4 Year Old Swedish - Thai Girl Kidnapped

[Buchholz]

Niza Engdahl was in school on Wednesday, when a woman came to pick her up. According to a a friend of the father, who has posted what happened on the internet, the Thai woman claimed that she was Niza's mother. The teacher admits that Niza denied that the woman was her mother, but because the woman gave her Thai ID Card as guarantee, the teacher accepted that the woman stayed to play with Niza while she went to a meeting. When she came back, both the woman and Niza were gone. Later, it turned out, that the woman, who exchanged her ID card for the child, was indeed Niza’s mother, Surat Enmak, who left the family in 2009 and in April 2010 gave divorce and custody of their two children to Henrik Engdahl. But since picking up her daughter that Wednesday she has disappeared with the 4 year-old girl.

Henrik Engdahls recognized the woman on the schools surveillance camera as his former wife. Mother Surat Enmak has not contacted him after the kidnapping, and he does not know her intentions. Mr. Engdahl has reported the kidnapping to the police, but has been told that he must wait 15 days from the kidnapping before a thorough investigation can take place because of the police's "step-by-step" procedure. "I'm stuck in a big country with no clue," Engdahl says. He is disappointed with the school who just accepted an ID in exchange for the girl to go with a stranger and wants to initiate a lawsuit against the school.

Continues:

http://www.scandasia.com/viewNews.php?coun_code=th&news_id=8454

ScandAsia - March 8, 2011

[Buchholz]

The victim:

Niza Engdahl

The alleged kidnapper:

Surat Enmak

[Buchholz]

Facebook Community page:

Niza Engdahl Kidnapped

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Niza-Engdahl-Kidnapped/192593207429785

[Buchholz]

Reward Poster :

[Buchholz]

Noticed one of the replies in Facebook surmised that if the father really wanted to have results from the reward money offer, that he should up it to 300,000 baht; apparently in order to attract sufficient notice.

[asiawatcher]

Noticed one of the replies in Facebook surmised that if the father really wanted to have results from the reward money offer, that he should up it to 300,000 baht; apparently in order to attract sufficient notice.

I also noted but maybe he simply does not have the funds - he would certainly offer more. But how stupid is the system - have to wait "15 days". Tell that to the West! Unbelievable.

I could not imagine the pain this would cause him as I have daughters of this age. The only saving grace may be that as the mother she may not cause harm. I hope this has a happy ending and soon.

Edited March 9, 2011 by asiawatcher

[swillowbee]

... while I feel deeply for the father, who must be an emotional wreck, I am reluctant to offer a 'good luck' ... I really believe his child will be returned to him safely, without assistance from the ROYAL Thai Police.

... think about it ... this is Thailand ... the mother will use the child to batter the father for more money, a house, dresses, whatever ... using a child, their OWN child, as a bludgeon is the Thai way ... no conscience, no guilt, no empathy ... those close enough to the local Thai community here see young children here traumatized this way all the time ... while it does happen in the West, this behavior is a common practice in Thailand.

... the greatest sadness is the trauma the child will continue to suffer after she is returned ... first abandoned by her own mother at age 3 (I'll lay wages that the child was actually 'sold' by the mother, as I've witnessed here) ... can you imagine people with any sense of values doing something so incredibly selfish and destructive to a child as this? ... I witness it amongst the many children abandoned by the fathers (in overwhelming numbers) and mothers (in frighteningly high numbers) in Thailand.

... she'll return ... hope she will find the emotional security her father can offer ... the father would do well to collect her and get out of this country ... the inferior cultural values here make this sort of incidious behavior a very real threat to children of divorced parents, and especially the Thai children of foreigners.

... keep the faith, Heinrik Engdahl ... she'll come back to you.

... (too bad missing children in Thailand do not merit the same standing by the ROYAL Thai Police as a missing car, which warrants a far faster response than 15 days before an investigation begins ... how deformed and pathetic are the values here?)

Edited March 9, 2011 by swillowbee

[mstribling]

Apparently the above poster has never been divorced.

I wish this little girl a safe return.

[laurentbkk]

This is insane , the police have to wait 15 days before starting investigation ? non sense and stupid ! and all information given should be FREE OF CHARGE for the sake of this little girl ... asking to pay at least 300k prove one thing , there are greedy people . Those kind of information should come from the heart not in view to make money ..not to mention that he offer 50k baht for information ,maybe he cannot offer more.

[laurentbkk]

Noticed one of the replies in Facebook surmised that if the father really wanted to have results from the reward money offer, that he should up it to 300,000 baht; apparently in order to attract sufficient notice.

yeah sure ...what about 20 millions then ? some people are really stupid !

[eateer]

She is adorable. I hope everything works out for them.

