Desperate British Expat Searches For Kidnapped Son In Bangkok

[webfact]

Twitter plea on kidnapped son - internet helps to raise alarm over missing eight-month-old

Tristan was taken two months ago

A FRANTIC father has made a desperate appeal for help to find his kidnapped son - via Twitter.

Fraught Martin Perry, 32, has not seen eight-month-old Tristan since he was snatched from a nursery almost two months ago.

The IT consultant, from Birch Road, Romford, but who has been living in Bangkok, Thailand, since September 2007, issued the last-ditch call to his 600 followers on the social networking site after local authorities offered little assistance finding his only child.

Feud

Amazingly, his heart-wrenching pleas were picked up by the British Foreign Office based in London, which has a specialist kidnap unit primed to be scrambled.

His extraordinary cry for help was also picked up by the Recorder.

Martin said: "I got so desperate, I didn't know who or where else to turn. The local police were no help at all. This was all going on at the height of the rioting and it didn't seem to be a priority.

"I was looking for help from some local friends, but was amazed when I started getting contacted by people from across the globe."

Martin and wife Gritchana, 32, believe their son's disappearance on March 30 is due to a family feud.

They have been contacted by Tristan's mother-in-law to reassure them the tot is safe and with relatives on the outskirts of the Thai capital Bangkok - the focus of recent massive civil unrest - but ordering them not to try to rescue him.

Tense negotiations have so far not resulted in a breakthrough.

Martin added: "At first her mother would answer her mobile phone to my wife but just say we could not have him back.

"Now she has had her mobile phone switched off for the last month-and-a-half and just vanished with the odd infrequent phone call to my wife at her office telling us how he was and asking questions about him.

"We managed to find out just this week an address of one of my wife's aunts who her mother is reported to have been staying or still staying with, but when we tried to go there and called them they were very aggressive with us telling us to go away or they would call the police and complain that we forced our way into their house, saying they had many friends in their local police and could cause us a lot of trouble.

"When we have repeatedly called they started asking for 10,000 Baht (about £400) if we wanted to go and see if our son was there.

"The last we spoke to them they threatened my wife and I and said they wished we had both been shot in the riots here in Bangkok the last few days.

"This is why it has escalated this week and my request for help on Twitter."

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are in contact with Mr Perry and are proving him with consular assistance.

Source: romfordrecorder.co.uk

-- 2010-06-01

[mjperry]

Thanks for posting my son's story and photo, if anyone thinks they might have seen him in Bangkok anywhere or has contacts who might be able to get us to get the local police interested in helping us find him, please get in touch.

He was last known to be being held in the Saphan Taksin Soi 8 area.

Martin

[animatic]

Sad story. Blood is thinker than water,

but some times blood relatives are just thick in the head.

It started to seem other than a family spat,

like maybe wild parents vs over-protective grannie

But then that 10,000baht demand entered the frame.

Bad business.

[Onnutrd]

Seems very much like a family feud.

I would'nt believe anything the Thai family says; they seem to want money.

As a parent, I understand you'd wanna take every precaution.

I'm certainly no help if I asked about the possible past causes, except to say that if you believe your missing son is in a particular building; will you do what it takes to get him back or will you not?

[AndersJensenThailand]

I realy hope you will find your son, i dont know what i would do in your situation.

There most be some farang here with the right contact, PLEASE help this family.

[Fore Man]

My heart goes out to you both! It would seem on the face of it that this crime--kidnapping--should not be difficult for Thai authorities to solve. Your wife's relatives ought to be easy enough to track down and once all family members are interrogated, the whereabouts of your son should become well known. It also seems that they should be jumping on this and rigorously pursuing the perpetrators...one has to assume that kidnapping is a capital crime in Thailand (I certainly hope so!) and it is deplorable that the Police have acted so shamefully...and it is sad to say...but so typically. I trust that I am joined by other TV members in pryaing for a speedy resolution and that your boy is returned safely and quickly.

