Australian Stabbed In Heart In Thai Bag-Snatch Tragedy

[Bender]

In fact let be more accurate, my sincere condoleance goes to her family.

But my condoleance also goes to ALL the another previous victims, as its not the first time that bag snatch turn into murder in thailand.

Do you remember not so long ago in bangkok a 52 yo Scot women got her skull broken in another bag snatch and she also die .

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/294279-expat-scot-mugged-in-thailand-losing-fight-for-life/

Or again this russian woman who got stabbed in pattaya link

and again and again these russians women who got bottled and severly beaten by thai youth link

or again .... honestly i can go on for hours with all these nasty crime.

And my condoleance goes also all to the next family victims, but this time it might be your wife, your daughter...

and i m not being sarcastic. .In thailand It happens, it already happened a lot and it will happen again and again as absolutely nothing is done.

RIP

[blix99]

Australian woman killed in Phuket

AAP

PHUKET: -- An Australian woman has died in Thailand, after being stabbed by a man trying to snatch her bag.

Phuket Wan Tourism News says the woman, among a group of travel agents from Perth, was walking along a street on the tourist island of Phuket when a motorcycle pulled beside her and a passenger attempted to take her bag.

The woman struggled with the man, before falling to the ground with a stab wound to her heart, the website says.

Another woman walking with the victim received a gash to her arm, and the offenders sped off empty handed.

A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) spokesperson says they are aware of the death of an Australian woman in Thailand and are providing consular assistance to her family.

"It would not be appropriate to discuss the case further while a police investigation is in progress," the spokesperson said.

Full story and video: http://au.news.yahoo...lled-in-phuket/

-- au.news.yahoo.com 2012-06-21

I must emphasize strongly that what the tour agents in OZ really need to do is WARN all their clients NOT to visit Thailand.

This bit of violence should be added alongside the two 60+ year old couple in Hua Hin that were savagely beaten to death for 2,000.oo baht

The value of life here has become akin to desperate Thais that have seen a reduction in tourists of more than 65% over the last 4 years - the government and tourism bureau are desperate to have tourism flourish but at the same time allow a populous of criminals prey on tourists with a mindset similar to slaughtering cows just to have another drink or Sang-Som or smoke some more YaBa

http://www.thaitravelblogs.com/2011/12/record-number-of-tourists-visited-thailand-in-2011/

Don't know where your 65% reduction figure comes from but it is way off the mark according to the above link. Not even the airport closure of a couple years back nor the floods of last year hampered tourism to Thailand in any significant way and in fact there has been a steady rise as per the official figures.

[Thaddeus]

and in fact there has been a steady rise as per the official figures.

Yep, there has.

[bangkokbruce]

My heart and prayers go out to the families of these two ladies that were victimized in Phuket. It just seems like foreigners are moving targets any more here in Thailand, even my Thai wife is begging me to move back to the North in Phan where this kind of thing is unheard of but unfortunately I have spent the last 39 years building my business in Bangkok. Many of my friends have already sent their wives and kids back home oversea's taking away investment money from Thailand. I too am fed up with this country but I have too much to lose and I won't give up but it's not worth dying for, I'm sorry. I love Thailand and know alot of good and honest Thai people but it seems this country is going to hell in a hurry due to rampant corruption, greed, selfishness, lack of education, acceptence of corruption, and heavy use of yaba. Thai's have lost faith in making life better for themselves and living a good and honest buddhist belief. It's all about me me me and their lust for money with no moral values anymore. Now my wife lives in fear for my safety and I really don't blame her, life in Thailand has become disgusting more and more every year. We can't trust the police, the military, or the polititions anymore and now I'm seeing more and more scams so where is the quality of life anymore? I was hoping to devote my retirement to doing humanitarian and missionary work in Thailand but Viet Nam is looking better and better everyday now. Sucks

[namoi]

RIP. bloody sad BUT there is a promiant travel agent in PERTH that spoke out yesterday that is is uncommon in TH as they are such loving friendly people and that the whole country would be shocked by the actions, also said that it happens in every country in the world, yes he may be right about it happening everywhere but i would suggest he is worried that he will lose customers and is spruking like a showman to keep the crowds coming..

