Knife-wielding Intruder In Rawai

[MisterMan]

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Thai-Aussie couple survives fight with knife-wielding intruder

RAWAI: An Australian and his Thai girlfriend are both recovering from surgery at Bangkok Hospital Phuket after being attacked by a knife-wielding cat burglar in their home in Rawai early yesterday morning.

The Swiss-born Australian, a retired teacher who asked that his name and address not be published, said he and his girlfriend underwent surgery yesterday and were “slowly on the mend”.

“Somebody broke into the house – I don’t know how they got into the house – on Wednesday, between three and four in the morning,” the Aussie told the Gazette this afternoon in a telephone interview.

“We have two bedrooms. My girlfriend went to bed early and slept in one bedroom. Then I woke up and I could hear shouting. I thought maybe the television was on, but I couldn’t see any flickering.

“So I went out and I could see that the door was closed to the second bedroom. So I opened it and there was a man in a mask fighting with my girlfriend. I jumped in, and that’s how it all got started. She got stabbed and I got stabbed.”

A second man spotted outside the home may have been serving as a “lookout” for the burglar, he said.

The Aussie was slashed four times and stabbed once in the stomach.

His girlfriend, who owns the home they share, was stabbed in the back of the head, punched repeatedly and slashed on one of her hands, he said.

From her hospital bed, the 35-year-old girlfriend told the Gazette she awoke when the attacker closed the bedroom door.

“We never close the doors when we sleep, so the sound of the door closing woke me. When I tried to scream, the attacker put his hand over my mouth and held a box-cutter to my throat and punched me in the stomach,” she said.

The knife cut her neck open, but no major arteries were severed and she is recovering well, though she is still in a great deal of pain in the neck and stomach, she said.

“This is the first time anything like this has happened at my home and we have never had any conflicts with anyone before,” she added.

Doctors at the hospital said the couple could be released as early as tomorrow, her boyfriend said.

The Gazette has thus far been unable to confirm with Chalong Police that evidence collected at the scene included skin tissue of the attacker and his shoes, as reported in a Thai-language newspaper.

One officer was quoted in that report as saying that police believe the attacker was “probably a local youth looking for things to steal”.

Investigators were hard at work trying to track him down because the incident could have a bad effect on tourist confidence, the officer was quoted as saying.

However, Chalong Police Duty Officer Thienchai Duangsuwan, who arrived at the crime scene at about 5 am, told the Gazette that evidence from the scene included a fake gun, the cutter used to slice the victim’s throat and the balaclava the intruder was wearing.

As nothing was taken by the intruder, police now suspect the attack might not have been a simple case of a bungled robbery and will investigate other motives, he said.



Phuket Gazette

[G54]

Terrifying thing to happen anywhere and even more so at night. Let's hope they catch him before someone is murdered.

Speedy recovery to both in hospital. Though the mental scars may take a lot longer to heal.

[LivinLOS]

The apologists will be along any second to say that this kind of thing happens all the time in sleepy rural villages back home.. Or that they probably did something to cause offense and it was somehow thier fault.

[Boo]

Wow what a scarey situation. I hope they both recover quickly

On a side note, is there any chance that the pattaya newspapers could entice whoever wrote this peice to freelance as their proofreader, the difference in reporting & written styles is immense

[donna]

what a horrific story. lets hope the intruder copped a few beauties with the knife too.

i wish the victims a speedy recovery.

sheesh. youd think you would be safe in your own home!

[imaneggspurt]

Nothing like stating the obvious ! One officer was quoted in that report as saying that police believe the attacker was “probably a local youth looking for things to steal”.

[MisterMan]

"As nothing was taken by the intruder, police now suspect the attack might not have been a simple case of a bungled robbery and will investigate other motives, he said."

Am I the only one who wonders "how anything could be taken?" Was the intruder going to rummage for the mobile phone on his way out?

