Female Japanese Tourist Robbed And Murdered In Sukhothai

[trader1]

I find it interesting to hear how many posters continue with the idea that Japan is safe for women. I have had several female friends live there for quite a few years and they all reported being sexually harassed and assaulted on the trains on a regular basis. It is so prevalent that they now have women only cars.

Condolences to her family, its a terrible thing to happen to any family anywhere.

I lived in Japan for 12 years, never locked my house door or car. Safest place you could ever imagine. Where else can drunk 18 year old woman stagger home at 3am alone and not think twice about it..

Chikan in trains grap a furtive feel - it is not the same level of violence as being taken away and having your throat cut.

[kat]

I find it interesting to hear how many posters continue with the idea that Japan is safe for women. I have had several female friends live there for quite a few years and they all reported being sexually harassed and assaulted on the trains on a regular basis. It is so prevalent that they now have women only cars.

It is also pretty widely known that rape in Japan is seriously underreported.

I realize the victim was not raped but I do think it is misleading to suggest that Japanese women are unaware of these kinds of crime and the threat they hold. Perhaps expected cultural behavior is a better explanation as Damian suggested earlier.

Condolences to her family, its a terrible thing to happen to any family anywhere.

I'm not sure if you are talking about me here, but I did not ever say Japan is safe for women. Japan has different sorts of crime, and displayed attitudes toward women. There is certainly less street-level crime in Japan than in many other industrialized and developing countries.

Try not to be so sensitive. I was referring to this post by Canadiangirl

OK, but I was still disagreeing with you.

Hi Kat, this is where I saw that news clip (post 92):

'Quoting witnesses, police said Kawashita checked into a guesthouse at around 10pm after arriving in the northern province at about 6pm on Saturday to join the festival at Sukhothai Historical Park.

Kawashita returned to the guesthouse at around 2am to move her luggage to an unknown location. She was seen next at 7am renting a bicycle from a shop known as "Rerng Phoolpherm".

Police questioned a group of six Thai male high school students seen with Kawashita while they were all entering the Park on Saturday evening. The questioning continued throughout Sunday night and the students were allowed to go home when police said they were not suspects.

Police later obtained video clips shot with the students' mobile-phone handsets to try to find clues to the murderer, but admitted it was difficult as many thousands of people had visited the site.

A police source, quoting private security personnel, said no vehicles or motorcycles had entered the Park, indicating the murderer could be a local, who possibly killed her between 9am and 10.30am on Sunday.'

The Nation

Thanks Seonai. Being seen with a group of guys in the morning at the head of the park is still a bit of a jump to saying that she spent the night with them.

[sbk]

Rape does occur in Japan but is seriously underreported. It is a culture that tends to place the blame on the victim, even in the victims eyes, so many rape victims never even report it.

I really dislike it when people put words in my mouth based on their own misinterpretation of what I say. I most certainly did not equate the crimes but was merely trying to point out that she could hardly be so unaware of some kind of risk seeing as how rape does occur in Japan and sexual assault does occur.

[kat]

SBK:

In this instance, it doesn't matter whether she expected this kind of violence or not - it happened. If we would expect people to be better prepared, then perhaps we should give them a checklist of what has and can happened when they enter the country, which is a ludicrous idea.

Here are the facts: you are right about underreporting in Japan, and since the beginning of the decade there has been an upsurge in stranger rape and street-level crime, which was outrageously low in previous decades in comparison to other countries. Of course all women (and men for that matter) carry around the possibility of rape in their heads, but that possibility and context varies from culture and location-specific place to the next. *So, it is not only the cultural expectations that locals have about you, but your cultural expectations of the local environment that we are talking about here.

I am from New York, have travelled around the world as a lone single female, and was not prepared for cultural-specific contexts of sexual assault because they were not on my radar. She was at a World Heritage site during the day, and a violent crime leading to her throat being slit was probably not on her culturally-specific radar, either.

That is what I disagree with you on.

*edit

Edited November 29, 2007 by kat

[DamianMavis]

Rape does occur in Japan but is seriously underreported. It is a culture that tends to place the blame on the victim, even in the victims eyes, so many rape victims never even report it.