[IsaanUSA]

Talking about declining... Is anyone out there with me when I say (please note that I am not a big Thaksin fan, but...) that Thailand is on a slow, permanent decline as a whole since Thaksin was ousted?

Just coincidence. Economy goes down, crime rates go up.

[balo]

Yes its a sad story , but as I read the story in the news

"One of the men snatched Ms Elizabeim’s handbag, but the victims fought back and the attackers stabbed them"

She was 60 years old but an experienced traveller to Asia. So she should have known better, never carry valuables walking late at night in the streets.

She probably had something in her handbag that was important to her, so she fought back. That was the mistake that cost her the life.

If you ever come up in a situation like this, never , never fight back.

[farang000999]

Still haven't figured out why people go to Phuket or Pattaya, well I guess I understand Pattaya even though it doesn't appeal to me.

You get such an absolutely shitty experience where each day you get to be annoyed relentlessly by a bunch of locals who view themselves as deserving something from you because you are a rich farang. The moment you get out of the tourist areas you see the real Thailand and when you go back you want to leave immediately. Don't know how anyone can stand sitting on a bench and being pestered by walking salesman, fighting with tuk tuk and whatever form of public transportation is mafia controlled, jet ski mafia and all the other mafias. No thanks.

[David48]

.

It has taken a little while to put the news item into the Governments ABC TV network, but here is the ABC report.

.

[edwinclapham]

.

It has taken a little while to put the news item into the Governments ABC TV network, but here is the ABC report.

.

It was on ABC 24 hr News all day yesterday David, it has been given a vast amount of coverage.

[Reasonableman]

In fact let be more accurate, my sincere condoleance goes to her family.

But my condoleance also goes to ALL the another previous victims, as its not the first time that bag snatch turn into murder in thailand.

Do you remember not so long ago in bangkok a 52 yo Scot women got her skull broken in another bag snatch and she also die .

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/294279-expat-scot-mugged-in-thailand-losing-fight-for-life/

Or again this russian woman who got stabbed in pattaya link

and again and again these russians women who got bottled and severly beaten by thai youth link

or again .... honestly i can go on for hours with all these nasty crime.

And my condoleance goes also all to the next family victims, but this time it might be your wife, your daughter...

and i m not being sarcastic. .In thailand It happens, it already happened a lot and it will happen again and again as absolutely nothing is done.

RIP

Links on one of the above news report pages...

Russian In Pattaya Drugged & Robbed of iPad, Toyota and Cash

Russian couple relieved of bag

Pattaya Two Fake Cops & Women Trick Briton and Thai Wife

Wanted Swedish Bank Robber With Fake British Passport Caugh in Pattaya

Sattahip Woman Found Half Naked Sexually Assaulted On the Roadside

Edited June 21, 2012 by Reasonableman

[AnotherWorld]

Im Australian and love Thailand and I do travel regularly to visit Thai friends. I have been to Phuket a few times but never plan on returning. The place actually kind of disgusts me and I do not feel safe there. In fact, a few times I would not have felt safe in Thailand should I not have been in the company of other Thais. One thing I absolutely hate, is being looked at as "rich farang" and being ripped off CONSTANTLY by Thai vendors of all sorts.

Edited June 21, 2012 by AnotherWorld

[sirchai]

A very tragic story. I hope people won't risk their lives trying to not lose any valuables in the future.

Kids in the States get killed for a pair of "sneakers"..............

Edited June 22, 2012 by sirchai

[Jessi]

My heart and prayers go out to the families of these two ladies that were victimized in Phuket. It just seems like foreigners are moving targets any more here in Thailand, even my Thai wife is begging me to move back to the North in Phan where this kind of thing is unheard of but unfortunately I have spent the last 39 years building my business in Bangkok. Many of my friends have already sent their wives and kids back home oversea's taking away investment money from Thailand. I too am fed up with this country but I have too much to lose and I won't give up but it's not worth dying for, I'm sorry. I love Thailand and know alot of good and honest Thai people but it seems this country is going to hell in a hurry due to rampant corruption, greed, selfishness, lack of education, acceptence of corruption, and heavy use of yaba. Thai's have lost faith in making life better for themselves and living a good and honest buddhist belief. It's all about me me me and their lust for money with no moral values anymore. Now my wife lives in fear for my safety and I really don't blame her, life in Thailand has become disgusting more and more every year. We can't trust the police, the military, or the polititions anymore and now I'm seeing more and more scams so where is the quality of life anymore? I was hoping to devote my retirement to doing humanitarian and missionary work in Thailand but Viet Nam is looking better and better everyday now. Sucks

Bruce, I feel the same way, the Thai people have changed so much in the past 20+ years..

