"dad Doesn't Love Me" : Forlorn Keigo Zato By The Nation Published On May 18, 2009

[mc2]

"Dad doesn't love me," he said yesterday. He has yet to receive any call from his father in Japan.

Growing up with his aunt in Phichit, Keigo has long wished to hug his father.

Keigo's dream almost came true when his search for his father, using a photo, caught media attention and the Japanese embassy in Bangkok agreed to help.

However, the boy was finally told that his father felt uncomfortable with all the publicity and would not rush to meet Keigo.

"I just want Dad to come to me fast. I don't want anything else from you. I don't want your money … Please let me hug you. … I want to have a father like all the other kids. And I want my friends to stop teasing me for being a love child," he said.

cont. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2009/05/18...al_30102881.php

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/'>

Edited May 18, 2009 by mc2

[scorecard]

"Dad doesn't love me," he said yesterday. He has yet to receive any call from his father in Japan.

Growing up with his aunt in Phichit, Keigo has long wished to hug his father.

Keigo's dream almost came true when his search for his father, using a photo, caught media attention and the Japanese embassy in Bangkok agreed to help.

However, the boy was finally told that his father felt uncomfortable with all the publicity and would not rush to meet Keigo.

"I just want Dad to come to me fast. I don't want anything else from you. I don't want your money … Please let me hug you. … I want to have a father like all the other kids. And I want my friends to stop teasing me for being a love child," he said.

cont. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2009/05/18...al_30102881.php

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/'>

This is a sad case and unfortunately there are millions more just like this all over the world.

Now that the father has been found I hope the Thai autoorities learn something.

It seemed obvious that this case had about three very different possible results:

1. Dad rushes to meet son and takes son to live with him forever and a very happy ending for the little boy (but lets not forget the local relatives who have nurtured and loved this little one for quite a few years).

2. Dad talks to son, but doesn't take son, but makes long-term arrangement for good education and living arrangements for the boy.

3. Dad simply not interetsed. Maybe dad already has family situation in Japan and Japanes wife doesn't know anything about his Thailand 'adventures' and dad wants it all kept very secret.

It seems the result is very likely no. 3.

The Thai authorities in charge of this case hopefully have a professional welfare background and should have known to keep this low-key and to protect and prepare the little boy as much as possible for the possibility of a negative result.

I just wonder whether high ranking officials deliberately got into this case looking for a photo-op, and with no professional though whatever about the best way to handle such a sensative issue.

[JohnGotti]

Wow, it was so kind of those reporters to blow this thing up with out first checking with the father.

[johna]

This kid will not be accepted into Japanese society, so the best he can hope for is the farther will live up to his responsibility's.

[ukrules]

This kid will not be accepted into Japanese society, so the best he can hope for is the farther will live up to his responsibility's.

Why not, are the Japanese not a most hospitable people ?

[Scott]

I had read somewhere that the mother died of AIDS-related illness. I would guess there is a good chance the father may be infected as well--but that is only speculation.

This whole sad situation will probably not have a happy conclusion--at least not emotionally. This was a guy who took up with a bar girl and they managed to have a kid, which both of them more or less abandoned. The father has made no attempt to contact his son. These were some emotional-stunted people, for whatever reasons, and now there is a sad and lonely boy who is the recipient of an accumulation of wrongs.

Best of luck to the boy.

[MeetJohnDoe]

Mom ran away from home when she was a teenager and worked as a sex-worker in Bangkok. That is where she met the father of her child. She and the father had a temple wedding upcountry. She subsequently died of HIV-AIDS and the boy has been living with poor Thai relations upcountry since then.

Sad but not unusual story in Thailand (or anywhere where sex-work is prevalent). Maybe the father will be persuaded to make some child-support arrangements until the boy at least reaches 18.

[mc2]

Good school day for Thai-Japanese boy

First day at school for the Japanese-Thai boy, Keigo Sato, was a success as his fellow students welcomed him with open arms and Naresuan University offered to arrange for translators should the boy's Japanese father come to visit.

