Danish kids in Ubon selling corn and asking for money

[Michael Hare]

Yesterday morning I went into the old central part of Ubon, to buy cloth to take to my tailor to make a pair of trousers. The Indian cloth shop owner, whom I have known for over 20 years (we talk about cricket), was telling me about these two young Danish children (brother and sister). He said they drive a motorbike into the city and sell corn.

However, they also go around shops asking for money. The first time they asked him he was taken by surprise and gave them 200 baht. They said that their parents didnt give them enough money for school, hence they had to ask for handouts. A few days later they came back and he gave them 100 baht. The next time they came, the sister came into the shop while the brother sat on his motorbike. The Indian shop owner told them he didnt believe they went to school because that day was a school day and they were in his shop. He gave them nothing. The sister walked back to brother on the motorbike, spoke to him and the brother gave the Indian shop owner the big finger.

The Indian shop owner was surprised I had never seen these children. He said that they are in town all the time. Blond Caucasian kids on a motorbike selling corn are very conspicuous. I confessed I had never heard of them, let alone seen them.

Who are these children? Where do they come from? Have they got parents? I guess they must but why are they riding around on a motorbike and selling corn? How do they get visas to live in Thailand? I guess their parents must get visas and they are with their parents. Perhaps they are being home-schooled? And asking for money from shop owners!

I was mystified by all of this.

Does anyone out there know these children? Perhaps the local Danish expats know who they are?

[bergen]

I've seen them a few times, but know nothing about them. They have been talked about in earlier topics!

[mike123ca]

When I go to the flea market near Pathume Pit high school, I've seen both the boy and girl there.

The girl came knocking at my house to sell corn and she can speak English. I've seen the boy and girl and they also speak Thai.

I've have seen the father ( he was selling watermelons at the market). A couple of months ago, it was reported in newspapers and Thaivisa that he was deported back to his home country on criminal charges.

Now the hearsay part which I don't know if it is true.

The children had a Danish mother, but she passed away. The father remarried to a Thai woman and moved the family to Ubon. He is back in Denmark and step mother is raising the kids.

[AliasJohn]

The two kids have been into my shop on occasion selling corn and and fruit. They speak fluent Thai and Issan as they have spent along time here. Their Father is around as I saw him not so long ago. They live out way behind Hua Wang Nong and are usually quite dirty and poorly mannered. The time I took these pics he was on his phone, bike loaded up with laundry and the girl had to tap him on the shoulder as he was about to ride into the back of a parked pickup. Their riding skills are the same as most other kids around here....none!

I pretty sure they don't go to school as I have seen them many times throughout the day. I was at a mates wedding about 2 months ago and they even had the balls to come into the wedding hawking their wares. I wonder what their visa status is!!

Edited July 14, 2013 by sbk
photos removed, invasive of personal privacy

[Songhua]

Children Of The Corn. If their eyes start flashing, run.

[swissie]

As a first step, the local police should be involved to look into it. Depending on their findings, they may, in turn, want to involve the danish embassy.

Cheers.

[Michael Hare]

Thank you all for the information. Appears that they are living poorly and have to sell their farm produce to make ends meet. Another shop owner in Ubon told me today that these childrn also sell homemade cookies. I would worry about their future as they grow older. I certainly hope they don't get into drug dealing which is ever so easy to do in the border provinces of northeast Thailand. I doubt very much they are getting much guidance in their lives. Makes one wonder what sort of Father the father is.

[MeMock]

Hi Michael,

I'm surprised you have not come across these kids before now. There has been a few threads on Thai Visa as well as other forums before this one. Photos and some very informative comments can be found here if you are interested.

Regards

MM

Edited July 15, 2013 by sbk
llink removed-these are children people. give them some privacy

[Michael Hare]

Hi Michael,

I'm surprised you have not come across these kids before now. There has been a few threads on Thai Visa as well as other forums before this one. Photos and some very informative comments can be found here if you are interested.

Regards

MM

Thank you MM. No, I have never seen or heard of these children before and nor have the locals around where I live. I guess they must frequent the areas on the other side of Ubon and venture into town to the market areas. I pray that they will turn out ok. It is amazing that they can live here for so long and not get checked on for visas. That is probably why they don't go to schooll. No ID, no visa and probably no birth certificates. It seems that they must sell produce every day just to survive. If they were back in Denmark they would get welfare payments if the father was unemployed but as one post said, he must have a past over there and doesn't want to go back.

[sbk]

Come on guys, these are children and plastering their photos here without their knowledge or permission of that of their parents is just not on

[hanno]

So is anybody in Ubon going to contact the police and/or the Embassy?????

[CTO]

Agree SBK, if you want to help, be there and get involved, otherwise it isn't doing them any good just gossiping.

[harrry]

So you worry about these kids selling cornand other things because they are white and think they have no future.

This is the future that the majority of Thai children face. You could not care less about them could you.

Edited July 15, 2013 by harrry

[swissie]

So is anybody in Ubon going to contact the police and/or the Embassy?????

Yes why not. Only remedy to clarify this situation as I mentioned above.

Today they are selling corn and bananas. What will they be selling tomorrow? (Drugs?).

- Fair haired children, with no Thai-Family guidance and "protection" and no schooling, are condemned to live a live comparable to a street dog. (Outcasts forever).

I am confident, that some Farangs, familiar with the situation, will take action soon.

Cheers.

[ALFREDO]

-swissie-

I would not be so sure.

Edited July 15, 2013 by ALFREDO

[sirchai]

There were some stories about them many moons ago.

Their father is/was an alcoholic ( not my statement, coming from Thais) and out of visa as they are for a long long time.

