Udon Thani Woman Arrested For Allegedly Murdering 70-Year-Old Austrian Boyfriend

[webfact]

Udon Thani woman arrested for allegedly murdering 70-year-old Austrian boyfriend
The Nation

UDON THANI: -- Police have arrested a woman in this northeastern province for having allegedly murdered her 70-year-old Austrian boyfriend.

Chawiangwan Sriratchana, 44, was arrested on Wednesday at her house in Udon Thani's Muang district after she returned from Bangkok.

The body of Guntur Gruber was found in a brush behind Chawiangwan's house on April 14 when she was not at home.

The woman claimed she did not know about the death because she was in Bangkok at that time. But a witness told police that the woman was seen quarrelling with the Austrian man on April 4 over a stolen money and she was seen beating him now and then.

The woman denied the charge and reserved her rights to speak only in court.


-- The Nation 2013-05-09

[epicstuff]

she sounds like a piece of work if the witness statements are true... I wonder if he was in sound mind to put up with it....

[TackyToo]

"The woman denied the charge and reserved her rights to speak only in court". She probably suffers from a sore throat from all that quarrelling.

[Baerboxer]

How sad. RIP to the Austrian.

I know many people of different nationalities who have divorced their Thai wives. In every instance it was because large sums of money were spent, overtime, without the husband understanding where it went. Their wives could not explain it adequately and usually the discussion ended in a row with the wives screeching "you farang, no understand" etc etc. These wives were not all ex bar girls. Some were well educated and had businesses or professional careers before marriage.

Money seems to lead to huge issues here and these Thai wives all reacted very quickly and badly when challenged. It seems from the OP that this lady was prone to use violence.

Edited May 9, 2013 by Baerboxer

[ALFREDO]

I am in Udon Thani province, I am Austrian, I sometimes frequent German speaking Expat meeting points in Udon city,

possible I met him.

I will ask when I am in Udon city.

Think, that is the third Austrian killed in Udon province in the last 2-3 years,

one stabbed by his wife 21 or 27? times, in self defense, as she claimed,

one killed with a machete by his wives sister husband (his wife was also killed in the incident) the murderer hanged himself afterwards.

Dangerous place for us Austrians.

Edited May 9, 2013 by ALFREDO

[8ighty1ne]

Think, that is the third Austrian killed in Udon province in the last 2-3 years,

bloody austrians.. trouble, the lot of you

a sad waste of life, seems to happen far too much here.. or they just don't have anything else better to report?? anyhow, Ruhe in Frieden

[britinthai]

How sad. RIP to the Austrian.

I know many people of different nationalities who have divorced their Thai wives. In every instance it was because large sums of money were spent, overtime, without the husband understanding where it went. Their wives could not explain it adequately and usually the discussion ended in a row with the wives screeching "you farang, no understand" etc etc. These wives were not all ex bar girls. Some were well educated and had businesses or professional careers before marriage.

Money seems to lead to huge issues here and these Thai wives all reacted very quickly and badly when challenged. It seems from the OP that this lady was prone to use violence.

Before one of the nit picking members will ask you to prove the statement "in every instance"; I fully understand what you mean as well as most other normal members. Money is the root of all evil, and for sure money matters more to most Thai (Oh flip I will be asked to prove this) people because their government does not support layabouts like the western word does. I agree with you that it is not only related to bar girls; the educated ones seem to be more prone to this (Oh I have done it again) Pimay1 will have a field day with this post - knock yourself.

[8ighty1ne]

How sad. RIP to the Austrian.

I know many people of different nationalities who have divorced their Thai wives. In every instance it was because large sums of money were spent, overtime, without the husband understanding where it went. Their wives could not explain it adequately and usually the discussion ended in a row with the wives screeching "you farang, no understand" etc etc. These wives were not all ex bar girls. Some were well educated and had businesses or professional careers before marriage.

Money seems to lead to huge issues here and these Thai wives all reacted very quickly and badly when challenged. It seems from the OP that this lady was prone to use violence.