Riding his new bicycle, donated by the Phichit Red Cross Society's president, to Anubal Muang School a kilometer away yesterday, the nine-year-old said he was excited about making new friends at his Prathom 4 No 1 classroom - meant for students with good academic performance. His classmates too were very interested because the boy's quest to find his father has been making the headlines.

The boy's aunt, Patama Jutupit, said she expected the Japanese Embassy to contact her about arranging a meeting with Keigo's father Kutzumi at Phichit City Hall.

Naresuan University's president Sujin Jinayon said Asst Prof Taiitsu Oba and Dr Sopa Mazunari from the humanities faculty would help Keigo communicate with his father and that they would arrange the day and time of the meeting with the provincial governor.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2009/05/19...al_30102964.php

-- The Nation 2009/05/19

[scorecard]

This kid will not be accepted into Japanese society, so the best he can hope for is the farther will live up to his responsibility's.

Why not, are the Japanese not a most hospitable people ?

"Hospitable people".

Definitely NO. Non Japanese and half Japanese are not welcome in Japan, I know, I worked there for year, rudest and most arrogant people ever. Japanese co-workers went out of their way continuously to show me and other non Japanese colleagues that we were very not welcome.

The bottom line seems to be:

- The father of this little boy seems to not want any publicity, and that's his perogative.

- But whether father will accept some responsibility remains to be seen.

- What's always possible is that he doesn't have the means to support his Thai son. Really bad news.

Just wondering whether we might see a local Japanese business group or Japanese company step up and offer some assistance to this youngster for the sake of the Japanese image.

[ajarnpim]

The Japanese have perfected good manners and made them indistinguishable from rudeness.

Paul Theroux

[medegen]

How about they report on the 2 Thai/Farang kids on Sukhumvit rd. I saw them around Asoke. Maybe some of you might have seen them. They try to wash your windows or sell you something while youre waiting at the light. They are maybe 10 years old. Most likely far worse off than this kid. Pretty sure these kids dont even go to school. Anyone know what im talking about?

Edited May 19, 2009 by medegen

[WaiWai]

No, such stories are by no means exceptional in Thailand.

Poor kid.

Am I alone in thinking there's a great deal of family manipulation happening here? Media connections?

If so, doubly poor kid .

[HagenvonTronje]

did someone followed that story from the beginning?

i only ever saw the headlines but how the case develped was interesting. and as the first news came up Official dismissed huh! whats going on here. and what when this case become a a precedent. i am sure this young boy isn't the only half-blood (NNT) child where just a name and a photo of a father exist.

and why was this search for the dad in all public? that wasn't such much necessary to track him down. the boy got for a very short frame of time support and much to much attention. a nationwide 'feel god, happy end' story. okay we can not catch thaksin, but we can track down anonymous japanese daddys?

the FM also take care for a little poor dek wat?

Time line:

12.05.

Foreign Ministry to help find father of Thai-Japanese boy NATIONAL NEWS BUREAU (NNT)

Foreign Ministry had assigned the Thai Embassy in Japan and related agencies to find the father of a Thai-Japanese boy residing in the central province of Phichit. ...The boy was found in front of Wat Thaluang, a temple in Phichit, carrying a photo of a man while asking Japanese tourists if they knew the man in the picture, who the boy referred to as 'Katsumi' and claimed to be his own father. The boy said it was the will of his mother, who passed away from illness in the very beginning of April, to locate his father, whom he had never seen before. (click)

Hope springs eternal in search for Dad BANGKOK POST

Although a faded photograph is the only evidence nine-year-old Keigo Zato has of his Japanese father's existence, the little boy never gives up hope in the search for his lost dad.

Each time a coach packed with tourists stops at Wat Tha Luang in Muang district of Phichit, Keigo shows his picture and bombards visitors with questions about his father. click

Kasit instructs Foreign Ministry officials to help Japanese-Thai locate father THE NATION

Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya has instructed Foreign Ministry officials to help a Japanese-Thai boy locate his Japanese father, the ministry's spokesman said Tuesday... click

Help needed for Japanese-Thai boy to locate father THE NATION (extended version, has pic of Daddy)

Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya has instructed Foreign Ministry officials to help a Japanese-Thai boy locate his Japanese father, ministry's spokesman Tharit Jarungwat said Tuesday.....Phichit Governor Somchai Hathayatanti visited the boy Tuesday and gave him Bt5,000 and promised to coordinate with the Thai embassy in Japan and the Immigration Bureau to locate his father. click

13.05.

