know many stories, where a woman was inviting men, and after accusing them for violence or rape.....

What should a judge do, when listening to both versions of the story, if they really find the men.... they will tell the judge, the woman invited them to have sex with her....

I wonder, why local men should rape a foreign woman from Australia - but I think, all of them, the Thai men and the Australian woman were fully drunken and do not remember, what happened during this night.

4- To keep only the Thai responsible (the guest house, the local men and even the police) is a very cheap solution....

I do not drink any alcohol, and I think, the woman is responsible for her security and her action as well.

[chuckd]

Troll:

As that old banal saying goes...."You hit the nail on the head."

All of your statements are 100% correct. I am happy you agree.

[stroll]

I know about this rape because my wife is a doctor and was at the hospital when the young woman came in. The woman went to the hospital because of rips in her vagina. She was worried about internal injuries and had to subject herself to all kinds of unpleasant tests. The doctor who was on duty, Dr. Pitsanuk. If you would like to get his opinion, call the Chiang Rai public hospital.

Maybe the OP's post was too long for some to read all the way through it, so I quote a key passage.

It is sad to read people argue it could be her fault to have brought this on herself.

[chuckd]

troll:

You just don't get it do you?

At some point in time a person must accept responsibility for their own actions. I, too, read the report about her medical condition and regret very much she was violated. That alone does not alter the fact she drank herself into a condition to have it happen to her.

Look at it this way. If I get drunk, get in my car and run over a motorcycle.....who is to blame?

a. The motorcycle rider for getting in my way.

b. The bartender for serving me too much whiskey.

c. The police for putting that stop sign there.

d. Me.

e. None of the above.

If you answered anything other than "d", then your responsibility button needs to be replaced.

[GuestHouse]

That is to blur the distinction between ill advised behaviour on the part of the victim and a criminal act upon the part of her attacker.

Yes I agree, we must all act to reduce the risks we face.

My major gripe on this post has been the assertion by Dondi that attacks or indeed any criminality is not his, or anyone elses business.

[Mai Krap]

People on both sides of the "she shouldnt have got drunk" and "she shouldnt have been raped" both have valid points.. For what its worth here is another 2 cents worth of comments...

It can be very dangerous to drink or use drugs and not be one hundred percent in control of your judgement,,, this is a given... In Thailand this should be multiplied by about 10....

Rape is Rape and is a disgusting abuse of another person under any circumstance... Unfortunatly rape also carries with it shame by the victem and this causes a loss of face... I would guess up to 90 percent of all rapes or not reported in Los,,, Of the rapes reported a good many of these are some type of extortion on farang guys or government officials ... Real rapist are violant and sadistic people who usualy have some type of power over their victem... Out of published English periodicals here in Thailand the only stories I can remember of individuals being prosecuted and actualy handed over to be incarcirated were Police,,, and Monks,,, and those poor construction workers who 2 of 4 died in prison after being railroaded by corrupt Police in the Sherry Lynn murder case... This last Abbot who I believe is still on bond has been free for years while on trial after he raped many children under his protection... The current system does not protect children nor adolesents nor adults from rape nor does it sympothise with them for being a victem of rape or give them much hope of any kind of justice... There is a snowballs chance in hadies any farang will recieve justice under any circumstances here..... There are many good people, Monks, and Police in Thailand,,, There are also ruthless power driven thugs who have money for their God and enjoy raping, killing, robbing, or maiming any person they can Thai or farang...........