[imaneggspurt]

Martin i dont think you need help woth locating your son, but more like seeing if the family have commited a kidnap offence, and if so surely the police will get him back, .be easy to make a trap i would have thought, rely on greed, always works,

[kiwikoppy]

hi, do you mind telling me in a private message what the address was of that family member.

maybe it is nearby where i am and i can look around.

[ratcatcher]

Martin, from your story it appears that you and your Thai wife Gritchana are together and your boy,Tristan, is being

held by Gritchana's mother.

This is a strange story, why would she want to keep your son.? Is this an ongoing family problem?

My sincere best wishes to you that you find him safe and soon.

[MikeyIdea]

Martin - Is your sons mother Thai? Is your son a Thai citizen and if he is, did you register the marriage to the mother?

If the mother is Thai and you did not register the marriage with the mother (and havent's specifically petitioned juvenile court to get legitimized), then you are NOT the legal father of your son, you do not have custody and the mother has sole custody - which would explain why the police doesn't act. You have in that case no right to call it kidnapping, the mother does though

Martin - Is your sons mother Thai? Is your son a Thai citizen?

[asiawatcher]

Martin a recent 'issue' similar to this was solved by ignoring the Police. Private negotiations were the order of the day - a figure of 500,000 Baht was offered. On the night of exchange - there were around 20 people in sight of the kidnappers who arrived with a small entourage. The money was never paid and the Thai contingent ended up with a few broken bones. Their child was unharmed but if you do not seize the opportunity to break this now - there is a good chance you will lose your child.

Now this may get all the do-gooders happening and complaining but TIT - the police are a waste of time and only interested in extracting money. Use private individuals who can just have your child returned and if I were you I would not involve the 'system'. If they are already involved every day that passes is a day that may prove to be anther brick in the wall.

But by all means, choose the route which suits you best and these words are passed in sincerity - not meant to be anything other than a solution in lawless Thailand that does and has worked. You can also contact groups like SISHA who will guide you but they deal mainly in human trafficking. I would put no trust in any Thai police group or person unless they hold rank of Pol Lt General or better as they can issue orders and problems will go away but it will still cost. Wish I could offer more comforting advice.

Edited June 1, 2010 by asiawatcher

[beejoir]

Can't you offer them money to end this?

[jboras]

Thanks for posting my son's story and photo, if anyone thinks they might have seen him in Bangkok anywhere or has contacts who might be able to get us to get the local police interested in helping us find him, please get in touch.

He was last known to be being held in the Saphan Taksin Soi 8 area.

Martin

Martin,

I went through a very similar situation in 2004 when my 3 year old dissapeared.

I was asked for 1 million baht to see my son. The asking party was the in laws.....

To cut a long story short... it was an extortion plan from my wife's family and included my wife; even though she was by my side every day pretending to cry.

I was "wisened" by a police officer who advised me not to believe my wife. This was hard for him to do and for me to believe.

In the end it turned out that my wife was keeping a tab on me while my son would be moved around every time we (I) got closer. Even though I had arranged to pay the money, nothing happened. I did not hand the money over as I insisted that only when I saw my son they would get the money. My wife knew I had the money ready but she also knew that I would not hand it over until I saw my son. I did not give in and held on.....

Eventually I got away from my wife and tracked them all down myself. It took me six months but I did it. These would have had to be the worst 6 months in my life....

I got my son back, divorced my wife and took my son overseas where he has been schooling now for the last 5 years. AND he/we is very HAPPY!

Some notes:

The police officer that made me open my eyes said to me;

1) In Thailand the father has a right to the chidren just as much (if not more) as the mother (not like in our western countries where mums get their way).

2) I was told if I ever saw my son to pick him up in my arms and just walk away. Don't fight, don't argue just walk away! WITH MY SON. In his words who has has. If I had my son no one could take him away NOT EVEN THE POLICE! Same if she had him.

3) Make sure that no friend helps me to carry my son. I was to do it alone. My friends if any helped could be charged with kidnaping. I could not as I am the father.