Before one of the nit picking members will ask you to prove the statement "in every instance"; I fully understand what you mean as well as most other normal members. Money is the root of all evil, and for sure money matters more to most Thai (Oh flip I will be asked to prove this) people because their government does not support layabouts like the western word does. I agree with you that it is not only related to bar girls; the educated ones seem to be more prone to this (Oh I have done it again) Pimay1 will have a field day with this post - knock yourself.

calling it how it is, eh?? how very well dare thee!! you should go back to your own country and let the rest of us sugar coat shzzzzz ...kidding, of course, lol

[wilcopops]

Why is it that people feel the need to make pronouncements on something about which they know absolutely nothing.....and apparently do not have the intelligence to interpret a simple Thai media report without making huge assumptions.......it doesn't help anyone but makes themselves look downright ignorant.

[Farma]

The Thairath newspaper lists the mans name as Gunther Groober (check spelling) http://m.thairath.co.th/content/region/343570

[bitcoinbob]

the country with the highest prison population is america . the % of female prisoners is 6% in thailand female prison population is 22%, just something to think about next time you want to date or marry a thai female.

[sirchai]

The woman claimed she did not know about the death because she was in Bangkok at that time. But a witness told police that the woman was seen quarrelling with the Austrian man on April 4 over a stolen money and she was seen beating him now and then.

Guess his name's Guenter. And she was seen beating him now and then and nobody said something. Nobody had heard something. Rest in peace, hope you had lived your life to the fullest.

[atyclb]

Think, that is the third Austrian killed in Udon province in the last 2-3 years,

bloody austrians.. trouble, the lot of you

a sad waste of life, seems to happen far too much here.. or they just don't have anything else better to report?? anyhow, Ruhe in Frieden

Things like this are inevitable given the high number of associations/marriages between older financially more secure western males and often women from the very bottom end of society (exceptions acknowledged).

[lungmi]

In my Amphoe I have contacts to a group of expats. 80% have problems with money.

1. the wife is gambling addicted.

2. the family needs money for a lot of different things.

3. small local loan sharks have a target group.

4. Many Expats are too stupid for Thailand.

[sirchai]

the country with the highest prison population

I am in Udon Thani province, I am Austrian, I sometimes frequent German speaking Expat meeting points in Udon city,

possible I met him.

I will ask when I am in Udon city.

Think, that is the third Austrian killed in Udon province in the last 2-3 years,

one stabbed by his wife 21 or 27? times, in self defense, as she claimed,

one killed with a machete by his wives sister husband (his wife was also killed in the incident) the murderer hanged himself afterwards.

Dangerous place for us Austrians.

one killed with a machete by his wives sister husband (his wife was also killed in the incident) the murderer hanged himself afterwards.

Possible that she was his Mia Noi?- Austrians should be allowed to carry guns in Udon Thani.

is america . the % of female prisoners is 6% in thailand female prison population is 22%, just something to think about next time you want to date or marry a thai female.

Thanks for the good advice, but I'm happily married since 11 years and I hope she won't beat me.

[Farma]

Maybe one of our more fluent Thai readers can translate additional information in the Thairath article. There appears to be mention of a German farang involved in the womans life as well as her Austrian husband.

[Emdog]

nitpicking but what the heck: "Money is the root of all evil" I believe the actual line is "THE LOVE OF money is the root of all evil", not money if and of itself.

Body found on 14th, quarrel on 4th. Should not be all that difficult to determine date he died and when she was in Bangkok... Seems if one goes to the trouble of murdering spouse, one would do more than just chuck the body out the backdoor and hope no one finds it.... But that may just be "the Thai way" vs farang way of murder....

[robblok]

Think, that is the third Austrian killed in Udon province in the last 2-3 years,

bloody austrians.. trouble, the lot of you

a sad waste of life, seems to happen far too much here.. or they just don't have anything else better to report?? anyhow, Ruhe in Frieden

Things like this are inevitable given the high number of associations/marriages between older financially more secure western males and often women from the very bottom end of society (exceptions acknowledged).

You hit the nail on the head that is the point... older guy wants young wife.. wife wants money (and will try to cope with the old guy) . Sometimes it works.. sometimes it ends up like this.