HM Queen expresses concerns over Thai-Japanese boy’s search for father NATIONAL NEWS BUREAU (NNT)

PHICHIT, 13 May 2009 (NNT) – Her Majesty the Queen was concerned over the search for the father of a Thai-Japanese boy Keigo Sato after the boy was found asking for his father in front of Wat Thaluang in the Central province of Phichit. ... click

Foreign Minister confident to track information of Japanese father of the half-blood boy in Phichit NATIONAL NEWS BUREAU (NNT)

Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya is confident a Thai-Japanese half-blood boy’s father can be tracked after nine years. ... click

Thais rally to help find boy's father BANGKOK POST

Yesterday's heart-rending Bangkok Post story of nine-year-old Keigo Zato who is searching for his lost Japanese father has prompted a flood of support.

Some offered promises of a decent education for the boy while others said they might have missing pieces to the puzzle which holds the key to the discovery of his dad,... click

14.05.

Thai-Japanese boy grateful to HM the Queen NATIONAL NEWS BUREAU (NNT)

Keigo Sato, the Thai-Japanese boy expressed his gratefulness to Her Majesty the Queen for her concerns over his life amid great interest by the Japanese media to help him locate his Japanese father. click

Trapped in a harsh reality BANGKOK POST

It is a heart-rending sight: a 9-year-old boy chasing after Japanese tourists, showing them a photograph of his Japanese father, hoping someone knows the man and can help reunite them. ... click

Queen shows concern for nine-year-old BANGKOK POST

PHICHIT : Her Majesty the Queen has expressed concern for nine-year-old Keigo Zato in his search for his lost Japanese father. ... click

15.05.

Social Development Official in Phichit transferred over Thai boy's father search NATIONAL NEWS BUREAU (NNT)

The Phichit provincial social development and human security chief has been transferred due to his failure to help a 9-year-old boy search for his Japanese father. ... click

Official punished for not helping orphan BANGKOK POST

The head of the Phichit Provincial Social Development and Human Security Office was suddenly transferred to Buri Ram on Friday for his failure to help an orphaned boy looking for his long-lost Japanese father. click

A nine-year-old boy in Phichit gets help in the search for his Japanese father THE NATION

Japanese newsmen have travelled to Wat Tha Luang in Phichit's Muang district to cover nineyearold Keigo Sato's search for his Japanese father, Katzumi. .. click

16.05.

Thai-Japanese boy's dad found in Japan NATIONAL NEWS BUREAU (NNT)

A nine-year-old boy’s father was discovered after the boy has been searching for his lost Japanese father for years. ... click

Regional official loses job for ignoring Keigo's plight BANGKOK POST

A senior official has been moved to an inactive post after being accused of not doing enough to help nine-year-old Keigo Zato in his search for his Japanese father. ... click

Orphan boy's Japanese father found BANGKOK POST

The Japanese embassy in Thailand reported to Thai officials orphan boy Keigo Zato’s long-lost Japanese father has been found. click

Thai boy cries, saying Japanese father cannot meet him THE NATION

Nine-year-old Keigo Zatoh cried and said 'dad doesn't love me' when hearing about his Japanese father Saturday. ... click

Half-Thai boy's Japanese father will call him Saturday afternoon: Pichit governor THE NATION

Phichit Governor Somchai Hathayatanti said the Japanese father of half-Thai boy, Keigo Zatoh, will call him during a press conference Saturday afternoon. ... click

Official in row over boy's search for dad is moved THE NATION

The chief of the provincial Social Development and Human Security office in Phichit was yesterday transferred away, reportedly for his yearlong failure to help a Thai boy seek his longlost Japanese father. ... click

17.05.

