Thailand Child-Sex Ring Run By Monk Busted In Chiang Mai

[webfact]

Thailand Child-Sex Ring Run By Monk Busted in Chiang Mai

A duo of Buddhist monk and a private citizen have been accused

of pandering to paedolphiles in Chiang Mai, running a child-sex ring.

The monk would apparently go out into the hinterland, in mufti, to

procure young boys, who were then brought back to the city, seduced

and provided for the delectation of foreign perverts.

CHIANG MAI: -- Chiang Mai is currently suffering a surfeit of paedolphiles and others of a similar disposition, according to the city authorities, so much so that police have announced their avowed intent to stamp out the menace. A Department of Special Investigation (DSI) source recently revealed the existence of a child-sex ring organized by a wayward monk and a layman; the two subsequently having been prosecuted along with one of their British clients.

The two, Phra Vissanu Tejdhammo of Wat Pa Lan and Surasak Keawman, 51, have been arrested, charged with sexually exploiting children. The monk apparently was wont to venture out into the territory of the hill tribe villages in Chiang Mai and neighbouring provinces, without his robes. Finding suitable victims, largely young boys, the monk would entice them, perhaps using the ploys described below, and then, having beguiled the poor innocents take them back to Chiang Mai where Keawman would sexually seduce them; softening them up, so to speak, before farming them out to foreign paedophiles, who had come to Thailand for that specific purpose.

The layman, Keawman, was nabbed first, as six boys were found in his house, and evidence found on Tejdhammo’s phone showed Keawman having sex with the boys, as other evidence as well like lists of male and female teenagers, a baseball bat, an electric prod and condoms. Keawman then informed on his colleague, Tejdhammo, who was subsequently arrested. The two offenders were charged by the DSI with six counts each of child molestation and six counts of depriving a child of parental care. One of their foreign clients, an unnamed 67-year-old British national, was also arrested, charged with the same offences.

SE Asia is a favourite happy hunting ground for sex tourists, in general, and paedophiles in particular. The ideal conditions of abject poverty, statelessness (as in the case of refugees and hill tribe people), lax or ill-defined laws, corrupt police, bribery and corruption among the authorities, abandoned children, low education and a lack of specific training in law-enforcement all make for exceptional opportunities for such individuals, leaving young victims irreparably damaged and the perpetrators rarely reported or prosecuted, or frequently if they are, miraculously reappearing on the streets after supposedly having been imprisoned, as has been the case in several instances in Pattaya.

Indeed, extreme vulnerability is a decided turn on for these individuals, apparently. In one well recorded incident, 20 convicted Australian paedophiles attempted to travel to Indonesia and Thailand immediately after the Boxing Day tsunami, evidently to prey on vulnerable, displaced children. Quick thinking by the Australian authorities prevented their entry into either of these countries because their names were red-flagged, being child sex-offenders, and notice of their presumed intent transmitted to the Thai and Indonesian authorities who barred their entry.

Paedophiles are not normally so easily identifiable, however. They can be of any nationality and any age, particularly since the introduction of Viagra, as the recent conviction of a 78-year old male paedophile from Pattaya showed, as he was caught in flagrante delicto with large supply of the medication.

Although all socio-economic groups contain paedophiles, as do all occupations, certain ones are favourites, such as school and foundation volunteers, teachers, clerics, policemen and missionaries, again another prime example being from Pattaya. These positions put them in the ideal situation because they firstly, gain the trust of their victims and secondly, rely on their personas as authority figures, making resistance difficult, particularly in societies where respect for authority is highly regarded.

They may be single or married, couples having been known to indulge in the same victim. However, they rarely have an extensive peer group, other than those of the same ilk, frequently sharing victims. An overriding characteristic, which seems to hold true in many cases, however, is that they are inordinate collectors, who never throw anything away.

They will frequent the obvious procurement areas, such as Sunni Plaza in Pattaya, or the poorer areas where street children congregate. The bait that they use for enticement includes offering money, (to either the child or its parents), buying presents and providing shelter and food, appeals for assistance, and enticements such as, ‘come inside, I have something special to show you’.

The penalty for sex crimes of this nature range from rehabilitation, various terms of imprisonment to chemical castration and in extreme cases, the death penalty as is current in certain US states, e.g. South Carolina, where the death penalty is mandatory for the second offense of raping a child under age 11, or in Oklahoma, with a death penalty provision for raping a child under age 14.

Reporter: Krispin St. Pierre (National News Reporter)

source: pattayadailynews.com

-- 2010-04-03

[newsfooter][/newsfooter]

[george]

NOTICE:

Please keep this thread civil.

