Two young children narrowly avoid being kidnapped on a Thailand holiday

[Netizen]

Somethng is rotten in the state of Denmark.

Here we have swedes kidnapping children shortly after their Finnish brethren commenced trafficking Thai berry pickers.

Have the Nordics fallen off their trolleys and gone ape?

Will the Nordics next don horned helmets and conquer England every weekend?

[bender92]

The Police were disinterested because there was no money in it for them.

The father is 71 and looks old while the children are very young, perhaps that is what triggered the incident.

The alleged kidnapper seems to be a do-gooder and tried to intervene to 'rescue' the children, thinking there was no way the couple were the real parents given their age. With Thailand's notorious reputation as a trafficking hub and destination for pedophiles it appears this woman was trying to act like a heroine, with disastrous consequences.

Doubt it was a serious attempt to kidnap, just an unstable, opinionated woman intervening in a situation she had created of her own making.

Did you read the story? The 71 year old is the kids' grandfather. The kids' father is 36. The mother is young too.

[hanno]

It is a strange story, and probably unlikely that the BIB got anywhere with investigating it. Thankfully nothing happened, but it is worrying.

Worrying would be an understatement but TIT and the realm is not a safe family tourist destination any longer.

Isn't that a fact. I have stopped encouraging family to visit me here for a few years now. Just not safe.

Are you joking. Sure, stuff happens but I still rate Thailand as a very safe destination. There are Millions of families that visit Thailand without any mishap.

[bangkokpoppys]

Doesn't matter what country you're in, this "Strange" stuff can happen. A good reminder not to keep your eyes off those precious little ones. Remembering too that the poor little McCann girl was in bed 50 metres from her dining parents at a resort in Portugal, and they checked on her twice. Horrible. Good old Baz to the rescue in this case.

Sounds like a delusional blonde woman in sunglasses but lacking a whole lot of information to make any useful comment.

[coma]

It is a strange story, and probably unlikely that the BIB got anywhere with investigating it. Thankfully nothing happened, but it is worrying.

Worrying would be an understatement but TIT and the realm is not a safe family tourist destination any longer.

Isn't that a fact. I have stopped encouraging family to visit me here for a few years now. Just not safe.

Are you joking. Sure, stuff happens but I still rate Thailand as a very safe destination. There are Millions of families that visit Thailand without any mishap.

No I am not. I am dead serious. And if physical harm isn't the issue then robbery, being scammed by both sides of the law is well on the rise here. However it isn't just happening to foriegn nationals. Thais are well effected too. Read a Thai newspaper everyday and you will see the point I am trying to make.

[Travelman868]

The Police were disinterested because there was no money in it for them.

The father is 71 and looks old while the children are very young, perhaps that is what triggered the incident.

The alleged kidnapper seems to be a do-gooder and tried to intervene to 'rescue' the children, thinking there was no way the couple were the real parents given their age. With Thailand's notorious reputation as a trafficking hub and destination for pedophiles it appears this woman was trying to act like a heroine, with disastrous consequences.

Doubt it was a serious attempt to kidnap, just an unstable, opinionated woman intervening in a situation she had created of her own making.

The father was 36, where did 71 come from???

Having said that why were 2 young girls allowed to be by the rail of the ferry on their own.

[jaapfries]

The Police were disinterested because there was no money in it for them.

The father is 71 and looks old while the children are very young, perhaps that is what triggered the incident.

The alleged kidnapper seems to be a do-gooder and tried to intervene to 'rescue' the children, thinking there was no way the couple were the real parents given their age. With Thailand's notorious reputation as a trafficking hub and destination for pedophiles it appears this woman was trying to act like a heroine, with disastrous consequences.

Doubt it was a serious attempt to kidnap, just an unstable, opinionated woman intervening in a situation she had created of her own making.

@Farangtalk; maybe you you go with @FarangLISTEN: - I'll make it even easier for you, okay ?

1. Mommy: Naomi (approx. 34 years of age)

2. Daddy: James (36 years of age)

3. Daughter Milly (7 years old)

4. Daughter Alannah (3 year old)

5. Father of Naomi (the Mother of the kids) - Aged: 71

No charge !

[boomerangutang]

The cops who failed to act should be should be demoted and their salary docked for 3 months.

When I first came to Chiang Rai, in 1998, I had a rented motorbike stolen. I saw the license# on the rental agreement, and actually found the bike parked. I put my bicycle chain on it, and went and told police. Police were uninterested because, as they said, "you found the bike". I did some digging and found the name and g.h. of the Brit farang who stole it. Police were later even more disinterested, saying, "it's a farang on farang thing, we don't care." The British thief had apparently rented that bike prior, and had made a copy of the key. He split town without even getting his wrist slapped, but he would have had a lot worse than that if I had found him. For a few hours, I was looking at having to fork over Bt.38,000 for a new motorbike for the rental place.

[Docno]

Hmmm... Hope it wasn't one of the delusional Eriksson sisters: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ursula_and_Sabina_Eriksson. Wonder where they are these days...

