Girl, 14, Vanishes From Phuket Temple Fair

[webfact]

MISSING CHILD: Girl, 14, vanishes from Phuket temple fair

La-ongda, 14, was last seen by her mother on Wednesday at the Chalong Temple Fair.

PHUKET: -- The mother of a girl who went missing from the Chalong Temple Fair grounds in Phuket on Wednesday is asking the public for help in locating her.

Sapsiri Narmsra, 29, reported her 14-year-old daughter La-ongda Narmsra missing to Chalong Police on Wednesday.

Mrs Sapsiri, a resident of Ayudhya, said she arrived with her daughter and relatives on January 29 to operate amusement park rides at the fair, which ended yesterday.

On Wednesday morning she left La-ongda with relatives and went shopping with other family members at Tesco-Lotus.

When she returned, the child had vanished.

La-ongda is described as a large girl with tan complexion. She was last seen wearing a long-sleeved shirt and jeans and carrying a shoulder bag.

Anyone with information that could help in finding La-ongda is asked to call 081-271-8489 or 081-385-8962, day or night.

-- Phuket Gazette 2011-02-11

[Old Croc]

Hope they find the girl and there is nothing sinister in her disappearance.

I note the mother is just 29, so presumably she was somewhat independent when only 14 herself.

[stevenl]

I would not be surprised if the mother, 29 now, will be a grandmother at 30.

[ScubaBuddha]

99.9% of missing teens are runaways. In America, 1 in 7 kids run away at some point before age 18. No mention whether the girl had recently had an argument with her parent(s) or any comment addressing whether the mother thinks the girl had a reason to want to run away, which makes me suspicious. I will predict the girl will be back within 48 hours once she see's Mom cares enough to get the word out. Hopefully.

.

Edited February 11, 2011 by ScubaBuddha

[Boater]

and the police are not assisting? If a child goes missing in another country, they dont publish the mother phone number !!

anyway , hope they find her safe and well

[ScubaBuddha]

and the police are not assisting? If a child goes missing in another country, they dont publish the mother phone number !!

Sorry..where did it say the police were not assisting? I seemed to have missed that bit. And your not in another country Boater.

[ginjag]

I would not be surprised if the mother, 29 now, will be a grandmother at 30.

This photo displayed-I thought it was the girls mother---then I thought the mother at 29..well it couldn't be her even. I put the age of the photo person about 42 ish. ? a 14 year old helping to operate fairground rides. (not in class then) amazing. I wouldn't want to see a bad outcome to this and hope that she can be located and is safe. But again this parental control in Thailand, and upbringing in general--lost for words again. This CHILD....mmmm...looks like she could be enticed easily to go off with someone. This is a bit personal, but I really don't mean bad....... hope all's well .

[ScubaBuddha]

This photo displayed-I thought it was the girls mother---then I thought the mother at 29..well it couldn't be her even. I put the age of the photo person about 42 ish. ? a 14 year old helping to operate fairground rides. (not in class then) amazing. I wouldn't want to see a bad outcome to this and hope that she can be located and is safe. But again this parental control in Thailand, and upbringing in general--lost for words again. This CHILD....mmmm...looks like she could be enticed easily to go off with someone. This is a bit personal, but I really don't mean bad....... hope all's well .

A lot of children in Thailand don't get to go to school. I have been to this festival many times. Nearly every booth has kids of all ages working at it, babies sleeping on the ground behind. The actual operators of the carnival rides were men at least in their late teens or 20's. The girls selling tickets to those rides could have been 11-12.

[WarpSpeed]

This photo displayed-I thought it was the girls mother---then I thought the mother at 29..well it couldn't be her even. I put the age of the photo person about 42 ish. ? a 14 year old helping to operate fairground rides. (not in class then) amazing. I wouldn't want to see a bad outcome to this and hope that she can be located and is safe. But again this parental control in Thailand, and upbringing in general--lost for words again. This CHILD....mmmm...looks like she could be enticed easily to go off with someone. This is a bit personal, but I really don't mean bad....... hope all's well .

42ish ? I'll reserve comment except to ask how old a 10 year old looks to you ?? And life is sometimes hard on young people here, silly comment to make...

