Briton Held Over Acid Attack

[george]

Briton held over acid attack

PATTAYA: -- A Norwegian tourist and a Thai boy were yesterday injured by mild acid shot at them from a water gun by a foreign man near the Hard Rock Hotel in Pattaya in Chon Buri province.

Police later arrested British man John Mascer Nicholas, who denied jetting water at both victims but the father of the boy positively identified the suspect. There is no information available to confirm whether Nicholas was the attacker seen running into the hotel after squirting the dangerous liquid.

Both victims had red and itchy rashes on their bodies but are now in a safe condition.

The boy's father said the suspect was with two Western women and merged into a large crowd. The suspect then shot water from a high-powered gun at the boy, 10, and Herwint Scoopler, 32, the father said.

--The Nation 2006-04-17

[LaoPo]

Sick, if true

LaoPo

[Scott]

If you are going to play, play fair.

[Kerryd]

If you are going to play, play fair.

Regardless of who did this, it makes you wonder about the mentality of anyone that would use any kind of acid like this.

What goes through their twisted minds as they are pouring acid into their water-pistol ?

(hey, won't it be great fun to squirt acid into people's eyes and maybe blind them ! And afterwards, we can go out and torture small animals for fun.)

I hope they catch who ever did this and give him (them) a taste of their own medicine. Bet they scream like little girls, then first chance they get, they cry to the press about the horrible, cruel treatment they received.

Disgusting.

[markuk]

If you are going to play, play fair.

Regardless of who did this, it makes you wonder about the mentality of anyone that would use any kind of acid like this.

What goes through their twisted minds as they are pouring acid into their water-pistol ?

(hey, won't it be great fun to squirt acid into people's eyes and maybe blind them ! And afterwards, we can go out and torture small animals for fun.)

I hope they catch who ever did this and give him (them) a taste of their own medicine. Bet they scream like little girls, then first chance they get, they cry to the press about the horrible, cruel treatment they received.

Disgusting.

Obviously full facts are yet to emerge but i would imagine that maybe he had been given the water by a helpful bar staff. Then how would he know. The sooner they ban these water guns at Songkran the better!!

[taxexile]

Both victims had red and itchy rashes on their bodies but are now in a safe condition.

what scientific authority , if any , was responsible for the identification of this "acid" ?

acid would burn and sting rather than itch.

this sounds like a mild allergic reaction to some "dirty" water , maybe from a bucket that had previously held some detergent or bleach or washing up water with bits of chilli in it.

this doesnt sound like a pre-meditated ACID ATTACK as screamed by the headline , but more like an unfortunate accident down to carelessness and thoughtlessness.

newspapers should get all the facts before publishing nonsense like this.

stories about motorcyclists hit with bucketfuls of ice and stinging powder causing them to crash would serve and inform the public better than this pathetic non-story.

Edited April 17, 2006 by taxexile

[stumonster]

its a bit sensational - especially as it involves a falang

contaminated water which caused skin irritaions would have be found to have been used in all provinces . A friend came back from enjoying songkran water fights in the Phichit area with a skin irritation thought to be caused by contaminated water.

it doesn't matter where the songkran celebrations are there will always be a percentage of dickheads with little thought for the well being of others.

[English Noodles]

Both victims had red and itchy rashes on their bodies but are now in a safe condition.

what scientific authority , if any , was responsible for the identification of this "acid" ?

acid would burn and sting rather than itch.

this sounds like a mild allergic reaction to some "dirty" water , maybe from a bucket that had previously held some detergent or bleach or washing up water with bits of chilli in it.

this doesnt sound like a pre-meditated ACID ATTACK as screamed by the headline , but more like an unfortunate accident down to carelessness and thoughtlessness.

newspapers should get all the facts before publishing nonsense like this.

stories about motorcyclists hit with bucketfuls of ice and stinging powder causing them to crash would serve and inform the public better than this pathetic non-story.

You hit the nail on the head there mate

[britmaveric]

Sounds like contaminated water to me that had an adverse reaction. However that being said these were the only two affected? Seems to me their would be more victims even if it were contaminated water or acid.

[Heng]

Typical of the Nation of late. About as credible as PCN at the moment.

[elkangorito]

A quote from Wikipedia ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acetic_acid#Safety );

Concentrated acetic acid is corrosive and must therefore be handled with appropriate care, since it can cause skin burns, permanent eye damage, and irritation to the mucous membranes. These burns or blisters may not appear until several hours after exposure. Latex gloves offer no protection, so specially resistant gloves, such as those made of nitrile rubber, should be worn when handling the compound. Concentrated acetic acid can be ignited with some difficulty in the laboratory. It becomes a flammable risk if the ambient temperature exceeds 39 °C (102 °F), and can form explosive mixtures with air above this temperature (explosive limits: 5.4%–16%).

The hazards of solutions of acetic acid depend on the concentration. The following table lists the EU classification of acetic acid solutions:

Concentration

by weight Molarity Classification R-Phrases

10%–25% 1.67–4.16 mol/L Irritant (Xi) R36/38

25%–90% 4.16–14.99 mol/L Corrosive © R34

>90% >14.99 mol/L Corrosive © R10, R35

The above information indicates that Acetic Acid of a concentration of between 10% & 25%, is a skin IRRITANT. As such, blistering is not likely to result...only reddening of the skin & itching. Many Alkalis (like 'dish washer' detergent) will also cause the same skin irritations.

R-Phrases can be found here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_R-phrases

Edited April 17, 2006 by elkangorito