20 Sleeping Tourists Robbed

[sriracha john]

20 sleeping tourists robbed

AYUTTHAYA : Twenty foreign tourists were robbed in their sleep on a bus and awoke to find they had been left in the middle of nowhere in Bang Pa-in district early yesterday morning. Local police came to help the tourists from Europe and the US after four bus crew stole their belongings and abandoned the bus after parking it on the side of the Asian Highway about 6am.

The victims said they took the bus from Chiang Mai to Bangkok on Sunday night with four male staff, including the driver. Exhausted by the trip, the tourists fell asleep during the night, unaware of the plot to steal their belongings. It was believed the driver stopped the bus by the roadside early in the morning and the crew stole valuables, laptop computers, cameras, hand-held game consoles, and cash from seven bags, totalling more than 150,000 baht, before fleeing. Police contacted a tour agency on Khao San road where the tourists bought their package deals. The agency did not manage the bus in question, but had outsourced to a bus company. The outsourced bus owner, Sirada Boonme, 26, said the bus belonged to her father's company. After hours of negotiations with the tourists, she agreed to pay compensation of half the amount that had been stolen in cash and the rest by bank transfer. She refused to give any details about the bus staff. Police suspected Sirada's father might be one of

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.net/251108_News/25Nov2008_news13.php

[0Mix1up]

so they got away with half?

how did not one person wake?

[Dakhar]

so they got away with half?

how did not one person wake?

It is probably for the better they did not wake, or they did not want to admitt a group of guys weighing in at 87lbs each robbed them blind.

[Plus]

They probably took the stuff from luggage compartment rather than from "carry on", people would have no idea what was going on.

[Heng]

Sleeping gas? (ala the current home burgling trend).

[Who, me ?]

so compensation, and that's it ???

Well, that the harsh punishment ....sure they won't do it again

[geriatrickid]

150,000 baht from 7 bags? 3400 Euro, $4400. Not much of a theft. Sure it sucks, but hardly a catastrophe. Probably took all of 10 minutes. Doesn't seem worth it.

[donna]

stories like this disgust me.

[QED]

20 sleeping tourists robbed

//Snip// After hours of negotiations with the tourists, she agreed to pay compensation of half the amount that had been stolen in cash and the rest by bank transfer. She refused to give any details about the bus staff. Police suspected Sirada's father might be one of

so they got away with half?

how did not one person wake?

No, she has agreed full compensation, but they still have escaped any kind of prosecution by the sounds of it.

[robee]

stories like this disgust me.

ditto, this kind of story gets attention and adversely affects tourism

[animatic]

Yes, disgusting,

and seems so far the actual culprits are getting away with it.

Even if her father was part of it and the bus company pays 1/2 in cash up front,

but you think that wire transfer to home is gonna happen....

[robee]

so compensation, and that's it ???

Well, that the harsh punishment ....sure they won't do it again

when the criminals find out that crime pays with minimal repercussions this could be popular like robbing trains was a century ago

[imaneggspurt]

Im just waiting for all the thai defenders coming over the hill shouting " oh this can happen in the USA UK etc blah blah blah !

[cali4995]

I NEVER put my bag in the storage compartment with the "public" luggage. Keep it at your feet

or when sleeping on your lap. I can't imagine anything more disheartening then to have your

belongings stolen while half-way across the planet from home. Allowing these criminals to get

away with this with only a slap-on-the-wrist just perpetuates all this foolishness. These bad eggs

continue to destroy Thailand's reputation as a tourist destination just to steal a few quick bucks.

[robee]

Im just waiting for all the thai defenders coming over the hill shouting " oh this can happen in the USA UK etc blah blah blah !

good point, and we know it does... just hate to see it happen when i see my thai friend not making much money from tourists these days

[dingdongrb]

Im just waiting for all the thai defenders coming over the hill shouting " oh this can happen in the USA UK etc blah blah blah !

In Canada they just take your head and not your luggage......

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/sto...y/National/home

I would prefer to have some of my valuables missing to be honest.....

[londonthai]

abandoned the bus after parking it on the side of the Asian Highway

sell the bus and throw the free party for the whole khaosan rd

[sriracha john]

AYUTTHAYA : Twenty foreign tourists were robbed in their sleep on a bus and awoke to find they had been left in the middle of nowhere

I can't imagine anything more disheartening then to have your belongings stolen while half-way across the planet from home.

and even worse to discover it in such a very unsettling manner... waking up to find you and your group abandoned by the roadside with no one and nothing around.....

Allowing these criminals to get away with this with only a slap-on-the-wrist just perpetuates all this foolishness. These bad eggs

continue to destroy Thailand's reputation as a tourist destination just to steal a few quick bucks.