[TheGhostWithin]

Quite disappointing that the Thairath newspaper has managed to publish photos of Gunther, and pointless intentionally censored photos of his body, but failed to do the "offender name and shame" photo that they manage to do in most other cases, Thai and Foreigner alike.

I do not know Gunther, though I have been visiting Udon Regularly since I was a young adult 8 years ago. I would guess he is one of the many men that go to Udon who settled in Udon many years ago to escape western culture, and has over time perhaps even become more isolated as Udon westernises itself more and more every year.

Most Germans and Austrians that live in Udon know each other, or know someone that knows someone, but so do many Australians know man Austrians.. it is a truly good expat community there and I enjoy the company of some of the guys that have been there many years very much. It is not a community like you might find in Pattaya, Bangkok or even Chiang Mai.

Being that it is a place which traditionally has been purely Isaan, with little western influence until recently (and only in a commercial sense mostly), men have been forced to become Isaan-like or find themselves on the losing end of the family. Some men which come to Udon Thani now do not understand this, and more and more men are coming off second best to needs of the family - who will at times achieve their goals no matter what the cost. This often ends with mindless acts destroying lives of hope and dreams.

[hawker9000]

Think, that is the third Austrian killed in Udon province in the last 2-3 years,

bloody austrians.. trouble, the lot of you

a sad waste of life, seems to happen far too much here.. or they just don't have anything else better to report?? anyhow, Ruhe in Frieden

Things like this are inevitable given the high number of associations/marriages between older financially more secure western males and often women from the very bottom end of society (exceptions acknowledged).

You hit the nail on the head that is the point... older guy wants young wife.. wife wants money (and will try to cope with the old guy) . Sometimes it works.. sometimes it ends up like this.

Yes, it's a generalization, but I believe there's a lot of truth in this. Sure, there are some who live happily ever after. But safe to say EVERYBODY that joins this demographic thinks his will be a success story, and that something like this will never happen to HIM.

[Monkeyrobot]

RIP and if she is guilty then I hope she gets what she deserves.

[Minnehaha]

How sad. RIP to the Austrian.

I know many people of different nationalities who have divorced their Thai wives. In every instance it was because large sums of money were spent, overtime, without the husband understanding where it went. Their wives could not explain it adequately and usually the discussion ended in a row with the wives screeching "you farang, no understand" etc etc. These wives were not all ex bar girls. Some were well educated and had businesses or professional careers before marriage.

Money seems to lead to huge issues here and these Thai wives all reacted very quickly and badly when challenged. It seems from the OP that this lady was prone to use violence.

I chose very carefully when I married. Every time I read things like this, I am grateful. My wife is a kind person, watches no TV (no Lakonrs ever), is enlightened and capable of having an intelligent conversation about any breakdowns we encounter in our relationship. She is a professional and wants us both to enjoy a happy fruitful life. She never asks for money; we discuss allocating funds (from either of us) in ways that benefit us. Sometimes we invest in her business.. sometimes in mine. She sends no money home - she has borrowed from her family when we made downpayment on the condo. And she returned the money on time. Her family are middle class but her parents never studied past Grade 6 (Paw 6). They are Thai Chinese. My wife is not the most beautiful woman I have dated in Thailand (there have been hundreds). But I am so very glad I chose her.

[TheGhostWithin]

You hit the nail on the head that is the point... older guy wants young wife.. wife wants money (and will try to cope with the old guy) . Sometimes it works.. sometimes it ends up like this.

Or is the problem that we as western men fail to account for the fact that we are entering a class based society, in which the only hope of class advancement is seen as through a western man for those at the bottom? Is it that we fail to account for this and therefore accept those that approach us, instead of making a serious search, dating women that work for banks, that own restaurants and hotels, that work in government departments? Most would consider these ladies as "boring", and not fun or crazy like ladies from the bar. It is this lack of understanding which can often be the first guarantee of future relationship failure. It is also a fact that those whom are educated are less likely to commit violent crime - this rule transcends global society.