I really dislike it when people put words in my mouth based on their own misinterpretation of what I say. I most certainly did not equate the crimes but was merely trying to point out that she could hardly be so unaware of some kind of risk seeing as how rape does occur in Japan and sexual assault does occur.

Yes rape is under reported in Japan due to the cultural stygma of blaming the victim. BUT. My girlfriend and many of her friends/aqcuaintances in Thailand have never been assaulted or raped in their lives 20 to 40 years in Japan... but have mostly all at least been BEATEN and/or RAPED in Thailand. I'm very sorry SBK but in this case you do not fully know what you are talking about. Japanese women are very naive and under prepared for violent crime that occurs with much more frequency here in Thailand. It just does. They are walking vicitms here because of their extremely limitted exposure to it back home. Thai women are ALOT more savvy and smart (not taking cabs at night alone, not walking alone at night etc...) Japanese women are seriously lacking in these basic common sense safety practices, and it is because JAPAN is MORE safe than Thailand, to the extent that most Japanese women dont even have the radar that western women have that prevents most situations from even starting in the first place. It is still common for many cities/towns in Japan keep their doors unlocked, THAI PEOPLE HAVE BARBED WIRE AND GLASS SHARDS SURROUNDING THIER HOMES. Sorry to be so opposed to your view point.

Damian

[sonnyJ]

Police questioned a group of six Thai male high school students seen with Kawashita while they were all entering the Park on Saturday evening. The questioning continued throughout Sunday night and the students were allowed to go home when police said they were not suspects.

Police later obtained video clips shot with the students' mobile-phone handsets to try to find clues to the murderer, but admitted it was difficult as many thousands of people had visited the site.

A police source, quoting private security personnel, said no vehicles or motorcycles had entered the Park, indicating the murderer could be a local, who possibly killed her between 9am and 10.30am on Sunday.'

The Nation

It would be hard for cops to hold young, students in jail on Loy Kratong.

How does mobile-phone video compare to so,e internet site?

private security personnel, Probably means the fee collector. Last time I went to Sukhothai there was no-one in the booth so got in free.. Just drove through with my friends. There are shops around the main entrance though, there are also at least 3 another exit points, total 4 maybe, 2 doable by car.

Where was the body found? which road?

[dezeure]

poor woman, and for what? a few baht a few dollars or some Yen?

And then on Loy Kratong... ...putting a kratong on the water wont clear his sins !!!

my condolences to the family

Sam

Edited November 29, 2007 by dezeure

[kat]

We will all have to wait and see what this investigation turns up, in terms of local people or the missing guy from Japan. I have a couple of theories, but I don't want to speculate right now.

I hope they find the perpetrator and give him his due punishment, regardless of where he's from.

[sonnyJ]

My statement above was made in deference to those on the forum that I know don't share my experiences and are understandably distressed by graphic photos that are common in the Thai media and so my comment was to serve as a qualifier to them before clinking on the link.

These feelings that others have are deeply-rooted in a lifetime of cultural values and to expect them to be easily changed, if ever, to something that is the polar opposite is unreasonable and short-sighted.

That is very thoughtful of you to inform of the graphic content of the pics. For those who , well just don't want to see bodies, dead, corpses.

But why is it necessary?

Nothing is easy but if you live in Thailand you NEED to change, ever taken a motorbike taxi ride in Bangkok on rush hour?

This is directed to all, my estimate over 50%, of regular user on TV who don't even live here (3 months/year does not count).

So don't complaint when asked to go to a funeral, asked to help to move a corpse on the road side, hear about monks meditation techniques, dig up few months buried corpses to give them a proper funeral, or seeing a low resolution pic of a dead person.

I never thought I would say it but, THAILAND is then not a place for you. And on my opinion TV is not place for those.

So simple.

Anyway what do we need to hide?

Edited November 29, 2007 by sonnyJ

[sonnyJ]

I would just like to further qualify my post above by saying I am non-judgmental of another's cultural beliefs. I would not say that the Thai value, that it is ok to portray death openly in the media, is wrong or shouldn't be done. I can respect, that on this issue, it is different from what many Westerners believe. I also don't advocate that they change it.

Like so many, many things in Thailand, it's not right or wrong, it's just different from the experiences of many on this forum, whose cultural beliefs I can also respect without being judgmental.