4) Arrange for a divorce settlement and if there is property involved the wife would be more interested in the property than the child. THEY were 100% correct. She signed away her rights of my son and I walked away with 0% of the house. Not that we foreigners have any right to property as we are made to sign that land is purchased entirely with funds of the wife and 0% contribution form us (foreigners). You can own the house but not the land. I prefered to carry my son away rather than the bricks and tiles...

This is my story and I hope your is really different.....

BUT I tell you these ladies are great actors right to the end.... this is not to imply all Thai ladies but the ones that get up to it they are bloody good at it!

GOOD LUCK!

[bwalker1973]

Thanks for posting my son's story and photo, if anyone thinks they might have seen him in Bangkok anywhere or has contacts who might be able to get us to get the local police interested in helping us find him, please get in touch.

He was last known to be being held in the Saphan Taksin Soi 8 area.

Martin

Same happened to my brother's daughter last year in september, mother or father cannot be charged with kidnap but the immediate family can.

Police don't seem bothered, that is the usual case. My brother hired a security firm out, which tracked and located her and got her back. Now they all live in the UK. It is usually the case demanding money. They wanted 3 million baht of my brother.

Hope you get him back very soon.

The child laws in Thailand need changing as they are very basic in concept.

[chivo]

what you need to do mate is force the police to get off their asses and do something.

if the junior cops won't allow you access to the senior police to complain, the best you might try is to get some news reporters from local and especially international news sources to surprise visit with you to the police station, and let the world see that the cops are too heartless and lazy to help.

i'm sure the presence of foreign press will snap them into place- they cops are already in a laughable limelight at the moment.

the local police survive on the premise that no one makes a fuss and and their (lack of) actions are unseen.

lastly, if the country insists on functioning as a bit of a lawless rogue state, you may have to hire some 'private detective' types.

hope this helps.

[londonthai]

you have just to pay police to start working on this case. If your wife is a thai, than surely she knows how it is done and knows herself some officers to approach.

that's how my family is trying to solve any problems, having several members of the family as cops helps too

[EyesWideOpen]

I am so sorry to hear this as I am expecting a child myself in a couple of months. Having your child ransomed by his grandmother?? This truly is Amazing Thailand. Which is also a two way street.......I strongly suggest hiring the right people

who could bring this issue to a resolution. And no, they would not have brown uniforms....

[MikeyIdea]

Question is *at this stage* not about money, it is about if you are the legal father or not. If you are, then you can do this yourself, if you are not, then ONLY the mother can legally take action. According to Thai law.

You already have a missing persons report. The person who has custody has the legal right to demand the police to do the second step "saab - like the Thai word for exam" and do the paper work to push the issue of kidnapping to the district atterney (ajjagarn). You (the mother more likely) will need to bring a lawyer to the police station, the police will not want to do it if it is the grand mother who has done the child abduction. But they can be forced to do it

Again: Is your sons mother Thai? Is your son a Thai citizen and if he is, did you register the marriage to the mother? That's the whole key to it all. There is a legal solution, an easy one, but have you gotten the proper process started?

[LivinLOS]

The article could be more clear..

Is Gritchana the genetic mother ?? Or a step mum (2nd wife) ??

Is the child alleged to be with Gritchana's mother... Or is there a first wife and mother in law ??

[rachels]

This is a long shot but PLEASE go and check at the pakkret babies home, i went there to volunteer the other day and i looked after a little boy by the name of wit and he looks quite similar. When i asked how old he was they said about 1 year but he seems to be not quite 1 year old..... I don't want to get your hopes up but it may be worth a look.

[SantiSuk]

Sympathies but I can't understand why you did not give the 10k (only £200 / $300) and sort them out later. I won't tell you what my idea of sorting them out later would have been, but any father can guess.

[spacemand]

Very sad story and I hope it will be solved and the small boy can come home to his parents where he belongs.

I have considered if something like this happened to me and my plan is to contact a private security firm or anyone with a bit of power and pay what it cost to get my kid back its probably the only way to do it.