[crumpled]

No matter if the woman was crazy or not, it is a scary thing to fear your child(ren) are being abducted before your own eyes. More so in a foreign land where communications are more difficult.

Whatever the reasons or thinking behind the woman trying to take the children the police should have been on top of this with swift action, especially on a smaller island where they stand a better chance of achieving something.

[Sayonarax]

Speedreading should be banned!!

Some of you just saw ages - 35 and 71 and jumped to the conclusion that Grandad was Dad. Probably because you are so used to seeing older gentlemen with younger wives so often!!

Back on topic, this must have been a very upsetting situation for the family. The Tourist police should have done more, this woman (who sounds very weird) may try the same thing with another family.

If idiocy was an instant ban, we'd all get banned at some point.

[Local Drunk]

T.A.T... Toddlers Abducted in Thailand!

[sprq]

The Police were disinterested because there was no money in it for them.

The father is 71 and looks old while the children are very young, perhaps that is what triggered the incident.

The alleged kidnapper seems to be a do-gooder and tried to intervene to 'rescue' the children, thinking there was no way the couple were the real parents given their age. With Thailand's notorious reputation as a trafficking hub and destination for pedophiles it appears this woman was trying to act like a heroine, with disastrous consequences.

Doubt it was a serious attempt to kidnap, just an unstable, opinionated woman intervening in a situation she had created of her own making.

Yes, that is the logical conclusion, which evidently did not occur to the couple or to the newspaper. The report should also have stated at the beginning that the woman was Western, instead of just allowing us to gather that as we went through the story. Poor journalism.

[HeavyDrinker]

To assume Westerners are not involved in people trafficking in Thailand is a huge error as well and we must always be alert.

Several years ago I lived in a large town in Eastern Thailand not too far from Cambodia. There were not many Westerners in the town bar myself a few teachers at the local uni and schools, plus one or two retirees.

The town saw few Western visitors bar the odd few overnighters en route to other more popular destinations nearby so the arrival of any new Westerners was always a topic of news.

The Westerners in the town would meet up most Fridays and Saturdays in the town centre for drinks etc as we tend to in any community.

One week we got word that two well dressed Thai speaking Westerners had been seen drinking in some of the small restaurants out in the suburbs. While this didn't seem overly odd, it did seem a little strange that these two were sticking to the outskirts of town when frankly there was nothing much there.

A few days later he whole tale came out.

An American who's girlfriend's uncle owned a restaurant told me the two blokes had been in the previous night but on seeing him had left sharpish.

This quick exit led him to ask the girls working there what the men had been saying to them.

They told him that the two scumballs had been offering them well paid, but unspecified work in Germany. They would provide airfare, passports etc but they would have to submit them once in Germany until they'd paid off the debt...

The American lad - a well respected teacher in the town - had then raced off to several other restaurants in the town and found out that the two men had also been in several of them making similar offers. The alarm bells were now ringing so he went straight to the police who jumped into action but found the two lads had hightailed it already. The police and the local uni then issued warnings to all restaurants and bars to report any such offers in the future.

It was a close thing and a lot of the girls were shocked on learning that these seemingly polite and well dressed Westerners could be capable of such a thing. Some of them had been severely tempted by the chance of a new life overseas but were left thanking the fast actions of the American teacher for a long time.

[ginjag]

Don't get this, why for starters do they think the (woman) was trying to abduct ??? and being on a ferry did she flee the scene ???? we have to assume the woman was a Foreigner ??? and she was not apprehended on board???? the lady was seated 10 or so meters away ???? but must have been beamed up after being unsuccessful in her attempt ----if the WOMAN was blond and sunglasses on--could it have been a man in drag ????? all sounds a bit vague half a story ???

Go back and read again.

Mr Strange, 36, said they family first noticed the woman who attempted to abduct his girls while they were on the ferry travelling from the mainland to Ko Chang

Said already I missed the link. If they had amended the topic and included the link--IDEA.

Modern times. a TOT on the ferry at the rail, without parental control---then say someone tried to abduct the kids, I say a bit of neglect also.

Sorry I missed a few points from the link. anyway you go back and read my apology for missing the link, go back and read again as you say.

[wade72]

I have been on that ferry many times and kids should not be near the rail unattended. All that aside though, good on the grandfather for getting in the middle and ending that.

If it was my kids, the nut ball would of found herself hog tied and waiting for the police to show up after I had my boys in a very loud voice, in Thai, tell everyone around what was going on since the 7 y/o old is perfectly bi-lingual. Tourist however don't have this same advantage and thank God the kids are safe, lord only knows what a nut case like that is up to.

[whybother]

The Police were disinterested because there was no money in it for them.

The father is 71 and looks old while the children are very young, perhaps that is what triggered the incident.

The alleged kidnapper seems to be a do-gooder and tried to intervene to 'rescue' the children, thinking there was no way the couple were the real parents given their age. With Thailand's notorious reputation as a trafficking hub and destination for pedophiles it appears this woman was trying to act like a heroine, with disastrous consequences.