I also respect all living beings, though I enjoy a good steak every now and then now.

And I do respect cultures but as you might have noticed I'm very judgmental of some practices people around me do. Going to war with them is simply not in my nature. I'm in to weird/foreign cultures actually.

Guess I might have found more in Europe but it just didn't suit me.

Peace.

[sriracha john]

My statement above was made in deference to those on the forum that I know don't share my experiences and are understandably distressed by graphic photos that are common in the Thai media and so my comment was to serve as a qualifier to them before clinking on the link.

These feelings that others have are deeply-rooted in a lifetime of cultural values and to expect them to be easily changed, if ever, to something that is the polar opposite is unreasonable and short-sighted.

That is very thoughtful of you to inform of the graphic content of the pics. For those who , well just don't want to see bodies, dead, corpses.

But why is it necessary?

Why is it necessary to warn them or qualify a warning? Courtesy and respect.

Nothing is easy but if you live in Thailand you NEED to change, ever taken a motorbike taxi ride in Bangkok on rush hour?

While I might agree it is beneficial to modify one's squeamishness with the media style here, I can fully appreciate that it's not easy to undo a life-long mode of thinking. Yes, I have taken a motorbike taxi ride in Bangkok at rush hour.. but I don't get the connection.

This is directed to all, my estimate over 50%, of regular user on TV who don't even live here (3 months/year does not count).

I live here.

So don't complaint when asked to go to a funeral, asked to help to move a corpse on the road side, hear about monks meditation techniques, dig up few months buried corpses to give them a proper funeral, or seeing a low resolution pic of a dead person.

I don't they were complaining about the low resolution pic. It was I who simply made a comment that the media photo wasn't too graphic.

Perhaps we can have a mod's input on this, but I understand it's Thaivisa's policy not to post graphic photos on the board and if a link is provided to a website with graphic photos, that the post contains a warning as to the nature of the photo.

I never thought I would say it but, THAILAND is then not a place for you. And on my opinion TV is not place for those.

So simple.

Anyway what do we need to hide

I don't think people are hiding anything. I think you need to realize that people from different cultures have different cultural beliefs and "norms". These are not likely to change completely although they can be modified.

Anyway.... back to this specific thread with some important new clues:

Slain Japanese tourist's body returned home

The body of a Japanese tourist who was murdered in Sukhothai was sent home last night. Victim Tomoko Kawashita's parents and elder brother answered police questions in Sukhothai before taking a flight to Bangkok to pick up her body at the Forensic Medicine Institute. The body was put on a flight to Osaka last night. The couple told police that they did not believe their daughter would drink with a stranger. Tomoko, 27, was found with a high level of alcohol in her blood. Police said Tomoko drank coffee at a restaurant where she was last seen reading a travel book. They suspected the victim might have had a drink somewhere else before she was murdered. Yasuaki and Keko insisted their daughter was not a drinker, and rarely mixed with strangers. Crime Suppression police summoned a student for questioning and asked the student to identify a man seen with Tomoko, in a photo taken by a surveillance camera at the Nong Khai border checkpoint. Police are also looking for a Japanese man seen with her. Sukhothai police said human tissue found under Tomoko's fingernails was a key piece of evidence. Police yesterday raised their reward offer from 10,000 to 100,000 baht for clues leading to the arrest of a suspect. More than 100 Sukhothai police expanded their search of the crime scene to cover a 5km radius. Japanese ambassador to Thailand Hideki Kobayashi said he was keeping

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/30Nov2007_news11.php

Edited November 29, 2007 by sriracha john

[seonai]

Sonny LaoPo posted a very clear map of the site of the murder earlier - forget which page but it was a mountainous area with a Buddha image on the top... ???

[sriracha john]

100,000 Baht Bounty for Muderer of Japanese Female Tourist

Police issue a 100,000 baht reward for information leading to the arrest of suspects involved in the murder of a Japanese female tourist in Sukothai Province over the weekend.

The Sukothai Province police team, investigating the murder case of a Japanese female tourist Tomoko Kawashita, who was murdered in the Sukothai historical site, announced that the 100,000 baht reward is for information leading to the arrest of the murderer.