[sirchai]

Im Australian and love Thailand and I do travel regularly to visit Thai friends. I have been to Phuket a few times but never plan on returning. The place actually kind of disgusts me and I do not feel safe there. In fact, a few times I would not have felt safe in Thailand should I not have been in the company of other Thais. One thing I absolutely hate, is being looked at as "rich farang" and being ripped off CONSTANTLY by Thai vendors of all sorts.

It is very sad what happened, my deepest condolences to her family and friends.

I’m living in Thailand for 10 years now. Had been in Phuket once, took a van from the airport to Phang Nga,lived at Bang Sak beach and had a fantastic holiday without any problems you had mentioned.

What amazes me is that many people really believe what happens in Phuket or Pattaya happens everywhere else.

The so called holiday paradises are pretty much unreal and also a magnet for all sorts of foreign trash......

Edited June 22, 2012 by sirchai

[hmj]

Post #335 by catweazle

"Talking about declining... Is anyone out there with me when I say (please note that I am not a big Thaksin fan, but...) that Thailand is on a slow, permanent decline as a whole since Thaksin was ousted?"

Thailand has not been colonized by outsiders but internally the rich upperclass and their bureaucrats have colonized the working class. Since Taksin the working class has become more vocal and daring. The power of the upperclass is declining and a transition period has set in.

[Ulysses G.]

I too am fed up with this country but I have too much to lose and I won't give up but it's not worth dying for,

Bruce, I feel the same way, the Thai people have changed so much in the past 20+ years..

No they haven't. The same kind of things were happening on a regular basis 20 years ago, but there was no Internet to broadcast them all over the world. This kind of stuff happens pretty much everywhere on the planet and it is sad, but not unusual or specific to Thailand.

Edited June 22, 2012 by Ulysses G.

[farang000999]

it happens everywhere just not as frequently.

[tropo]

it happens everywhere just not as frequently.

Frequently? Handbag snatching is common the world over, but it's a rare occurrence that the victim is stabbed to death.

[BwindiBoy]

I just said to my Thai girlfriend, this type of senseless violence scares me, her reply ok you don't like Thailand go, not a word from her about the women attacked its like it does not register.

I think that pretty well encapsulates the standard Thai view on life - they simply don't value it as highly as we do and therefore taking a life is no big deal. Unless that mindset changes (which it won't as it's linked to their religeous beliefs) this "cheapening" of life will continue.

[fishhooks]

RIP to the dear lady who needlessly lost her life. To the perpetrators, may you rot.

Upon my first official trip to Thailand years back in 1985, I was warned about the notorious backpack cutters on public transportation. Outright violence against foreigners was negligible, though not unheard of.

In 2001, I overheard (FSI 2.5 if you must know) a local at a bar tell the others how they should hit me over the head and take my money, even though I was clearly exercising at the time and had no valuables on my person. To their good merit, the other Thais seated with this "gentleman" gave him a severe berating. Just goes to show that one bad apple on his own, or mixed with another bad apple, can and will spoil the whole lot. Thais in general are wonderful people.

I have been all over Thailand without incident, though I'm not flashy and stay away from trouble. Police I know have offered me firearms when knowing I'm traveling throug a certain area of the country, though this is of course declined.

Even though I love Thais and Thailand, I always keep my guard up. Always, and not only in Thailand.

Me too.

I've been travelling Thailand since 1975 and whilst I'm careful everywhere I go in the world, these days I'm particularly careful in Thailand.

Without doubt, I speak of in my mind, in Thailand there is definitely an undercurrent of bad feeling toward foreigners. Not I think at a particularly dangerous level (as yet), but apparent.