[swillowbee]

Apparently the above poster has never been divorced.

I wish this little girl a safe return.

... you are correct ... I have never been divorced ... never even been married, and haven't fathered my own children, though I am a 'father'.

... I am a long-time foster father to 4 Thai kids abandoned by their familes ... the youngest of which was 1-1/2, and is now 7 ... the oldest now grown into a wonderful, well-adjusted young woman, educated, hard-working, good values and living on her own.

... I've not seen it all, so I don't get it all correct all the time, but I have seen a lot, having to deal with the worthless parasites that are these kids families ... please help me if I've mistated, or missed something.

Edited March 9, 2011 by swillowbee

[swillowbee]

Noticed one of the replies in Facebook surmised that if the father really wanted to have results from the reward money offer, that he should up it to 300,000 baht; apparently in order to attract sufficient notice.

... my bet is that money will solve this way before the ROYAL Thai Police ... Thailand is a very porous society and Thais relish in gossip ... a nation of 13-year old girls, incapable of keeping a secret ... the whereabouts of this little girl is probably known to many, and the kidnapper's social circle is probably not hard to identify.

... the word of a reward will find it's way to people who know, and their greed will compel them ... it has nothing to do with any sense of morality, or empathy ... these are not Thai cultural values.

... 50,000 baht is a lot of money to the many Thais who know of the child's whereabouts ... in a survivalist society of inferior cultural values, money will capture their attention ... probably a family member will collect the reward ... maybe a policeman.

... maybe the mother will 're-sell' her dauighter to the father to replenish the bank account she has emptied since she first sold her own daughter's custody to the father ... it's been almost a year ... timing sounds about right.

... for those who've been in Thailand awhile, most of us have read how even Thai family members kidnap a nephew or neice from a Thai-farang family for the money ... if distant family members are excluded from the plunder of the farang's wealth, which is considered a right, they get their money another way.

... hope the father gets his daughter and gets out of Thailand, away from these animals.

Edited March 9, 2011 by swillowbee

[Payboy]

has been told that he must wait 15 days from the kidnapping before a thorough investigation can take place because of the police's "step-by-step" procedure

Unbelievable - Amazing Thailand indeed!

[chuang]

Waiting for 15 days...???...i suggest you start searching or engage some PI for the job....hope she is safe and back...

[truethailand]

As a father of of two beautiful children, one a daughter of 5, I cannot begin to imagine the heartache this man is suffering.

[softgeorge]

The victim:

Niza Engdahl

The alleged kidnapper:

Surat Enmak

The mother looks younger than the daughter

[snowgard]

Here are some information about the rules in Thailand: http://travel.state.gov/abduction/country/country_528.html

[AZBill]

Noticed one of the replies in Facebook surmised that if the father really wanted to have results from the reward money offer, that he should up it to 300,000 baht; apparently in order to attract sufficient notice.

I also noted but maybe he simply does not have the funds - he would certainly offer more. But how stupid is the system - have to wait "15 days". Tell that to the West! Unbelievable.

I could not imagine the pain this would cause him as I have daughters of this age. The only saving grace may be that as the mother she may not cause harm. I hope this has a happy ending and soon.

If you bring children to a thrid world country like this you can have these things happen. It's incredibly sad but after living here for a few years I would never think of bringing kids here for any reason.

[TAWP]

If you bring children to a thrid world country like this you can have these things happen. It's incredibly sad but after living here for a few years I would never think of bringing kids here for any reason.

She wasn't brought here, she was born here.

[Skywalker69]

Maby with some "teamoney" they will start search for her directly,

[F1fanatic]

I hope (and have little doubt) that Swillowbee is right. The mother has snatched the child to get more money from the child's father.

On the other hand, the mother may have found another farang to support her and her child - so wants her back.

Either way, its not good news for the poster.

Even if someone recognises her and reports it to the police (unlikely), it will happen again.

[thaihome]

I truely feel bad for the child that she has apparently become a pawn in a dispute between her parents, but people should be aware of the Thai laws on such custody issues. Though the link was posted earlier, apparently few bothered to read it.

TH

GENERAL INFORMATION: Parental Kidnapping is not a crime in Thailand and Thai authorities will not issue a warrant or become involved should one parent take a child without the other parent's authorization. The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction cannot be invoked if a child is taken from the United States to Thailand, or vice versa, by one parent against the wishes of the other parent or in violation of a U.S. custody order.

CHILD CUSTODY: Under Thai law, the question of child custody is addressed in Book Five of the Thai Civil and Commercial Code under the general headings Termination of Marriage and Rights and Duties of Parent and Child . The relevant portions of the law follow in full:

Section 1520.