Air tickets sponsored for Thai-Japanese boy to meet father NATIONAL NEWS BUREAU (NNT)

A company lightens up hope for the Thai-Japanese boy, Keigo Sato, to meet with his father by sponsoring him with return air tickets to Japan after it was discovered that his father could not travel to Thailand. click

KEIGO FINDS HIS FATHER BANGKOK POST

Keigo Zato has talked to his long-lost father Katzumi Zato over the phone but they will not be reunited any time soon. ... click

18.05.

"Dad doesn't love me" : forlorn Keigo Zato THE NATION

Nineyearold Keigo Zato, who lost his Thai mother to a long illness, appeared crestfallen upon learning that his recently found Japanese father would not come to see him anytime soon. ... click

19.05.

Japanese father wishes to have private talk with his son THE NATION

Japanese father of a nine-year-old boy in Phichit already contacted Japanese Embassy in Bangkok and asked to have personal talk with his son, Phichit Governor Somchai Hatayatani said Tuesday. ... click

Japanese father wants to have private talk with his son THE NATION

A Japanese father of a nine-year-old boy in Phichit already contacted Japanese Embassy in Bangkok and asked to have personal talk with his son, Phichit Governor ... click

Good school day for Thai-Japanese boy THE NATION

First day at school for the Japanese-Thai boy, Keigo Sato, was a success as his fellow students welcomed him with open arms and Naresuan University offered to arrange for translators should the boy's Japanese father come to visit ... click

Media pleaded to stop focusing attention on Thai-Japanese boy NATIONAL NEWS BUREAU (NNT)

Medical doctor pleaded media not to put too much attention on Keigo Sato, a Thai-Japanese boy, citing that it would put pressure on the boy and his father rather than help them meet each other. ... click

Thai-Japanese boy accepted by his father NATIONAL NEWS BUREAU (NNT)

Mr. Katzumi Sato, the father of the Thai-Japanese boy has accepted the boy as his son, pleading media not to focus too much attention on their personal lives. ... click

.

.

.

phew. i am think i miss a couple of news and did concentrate only on the 3 media agencies. if someone want to add more, fell free to do so, add any other headlines i had missed, write them in between and maybe format my text as well to have a look that is more compact. (less is more) so that there is an updated version of this one week of media frenzy.

are there some thoughts on the half-word? half-blood and half-thai. for myself the use of the therm half-blood i would avoid as journalist or publisher. but with the a 50/50 nationality, cultural background, or double nationality is it IMO different.

call him half-thai i would consider as inadequate wording. it's segeration, but call him half-japanese wouldn't be a problem for me, think of it as a value add, he has something more, additional, but that maybe hurt feelings too.

that half word can have the meaning, sorry you are not 100% one of us, a "he is half-of-us" wording very questionable. and "he-is-half-of-the-others" wording can have a negative but also a positive intention. is there are rule of being pc and polite?

[HagenvonTronje]

search for daddy case II, is that the beginning of a new hub?

.............

Thai teenage girl looks seeks media's help to locate Japanese father

Published on May 20, 2009

A Thai teenage girl and her mother Wednesday sought help from the media to locate her Japanese father who lost touch since she was 3 years old.

Narumi Hamada, 18, and her mother, Sangwan Bamrung, 44, a resident of Chiang Mai's Sansai district, held a press conference to beg the media to help locate Ryuiji Hamada, 45.

Sangwan told reporters that she met Hamada in 1986 and Hamada stopped contacting her when their daughter was 3 years old.

She said she demanded nothing from the Japanese man but simply want her daughter to meet the dad.

She said if Hamada is re-married and does not want to contact his Thai daughter, it will be OK.

Narumi said she simply misses her father and wants to meet him once.

The Nation

-- The Nation Published on May 20, 2009

article here

[Augustus]

This kid will not be accepted into Japanese society, so the best he can hope for is the farther will live up to his responsibility's.

Why not, are the Japanese not a most hospitable people ?

They can be very bigoted sometimes. But overall I did enjoy my times there in the land of the rising sun.

[HagenvonTronje]

#3

...............