On Wednesday the parents of the deceased took the body of their daughter home. The Japanese couple joined in a religious ceremony, hosted for the spirit of their daughter at the historical site.

The father Yasuaki expressed that his family is in grief after the incident but understands that nobody wanted the murder to take place. He adds that his daughter traveled to Thailand as she was fascinated by the Loy Kratong Festival and she spent her own money for the trip. He hopes that the police will capture the murder suspect as soon as possible.

The Sukothai Police team, under the leadership of Provincial Police Chief, Police Lieutenant Major General Sirin Padungchivit, revealed that a team of more than 100 police officers are moving forward with the investigation.

The officer said the DNA test results for tissue of the murderer from the nails of the deceased should be available within two weeks.

The Sukothai Police chief states that presently, they have already received information that could possibly lead them to arrest the murderer. He says six local juveniles are under close watch as police crime records indicate their participation in crimes in the past which involved threatening tourists in the province.

- Thailand Outlook

[sonnyJ]

Sonny LaoPo posted a very clear map of the site of the murder earlier - forget which page but it was a mountainous area with a Buddha image on the top... ???

I must have missed that.

I thought had read every post.

[Nordlys]

Yes rape is under reported in Japan due to the cultural stygma of blaming the victim. BUT. My girlfriend and many of her friends/aqcuaintances in Thailand have never been assaulted or raped in their lives 20 to 40 years in Japan... but have mostly all at least been BEATEN and/or RAPED in Thailand.

Most of the Japanese friends/acuqiantances I and my family have known in Thailand have never been raped or assaulted/beaten anywhere, including my sister who has lived here for 18 years and my mother who's been here almost 40 years since her early 20's, but it is possible most don't come forward if they have.

I think most Japanese here will agree with you that Japan is generally safer than Thailand, but they probably think the same way in any other countries. And I don't think we haven't been sufficiently warned about what the risks are of getting involved in violent crimes (though we could still be naive). Most, if not all Japanese guidebooks devote much space in the precaution pages reporting numerous cases of actual crimes Japanese tourists have been targeted. Japanese embassy and consular offices in Thailand distribute free "safety guideline" handbook specific to Thailand. If you have UBC at home your GF probably knows NHK broadcasts travel warnings and reports recent cases of crimes involving Japanese tourist/expat, six times a day! (but not Thailand specific). I even received an email from the embassy the other day asking to excercise caution when a Japanese tourist/expat housewife had her bag snatched in front of the Four Season's Hotel.

It is well known among Japanese residents in Thailand that the Japanese Embassy here ranks No. 1 among all the Japanese diplomatic missions around the world in terms of the number of troubles reported and request for help received from tourists (far surpassing No. 2 by almost double), but most of these are common petty crimes like jewerly scam, gambling scam, baggage theft, etc. (mind you, this record has not been broken in the past ten years). Violent crimes involving Japanese visitors do seem to happen every year in Thailand (two backpackers in KSR shot to death last year) but they are rare. I think it can happen anywhere when you have 1.3 million of them (a year) visiting any country.

Yes rape is under reported in Japan due to the cultural stygma of blaming the victim.

I don't believe that's really the case any more.

Edited November 30, 2007 by Nordlys

[sonnyJ]

My statement above was made in deference to those on the forum that I know don't share my experiences and are understandably distressed by graphic photos that are common in the Thai media and so my comment was to serve as a qualifier to them before clinking on the link.

These feelings that others have are deeply-rooted in a lifetime of cultural values and to expect them to be easily changed, if ever, to something that is the polar opposite is unreasonable and short-sighted.

That is very thoughtful of you to inform of the graphic content of the pics. For those who , well just don't want to see bodies, dead, corpses.

But why is it necessary?

Why is it necessary to warn them or qualify a warning? Courtesy and respect.

Nothing is easy but if you live in Thailand you NEED to change, ever taken a motorbike taxi ride in Bangkok on rush hour?

While I might agree it is beneficial to modify one's squeamishness with the media style here, I can fully appreciate that it's not easy to undo a life-long mode of thinking. Yes, I have taken a motorbike taxi ride in Bangkok at rush hour.. but I don't get the connection.

This is directed to all, my estimate over 50%, of regular user on TV who don't even live here (3 months/year does not count).

I live here.