/Moderating team

[pepi2005]

It's amazing that this found it's way into the media and wasn't censored or ohtherwise suppressed.

Something is changing in Thailand. To the good.

[peacefulwarrior]

One more proof of how good 'organized religion' is. We have a massive crowd of people in Europe coming out now claiming to have been molested by vicars, priest & bishops. How about the monks, which have accumulated massive wealth finally do something to help the people rather than have them go to their 'golden toilets' - check this, no joke! Pay for the sake of your soul, an age old business grounded on the superstition and childlike trust in 'authorities'. Well, the masters always said that you can talk to god directly, so cut out the corrupt middle-man. Sure there are decent monks, but I've seen to much of them shopping at Phantip Plaza, hanging onto mobile phones and smoking in public. "Here my son, your sins are gone, now go to the donation box"

[theoldgit]

And there was me thinking it was always farangs who were involved in these terrible activities, really awful.

Edit - whoops, didn't read it correctly, seems they were procuring these kids for foreigners, I really don't know which is worse. Without the pervs there would be no market and no need to traffic the kids, and without the trafficers the pervs would have to go somewhere else.

Edited April 3, 2010 by theoldgit

[BigBikeBKK]

Reading this I feel sick to my stomach. Those poor children- Innocence lost and scarred for life.

[TAWP]

There is a stroke of sensationalism in the report, including the huge last section of it that talks of things not related to the crime in question, but it is a good thing they captured the creatures that go about to trick these kids - including doing the initial softening up (sic) themselves...

[Jalla]

It's amazing that this found it's way into the media and wasn't censored or ohtherwise suppressed.

Something is changing in Thailand. To the good.

good point Pepi, lets hope so.

[Jonathanpattaya]

An unpleasant story which is bound to cause a hostile reaction in many.

[samjaidee]

Very well written article. I assumed, when reading it, that it was from a foreign newspaper. UK possibly. I'm surprised to see such blunt openess in a newspaper in Thailand.

Is this the way of things to come?

Honesty in the Thai media?

Surely not.

Lol

[Screws]

Reading this I feel sick to my stomach. Those poor children- Innocence lost and scarred for life.

The Thai government can help - give them residence & papers (or better, citizenship) and an education.

[daoyai]

....inordinate collectors who never throw anything away. ???

[MILT]

How were these <deleted>'s caught? Tip off from the Hill tribe people? The story never says how the police came to know what was happening to these children. <deleted> is the world coming to?

[nickjam]

"The Thai government can help - give them residence & papers (or better, citizenship) and an education"

I couldn't agree more. Mum and dad earn a pittance because they don't really exist in the eyes of the government, dad probably boozes away what little they have and the kids can't get an education. A child without citizenship or an education is easy prey for these abhorrent predators.

[Tanaka]

The "unnamed" convicted British citizen? Otherwise, in both Britain and Thailand, media are swift publishing pictures and names of criminals, even before they are convicted. Now this a...e is unnamed! Why is this sh...head protected? And what were their sentences? Maybe they are all out walking the streets of CM again?

[johna]

The percentage of pedophiles in any society is identical.

[asiawatcher]

In the local words - to those who are convicted, - som num na.

The sad part about it is the continuing dis_ease of Asia i.e. the ongoing corruption that manifests itself by attaching to anything of this nature.

Police in particular who never consider, "this could have been my kid!" I would castrate these male offenders - just my opinion.

[rodentwarrior]

Queue the usual hatemongering commentators, with their righteous indignation. So boring.

Have you ever noticed that when the Bangkok Post or the Nation report Thai for kiddyfiddling they never use the word Paedophile - that is reserved purely for foreigners. That's pure and naked bigotry.

This is Thailand.

[ScottishThai]

Very well written article. I assumed, when reading it, that it was from a foreign newspaper. UK possibly. I'm surprised to see such blunt openess in a newspaper in Thailand.

Is this the way of things to come?

Honesty in the Thai media?

Surely not.

Lol

I have to admit I thought the same until I Googled the headline; it was broken by the Thai Media, nothin on it in any western newspaper.

Maybe things are changing!

[Stjohnm]

These pervs make me physically sick. These crimes bring out the very worst in some people and there truly isn't a punishment harsh enough for either the perverts or the child traffickers.

[BigWheelMan]

I wonder if the 67 year old British national in this case and the 67 year old Uk national Roger Petit who was recently accused of being a paedolphile and drug dealing in Chiang Mai are one of the same?

Maybe this is how the activities of Petit came to light in the first place.

This is no more than organised rape of children, makes me want to weep, truly this does.