A stateless boy in Chiang Mai seeks help to locate Japanese father

Published on May 22, 2009

Chiang Mai - A stateless boy born to a Shan mother and Japanese father has come out to seek help from the media to locate his Japanese father who left him since he was two-months old.

The boy, now 10, was left with a neighbour of his late mother after the father Masato Niimura returned to Japan following the death of his mother.

Khemika Wongsaroj, a teacher of the boy, Yamato Niimura, advised the neighbour to come out to seek help after learning the story of Keigo, a Thai boy who searched for his Japanese father.

The neighbour said Yamato's father initially planned to take the boy to Japan but could not process his travelling document as he is stateless. So, he left Yamato wit the neighbour, he would return to Japan to prepare documents and come back to pick Yamato later.

Yamato told reporters that he just wants to meet his father but he would like to stay with the family, which has raised him for ten years. He said he wants Thai nationality.

The Nation

-- The Nation May 22, 2009

article here

[HagenvonTronje]

#4

...............

A Lampang girl looking for her long lost Japanese father

Published on May 26, 2009

A girl in Lampang on Tuesday sought help from authorities to locate her Japanease father who left her mother about 13 years ago.

The girl; Nudjarin Sushiya, told Lampang Governor Somboon Srithanawat that her father was Toshihiro Sushiya. "I have never met my father as he divorced and returned to Japan when my mother was about six-month pregnant."

Her mother then re-married and moved to Chiang Rai province, she is now living with her grandmother.

She said, "I see Keigo Sato has an opportunity to talk to his long-lost Japanese father and more important thing is that Keigo knows now that his father is still alive. I want to meet my father once because I've never seen him. I want to say love him, hug him and ask him to support my studies."

Governor Somboon said he will forward the case to Social Development Ministry and ask Japanese Embassy in Bangkok to help locate her father.

-- The Nation May 26, 2009

article here

[Ijustwannateach]

Japanese are ok with socialising with foreigners (though a bit shy and scared of us), but very, very difficult to work with unless you know exactly what they are expecting culturally and are willing to play ball.

"Unusual" family situations- divorce, adoption, stepfamily, basically anything other than the run-of-the-mill boy-meets-girl-gets-married-has-kids type stories, are still considered socially taboo in Japan. A divorce will even mean that the 'other' side of the family is regarded as dead- for example, as of a few years ago the 17yo son of the recent Prime Minister Koizumi by his divorced wife (pregnant with the boy when they split) still had not met his father and was also complaining to the media in Japan.

This isn't cold-hearted- it's the fear either of being or being perceived as "different," which is equivalent to "bad" in Japan.

[HagenvonTronje]

#5, #6, #7, #8 & #9

...............

THAI-JAPANESE CHILDREN

Keigo inspires kids to seek lost fathers

By: SITHIPOJ KEIBUI & THAWEESAK SUKKHASEM

Published: 26/05/2009 at 12:00 AM

Newspaper section: News

Little Keigo Zato's success in getting in contact with his Japanese father is serving as an inspiration to four youths in Phrae province to begin a similar quest.

Social Development and Human Security Ministry adviser Prasong Chumchoei yesterday met four Thai-Japanese children _Thanyaluck Khamhaeng, 18, Sari Jijaiya, 18, Kazuya Mazayuki, 10, and Ayaka Yamaji, 12.

Mathayom 6 (Grade 12) student Ms Thanyaluck said her mother left her father Junichi Tage when she was a toddler.

Ms Sari, another Mathayom 6 student, said her father Kono Takayoshi was a karate teacher who left her mother to seek medical treatment in Japan. He never returned.

Pathom 4 student Kazuya, whose Thai name is Piya Lorlom, said he was brought to Thailand at the age of five. His father was Toziga Mazayuki, a native of Ibaraki prefecture.

Mathayom 1 student Ayaka said she had been in her grandmother's care since a baby. She never knew the whereabouts of her Thai mother and Japanese father.

Although Ayaka has no identity documents to prove she is a Thai citizen, the young girl was given a proper education out of kindness by her school.

