Australian Teacher Lucky To Be Alive After Being Shot In The Head In Chiang Mai

[chooka]

Has anyone read a report of the incident in a Thai newspaper yet? I imagine it will contain a more detailed report, such as the exact location of the shooting. If they drove from Montfort College and went to the night bazaar to shop, most likely they parked on Charoen Prathet Rd, at the back of the Anusarn Night Market, since there is no parking available on Chang Khlan Rd, main location of the 'night bazaar;. According to people who have businesses in that area, that stretch of road from Si Donchai Rd north to Saphan Lek has become a focus of gang violence at night.

There is nothing in thai media in Chiangmai. My wife and her friends have heard nothing on the grape vine either. She is always telling me when a thai is shot or seriously beaten up in chiangmai as it is all over the grapevine and media.

[TAWP]

The bullet grazed the back of the Ms Cody's skull is in no way the same as shot in the head.

How about I graze you in the back of the skull. Then would you say that????? I dought it.

I would say 'Wow, that was close'.

But it is NOT the same thing as being shot in the head.

[jesselv]

For a land of smiles there are sure a lot of people being gunned down in the streets. Maybe they smile while pulling the trigger.

[DumFarang]

The bullet grazed the back of the Ms Cody's skull is in no way the same as shot in the head.

How about I graze you in the back of the skull. Then would you say that????? I dought it.

I would say 'Wow, that was close'.

But it is NOT the same thing as being shot in the head.

It's exactly the same as getting shot in the head, just not the same as having the bullet pierce the skull. See my above post if you need further clarification on the English language.

Honestly guys, grow up. What does this senseless banter about word usage do for anyone?

[Thaddeus]

The bullet grazed the back of the Ms Cody's skull is in no way the same as shot in the head.

How about I graze you in the back of the skull. Then would you say that????? I dought it.

I would say 'Wow, that was close'.

But it is NOT the same thing as being shot in the head.

Now you are just trying to split hairs.

The guy with the gun was attempting much more.

[evanson]

And yet another tabloid style sensationalist headline on this forum. How many have there been, particularly during the 'red' demos last year? And what is the motivation to give an impression of a 'hit' style' attempt 'shot in the head'? When in FACT the teacher sustained a MINOR injury from a piece of the car she was traveling in being fired upon, for as yet, unknown reasons.

Put even more wind up the expat community here why don't you. And don't forget to tip off/mislead the World media.

Best read the original article before casting your arrows about, evanson. Contact the Age and tell them you don't like their headline, only thing TV added was the qualifier Australian.

Why would I want/need to contact The Age? Whoever they are. This, as you moderators are continually reminding us, is a Thai forum about THAILAND.

And the last posts on this thread suggest nothing happened.

[sbk]

And yet another tabloid style sensationalist headline on this forum. How many have there been, particularly during the 'red' demos last year? And what is the motivation to give an impression of a 'hit' style' attempt 'shot in the head'? When in FACT the teacher sustained a MINOR injury from a piece of the car she was traveling in being fired upon, for as yet, unknown reasons.

Put even more wind up the expat community here why don't you. And don't forget to tip off/mislead the World media.

Best read the original article before casting your arrows about, evanson. Contact the Age and tell them you don't like their headline, only thing TV added was the qualifier Australian.

Why would I want/need to contact The Age? Whoever they are. This, as you moderators are continually reminding us, is a Thai forum about THAILAND.

And the last posts on this thread suggest nothing happened.

Because the Age is the newspaper whose headline you object to? you might seriously consider taking it down a notch here.

[pmgthailand]

I totally agree with your statement, add road rage and that cultural defect "loss of face" to the mix with easily available guns. I know a Thai girl who is as nice as anyone you will meet but turns into a monster when she gets behind the wheel of a car. I won't ride with her anymore. There have been a few murders here in Phuket over the last couple of years with road rage.

If you observe closely from past and future events such as this - it is strongly suggesting that Farangs are being targeted in all areas of Thailand. There is a strong presence of "Farang Haters" amongst the general Thai population that have a skewed perception of farangs.

[TAWP]

The bullet grazed the back of the Ms Cody's skull is in no way the same as shot in the head.

It's written by TheNation, we shouldn't expect less than dramatized reporting.

Once again our red friend shows us how liberal they are with the truth.

(Ps. Article is from theage.com.au Ds.)

[normac44]

Guns: ?? At the time newly elected John Howard did something about them after 56 were killed and injured at the Port Arthur massacre in 1966:

the Federal Government introduced the Medicare Levy Amendment Act 1996 that provided the revenue for the National Firearms Program through a one-off 0.2% increase in the Medicare levy. Known as the gun buy-back scheme, it started across the country on the 1 October 1996 and concluded on the 30 September 1997 ^[22] to purchase and destroy all semi-automatic rifles including .22 rimfires, semi-automatic shotguns and pump-action shotguns. The buyback was predicted to cost $A500 million and had wide community support. (wikipedia)

It seems to have worked for OZ so far

I don't really see what this has to do with an alleged shooting in CM. However it brings tears to my eyes when I think of the beautiful rifles I had to hand in and see destroyed.

i wonder what Gillard has to say about this incident.

Edited July 13, 2011 by normac44

[normac44]

Just reading the latest report in The Melbourne Herald Sun and Mr. Cody(Husband) states that it was a bandit shooting at someone else and her car was caught in the crossfire.And just to confuse the issue he states that she was travelling with eight students.presumably they were not in her car.He further states that his wife was not the intended target.Further on in his statement he says no children were in the car.His summary is that the car his wife was travelling in was caught in a local bandit shooting and was hit by crossfire.

[tropo]

Ok, so contraray to what Thailand stated above ("Very unusual to hear of such a case here in CM"), these cases are regular occurances in Chiang Mai. Just another reason to choose safer places like Pattaya to live.