Will TAT be advertising this as a "Thai Adventure Tour" in some glossy brochure (contracted for and produced by the TAT Governor's brother's company)?

Edited November 25, 2008 by sriracha john

[StevieH]

They probably took the stuff from luggage compartment rather than from "carry on", people would have no idea what was going on.

friend of mine was on an overnight bus trip a few months back and awoke at about 2am to find two little fellas going through the passengers' hand luggage. she shouted out to wake everyone up and the two chaps were accosted and relieved of ipods, mobile phones, cameras etc. cheeky sods then just sat there for the rest of the journey as if they hadn't been doing anything wrong and then when police were called at the bangkok end denied the whole thing.

[gmac]

so compensation, and that's it ???

Well, that the harsh punishment ....sure they won't do it again

when the criminals find out that crime pays with minimal repercussions this could be popular like robbing trains was a century ago

Yes, it's a pretty attractive deal isn't it? Get caught and just have to give back what you took, get away with it and you're free and clear! When this news gets out the criminals will will be queuing up for jobs 'on the buses'!

[robee]

abandoned the bus after parking it on the side of the Asian Highway

sell the bus and throw the free party for the whole khaosan rd

i'm there

[champee]

How is it that the Bus's owner Sirada Boonme, 26 refuses to provide the names of the 4 thieves in her employ..Shouldn't she be arrested for hindering a police investigation?

[sriracha john]

The agency did not manage the bus in question, but had outsourced to a bus company. The outsourced bus owner, Sirada Boonme, 26, said the bus belonged to her father's company.

This falls within the range of an oft-encountered transliteration difference...

Boonmee Transport, Ltd. Particulars

[bonnylad]

AYUTTHAYA : Twenty foreign tourists were robbed in their sleep on a bus and awoke to find they had been left in the middle of nowhere

I can't imagine anything more disheartening then to have your belongings stolen while half-way across the planet from home.

and even worse to discover it in such a very unsettling manner... waking up to find you and your group abandoned by the roadside with no one and nothing around.....

Allowing these criminals to get away with this with only a slap-on-the-wrist just perpetuates all this foolishness. These bad eggs

continue to destroy Thailand's reputation as a tourist destination just to steal a few quick bucks.

Will TAT be advertising this as a "Thai Adventure Tour" in some glossy brochure (contracted for and produced by the TAT Governor's brother's company)?

Been reading stories like this for 20yrs and the Embassies do nothing to warn they citizens about the dangers of going to Thailand.

Reg Varney

[BlackArtemis]

Without reading all the replies:

Sometimes they slip drugs into those free cokes.

Also, if you put your laptop, game, wallet, etc under the bus or ANYWHERE where you can't feel it being taken from you, well then you deserve what happens to you. Travel safe and use common sense.

[Daffietje]

I just don't get it...tourism is one of the main income for Thailand...governement should protect this by punishing criminals like this...many people are allready 'afraid' to travel to Thailand with what happened a few weeks ago in Bangkok?!

[markokang]

How is it that the Bus's owner Sirada Boonme, 26 refuses to provide the names of the 4 thieves in her employ..Shouldn't she be arrested for hindering a police investigation?

No, because she is actually paying the police more than the tourists! lol

And, do they really believe that they will get the rest of the money transfered!? lol

[dageshi]

Standard procedure would be something like this, driver drives like a maniac for two or three hours in the early morning, keeps everyone rattling around so they can't sleep properly, the moment they pull over for a break, which happens fairly regularly on these buses everyone falls alseep like a log since it's the first time they've been still in 3 hours.

The crew then raid the luggage hold.

On the otherhand anyone with any sense whatsoever should know to carry all their remotely stealable stuff in a seperate bag which they keep with them, for the massively paranoid they should bike lock it to their chair e.t.c

I can only image though that as the tourism economy gets worse stuff like this will increase, unfortunate but true.

[bangkapiboy]

I sure as hel_l will not be taking any Khao San Rd buses!

[mrjohn]

For years now on other websites (particularly the backpacker oriented ones, if not this one) people have reported thefts on private buses.

Why on earth anyone seems to think it is necessary to book a "package" on Khao Saan Road of all places is beyond me.

Feel free to correct me if I am wrong, but I have never heard of this sort of thing happening on the scheduled Govt run transport system.

So to all those who are new to this country; Thailand is still very safe and relatively crime free but you increase the risk by dealing with some of the "agents" who prey on vulnerable tourists.

Travel on scheduled Thai transport like Thais and I am sure you will have no problems.