Reporters were told there was another Mathayom 3 student of Japanese descent in the province. Due largely to privacy concerns, he gave few details of the boy's life but said he shared the dream of a reunion with his Japanese father.

... continue here

-- Bangkok Post 26/05/2009

[HagenvonTronje]

#10

...............

Another Lampang boy look for long-lost Japanese father

Published on May 28, 2009

A Japanese-Thai boy in Lampang on Thursday sought help to locate his long-lost Japanese father, as he had not met him for eleven years.

Yoshi Poshala was the second Lampang child searching for father. He now lives with his maternal grandmother after his parents had divorced. Yoshi's mother remarried and gave him some money but his father, Kenji Aoki, returned to Japan and never kept in touch.

Yoshi said, "I just want to see my dad and ask him to support my studies."

Pinchai Pinkeaw, a Social Development and Human Security official in Lampnag, said that he would forward the case to the ministry in Bangkok.

-- The Nation May 28, 2009

article here

[HagenvonTronje]

#11

...............

Mother tries to find her son's American father

Published on May 28, 2009

A Thai woman on Thursday sought help from media to locate her American husband, for the sake of her 24-month-old boy.

Laksanawadee Murphy said that she married US Marine Scott Allen Murphy and registered their marriage on April 11, 2006 at Lak Si district office. They later had a son; Ramil Murphy. Her husband then returned to America in 2007 and she lost contact with him in the early 2008.

"I confirm that I don't copy the cases of Japanese-Thai children looking for their long-lost Japanese father. I also don't want fiancial support from him. I sympathise with my kid because hehas never met his dad before. He only looks at his father's picture," she said.

Laksanawadee added that she attempted to seek help from the US Embassy in Bangkok; however, the embassy denied to help. Therefore, she decided to ask the media to help her.

-- The Nation May 28, 2009

article here

[Shotime]

It sounds like a whole new industry for Thailand, and it's lawyers.

[HagenvonTronje]

#12, #13, #14, #15

...............

Daddy, come home!

Published on May 27, 2009

Inspired by the case of Keigo Zato, other Thai-Japanese children |are praying for a glimpse of their long-lost fathers

"Whenever I see a plane flying over my house, I tell my younger sisters that our dad is coming to fetch us," says Masami Hayashi who is living in Nakhon Ratchasima.

The eight-year-old boy and his sisters lost contact with their Japanese father last May.

Keigo, the nine-year-old from Phichit, waited much longer to hear from his father. After years spent showing every Japanese tourist he saw a photo of his dad, Keigo finally tracked him down thanks to the media's help. They talked on the phone on Friday and his father promised to visit soon.

"After hearing about Keigo, I miss my dad even more," Nobuhiro Nakyai (Sakamoto) says.

Media hunts

Born on July 2, 1998 in Japan, Nobuhiro is now at a boarding school in Thailand's Kanchaburi. "I wish I could get in touch with Dad - I want him to know about my life here," Nobuhiro says.

Nujarin Tsuchiya, 13, says Keigo's case inspired her to contact the media in an effort to find her Japanese father.

"He married Mum in 1993 but they got divorced and I've never got a chance to see him," says Nujarin, who lives with her maternal grandparents in Chiang Rai.

Good at studies

"She's very good at her studies but it would be great if her dad could help keep her in education," says her grandmother, Rampin Tannee, who takes odd jobs to support the family.

Saifon Peungpinij, 45, is mystified that her Japanese husband Mikio Shimoto hasn't even phoned her these past four years.

"Our son, Shota, needs support from his father. He loves and waits for his dad," Saifon says of Shota, 15, who is autistic.

She urges the authorities to help her son and other Thai-Japanese children like Keigo.

-- The Nation May 27, 2009

article here

[HagenvonTronje]

list of known cases.

1. Keigo Sato, 9.
   
2. Narumi Hamada, 18. Chiang Mai. father: Ryuiji Hamada, 45.
   
3. Yamato Niimura, 10. stateless Shan, Chiang Mai. father: Masato Niimura. mother died when the boy was 2 month old. ather went back to Japan.
   