So don't complaint when asked to go to a funeral, asked to help to move a corpse on the road side, hear about monks meditation techniques, dig up few months buried corpses to give them a proper funeral, or seeing a low resolution pic of a dead person.

I don't they were complaining about the low resolution pic. It was I who simply made a comment that the media photo wasn't too graphic.

Perhaps we can have a mod's input on this, but I understand it's Thaivisa's policy not to post graphic photos on the board and if a link is provided to a website with graphic photos, that the post contains a warning as to the nature of the photo.

I never thought I would say it but, THAILAND is then not a place for you. And on my opinion TV is not place for those.

So simple.

Anyway what do we need to hide

I don't think people are hiding anything. I think you need to realize that people from different cultures have different cultural beliefs and "norms". These are not likely to change completely although they can be modified.

Anyway.... back to this specific thread with some important new clues:

Slain Japanese tourist's body returned home

The body of a Japanese tourist who was murdered in Sukhothai was sent home last night. Victim Tomoko Kawashita's parents and elder brother answered police questions in Sukhothai before taking a flight to Bangkok to pick up her body at the Forensic Medicine Institute. The body was put on a flight to Osaka last night. The couple told police that they did not believe their daughter would drink with a stranger. Tomoko, 27, was found with a high level of alcohol in her blood. Police said Tomoko drank coffee at a restaurant where she was last seen reading a travel book. They suspected the victim might have had a drink somewhere else before she was murdered. Yasuaki and Keko insisted their daughter was not a drinker, and rarely mixed with strangers. Crime Suppression police summoned a student for questioning and asked the student to identify a man seen with Tomoko, in a photo taken by a surveillance camera at the Nong Khai border checkpoint. Police are also looking for a Japanese man seen with her. Sukhothai police said human tissue found under Tomoko's fingernails was a key piece of evidence. Police yesterday raised their reward offer from 10,000 to 100,000 baht for clues leading to the arrest of a suspect. More than 100 Sukhothai police expanded their search of the crime scene to cover a 5km radius. Japanese ambassador to Thailand Hideki Kobayashi said he was keeping

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/30Nov2007_news11.php

I was never talking of a complete change of anyones world view. Only adaptation to the place where they choose to live. I know I'm off topic here, but this is an old topic and just mainly proves the westerners so well know hypocrisy. I am Scandinavian by the way if it matters. My country didn't colonialize anyone, if that matters. Still many back there are complete hypocrites if that matters. Well I am not. And I despise those people.

I don't see any new clues here in the article. She might have been drinking last night, many tourists do.

Edited November 30, 2007 by sonnyJ

[sriracha john]

I don't see any new clues here in the article.

"A high level of alcohol" in a non-drinker isn't unusual and a possible clue??

but anyway... perhaps you'll agree these are new clues...

Thai police find more clues in Japanese murder case

BANGKOK — Thai police are searching for a Japanese man who entered Thailand from Laos with a Japanese woman who was killed in the ancient Thai capital Sukhothai last weekend, police said Thursday.

Police said a picture from closed circuit television at the Nong Khai immigration checkpoint shows Tomoko Kawashita, the 27-year-old murder victim, entered Thailand at the Nong Khai provincial post with a Japanese man.

Police, however, refused to disclose the man's name or the date of entry in question. They plan to take the picture to show a group of students who were at Sukhothai Historical Park on Sunday morning to see if the photo matches with their recollection of a man the students said they saw at the park.

Police also said an autopsy showed Kawashita's alcohol level was higher than normal and unusual as her parents have said she did not like drinking.

- Japan Today

Edited November 30, 2007 by sriracha john

[DamianMavis]

Nordly, you are Japanese? You know there is a world of difference between a Japanese house wife in Thailand that stays in relative safety around her condo complex and with family ALL the time and a single Japanese business woman that has to travel the country by herself right? The people I know and hear about are not married to Japanese men and have to fend for themselves. And the only reason you are hearing about it is because I am blabbling about it now, they didnt report their experiences to anyone official, as most don't I am thinking, but they tell eachother... and as a result I hear about it through my girlfriend.

Damian

[sonnyJ]

I don't see any new clues here in the article.

"A high level of alcohol" in a non-drinker isn't unusual and a possible clue??

but anyway... perhaps you'll agree these are new clues...