In case of divorce by mutual consent, the agreement for the exercise of parental power over each of the children shall be made in writing. In the absence of such agreement or (if) an agreement thereon cannot be reached, the matter shall be decided by the court.

In case of divorce by judgment of the court, the parental power belongs to the party in whose favor the judgment is given, unless it is decided by the court that the parental power shall belong to the other party, or that a third person shall be the guardian.

Section 1521.

If it appears that the guardian as provided in Section 1520 behaves himself or herself improperly or there is a change of circumstances after the appointment, the court has the power, after taking into consideration the happiness and interest of the child, to give an order appointing a new guardian.

Although the parental power belongs to one party, the other has the right to continue such personal relation with the child as may be reasonable according to the circumstances.

Section 1522.

In the case of divorce by mutual consent, an arrangement shall be made and contained in the agreement of divorce as to who, both of the spouses or either spouse, will contribute to the maintenance of the children and how much is the contribution. In case of divorce by judgment of the court or in case the agreement of divorce contains no provisions concerning the maintenance of the children, the court shall determine it.

Section 1566.

A child is subject to parental power as long as he is not sui juris. The parental power is exercised by the father or the mother in any of the following cases:

(1) The father or mother is dead;

(2) It is uncertain whether the father or the mother is living or dead;

(3) The father or the mother has been adjudged incompetent or quasi-incompetent;

(4) The father or the mother is placed in a hospital by reason of mental infirmity;

(5) The parental power has been granted to the father or the mother by an order of the court.

The parental power is exercised by the mother, when the child was born out of wedlock and has not yet been legitimated by the father according to Section 1547.

International Parental Child Abduction Thailand

[pedro01]

Has that mom been in the news before - that picture looks very familiar...

[Beetlejuice]

Engdahl says. He is disappointed with the school who just accepted an ID in exchange for the girl to go with a stranger and wants to initiate a lawsuit against the school.

And the best of British luck.

[Buchholz]

Facebook updated entry has the mother returning to her home in Buriram with little Niza, but Surat's father sent her away as the police are looking for the pair.

So apparently she's traveling again.

.

Edited March 9, 2011 by Buchholz

[MSingh]

Noticed one of the replies in Facebook surmised that if the father really wanted to have results from the reward money offer, that he should up it to 300,000 baht; apparently in order to attract sufficient notice.

I also noted but maybe he simply does not have the funds - he would certainly offer more. But how stupid is the system - have to wait "15 days". Tell that to the West! Unbelievable.

I could not imagine the pain this would cause him as I have daughters of this age. The only saving grace may be that as the mother she may not cause harm. I hope this has a happy ending and soon.

That isn't the system..

Money talks here more than anything, simple as that.

& i can imagine the pain due to experience.

[MSingh]

I truely feel bad for the child that she has apparently become a pawn in a dispute between her parents,

I am aware of dozens upon dozens of instances where this has happoend here, with the Thai Mum using the Child as a Pawn, every single time..

& every single time there is the same pattern that emerges too, $$$.

[kdc1899]

... while I feel deeply for the father, who must be an emotional wreck, I am reluctant to offer a 'good luck' ... I really believe his child will be returned to him safely, without assistance from the ROYAL Thai Police.

... think about it ... this is Thailand ... the mother will use the child to batter the father for more money, a house, dresses, whatever ... using a child, their OWN child, as a bludgeon is the Thai way ... no conscience, no guilt, no empathy ... those close enough to the local Thai community here see young children here traumatized this way all the time ... while it does happen in the West, this behavior is a common practice in Thailand.

... the greatest sadness is the trauma the child will continue to suffer after she is returned ... first abandoned by her own mother at age 3 (I'll lay wages that the child was actually 'sold' by the mother, as I've witnessed here) ... can you imagine people with any sense of values doing something so incredibly selfish and destructive to a child as this? ... I witness it amongst the many children abandoned by the fathers (in overwhelming numbers) and mothers (in frighteningly high numbers) in Thailand.

... she'll return ... hope she will find the emotional security her father can offer ... the father would do well to collect her and get out of this country ... the inferior cultural values here make this sort of incidious behavior a very real threat to children of divorced parents, and especially the Thai children of foreigners.

... keep the faith, Heinrik Engdahl ... she'll come back to you.

... (too bad missing children in Thailand do not merit the same standing by the ROYAL Thai Police as a missing car, which warrants a far faster response than 15 days before an investigation begins ... how deformed and pathetic are the values here?)

Spot On!

Great Post

[TAWP]

Facebook updated entry has the mother returning to her home in Buriram with little Niza, but Surat's father sent her away as the police are looking for the pair.

So apparently she's traveling again.

Who is posting the updates?