Doubt it was a serious attempt to kidnap, just an unstable, opinionated woman intervening in a situation she had created of her own making.

Yes, that is the logical conclusion, which evidently did not occur to the couple or to the newspaper. The report should also have stated at the beginning that the woman was Western, instead of just allowing us to gather that as we went through the story. Poor journalism.

Logical?

Do you always assume that when there is a couple of the same age with kids, and an additional older man, that the old man is the husband?

[nonsequitur]

I don't believe it. Sounds like a tall story to me.

Who's to say that the grandfather isn't the 'kidnapper',
and the lady who looks like a school teacher is in fact his wife,
and she wants her children back!

So that would mean the Stranges are in fact
the kidnappers and the grandfather isn't really the grandfather
he's actually trying to get his own kids back - so that means he's the father!

Anyone pote Thai? call the police.

[hanno]

No I am not. I am dead serious. And if physical harm isn't the issue then robbery, being scammed by both sides of the law is well on the rise here. However it isn't just happening to foriegn nationals. Thais are well effected too. Read a Thai newspaper everyday and you will see the point I am trying to make.

Scams? Oh dear. I lived for a while in Africa where even going out for a stroll could get you ending up killed.

And families going to a resort are unlikely to run into trouble' Of course, if you go to the seedier parts of town; shit happens; same all over the world.

There are cities in Europe in parts of which I feel a lot less safe than in Thailand. This 'everything was so much better before" that is so prevalent on TV gets boring at times.

[prakhonchai nick]

I am off to Koh Chang later this week with my kids. Will have to take extra care!

If my kids should be the subject of a similar incident anywhere or anytime,the perpetrator will wish he/she had never been born!

[ginjag]

I am off to Koh Chang later this week with my kids. Will have to take extra care!

If my kids should be the subject of a similar incident anywhere or anytime,the perpetrator will wish he/she had never been born!

Please do NOT let your kids-if they are 3years old near the rail on the boat without you being there. These parents were out of order, if they cared so much.

No one COULD kidnap MY 3 year old because the kid would be with me. The kidnapper would have to kidnap me also.

[HerbalEd]

Don't get this, why for starters do they think the (woman) was trying to abduct ??? and being on a ferry did she flee the scene ???? we have to assume the woman was a Foreigner ??? and she was not apprehended on board???? the lady was seated 10 or so meters away ???? but must have been beamed up after being unsuccessful in her attempt ----if the WOMAN was blond and sunglasses on--could it have been a man in drag ????? all sounds a bit vague half a story ???

You do have quite the imagination. Why would she be apprehended on board? For talking to the children? What's vague is your questions/assumptions.

[Skywalker69]

The Police were disinterested because there was no money in it for them.

The father is 71 and looks old while the children are very young, perhaps that is what triggered the incident.

The alleged kidnapper seems to be a do-gooder and tried to intervene to 'rescue' the children, thinking there was no way the couple were the real parents given their age. With Thailand's notorious reputation as a trafficking hub and destination for pedophiles it appears this woman was trying to act like a heroine, with disastrous consequences.

Doubt it was a serious attempt to kidnap, just an unstable, opinionated woman intervening in a situation she had created of her own making.

You must have read a different article mate. The father is 36 and his wife 35. I want some of what you've been taking

Together they ar 71.

[HerbalEd]

Strange story.. It seems a mentally disturbed woman more than a kidnapper.

Why can't she have been both? I.e., a mentally disturbed kidnapper.

[HerbalEd]

Not much of a news story but the headline certainly pulled everybody in to Thaivisa. Good job, George!

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

You must be very jaded indeed. I

[Bung]

Sounds like a woman having a psychotic episode more than anything else.

[joboss]

How much did the first taxi driver ask?

Possibly not expensive as there were five passengers with luggage. Hardly worth the "almost" grief..

[HerbalEd]

Not much of a news story but the headline certainly pulled everybody in to Thaivisa. Good job, George!

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

You must be very jaded. Given this is a story about endangered tourist kids, in a very touristy country, in a tourist-oriented newspaper, this is indeed a very big news story.

[ginjag]

Don't get this, why for starters do they think the (woman) was trying to abduct ??? and being on a ferry did she flee the scene ???? we have to assume the woman was a Foreigner ??? and she was not apprehended on board???? the lady was seated 10 or so meters away ???? but must have been beamed up after being unsuccessful in her attempt ----if the WOMAN was blond and sunglasses on--could it have been a man in drag ????? all sounds a bit vague half a story ???

You do have quite the imagination. Why would she be apprehended on board? For talking to the children? What's vague is your questions/assumptions.

I have apologized 2 times for my not reading the Link that will explain I hope. I only posted comments on the topic as I saw it on page 1. sorry.

[HerbalEd]

Would have been awesome if the 71 year old was the father.

You are awed very easily, huh?