Thai police find more clues in Japanese murder case

BANGKOK — Thai police are searching for a Japanese man who entered Thailand from Laos with a Japanese woman who was killed in the ancient Thai capital Sukhothai last weekend, police said Thursday.

Police said a picture from closed circuit television at the Nong Khai immigration checkpoint shows Tomoko Kawashita, the 27-year-old murder victim, entered Thailand at the Nong Khai provincial post with a Japanese man.

Police, however, refused to disclose the man's name or the date of entry in question. They plan to take the picture to show a group of students who were at Sukhothai Historical Park on Sunday morning to see if the photo matches with their recollection of a man the students said they saw at the park.

Police also said an autopsy showed Kawashita's alcohol level was higher than normal and unusual as her parents have said she did not like drinking.

- Japan Today

I always appreciate news up dates as I use TV as my primary source for Thailand related news. So Thanks again.

What I read from this is that maybe this Japanese guy was just next in line at the imm. More probable they met in Laos and decided travel together for a day or 2, thats what backpackers often do. No-one is saying this chap ever even went to Sukhotai. Some parents don't know that their little darling likes to drink and party. So she was drunk at the time of the murder, maybe. How is this relevant? Can you force someone to get drunk?

[seonai]

Found it post 113 Sonny

[ladyboythai]

The days of foreigners and farangs being the novelty guests here in Thailand are long gone I'm afraid.

The rot set in a good few years back.

It's a lot colder now and I don't mean the weather either.

Now we're seen more as an lower classed citizen and outsider. This mentality is what drives the bad folk who want our cash and will kill to get it.

I hope this asshol_e gets whats coming to him.

The part that they see us as lower class citizens is true, at least us farangs. But the stigma is not as bad as the British who migrated to Australia during the 1960's when the British economy was hooped. My parents moved to Canada during that time from the UK.

[seonai]

Can we keep this on topic please - with respect to the woman who died

[sonnyJ]

Found it post 113 Sonny

Cheers !

Talking bout Mr. Clifton on some serious sht?

Edited November 30, 2007 by sonnyJ

[kat]

Yes rape is under reported in Japan due to the cultural stygma of blaming the victim. BUT. My girlfriend and many of her friends/aqcuaintances in Thailand have never been assaulted or raped in their lives 20 to 40 years in Japan... but have mostly all at least been BEATEN and/or RAPED in Thailand.

Most of the Japanese friends/acuqiantances I and my family have known in Thailand have never been raped or assaulted/beaten anywhere, including my sister who has lived here for 18 years and my mother who's been here almost 40 years since her early 20's, but it is possible most don't come forward if they have.

I think most Japanese here will agree with you that Japan is generally safer than Thailand, but they probably think the same way in any other countries. And I don't think we haven't been sufficiently warned about what the risks are of getting involved in violent crimes (though we could still be naive). Most, if not all Japanese guidebooks devote much space in the precaution pages reporting numerous cases of actual crimes Japanese tourists have been targeted. Japanese embassy and consular offices in Thailand distribute free "safety guideline" handbook specific to Thailand. If you have UBC at home your GF probably knows NHK broadcasts travel warnings and reports recent cases of crimes involving Japanese tourist/expat, six times a day! (but not Thailand specific). I even received an email from the embassy the other day asking to excercise caution when a Japanese tourist/expat housewife had her bag snatched in front of the Four Season's Hotel.

It is well known among Japanese residents in Thailand that the Japanese Embassy here ranks No. 1 among all the Japanese diplomatic missions around the world in terms of the number of troubles reported and request for help received from tourists (far surpassing No. 2 by almost double), but most of these are common petty crimes like jewerly scam, gambling scam, baggage theft, etc. (mind you, this record has not been broken in the past ten years). Violent crimes involving Japanese visitors do seem to happen every year in Thailand (two backpackers in KSR shot to death last year) but they are rare. I think it can happen anywhere when you have 1.3 million of them (a year) visiting any country.

Yes rape is under reported in Japan due to the cultural stygma of blaming the victim.

I don't believe that's really the case any more.