Issan in particular has seen an influx of foreign / Thai relationships, with villages once of course only the realm of Thais now showing signs of small palaces springing up here and there amongst the shacks where other families are existing on a couple of hundred baht (if that) a day.

Human nature demands unfortunately that this is going to cause bad feeling , with obvious reactions.

Perhaps this is a natural progression and not much can be done about it, but, ..........................................Be aware!

Can this be linked to an incident in a tourist resort against a tourist, maybe not directly, but some roots I'm sure exist.

My TW and several of our Thai / Aus friends here in Australia love going back to Thailand fairly frequently, but we know few who want to go back and actually live there? I'm sure this is in part due their mixed relationship.

Perhaps our Thai partners also feel something in the air. I do now when exiting Suvarnabhumi to enjoy the land, but at the same time I am very very careful.

[brewsterbudgen]

Time for tough measures. The people that did this need to be hanged. Thailand needs to draw a line in the sand. Life in prison for the raft operators who killed the tourists 2 weeks ago.

Do they hang murdering muggers in Australia?

Terrible tragedy indeed ... nobody should die in that way ..if the police were less busy trying to get money from corruption they would perhaps be more visible to those criminals, I never seen any police patrol in those very touristic areas.. I might be wrong of course .Well Thailand is not safe anymore that for sure.

This is a tradagdy, is the post above saying the police in Australia are corrupt as well, because unfortuantly tourists get mugged and murded in Australia too, its not just a Thai thing.read some Indian / Irish Australian news papers, Tourists die here as well.

Chalk one up for the Thai apologists.

Please provide a link to just one similar case anywhere else in the world, where a tourist was murdered during a bag snatch. I will be waiting patiently.

Here's just few I found in a minute of searching

http://www.lonelypla...hreadID=2161801

http://www.whec.com/...shtml?cat=10036

http://www.theportug...ews/view/1165-1

http://www.dailymail...ape-ordeal.html

I seem to remember a few nasty murders of backpacking tourists in Australia too.

Edited June 22, 2012 by brewsterbudgen

[fishhooks]

What possible threat does a 60 year old woman pose? Murdered just for the hell of it.

She posed no threat, it was a robbery gone wrong. They tried to steal her bag, she resisted. The robber fought her off with a knife when she resisted his attempts to steal her bag!

The robber fought her off, are you serious? He was the attacker and she was the victim.

Also, I have seen twice now this term "robbery gone wrong" and even one headline read "bag snatch gone wrong." Is there such a thing as a "robbery gone right."? The term used here implies so.

Now is probably a good time to remind people that the general advise given when confronted by an armed robber, or when outnumbered by robbers, is to not resist. What ever they want it's not worth your life. In no way blaming the victims, but it has been reported that they fought back which was the wrong thing to do and it may have cost this lady her life.

A rapist, on the other hand, you should fight, yell, scream with every ounce of your being.

As despicable as the crime you are stating is, there is a possibility that a violent response could be forthcoming, resulting in a similar outcome as the subject we are discussing here.

[brianbxb]

While the frequency of crime in Pattaya may be comparable with Phuket, I think the press ( correctly ) takes into account the fact that so many Pattaya holidaymakers go there for the type of holiday that could bring you into contact with Thailand's criminal classes. As long as Phuket does well from tourism, the Thai authorities will do nothing about the endemic lawlessness there so an international boycott is long overdue. Far too many holiday victims this year alone and now is the time to use the power of publicity. Brian Chumphon

[brewsterbudgen]

While the frequency of crime in Pattaya may be comparable with Phuket, I think the press ( correctly ) takes into account the fact that so many Pattaya holidaymakers go there for the type of holiday that could bring you into contact with Thailand's criminal classes. As long as Phuket does well from tourism, the Thai authorities will do nothing about the endemic lawlessness there so an international boycott is long overdue. Far too many holiday victims this year alone and now is the time to use the power of publicity. Brian Chumphon

Are you serious? Tens of thousands of people enjoy their holidays in Phuket without incidents. Of course people need to take sensible precautions but muggings like this happen in tourist resorts all over the world. Maybe we should boycott them all.

