Missing kids' families blast police apathy

[Lite Beer]

Missing kids' families blast police apathy

BANGKOK: The families of two children who were allegedly raped and murdered by confessed serial killer Nui have outlined a litany of complaints about the way police handled their cases.

It comes as a body believed to be one of those two children, seven-year-old Nong Mac, was found yesterday in Loei province.

Police confirmed they had found human remains in Loei's Wang Saphung district, where Nong Mac was reported missing on Nov 10.

According to police, Nui drew maps leading to the site _ on top of a hill in Ban Non Somboon in tambon Nong Ya Plong _ where he allegedly raped and killed the boy last month.

Investigators have sent the remains for DNA testing to confirm the victim's identity, but are sure they belong to the missing boy.

The discovery will give a measure of closure to the boy's grandmother, Ladda Inthalaeng, who told Bangkok Post Sunday that she was desperate to retrieve Nong Mac's remains so proper funeral rites could be carried out. But it is unlikely to appease the family's anger at police, who they have accused of ignoring their initial pleas for help in tracking down the missing child.

Nong Mac was abducted from Sri Udomwong temple while his aunt waited in line to be given free noodles.

After putting out an announcement on a local radio station, the family went to Wang Saphung Police Station to report Nong Mac missing.

''We had to wait for three hours before an officer would even talk to us. The policeman then made a record of our statement, but did not do anything or show any enthusiasm that he wanted to help,'' Ms Ladda said.

Frustrated by the lack of police support, Ms Ladda's neighbour contacted the Mirror Foundation, an nongovernmental organisation which works on human rights issues in the North.

The foundation then contacted Ms Ladda, asking if the police had done anything to help. ''I told them the truth _ that the police had done absolutely nothing,'' she said.

Once the Mirror Foundation got involved, however, the attitude of the police changed dramatically.

''The same police officer who ignored me earlier drove to my house and walked right up to me as if he was a different person. He was being nice to me and started to ask all kinds of questions. I knew it was all for show. They are so fake,'' Ms Ladda said.

''Once Channel 3 began to cover the story, the police started to become very nice.They typed up a full report even though they had not written one when we went to see them.

''The police officers became friendly and polite. They stopped by my house often to check if I was feeling OK. All of the locals around here know what [the police] are really like and condemned the way they worked on this case. We all lost our faith in them.''

Eventually, however, as efforts to find her grandson failed to yield results, Ms Ladda turned to superstition.

''I went to see [a witch doctor] and she told me that Nong Mac had already been killed,'' Ms Ladda said.

''She said his body was wrapped in plastic and dumped in the rubber plantation near a school not too far from where he went missing.

''The location the witch doctor told us was the same location where Nui confessed to police that he killed my son and dumped his body.''

Ms Ladda's story echoes the plight of Ausa Kongsopadee, the mother of another of Nui's alleged victims.

Her daughter, four-year-old Nong Ying, was abducted from a Dok Fai Red Cross fair in Loei's Muang district on Feb 5.

Remains believed to be those of Nong Ying were found on Wednesday.

The girl's grandfather, Sulliang Saeaiao, had a shop at the fair and was taking care of Nong Ying when she went missing.

''I searched for Nong Ying from 4pm until late at night. When I couldn't find her, I went to Muang Loei police station to report her missing,'' Mr Sulliang recalls.

But when he went to police seeking help, Mr Sulliang said he was turned away.

''Why do they have to wait 24 hours [to accept a missing persons case]? I understand it is the procedure, but my granddaughter was missing that night. A lot can happen in 24 hours, and I was really worried,'' Mr Sulliang said.

''I went back to the police station in the morning to ask if there had been any progress, but their answer to me was, 'It hasn't been 24 hours yet.'

''I asked him again politely, 'Why do you have to wait that long?' He just got up from his chair and walked away without even answering my question.''

Mr Sulliang kept his shop until the last day of the fair, hoping Nong Ying would find her way back.

''When the fair was over, I went back to the police many times, but they didn't want to talk to me about the case,'' he said.

Mr Sulliang said he eventually gave up on the police and, like Ms Ladda, turned to superstition for answers.

''I went to several witch doctors. Many of them said my granddaughter was still alive, while some said she was dead. I didn't care how much money I had to spend to find her, all I wanted was to get her back,'' he said.

