Kidnapping At Koh Phangan Tessaban Pre-school

[sbk]

My husband's cousin is on her way to Surat Thani to pick up her 4 year old daughter who was kidnapped out of the Tessaban Pre-School today by a non-local employee of her husband's family. Someone on the Raja Ferry boat recognized the little girl, asked who she was traveling with and when found out called the little girl's mother to find out what was going on. The mother went to the police who called the Don Sak police who then apprehended the woman and the girl when the ferry docked in Don Sak. My husband's cousin and her husband are on their way to the mainland now to pick up their daughter.

The woman told the police that she planned on demanding a ransom for the girl but this is an odd story as the family is not rich. Middle class, perhaps, but not rich.

Apparently two other children were abducted and disappeared off the island last year but I have no knowledge of this or of their families. This one I do.

[LaReina]

WOw. thats scary. Its a good thing someone recognized the girl.

[sbk]

Yes, otherwise she wouldn't have been found. The woman went to the school early enough that by the time my husband's cousin would have gone to pick up her daughter from school the ferry would have already docked in Don Sak. The little girl obviously recognized the woman, who had worked for her grandparents for about 3 months. The teacher figured it was ok, I guess.

Its always been a wonderful, safe place for little kids and I have to say this just shocks me down to the core.

[MrSquigle]

Someone should get up the school for letting a stranger pickup the child in the first place.

[sbk]

My first reaction too, but like my husband said, this has always been such a safe place for kids. I suspect they will institute rules similar to those in the West now, about only approved people picking up kids.

[lazeeboy]

My first reaction too, but like my husband said, this has always been such a safe place for kids. I suspect they will institute rules similar to those in the West now, about only approved people picking up kids.

thats easier said than done ,i pick my daughter up almost everyday ,from now on i'll always pick her up

[wuuguuwuu]

Where is this school?

[SamuiJens]

Where is this school?

Why would you want to know!?

[observer21]

Where is this school?

Why would you want to know!?

I hope the police follow this up fully. It sounds like they could have been kidnapping children to order.  Any

ne with small ferang or half children

should be very vigilent.  I seem to recall that there has been a number of kids disappeared over the past years.

These people should never see the light of day again - if their is any justice.  One could only try to imagine (or not) the life time of torture that the parents and family of a kidnapped child must endure.  death would be too good for the abducters.

PS   re. "why would you want to know"  i think asking the whereabouts of the school is a normalc urious question but if the poster had an avator like yours i would worry.

[Jet Gorgon]

What a travesty of village life. So glad that someone recognised the child. I hope she is OK. Hard labour for the abductor.

[LaReina]

But children should also be educated.

You do not talk to strangers,

You do not go places with strangers and the entire 9 yrds of being safe as a child.

When I was in first grade, i used to walk home from school with my best friend and neighbor. We were both 5 in first grade (in California they allowed you start early depending on your birth month). A car pulled up beside us and a man told my friend that her mother had sent him to pick her up (her parents where separated or divorced ?? didn't live together).

She got into the car, and the god honest truth as to why I did not get in with her, was because I feared the wrath of my mother.

I never quite knew what happend as no-one would tell me, but I was asked lots of questions by the police and they did find her that night. But not with her mother.

So all in all, kids need to be instructed as to whom can pick them up from school. We all say Thailand is a safe place but safety is also what we create.

[limbos]

That's shocking and very scary news.

Any idea where the abductors originate from?

[steverino]

My first reaction too, but like my husband said, this has always been such a safe place for kids.

I assume you're talking about Koh Phangan specifically here. Abducting kids has always been big business in Thailand in general. Kids get picked up at the road side and whisked away to be sold to the begger gangs in BKK and other tourist areas, and the older ones to sex gangs (paedophile gangs first and later on to the bars by which time the kids don't know any better as they've been brought up in that environment for as long as they can remember).

There was a case fairly recently in the papers and on the Thai news, though I can't remember where it happened now. I think in Nakhon.

My cousin's kid was almost whisked away about 15/16 years ago from Bangrak...Luckily he came out the shop and saw them trying to get the kid into the mini bus, and grabbed his kid.