[petitechevre]

Am i the only one bothered by the fact that they are 'together' but they sleep in different bedrooms every night?

looks fishy.. ESPECIALY for thailand

[zorro1]

Am i the only one bothered by the fact that they are 'together' but they sleep in different bedrooms every night?

looks fishy.. ESPECIALY for thailand

No

Edited September 11, 2008 by zorro1

[F1fanatic]

Am i the only one bothered by the fact that they are 'together' but they sleep in different bedrooms every night?

looks fishy.. ESPECIALY for thailand

No

I agree, looks v odd.

Is there a source for this story please?

[steelepulse]

Could well be one of those cases, where they prefer their own rooms.  A "retired" teacher, who well could be a heavy snoring person getting up there in age and stamina,  and his 35 year old gf just might decide that this is the best for the relationship.  Maybe the teacher didn't want to have any heart ailments, so staying in different rooms 5 nights a week ( my conjecture) is the best thing for the relationship.

 But getting back on topic, sketchy that someone came into their house, but why didn't the residents have some sort of alarm whether it be a dog, a motion detector or something?

Everyone needs some sort of protection in their home.

[MisterMan]

Am i the only one bothered by the fact that they are 'together' but they sleep in different bedrooms every night?

looks fishy.. ESPECIALY for thailand

No

I agree, looks v odd.

Is there a source for this story please?

Yes at the bottom ..

Phuket Gazette

www.phuketgazette.net (or com)

[petitechevre]

sort of envy him..

so <deleted> annoying when i just want to fall asleep watching one of my dvds.. she just sit next to me getting mad because i turn my back to her or i 'dont wanna talk'...

how did he achieve sleeping alone.

[Yahooka]

One officer was quoted in that report as saying that police believe the attacker was "probably a local youth looking for things to steal".

It seems like the days of the "good old" burmese bashing are gone,then !!

[jackyseymour]

Am i the only one bothered by the fact that they are 'together' but they sleep in different bedrooms every night?

looks fishy.. ESPECIALY for thailand

No

I agree, looks v odd.

Is there a source for this story please?

Why on earth does it 'look very odd'?! Are you attempting to lead us to believe that purely because two people, who may be 'romantically' connected, choose to sleep in separate rooms, for whatever reasons, much like the English Queen and her consort by the way, along with most of the aristocracy, that there must be some sort of conspiracy involving, of course the Thai partner? Do get a grip on a reality outside your bourgoise little experience of life. Truly sad.

[petitechevre]

Am i the only one bothered by the fact that they are 'together' but they sleep in different bedrooms every night?

looks fishy.. ESPECIALY for thailand

No

I agree, looks v odd.

Is there a source for this story please?

Why on earth does it 'look very odd'?! Are you attempting to lead us to believe that purely because two people, who may be 'romantically' connected, choose to sleep in separate rooms, for whatever reasons, much like the English Queen and her consort by the way, along with most of the aristocracy, that there must be some sort of conspiracy involving, of course the Thai partner? Do get a grip on a reality outside your bourgoise little experience of life. Truly sad.

an english teacher in thailand is everything but a bourgeois.

99.999999% of them came to thailand because they were dirt poor and couldnt get laid.. so its weird to see one of them not getting some when hes living with her

[Sir Burr]

Just because you don't share beds, doesn't mean you aren't getting any.

Many people find they sleep better without someone next to them tossing, turning and farting.

Oh yeah, little goat. Nice generilization about teachers. How the <deleted> would you know?

[Heng]

Sometimes it's a good idea to lock your interior doors as well. It's a give and take between the fire hazard issue and waking up with an armed intruder in your bedroom. I lock ours just out of habit (lingering childhood paranoia issue from when we got regular death threats from a local Vietnamese gang for not paying protection money back in Texas), as we have smoke detectors installed in all rooms. If it's just you and the wife and you hear someone trying to open the door in the middle of the night, you can get ready for it.

[petitechevre]

Just because you don't share beds, doesn't mean you aren't getting any.

Many people find they sleep better without someone next to them tossing, turning and farting.

Oh yeah, little goat. Nice generilization about teachers. How the <deleted> would you know?

Even stickman one of the biggest loser in thailand knows that...

Find me one respectable not dirtpoor ENGLISH TEACHER.

each i met (or heard about)were 100times worse than backpackers

Only one i like is one that teaches french, isnt poor/old/fat and has a masters degree and is just enjoying life in thailand.. not many of them are like that

[Sir Burr]

So Little Goat, you equate success with money?