4. Nudjarin Sushiya/ Nujarin Tsuchiya, 13. Lampang. father: Toshihiro Sushiya. lives with grandmother. mother re-married.
   
5. Thanyaluck Khamhaeng, 18. Phrae. father: Junichi Tage
   
6. Sari Jijaiya, 18 Phrae. father Kono Takayoshi
   
7. Kazuya Mazayuki (Piya Lorlom), 10. Phrae. father: Toziga Mazayuki. Kazuya came to thailand at age 5,
   
8. Ayaka Yamaji, 12. Phrae. She has no thai ID, stays with grandmother. whereabouts of her Thai mother and Japanese father unknown.
   
9. Anonymous Mathayom 3 student, Phrae province
   
10. Yoshi Poshala,Lampang. father: Kenji Aoki. he stays with grandmother, parents divorce, mother re-married and gave him some money.
    
11. Ramil Murphy, 2. Bangkok, Lak Si. father: US Marine Scott Allen Murphy.
    
12. Masami Hayashi, 8 Nakhon Ratchasima, lost contact to father one year ago.
    
13. and his younger sister.
    
14. Nobuhiro Nakyai (Sakamoto), 10, Kanchaburi. born in japan.
    
15. Shota, 15, an autistic boy. mother: Saifon Peungpinij, father & husband: Mikio Shimoto ( hasn't even phoned since 4 years)
    

This is just the beginning after Keigo is in the news for 2 weeks. Much more will follow, but not attract media attention at the same level.

Is that in the Japanese News as well, is there some Japanese equivalent to Andrew Drummond reporting about this?

Dad of #11 is US American, all others Japanese. And #11 is the only case that make it to the News section of the TVforum, to get thre some replies of thai bashing. The japanese cases got some remarks about the 'Japanese'. Nice and bright members the TVboard have, right?

Would be interesting to see what twist that story take if it turns out that Scott Allen Murphy is a Black American, or Half Korean or a Muslim and not a WASP.

[Scott]

Seems the economy is making a downturn. New money making projects and scams have begun.

The last time I saw this sort of thing was dealing with Vietnamese refugees. Everybody who had the name of a US soldier, said it was his daddy!

[gatorhead333]

"Dad doesn't love me," he said yesterday. He has yet to receive any call from his father in Japan.

Growing up with his aunt in Phichit, Keigo has long wished to hug his father.

Keigo's dream almost came true when his search for his father, using a photo, caught media attention and the Japanese embassy in Bangkok agreed to help.

However, the boy was finally told that his father felt uncomfortable with all the publicity and would not rush to meet Keigo.

"I just want Dad to come to me fast. I don't want anything else from you. I don't want your money … Please let me hug you. … I want to have a father like all the other kids. And I want my friends to stop teasing me for being a love child," he said.

cont. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2009/05/18...al_30102881.php

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/'>

This is a sad case and unfortunately there are millions more just like this all over the world.

Now that the father has been found I hope the Thai autoorities learn something.

It seemed obvious that this case had about three very different possible results:

1. Dad rushes to meet son and takes son to live with him forever and a very happy ending for the little boy (but lets not forget the local relatives who have nurtured and loved this little one for quite a few years).

2. Dad talks to son, but doesn't take son, but makes long-term arrangement for good education and living arrangements for the boy.

3. Dad simply not interetsed. Maybe dad already has family situation in Japan and Japanes wife doesn't know anything about his Thailand 'adventures' and dad wants it all kept very secret.

It seems the result is very likely no. 3.

The Thai authorities in charge of this case hopefully have a professional welfare background and should have known to keep this low-key and to protect and prepare the little boy as much as possible for the possibility of a negative result.

I just wonder whether high ranking officials deliberately got into this case looking for a photo-op, and with no professional though whatever about the best way to handle such a sensative issue.

lets now worry about all the children in the world that are starving,deformed ,homeless sick and dying do to no money. no med care....

or have no mother at all,have no father at all or have no mother and father...let us cry for the millions of orphans in the world today and find them adopted parent/parents thru the newpaper....

lets get started!!

who cares!! this is just stupid. lets cry for the children in the world with real problems...