Edited April 3, 2010 by BigWheelMan

[Jockey]

This appears to be a sickening major problem worldwide. Convincing evidence points to top people in our society including major politicians, police, media controllers, judges and the people running child protection agencies running worldwide pedophile rings for sexual and satanic abuse. Do a google search on "Hollie Greig" or "Nancy Schaefer CPS" and you'll see for yourself. The alleged scale of the problem is terrifying.

[whiterussian]

The percentage of pedophiles in any society is identical.

Its the number of 'practising' peado's that the problem...

while the red light areas are still a go-go'ing I assume the lure of sex tourism, and thus the smaller proportion of paedo sex-tourists will continue to visit.

(tighter regulations (licensing) on go-go's may reduce the image of a free for all sexmart)

I find myself wishing these types would piss off to Cambodia etc.. but that just means it's another childs problem...and maybe Cambodia has even less resources to deal with it.

Would like to see stats on how much of this involves hill tribe children, and thus logic dictates that more work is needed looking after this minority.

Sadly I think Thailand may not have the resources to 'care' for the plight of the hill tribe, especially if they spill over in the coming war in Burma.

I speak as someone who nearly got picked up by one as a kid.. and as the older brother of someone who may have been a victim.. before he died. (mute from meningitis).

Edited April 3, 2010 by whiterussian

[dude007]

Reading this I feel sick to my stomach. Those poor children- Innocence lost and scarred for life.

Good article! What a scumbag!

Shameful that for their sick intentions they use the cover of religious outfits. They have a shameless and limitless desire for disgusting paedophilae sex and there should be a law passed in Thailand (Thailand because this seems to be their playground and it's becoming obvious that the Thai Government starts to seriously react on these crimes) to simply castrate them, not chemically but physically. I want even to hold the knife... and no anaesthesie! Waw, what a pleasure!

Thanks Thailand, thanks Thai police for being brave and straight! It's a hopeful turn and truly appreciated!

There is nothing more coward than paedophilae and rape....

[thaimate]

I always seem to be reading these reports and invariably it involves ,boys ,very rarely girls ,also here in Pattaya there usually some report or other of boys in sunnee plaza or boyz town ,to my mind most of the pedophiles seem to be homosexual.

[bwalker1973]

They should be castrated, why would you do something like that when there are plenty of women for everyone. Must have a brain of a poodle or pea. Not just happens in Thailand happens all over the world in 3rd world countries.

Not being funny, but as most of foreigners who are decent ere, want the riff raff out. What they should do is anyone who is staying in Thailand longer than 2 months a year should be subject to a police check, and does not matter how many times you get a visa.

This will allow geniune tourists to visit the land of smiles, and the riff raff will only stay for 2 months out of 1 year. Which would make most of you posters very happy.

[BigWheelMan]

They should be castrated, why would you do something like that when there are plenty of women for everyone. Must have a brain of a poodle or pea. Not just happens in Thailand happens all over the world in 3rd world countries.

Not being funny, but as most of foreigners who are decent ere, want the riff raff out. What they should do is anyone who is staying in Thailand longer than 2 months a year should be subject to a police check, and does not matter how many times you get a visa.

This will allow geniune tourists to visit the land of smiles, and the riff raff will only stay for 2 months out of 1 year. Which would make most of you posters very happy.

Good idea, but the problem is that word gets around to these sicko groups, through the Internet or their mates and many of these vermin may only visit for a short period, do the deed and than return home.

I once watched a TV documentary where the expects said that castration will not stop them offending because they are sick and twisted in the mind.

Only 2 ways to deal with this problem and that`s either wack em with life sentences or even better, the death penalty.

Edited April 3, 2010 by BigWheelMan

[OzMick]

They should be castrated, why would you do something like that when there are plenty of women for everyone. Must have a brain of a poodle or pea. Not just happens in Thailand happens all over the world in 3rd world countries.

Not being funny, but as most of foreigners who are decent ere, want the riff raff out. What they should do is anyone who is staying in Thailand longer than 2 months a year should be subject to a police check, and does not matter how many times you get a visa.

This will allow geniune tourists to visit the land of smiles, and the riff raff will only stay for 2 months out of 1 year. Which would make most of you posters very happy.

What an absolutely amazing idea! Tourists get a free pass and long term residents get to pay extortion.

[moetownblues]

Reading this I feel sick to my stomach. Those poor children- Innocence lost and scarred for life.

Why isn't the death penalty in force for pedophiles. They have no idea how they ruin the lives of thier victims a crime of the very worst kind.

[BlackJack]

seems no where is safe

the church

the wat

the school