You are one sad specimen.

Is there a village in France missing its idiot?

Edited September 12, 2008 by Sir Burr

[JetsetBkk]

...Is there a village in France missing its idiot?

More like: "Is there another forum, missing it's mod?"

[huggybear]

Is there a village in France missing its idiot?

quite obviously yes, and we're left to suffer the consequences

[Ping]

Perhaps little goat should post the remarks/opinions in the teaching sub-forum...

[donna]

perhaps you should all stick to the topic at hand which is, for those who have forgotten: Knife-wielding Intruder In Rawai, Terrible news

enough debating why they are in separate beds. get over it. basically, although it has been reported in the newspaper, but its not anyones business, and nor is it the point of this thread.

[geriatrickid]

"As nothing was taken by the intruder, police now suspect the attack might not have been a simple case of a bungled robbery and will investigate other motives, he said."

Am I the only one who wonders "how anything could be taken?" Was the intruder going to rummage for the mobile phone on his way out?

Agreed and a terrible supposition (or reporting). Horrible story and I hope the couple's physical and emotional wounds heal quickly.

an english teacher in thailand is everything but a bourgeois.99.999999% of them came to thailand because they were dirt poor and couldnt get laid.. so its weird to see one of them not getting some when hes living with her

Please note that the gentleman was RETIRED. He was most likely living on his pensions and savings which can be decent if one has been in the system long enough. His former occupation has no bearing on the crime. As for this nonsense about separate bedrooms, it's no one's business. Plenty of people do that, including me. I had a girlfriend that was allergic to my cat and hated my snoring, and didn't like icy cold AC. She'd often go sleep on the sofa.

[lordofdelusion]

Investigators were hard at work trying to track him down because the incident could have a bad effect on tourist confidence, the officer was quoted as saying.

Well at least they have their priorities right! People almost murdered in their home but we wouldn't want the sale of t-shirts to suffer.

My personal confidence in the police couldn't be any worse. Keep a machete by the bed and axes, hammers, spears and the like all over the house. That's your only real protection.

[huggybear]

May I give a shout out and thank you to MaximumSecurity for not jumping in here with his pitch.

I thought for sure he'd be in on this thread.

I think the lesson to be learned from this thread is to do your best with your home security ( BIG DOGS) and unless you own a firearm (registered to the Thai Mrs.) it's best you let the intruders come and go so as to not end up dead.

[lordofdelusion]

http://www.phuketgazette.net/dailynews/index.asp?id=6800

Despite my earlier comment on the police, I like this new General. He has done nothing but kick a$$ and take names since arriving. Isn't afraid that someone might lose face. Calls them out publicly. Think I'll invite this guy for dinner!

[thefalang]

For those of you who aren't preoccupied with the fact that they weren't sleeping together....

I live very close to their house and the Thai woman happens to be a friend of my girlfriend. The woman was beaten so bad that she currently cannot take care of herself. Whoever did this has little regards for human life.

There was reportedly another incident on Soi Hua Phru, just 200-300 meters away this week whereas a German man and his Thai girlfriend were attacked in the same manner. It is reported that the woman 's throat was cut and she died. I can not find the story but all the Thais in this area seem to be aware of what happened. I'm wondering if the story is true and if so, why hasn't it been in the media.

The Rawai-Nai Harn area has become a dangerous place to live. I've been here over 15-years and almost everyone of my long-time friends who don't have dogs have been burglared. The Chalong police are useless and have refused to assist foreigners who have been robbed even when the foreigner has taken the robber (who confessed to the crime) into the Chalong police station.

The situation will only get better when enough people say "that's enough"....

[steelepulse]

Sorry to hear that.  I hope those rumors are incorrect.

>>and almost everyone of my long-time friends who don't have dogs have been burglared.

Sounds like a good idea everyone either adopts a dog from the soi dog foundation, or gets themselves a dog from somewhere.  On my soi every house has dogs and I have not heard of one attempted break in.  Most burglars, like water, will take the path of least resistance.