[mickyboy]

This photo displayed-I thought it was the girls mother---then I thought the mother at 29..well it couldn't be her even. I put the age of the photo person about 42 ish. ? a 14 year old helping to operate fairground rides. (not in class then) amazing. I wouldn't want to see a bad outcome to this and hope that she can be located and is safe. But again this parental control in Thailand, and upbringing in general--lost for words again. This CHILD....mmmm...looks like she could be enticed easily to go off with someone. This is a bit personal, but I really don't mean bad....... hope all's well .

A lot of children in Thailand don't get to go to school. I have been to this festival many times. Nearly every booth has kids of all ages working at it, babies sleeping on the ground behind. The actual operators of the carnival rides were men at least in their late teens or 20's. The girls selling tickets to those rides could have been 11-12.

hope i dont sound stupid but they have thai gipsy as well yes i know they are every where in europe and travelers

where they marry at 16 shame they no education and just used makes one feel lucky that its not me those poor little children not much future

[Boater]

and the police are not assisting? If a child goes missing in another country, they dont publish the mother phone number !!

Sorry..where did it say the police were not assisting? I seemed to have missed that bit. And your not in another country Boater.

true, but where did it say they where assisting... all that it mentions is she reported it to the police...

it should be the police office's number or station number, or reported sitings to the police, not to her. this opens her up to ransom calls, possible prank calls ect ect

[seaeagle]

I would not be surprised if the mother, 29 now, will be a grandmother at 30.

A totally needless and inappropriate reply. Hope the mother of the missing daughter can share your amusement during this worrying period.

[MaiChai]

99.9% of missing teens are runaways. In America, 1 in 7 kids run away at some point before age 18. No mention whether the girl had recently had an argument with her parent(s) or any comment addressing whether the mother thinks the girl had a reason to want to run away, which makes me suspicious. I will predict the girl will be back within 48 hours once she see's Mom cares enough to get the word out. Hopefully.

Especially in Thailand as they tend to run away with a boy/man.

[stevenl]

I would not be surprised if the mother, 29 now, will be a grandmother at 30.

A totally needless and inappropriate reply. Hope the mother of the missing daughter can share your amusement during this worrying period.

Maybe not PC, but true. BTW, what amusement?

[webfact]

PHUKET NIGHTMARE: Missing girl feared sold to Phuket brothel

La-ongda, 14, is believed to have been lured away from the Chalong Temple Fair

by a teenager named "Bow".

PHUKET: -- The girl who vanished from the Chalong Temple Fair on Wednesday was lured away by a teenage boy named “Bow” and taken to Patong, her family has learned.

They fear the youth may be planning to sell her to a brothel.

La-ongda “Tanyong” Narmsra, 14, was reported missing on Wednesday by her mother. See our earlier report here.

La-ongda’s family are amusement park ride operators from Nakhon Sawan. They travel around he country and were working at the Chalong Temple Fair when the young girl disappeared.

“It is her first time coming here. Whenever we go out, we always go together. Except the day we went to Tesco-Lotus for shopping, when Tanyong was left at the fair with my subordinates,” said Tanyong’s grandfather, 50-year-old Singh Narmsra.

“While her parents and I were at Tesco, she called me many times asking when her father would come back. This was very suspicious. I think she was trying to check where we were so she could slip away easily,” he said.

“We rushed back to the Chalong fair around noon, but she had already gone,” said Mr Singh.

“We keep trying to call her, but her phone is always off. We have been looking for her for two days and two sleepless nights,” he told the Gazette yesterday morning.

“Tanyong is a quiet girl. She always listens to songs and plays games on her mobile phone. She is still young and trusts people easily,” he said.

A boy named “Bow” was seen leaving Chalong Temple with Tanyong and another girl on Wednesday morning, he said.

“A motorcycle taxi driver near the temple saw Tanyong go off with a teenage boy and girl on two motorcycle taxis,” he said.

“I have never seen Bow before, but I know that Tanyong talked with him on the phone,” said Mr Singh, who estimated the boy’s age at about 15 or 16.

“Bow was working with a toy vendor. The toy vendor told me that Bow worked in a market in Nakhon Sri Thammarat before coming here. I think he may have met Tanyong there around New Year, when the toy vendor and I set up booths nearby,” he explained.

The family worked fairs in Nakhon Sri Thammarat, Surat Thani and Krabi before coming to Phuket. They had planned to work the upcoming temple fairs in Cherng Talay and Thepkrasattri as well.

“But now we feel like we just want to go home to Ayudhya,” he said.