My girlfriends parents are both civil servants (I was very lucky to find her) and she has a university education. I have pushed her to her limits under stress to see if she will attack me, and she did not. It was not a nice thing to do but it was important - it would be stupid to invest my future in someone who cannot control themselves.

As foreigners, are we a group that is trying to repair the boat at the bottom of the ocean so that we do not have to spend our time to get the nice new floating boat basking in the sun? I believe many are. I once was.

Edited May 9, 2013 by TheGhostWithin

[amaryllis belladona]

How sad. RIP to the Austrian.

I know many people of different nationalities who have divorced their Thai wives. In every instance it was because large sums of money were spent, overtime, without the husband understanding where it went. Their wives could not explain it adequately and usually the discussion ended in a row with the wives screeching "you farang, no understand" etc etc. These wives were not all ex bar girls. Some were well educated and had businesses or professional careers before marriage.

Money seems to lead to huge issues here and these Thai wives all reacted very quickly and badly when challenged. It seems from the OP that this lady was prone to use violence.

Before one of the nit picking members will ask you to prove the statement "in every instance"; I fully understand what you mean as well as most other normal members. Money is the root of all evil, and for sure money matters more to most Thai (Oh flip I will be asked to prove this) people because their government does not support layabouts like the western word does. I agree with you that it is not only related to bar girls; the educated ones seem to be more prone to this (Oh I have done it again) Pimay1 will have a field day with this post - knock yourself.

The love of money is the root of all evil. Not the money itself.

[uty6543]

How sad. RIP to the Austrian.

I know many people of different nationalities who have divorced their Thai wives. In every instance it was because large sums of money were spent, overtime, without the husband understanding where it went. Their wives could not explain it adequately and usually the discussion ended in a row with the wives screeching "you farang, no understand" etc etc. These wives were not all ex bar girls. Some were well educated and had businesses or professional careers before marriage.

Money seems to lead to huge issues here and these Thai wives all reacted very quickly and badly when challenged. It seems from the OP that this lady was prone to use violence.

Before one of the nit picking members will ask you to prove the statement "in every instance"; I fully understand what you mean as well as most other normal members. Money is the root of all evil, and for sure money matters more to most Thai (Oh flip I will be asked to prove this) people because their government does not support layabouts like the western word does. I agree with you that it is not only related to bar girls; the educated ones seem to be more prone to this (Oh I have done it again) Pimay1 will have a field day with this post - knock yourself.

you are misquoting that biblical phrase is is not "Money is the Root of All Evil" it is

"The Love of Money is the Root of All Evil" and Thai people love money

[SOTIRIOS]

.....wlecome to Thailand......

(......until you are not welcome any more....)

[h5kaf]

"The woman denied the charge and reserved her rights to speak only in court". She probably suffers from a sore throat from all that quarrelling.

Sounds like suicide to me.

[amaryllis belladona]

How sad. RIP to the Austrian.

I know many people of different nationalities who have divorced their Thai wives. In every instance it was because large sums of money were spent, overtime, without the husband understanding where it went. Their wives could not explain it adequately and usually the discussion ended in a row with the wives screeching "you farang, no understand" etc etc. These wives were not all ex bar girls. Some were well educated and had businesses or professional careers before marriage.

Money seems to lead to huge issues here and these Thai wives all reacted very quickly and badly when challenged. It seems from the OP that this lady was prone to use violence.

Before one of the nit picking members will ask you to prove the statement "in every instance"; I fully understand what you mean as well as most other normal members. Money is the root of all evil, and for sure money matters more to most Thai (Oh flip I will be asked to prove this) people because their government does not support layabouts like the western word does. I agree with you that it is not only related to bar girls; the educated ones seem to be more prone to this (Oh I have done it again) Pimay1 will have a field day with this post - knock yourself.

you are misquoting that biblical phrase is is not "Money is the Root of All Evil" it is

"The Love of Money is the Root of All Evil" and Thai people love money

:-))

[John Egil]

This Isarn women

Edited May 9, 2013 by John Egil

[tragickingdom]

So the Udon police is dyslectic and did not notice that there is a difference between the 4th and the 14th?