A lot of folk here would prefer to run the "risks" in Chiang Mai than live in a cesspit.

It was a joke. There's probably an equal chance of being hit by stray bullets in both cesspits.

[bitterbatter]

Someone didn't like their grades?

more likely that someone put a hit out on a farang, and since we all look alike to them they got the wrong guy.

[Jayman]

I can't wait until one of these stupid posters here finds themselves shot or a family member shot so we can all come here and make jokes and discuss how over the top they are with their claims and blah blah blah.

Come on folks. Get real. Can we at least agree a gun was fired? This whole argument about a graze vs a enter/exit wound is so childless and quite frankly insulting to the people involved. A gun was shot and people have been traumatized from this event. No one wants to go visit a county where they have to be worried about guns going off in the market. This one of the many reasons why Iraq's tourism is way down.

Use your brains and have some respect for the victims here please.

[regfrancis]

It's kinda like 'what do you expect--going to Thailand'

Wow, a major outpouring of compassion on this site for somebody who had a near death experience.

[Richard4849]

Caught in the crossfire? Surely he meant, "targeted intentionally by farang-hating Thais".

Edited July 13, 2011 by Richard4849

[happyrobert]

I can't wait until one of these stupid posters here finds themselves shot or a family member shot so we can all come here and make jokes ...

[dayverne]

No way there is any Thai person involved. Got to the Tourist Police --- they will certainly express the view that the shooters were part of a Laos / Burmese gang or just Campucheans (is that how it's spelt in English) out for a stroll.

It often surprises me what goes on in the background ... maybe they didn't like the colour of the car!

In any case, far too many Thais are permitted firearms especially given their propensity to use them at random. They have got nothing to lose .. enjoy drugs and, as for morals just look at the incomparable corruption favoured at every level of society, especially among the privileged classes.

Luckily the victim survived otherwise there would be an "amazing" response from our antipodean friends .... Amazin' F**** Thailand! What Shit Digger?

[MrChangers]

The bullet grazed the back of the Ms Cody's skull is in no way the same as shot in the head.

It's written by TheNation, we shouldn't expect less than dramatized reporting.

What I'd like to do, with your permission of course, is fire a bullet at your head. Don't worry, my intention is only to graze your skull.

and if it was "written" by that sad non-news paper the nation you would have been trying to shoot yourself. As an aside had the local fuzz down the road bagging someone for a shooting last night. I have tried sending Mrs Changers out for a bit of on the spot reporting but the shop comes first over tittle tattle ......pity

[Briggsy]

This case sounds very similar to the Canadian surgeon who was randomly shot in Chiang Mai 3 or so years ago.

Edited July 14, 2011 by Briggsy

[peter48]

Crimes against tourists are taken very seriously and dealt with quickly partly because I believe they are handed to the royal police & partly the massive media coverage back home ( for example the UK girl who was raped & murdered a few years back on one of the tourist islands) I understand that if the victims are visiting Thailand - the responses are very speedy as Thailand's reputation/economy in tourism is vital.

[DumFarang]

Crimes against tourists are taken very seriously and dealt with quickly partly because I believe they are handed to the royal police & partly the massive media coverage back home ( for example the UK girl who was raped & murdered a few years back on one of the tourist islands) I understand that if the victims are visiting Thailand - the responses are very speedy as Thailand's reputation/economy in tourism is vital.

Exactly!

I was saying this before. The tourism % isn't as high as something like their rice exports, but it's still a big chunk of the economy. They don't mess around with things that might damage that reputation.

[scania]

Teachers wanted, good pay, health benefits, visa assistance, medical and bullet proof vest provided. This is not good for Thailand! This is shocking. Time to get rid of the stupid "lose face" mentality and start educating. Start with the stupid ass programs on the television that seem to baby sit the majority of the children in this country.

Could´nt agree more, like it just came out of my keyboard.

[DumFarang]

Teachers wanted, good pay, health benefits, visa assistance, medical and bullet proof vest provided. This is not good for Thailand! This is shocking. Time to get rid of the stupid "lose face" mentality and start educating. Start with the stupid ass programs on the television that seem to baby sit the majority of the children in this country.

Could´nt agree more, like it just came out of my keyboard.

It's a good point, but one of the facts of life in this region of the world is that saving face isn't a Thai phenomenon it's common in many parts of Asia. While it can certainly be a detriment to common sense, it's simply not going anywhere, so this is wishful thinking. A solution, if there is one, lies elsewhere better approached through your TV idea.

[Semper]

The incident was reported to local police, who are investigating.

Consider it solved.

most probably.

Failed suicide attempt more than likely...Suicide is pretty common among Farang in Thailand.

Not in CM. More likely in Pattaya.

[Richard4849]

Guys...it was not a crime where a tourist /farang/foreigner was targeted. They were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, could happen anywhere.

[DumFarang]

Guys...it was not a crime where a tourist /farang/foreigner was targeted. They were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, could happen anywhere.

...and how have you come by this knowledge?

[Superpeis]

wow...she was lucky there...

[mickjn]

I bet she cannot wait to book her return trip to LOS

[happyrobert]

Crimes against tourists are taken very seriously and dealt with quickly partly because I believe they are handed to the royal police & partly the massive media coverage back home ( for example the UK girl who was raped & murdered a few years back on one of the tourist islands) I understand that if the victims are visiting Thailand - the responses are very speedy as Thailand's reputation/economy in tourism is vital.

Exactly!

I was saying this before. The tourism % isn't as high as something like their rice exports, but it's still a big chunk of the economy. They don't mess around with things that might damage that reputation.

Wow! Two people simultaneously having the same hallucination!