[mjperry]

Yes, my son's mother is Thai. My son has dual nationality both Thai and British. Yes, we registered our marriage at the district office and I am named twice on his birth certificate both as his father and the person who registered his birth. So we both hold joint custody of our son as far as I understand Thai law on this.

Martin

Martin - Is your sons mother Thai? Is your son a Thai citizen and if he is, did you register the marriage to the mother?

If the mother is Thai and you did not register the marriage with the mother (and havent's specifically petitioned juvenile court to get legitimized), then you are NOT the legal father of your son, you do not have custody and the mother has sole custody - which would explain why the police doesn't act. You have in that case no right to call it kidnapping, the mother does though

Martin - Is your sons mother Thai? Is your son a Thai citizen?

[marquess]

Good Luck Martin!

[kuffki]

Very sad story indeed, and by the sound of things its all about money, which just shows family true colors.

As someone has already mentioned, i am also inclined to believe the mother(your wife ) is involved.

I was in a long term relationship with a Thai girl(lucky no baby) and 1 day i met the entire family, this was my last day with her.

You know the saying "apple does not fall far from the tree" if indeed family are a bunch of $^%^$, i do not think its worth sticking with the wife.

I would suggest you contact Interpol office in Thailand and with some help from Consular get them to act.

Your child was taken away from you without your permission and your knowledge-this is a kidnapping, irrespective of who has him(grandparents of cousins, etc)

They then made a demand for money-this is a clear case of extortion.

You will need to get your wife to prepare a declaration stating that she did not permit or authorised anyone to take away the baby and confirming the demand for money.

With all the documents visit Interpol office and get Consular involved, i am pretty sure with all the papers, they will have to act and rescue the baby.

In my opinion and knowledge, because baby was taken without permission, it is totally irrelevant if they relatives or not and as such are actually criminals.

I do wish you all the best and only wish i could offer more.

If you like i can put you in touch with my lawyer. She is very very well known with many "powerful" friends, perhaps she could be of assistance.

From what i know and have seen she is on board of a few corporations along with a few generals and people of a kind.

If you do like her details, please send me PM and i will forward info for you

[MikeyIdea]

1) In Thailand the father has a right to the chidren just as much (if not more) as the mother (not like in our western countries where mums get their way).

True - Father has equal right, juvenile court will decide the best for the child always, unlike in many western countries where the mother has advantage.

NOTE: Father does not however automatically become legal father in Thailand, read my previous post

2) I was told if I ever saw my son to pick him up in my arms and just walk away. Don't fight, don't argue just walk away! WITH MY SON. In his words who has has. If I had my son no one could take him away NOT EVEN THE POLICE! Same if she had him.

True - If you are the legal father, then you can do that. The concept parental kidnapping does not exist in Thailand

3) Make sure that no friend helps me to carry my son. I was to do it alone. My friends if any helped could be charged with kidnaping. I could not as I am the father.

You have stumbled on something special, a policeman who knows family law, wow. True

Get a lawyer specialising in family law and start the process to become father, it will take approx 3 months, max 4 months if the mother does not contest. Regardless of it you trust the mother or not, get this started now

Again assuming that the mother is Thai - Please confirm this. You should not say that someone has kidnapped your child from you if you are not the legal father, actually, no one has. What they have done is to kidnap the child from the mother. And get going on the process to get your child legitimized

There is a legal solution to this, no need to pay the police, correct legal procedure and some patience required

Good Luck

Edited June 1, 2010 by MikeyIdea

[scorecard]

Hope the people who are holding this tot realize that, relatives or not, they have committed the crime of kidnapping which is a very serious offence.

[Mario2008]

This doesn't seem to be a parental kidknapping case, the inlaws seem to have kidnapped the child and the mother doesn't have anything to do with it.

[thomasjojo]

I live at the outskirts, Ramindtra, but problem is that its too many people here..

do u have aspecific location ?

[goatfarmer]

I suggest you find a lawyer and have him/her deal with the police if necessary.