Good grief, this thread is hard to take

[crobe]

RIP to the dear lady who needlessly lost her life. To the perpetrators, may you rot.

Upon my first official trip to Thailand years back in 1985, I was warned about the notorious backpack cutters on public transportation. Outright violence against foreigners was negligible, though not unheard of.

In 2001, I overheard (FSI 2.5 if you must know) a local at a bar tell the others how they should hit me over the head and take my money, even though I was clearly exercising at the time and had no valuables on my person. To their good merit, the other Thais seated with this "gentleman" gave him a severe berating. Just goes to show that one bad apple on his own, or mixed with another bad apple, can and will spoil the whole lot. Thais in general are wonderful people.

I have been all over Thailand without incident, though I'm not flashy and stay away from trouble. Police I know have offered me firearms when knowing I'm traveling throug a certain area of the country, though this is of course declined.

Even though I love Thais and Thailand, I always keep my guard up. Always, and not only in Thailand.

Me too.

I've been travelling Thailand since 1975 and whilst I'm careful everywhere I go in the world, these days I'm particularly careful in Thailand.

Without doubt, I speak of in my mind, in Thailand there is definitely an undercurrent of bad feeling toward foreigners. Not I think at a particularly dangerous level (as yet), but apparent.

Issan in particular has seen an influx of foreign / Thai relationships, with villages once of course only the realm of Thais now showing signs of small palaces springing up here and there amongst the shacks where other families are existing on a couple of hundred baht (if that) a day.

Human nature demands unfortunately that this is going to cause bad feeling , with obvious reactions.

Perhaps this is a natural progression and not much can be done about it, but, ..........................................Be aware!

Can this be linked to an incident in a tourist resort against a tourist, maybe not directly, but some roots I'm sure exist.

My TW and several of our Thai / Aus friends here in Australia love going back to Thailand fairly frequently, but we know few who want to go back and actually live there? I'm sure this is in part due their mixed relationship.

Perhaps our Thai partners also feel something in the air. I do now when exiting Suvarnabhumi to enjoy the land, but at the same time I am very very careful.

There are 3 factors that together combine to increase the impression that tourists in Thailand are less safe than before

- The increasing number of tourists, and tourist areas, leads to easy rich pickings for street crime

- The increasing use of internet and other media which highlights the incidents more than before

- The undercurrent of anti-foreigner sentiment - which sometimes goes hand in hand with the increasing foreign population.

The anti-foreigner sentiment should be put into context - the Thais have a historic xenophobia from the colonial times and this permeates both ends of the political spectrum, the PAD are explicit in their nationalistic goals, and on the other side the rhetoric was increased and played up to around 11 years ago when the Thai Rak Thai party took control, using specific anti-foreigner statements such as pledging "to stop the firesale of Thai interest to foreign firms" and blaming foreign speculation for the previous currency crisis.

Ironic given that the leader of that party sold his company to a foreign sovereign wealth fund.

That said - the anti-foreigner sentiment in Thailand is not on a level seen elsewhere during times of civil disturbance - the PAD occupation of the airport inconvenienced foreign travelers, but there was no outright animosity to them, and even on occasion food and water provided to the stuck passengers.

Similarly, during the red-short occupation in Bangkok, the arson attacks did not target specific foreign owned firms.

These incidents can be contrasted with riots in London and Los Angeles, in both cases there was overt targeting of foreign owned premises.

That said, there is no excuse or apology for this appalling incident and the Thai authorities need to understand that foreign visitors need to be kept safe and if an incident occurs the supposed assailant is quickly found and justice prevails.

In order to protect the tourists they have to increase both the security and levels of confidence in the tourist areas by having round the clock police on patrol, and these should be dedicated to keeping the safety of the tourists paramount and not see them as walking ATMs for the police coffers

Tackling crime and corruption at the same time is the only way forward

Crobe

[brewsterbudgen]

There are 3 factors that together combine to increase the impression that tourists in Thailand are less safe than before

- The increasing number of tourists, and tourist areas, leads to easy rich pickings for street crime

- The increasing use of internet and other media which highlights the incidents more than before

- The undercurrent of anti-foreigner sentiment - which sometimes goes hand in hand with the increasing foreign population.