“My wife has a heart condition and has fainted many times since Tanyong left. We do not know what to do now. We are not local people here,” he said in tears.

“I’m afraid Tanyong might have been tricked and will be sold to a brothel,” said Mr Singh.

Late yesterday afternoon Mr Singh told the Gazette he had talked to a boy named “X”, a friend of Bow, in order to try and track down his missing grandchild.

“X told me he got a call from Bow last night. When X asked him about Tanyong’s whereabouts, Bow said, ‘Come and get her if you want’. Then the line went dead,” he said.

Police later traced the call and learned that it was made from somewhere in Chalong, not far from the temple grounds.

As of this morning Tanyong was still missing.

X has since told Mr Singh that she is believed to now be in Patong, where the family will continue their search today.

-- Phuket Gazette 2011-02-12

[ScubaBuddha]

There appears to be zero evidence that she is going to be sold to a brothel. And before people start pointing fingers at the tourist sex industry, those kinds of brothels are Thai only.

She's run off with a guy just like so many other teenage girls. If she wants to come home she will.

[sungod]

There appears to be zero evidence that she is going to be sold to a brothel. And before people start pointing fingers at the tourist sex industry, those kinds of brothels are Thai only.

She's run off with a guy just like so many other teenage girls. If she wants to come home she will.

Totally agree, however the headline 'teenage girl runs off with teenage boy' doesn't sell newspapers.

[ScubaBuddha]

There appears to be zero evidence that she is going to be sold to a brothel. And before people start pointing fingers at the tourist sex industry, those kinds of brothels are Thai only.

She's run off with a guy just like so many other teenage girls. If she wants to come home she will.

Totally agree, however the headline 'teenage girl runs off with teenage boy' doesn't sell newspapers.

Nor does it motivate the police.

[webfact]

BREAKING NEWS: Teen missing from Phuket found in Songkhla

PHUKET: -- The teenage girl feared sold to a Phuket brothel has been found alive and well at a fairground in Haad Yai, Songkhla.

La-ongda “Tanyong” Narmsra, 14, was reported missing by her family, a clan of fairground attraction operators, on February 9.

For the Phuket Gazette's previous reports click here and here.

Initially fearing abduction, Tanyong’s mother reported the girl's disappearance and contacted the Phuket Reporters Club in the hope of tracking her down.

But her grandfather, Singh Narmsra, told the Gazette a few days after her disappearance that he learned she had willingly run off with a boy named “Bow”, estimated to be 15 or 16 years years of age.

“I was told [by Bow’s former boss] that his friends saw Bow and Tanyong together at a fairground in Haad Yai. My family and I drove down there immediately, reaching the city early on February 13,” Mr Singh explained.

“By the time we arrived Bow had run off, leaving Tanyong all alone when we finally found her,” he added.

Mr Singh and family believe Bow convinced Tanyong to run off with him, Mr Singh said.

“Tanyong said that Bow took her on a bus to Haad Yai on February 10. She pawned her mobile phone to pay for the tickets. That is why we could not reach her by phone,” he said.

“Tanyong said Bow did not harm her. They just held hands,” he added.

Tanyong wanted to come back and call the family, but she was afraid her father might hit her, Mr Singh said.

“Tanyong said Bow kept her at the fairground in Haad Yai most of the time. He did not let her go out. He was worried someone might recognize her,” Mr Singh said.

Bow later called Tanyong’s mother, apologizing for what he had done, he added.

“He said he liked Tanyong and wanted to take her to live with him in Satun province, where his uncle lives. But they ran out of money, so he got a job in Haad Yai,” Mr Singh said.

Despite Bow’s apology, the family have filed criminal complaints against him with police in Phuket and Songkhla, Mr Singh said.

“Our family cannot forgive him. His actions are unacceptable. No matter how much he said he likes Tanyong, he has to wait until she finishes school,” he explained.

Now safe, Tanyong has returned to Ayudhya with her mother to continue her studies, Mr Singh said.

-- Phuket Gazette 2011-02-17

[MaiChai]

There ya go; told you so. She ran off with a Thai boy!

[powderpuff]

So I guess kidnapping is not a serious crime in Thailand.

[stevenl]

So I guess kidnapping is not a serious crime in Thailand.

Who was kidnapped? A girl of 14 years old runs off with a boy of 15 years old.

[powderpuff]

The concept of underage never occurs to you does it?