As for kidnapping for ransom, I'm pretty sure it happens a lot more here than in the West. All you parents, take care, and make sure the teachers at the schools your kids go to know who is allowed to pick up your kids, and leave them your phone no.

[mlkmnz]

But children should also be educated.

So all in all, kids need to be instructed as to whom can pick them up from school. We all say Thailand is a safe place but safety is also what we create.

Very true, however in this instance we're dealing with a pre-schooler who are generally all-trusting, especially if its someone they know, even remotely.

[BigC]

My husband's cousin is on her way to Surat Thani to pick up her 4 year old daughter who was kidnapped out of the Tessaban Pre-School today by a non-local employee of her husband's family. Someone on the Raja Ferry boat recognized the little girl, asked who she was traveling with and when found out called the little girl's mother to find out what was going on. The mother went to the police who called the Don Sak police who then apprehended the woman and the girl when the ferry docked in Don Sak. My husband's cousin and her husband are on their way to the mainland now to pick up their daughter.

The woman told the police that she planned on demanding a ransom for the girl but this is an odd story as the family is not rich. Middle class, perhaps, but not rich.

Apparently two other children were abducted and disappeared off the island last year but I have no knowledge of this or of their families. This one I do.

i was not aware of any obductions. we there should be more infomation about missing people. problem is that if the abuducters know that people are looking for them on the island then they will flee.

then again becuase it is an island it is harder for them to flea. specially if they are spotted boarding a ferry. so it would be a good idea to put up missing picutres round the island.

[BigC]

My first reaction too, but like my husband said, this has always been such a safe place for kids.

I assume you're talking about Koh Phangan specifically here. Abducting kids has always been big business in Thailand in general. Kids get picked up at the road side and whisked away to be sold to the begger gangs in BKK and other tourist areas, and the older ones to sex gangs (paedophile gangs first and later on to the bars by which time the kids don't know any better as they've been brought up in that environment for as long as they can remember).

There was a case fairly recently in the papers and on the Thai news, though I can't remember where it happened now. I think in Nakhon.

My cousin's kid was almost whisked away about 15/16 years ago from Bangrak...Luckily he came out the shop and saw them trying to get the kid into the mini bus, and grabbed his kid.

As for kidnapping for ransom, I'm pretty sure it happens a lot more here than in the West. All you parents, take care, and make sure the teachers at the schools your kids go to know who is allowed to pick up your kids, and leave them your phone no.

i have herd worse stories from my girl friends village and my step sons friend. some people get kidnapped then have thier body crippled then get sent to beg in Bangkok.

begging is serious money here in thailand people like to take advatage of other peoples kindness. only give money to registered charities.

i have stoped giving money to beggers now. no matter how bad they look.

how ever i do give money to registered charities.

[sbk]

It was someone she knew, poor little thing. A distant relative of the paternal grandfather come to work on the island for the past 3 months. Not an employee of the grandparents after all. They are all back on the island now, the Raja Ferry docked but did not let anyone off, the woman who phoned the mother was the gir'ls old babysitter and held onto her after finding out she'd been kidnapped. Bless that woman for being so proactive.

A huge mob was waiting at the police station when they arrived,. Coincidentally, the British guy wanted for rape arrived on the same boat.

Apparently the woman told the little girl that her mom was waiting in Ban Don and they were going to buy her a Barbie. As of last night, she was still asking for her Barbie.

I imagine that from now on only approved people will be allowed to pick up kids from school, but as I said before, Koh Phangan has always been extremely safe for little kids. Its a small community and everyone knows everyone else, everyone watches out for the kids. But, I guess with this huge influx of non-local laborers on the island, things have changed and the idea that everyone here knows everyone else is gone.

[Pilchard]

Its a small community and everyone knows everyone else, everyone watches out for the kids. But, I guess with this huge influx of non-local laborers on the island, things have changed and the idea that everyone here knows everyone else is gone.

This is what many of the older locals say about Samui. Before every body new every body and there was a degree of the comunity policeing it's self. As you point out, the influx of non locals means those days are gone.

Glad this one turned out Ok , scary stuff