The anti-foreigner sentiment should be put into context - the Thais have a historic xenophobia from the colonial times and this permeates both ends of the political spectrum, the PAD are explicit in their nationalistic goals, and on the other side the rhetoric was increased and played up to around 11 years ago when the Thai Rak Thai party took control, using specific anti-foreigner statements such as pledging "to stop the firesale of Thai interest to foreign firms" and blaming foreign speculation for the previous currency crisis.

Ironic given that the leader of that party sold his company to a foreign sovereign wealth fund.

That said - the anti-foreigner sentiment in Thailand is not on a level seen elsewhere during times of civil disturbance - the PAD occupation of the airport inconvenienced foreign travelers, but there was no outright animosity to them, and even on occasion food and water provided to the stuck passengers.

Similarly, during the red-short occupation in Bangkok, the arson attacks did not target specific foreign owned firms.

These incidents can be contrasted with riots in London and Los Angeles, in both cases there was overt targeting of foreign owned premises.

That said, there is no excuse or apology for this appalling incident and the Thai authorities need to understand that foreign visitors need to be kept safe and if an incident occurs the supposed assailant is quickly found and justice prevails.

In order to protect the tourists they have to increase both the security and levels of confidence in the tourist areas by having round the clock police on patrol, and these should be dedicated to keeping the safety of the tourists paramount and not see them as walking ATMs for the police coffers

Tackling crime and corruption at the same time is the only way forward

Crobe

Thanks for the sensible, literate post.

Edited June 22, 2012 by brewsterbudgen

[sportsman69]

Im Australian and love Thailand and I do travel regularly to visit Thai friends. I have been to Phuket a few times but never plan on returning. The place actually kind of disgusts me and I do not feel safe there. In fact, a few times I would not have felt safe in Thailand should I not have been in the company of other Thais. One thing I absolutely hate, is being looked at as "rich farang" and being ripped off CONSTANTLY by Thai vendors of all sorts.

It is very sad what happened, my deepest condolences to her family and friends.

I’m living in Thailand for 10 years now. Had been in Phuket once, took a van from the airport to Phang Nga,lived at Bang Sak beach and had a fantastic holiday without any problems you had mentioned.

What amazes me is that many people really believe what happens in Phuket or Pattaya happens everywhere else.

The so called holiday paradises are pretty much unreal and also a magnet for all sorts of foreign trash......

I totally agree with the last sentence though using it in the same topic I'm sure is unintentional, it could be interpreted to the casual reader that the victim is ........

Phuket is full of scum both foreign, such as the Bogan Aussies and other nationalities that make false claims and behave in an obnoxious manner, to the other end of the spectrum, such as possibly the Thai ?, perpetrators of this horrendous crime.

Good riddance to them all.

Edited June 22, 2012 by sportsman69

[samsiam]

I seem to remember a few nasty murders of backpacking tourists in Australia too.

shhh...thats a secret.

[Time Traveller]

It is very sad what happened, my deepest condolences to her family and friends.

I’m living in Thailand for 10 years now. Had been in Phuket once, took a van from the airport to Phang Nga,lived at Bang Sak beach and had a fantastic holiday without any problems you had mentioned.

What amazes me is that many people really believe what happens in Phuket or Pattaya happens everywhere else.

The so called holiday paradises are pretty much unreal and also a magnet for all sorts of foreign trash......

These moronic posts, start out with the writer telling everyone how long they've been in Thailand. Then go on to say that tourist area #XYZ is not really representative of Thailand, goes on to trash talk about those garbage foreigners, then throws in a cartoon "wai" to show that the writer is not a bad foreigner but one with the Thais.

Back to reality, someone - a foreign travel agent on business in Phuket - was murdered in a popular street near a hotel. The very same day Thai newspapers also reported 5 people gunned down in a a bar in Saraburi. This despicable violence happens everywhere everyday in Thailand, and it's not the "foreign trash" that does it....it's the Thais. But you don't dare call them trash do you? So why you call foreigners trash?

Edited June 22, 2012 by Time Traveller