You are right about the Japanese guidebooks; I traveled with a Japanese woman on one of those guidebooks through Malaysia and Indonesia. They were very good, but we still got severely harassed the whole way through Indonesia: I was robbed by a gang, she was bashing men in the head with soda cans who would touch her bare arms, we were almost gassed to death by a faulty heater, and the best advice we got came from a taxi driver, who told us not to take taxis. So, while I agree that the Japanese tour books go very much into depth about safety, there are limitations to all guide books.

Nordly, you are Japanese? You know there is a world of difference between a Japanese house wife in Thailand that stays in relative safety around her condo complex and with family ALL the time and a single Japanese business woman that has to travel the country by herself right? The people I know and hear about are not married to Japanese men and have to fend for themselves. And the only reason you are hearing about it is because I am blabbling about it now, they didnt report their experiences to anyone official, as most don't I am thinking, but they tell eachother... and as a result I hear about it through my girlfriend.

Damian

Yes, well posted. We can argue until we are blue in the face, but the fact remains: Thailand is more of a risk for some than others. And, it is not necessarily the fault of the others.

[Tony Clifton]

Found it post 113 Sonny

Cheers !

Talking bout Mr. Clifton on some serious sht?

?

[girlx]

I also disagreed with the hyperbole uttered that Thailand is not a safe place for a single woman to travel in. Really? As opposed to where?

though in some aspects i feel very safe in thailand, in others i feel less safe than in south america, where i am now, and NY, where i lived for 5 years. this is because of the reasons damien mentioned, which are being unable to predict thais as easily as westerners. thailand is generally touted as pretty safe, and people are not as on guard here as they are in more obviously dangerous places. also a certain demographic seems to be targeted more than others here, which i and some of my girl friends apparently fall into.

[Richard W]

The chance of being killed by someone waiting in the bush is peanuts I think. The police say it where in a remote area so the killer/robber must have a lucky day. I think more where killed somewhere else or followed by her visit to that area.

The area has a bit of a reputation:

Caution! Foreigners have been assaulted in the hills west of the old city. Be careful when travelling to this area.

A later post mentioned another attack in the area.

Wat Saphan Hin may be relatively isolated, but there is a steady dribble of visitors. While the feeble won't make it up the hill, even along the paved path from the road below, someone waiting at the top would not be visible to someone toiling up the hill.

[stateman]

Ive posted several times how Japanese women are targets in this country. My own girlfriend has been vicimised many times and her friends have been raped and or robbed. One left for dead on the side of the road, guess she should be thankful her throat wasn't slashed and she could recover after a 2 month hospital stay.

Damian

I want to share that in a news article recently. A Japanese woman was robbed while in bed and raped while her husband was back to Japan on a business visit. The servant from her own household was the accomplice who took her boyfriend to rob. She watched outside during the robbery. The man came out and let her know that he was going inside to rape the Japanese woman.

The news made a mention that rapist often feel Japanese are easy victim. They are submissive and don't fight. Western women were more vocal and would fight. No statistics were given - just a statement in passing.

I wish the Japenese Consulate and media can help publicize this fact to Japanese woman in Japan. Make sure Japanese woman don't travel alone. When need to, they should fight. Even if the first few who fight may lose, at least they will start to reverse a trend and perception. Hopefully they will later be perceived the same way as western women - thus spare some from being raped.

[sriracha john]

My statement above was made in deference to those on the forum that I know don't share my experiences and are understandably distressed by graphic photos that are common in the Thai media and so my comment was to serve as a qualifier to them before clinking on the link.

These feelings that others have are deeply-rooted in a lifetime of cultural values and to expect them to be easily changed, if ever, to something that is the polar opposite is unreasonable and short-sighted.

That is very thoughtful of you to inform of the graphic content of the pics. For those who, well just don't want to see bodies, dead, corpses.

But why is it necessary?

This is directed to all, my estimate over 50%, of regular user on TV who don't even live here (3 months/year does not count).

If I may briefly return to this point for a minute...

It's more like 80%....

which goes to show that it could be expected that many, indeed, most, forum posters will not be changing their life-long Western cultural values and I can respect that. If they're not here, they shouldn't be expected to change.

[sriracha john]

Tomoko, in her white coffin escorted by her family, bids farewell to Thailand.....

Thai Rath newspaper

Edited December 1, 2007 by sriracha john