Their biological mother passed away a long time and it seems that nobody really cares.

It's just a matter of time until they'll sell their bodies, some locals seem to enjoy that some white "kids" are selling peanuts and other stuff at restaurants.

They say they go to school, but they don't. The tourist police don't seem to be interested, as almost all people from Ubon know them.

They have had many accidents and several injuries. Just wondering why nobody cares. If somebody dislikes seeing them around inform the immigration, or call 1155. Your first friend. The tourist police, which is aware.-

Edited July 16, 2013 by sirchai

[jcb2001]

These kids need help. I'm sure Danish social services would be interested. There is no support structure for them here in Thailand. They need help. Their parents need help.

[swissie]

I am aware of the fact, that unless it concerns family members, Thai's tend to follow a policy of "non-involvement". Fine, this is the unwritten law of the land and Farangs embedded in this environment are also part of it.

But still:

- These kids will go down the drain under these circumstances, it's only a matter of time. Remedies like involving the local police and the tourist police (good heavens) is probably an exercise in futility.

A report to the Danish-Embassy might get the ball rolling (=no guarantee!)

A long time ago, a guy named John F. Kennedy wrote a book named "Civil-Courage". But in those "modern-times", who reads stuff like this?

Cheers.

[CTO]

So Swissie, how did your call to the Danish Embassy go?

[hanno]

I live in Cambodia and they closed the Embassy here a couple of months ago. Who can I contact?

[sirchai]

If there's anybody out there who's really concerned, please feel free to contact the Immigration in Phiboonmangsahan.

They'll have to do something, I'd guess. Here's the contact number.

. I've already tried to solve this problem a while ago and nothing happened.

If there's anybody out there trying to save their lives, before a 16 wheeler get's them riding on their always speeding scooter, please contact those who've got to do something.

Forget the brown boys and "Your First Friend."

Wouldn't be good to read something about them after having an accident on this forum.

Honestly, I do not give a flying skull about the deportation of their father. Can't be a good one roughly speaking.

I'd never say that the tourist cops, or better said one of them had already tried to get some beer, aeeh tea money. Never ever.- .

Phiboonmangsahan Imm 0-4544-1108, 0-4544-1988 Fax 0-1648-8952

Edited July 16, 2013 by sirchai

[sirchai]

I live in Cambodia and they closed the Embassy here a couple of months ago. Who can I contact?

A good one,indeed.

Edited July 16, 2013 by sirchai

[sirchai]

I live in Cambodia and they closed the Embassy here a couple of months ago. Who can I contact?

Angkor Wat perhaps?-

Edited July 16, 2013 by sirchai

[hanno]

I live in Cambodia and they closed the Embassy here a couple of months ago. Who can I contact?

A good one,indeed.

Sorry, I meant they closed the Danish Embassy here in Cambodia.

[Salapoo]

So this was probably the young skinny blond punk on a souped up old scooter that was revving up at the lights and then took off with a loud wheelie in front of everyone, pure dek wan style, while I was passing through.

[sbk]

Why wouldn't you also call the Embassy if you are sure they are Danish?

http://thailand.um.dk/

contact details right on the front page

[sirchai]

I did sent following mail to the Danish contact address:

To Whom It May Concern,

I'm an English teacher at a primary school in Ubon Ratchathani and would like to inform you about some Danish people here.

There are two Danish kids, as far as I know for many years, who're selling fruits and other stuff to customers all over Ubon R.

The boy might be 14, the girl around 11 years of age. It's just a matter of time until something unforeseeable will happen to them.

I'd informed the local tourist police more than a year ago, but they don't seem to care. Their Danish father and the kids must be on a long, long overstay. I've heard that their Danish mom passed away some years ago and their father is an alcoholic.

They're not attending school,. both speak perfect "Isaan" and Thai. They're riding on a scooter and already had many accidents. I don't want to wait until a 16 wheeler will kill them in a road accident, as they've had already a few serious accidents, as the boy's always speeding.

It's my responsibility as an educator to inform you, to prevent their lives and to look for better opportunities in their future. This letter will also be made public on an Internet forum, to make sure that other people are aware of this mail.

Yours sincerely,

Ronald McDonald

Edited July 17, 2013 by sirchai

[Salapoo]

A blond Danish badboy fluent in Thai and Isaan, I'm sure he'll do okay.

Will probably have a host of Thai female sponsors as he grows older. Some probably spending their salary from their old man farang husband on him.

If he's as street as people say then he'll probably take them all to the bank and be very well off indeed.

[hanno]

A blond Danish badboy fluent in Thai and Isaan, I'm sure he'll do okay.

Will probably have a host of Thai female sponsors as he grows older. Some probably spending their salary from their old man farang husband on him.

If he's as street as people say then he'll probably take them all to the bank and be very well off indeed.

If he doesn't get clobbered by that 18-wheeler first. And if he survives the traffic, his attitude will ensure that he ends up with a bullet in the head sooner or later. And what about the girl?

[simple1]

OP: Similar to those who have expressed concern regarding the two children, so do I. I have just called the Danish Embassy & was put through to the Consul. With her permission I can advise that:

Consular staff have been aware of the circumstances for quite a while & have been in regular contact with the school and the family, as have Danish social welfare; to quote "it's a difficult case". A decision was made that for the moment it is in the children's best interest to remain in Thailand.

I suggest anyone who has pertinent information, beyond what has been posted, as they are aware of this topic on Thai Visa, make direct contact with the Consul.

EDIT: The Consul passed on her thanks for all those who have expressed concern or passed on information and added the family all have current visas for staying in Thailand.

Edited July 17, 2013 by simple1