Edited June 1, 2009 by gatorhead333

[tijnebijn]

"Dad doesn't love me," he said yesterday. He has yet to receive any call from his father in Japan.

Growing up with his aunt in Phichit, Keigo has long wished to hug his father.

Keigo's dream almost came true when his search for his father, using a photo, caught media attention and the Japanese embassy in Bangkok agreed to help.

However, the boy was finally told that his father felt uncomfortable with all the publicity and would not rush to meet Keigo.

"I just want Dad to come to me fast. I don't want anything else from you. I don't want your money … Please let me hug you. … I want to have a father like all the other kids. And I want my friends to stop teasing me for being a love child," he said.

cont. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2009/05/18...al_30102881.php

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/'>

This is a sad case and unfortunately there are millions more just like this all over the world.

Now that the father has been found I hope the Thai autoorities learn something.

It seemed obvious that this case had about three very different possible results:

1. Dad rushes to meet son and takes son to live with him forever and a very happy ending for the little boy (but lets not forget the local relatives who have nurtured and loved this little one for quite a few years).

2. Dad talks to son, but doesn't take son, but makes long-term arrangement for good education and living arrangements for the boy.

3. Dad simply not interetsed. Maybe dad already has family situation in Japan and Japanes wife doesn't know anything about his Thailand 'adventures' and dad wants it all kept very secret.

It seems the result is very likely no. 3.

The Thai authorities in charge of this case hopefully have a professional welfare background and should have known to keep this low-key and to protect and prepare the little boy as much as possible for the possibility of a negative result.

I just wonder whether high ranking officials deliberately got into this case looking for a photo-op, and with no professional though whatever about the best way to handle such a sensative issue.

lets now worry about all the children in the world that are starving,deformed ,homeless sick and dying do to no money. no med care....

or have no mother at all,have no father at all or have no mother and father...let us cry for the millions of orphans in the world today and find them adopted parent/parents thru the newpaper....

lets get started!!

who cares!! this is just stupid. lets cry for the children in the world with real problems...

Not such a nice post there .

I think they are both important issues to care about .

To say the call from this children is stupid is beyond imagination from your side , no compassion at all .

But I agree with the fact orphans should have much more attention as well , absolutely .

[HagenvonTronje]

Japanese Father To Return To Thailand To Reclaim Long-Lost Photograph

Thanks illegitimate son for keeping it safe

TOKYO – The “missing” father of a nine-year-old Thai-Japanese boy has agreed to travel from Tokyo to Bangkok in order to be reunited with an old photograph of himself he thought he lost years ago.

Katzumi Zato, the absent dad of Phichit boy Keigo Zato, was recently tracked down by Thai and Japanese government officials through an old picture that shows Katzumi shirtless, wearing sunglasses and apparently having an excellent time.

“Actually, it is a miracle really,” Katzumi told Japanese paper Tokyo Shimbun over the weekend. “I always wondered what the һell happened to that picture.”

“When the government contacted me, I was nervous at first, because I was completely kamikazed [“shitfaced” in Japanese] in that picture. But when they told me they would help me track it down, I was actually quite relieved. I could not deny it any longer. Yes, that is me in that crazy picture.”

The reluctant father, who recently thanked Keigo on the phone for keeping the picture, now says he would like to meet his son in person, briefly, in order to persuade him to relinquish the old photograph.

“If Keigo agrees to give me that picture, I would love to come see him. Sure, why not? It’s the least I could do since he kept it for me all these years,” he said. “I hope he will understand how much the picture means to me. It sure does bring back a lot of good memories.”

Asked what he will do with the picture once he reclaims it, Katzumi said, “I look so very ridiculous. It is rather humiliating really to have it printed everywhere. What kind of son would disrespect their father like this? But I accept that Keigo, being a hafu taijin, does not know better.”

Katsumi has not yet decided what he will do with the picture. “I will bring it back to Japan, stick it on my fridge, or just tear it up. Either way, it is much better if that long-lost photo is with me, where it belongs.”