''The people who owned the stall next to mine at the fair sent the information about Nong Ying to the Mirror Foundation, from whom I got an immediate response. They contacted me on Feb 8 and asked me to meet them,'' Ms Ausa said.

''The foundation helped us a lot. They were the ones who followed up on the case.''

The investigation and witch doctor consultations eventually came to nothing, however, and it wasn't until Nui's confession last week that officers were led to a large field behind the provincial waterworks office, where they discovered what are suspected to be Nong Ying's remains on Wednesday.

The remains were found about 2km away from where the Red Cross fair was held. The area was well back from the street, away from prying eyes.

In his confession, Nui said he saw Nong Ying playing alone and asked where her parents were. He allegedly said he encouraged the girl to go with him, but she began to cry and said she wanted to go back. But when Nui said he promised to buy her a toy, she stopped crying and followed him. Nui's confession also revealed details of the rape and murder which followed. He said he strangled Nong Ying to keep her quiet, then taped her eyes, nose and mouth shut.

After the crime was committed, he told police he returned to the fair and acted as if nothing had happened.

''The police brought me the clothes and showed me the skeleton, but I didn't believe that it was her at first,'' Ms Ausa said. ''Then the police brought her sandals and I recognised them immediately.''

Police are still waiting for DNA test results to confirm the body's identity.

''I thought the worst case might be that she had been abducted and forced into begging,'' Ms Ausa said.

''I would really like [the killer] to be executed in the most painful, cruel, and heartless way, just like what he did to my daughter.''

Ms Ausa said she would never accept an apology from Nui, even if he begged for it.

''If he comes to Loei for a re-enactment, I can't guarantee what I will do to him.All I know is it won't be nice. If he asks for my forgiveness, I would reject that. I don't want his apology. I want him dead,'' she said.

Ms Ladda is more merciful. Despite the horror of Nong Mac's ordeal, she said she would be willing to forgive her son's killer.

''If he asks for forgiveness, I would forgive him. But I can't stop anyone else from hurting him,'' she said.


-- Phuket News 2013-12-22

[Lakegeneve]

How funny, this is exactly the same as todays Bangkok Post article!!

One would hope that the horrific crimes of a serial killer of young children where police have patently failed to perform their duties would be a catalyst leading to some major reforms to the RTP.

Unfortunately, that will not happen.

Some police should also lose their jobs and face civil action given their abject failure.

[clockman]

A bit of truth at last. The B.I.B. at there finest!

[Radar501]

Circle the correct answer.

The Royal Thai Police Force is:

a. corrupt
b. lazy
c. incompetent
d. all of the above

Edited December 22, 2013 by Radar501

[Briggsy]

Good article exposing how useless the police here are. They principally exist to enrich their own, in particular their senior officers. Anything else is an interruption to their primary function.

[Somtamnication]

I cannot imagine what these families are going through. Unfortunately, the Thai media will make a firestorm about this and rapidly and conveniently forget about it after 2 weeks.

[wprime]

So the witch doctor knew the kid was killed and where the bodies were buried, sounds like she's involved.

[jackr]

Only thing the police are good for is directing traffic... and poorly at that!

[FangFerang]

A little boy, a little girl..and many more all destroyed by a monster.

This is not politics, and this is not a rugby match.

This is horrendous tragedy. Horrendous.

Think about the parents, brothers and sisters, the aunts and uncles who must bear this burden of grief today and for the rest of their lives....

Flippant commentary shows you have no humanity. Sometimes I am ashamed to be a Westerner.

[johna]

My neighbour's husband was murdered in a robbery by 2 teenage drug user's, his wife had to go all the way to police headquarters in BKK to ask for help, as local cops were not interested, the police general she spoke to in BKK asked her, "what do you want me to do"

[EricBerg]

The cases of incompetent and unwilling police are numerous.The pain and suffering that causes is beyond imagination.

However the police training goes, there should be much much more emphasis on empathy. A policeman is more than someone regulating traffic. He is partly an investigator and partly a social worker.

Pay more attention to empathy in the training and more officers will not accept corrupt colleagues. One has to start somewhere to change things for the better.

Then again it is a hard job doing that when the political leadership is through and through corrupt.

[Pi Sek]

Whilst we all know that the Royal Thai Police are useless and corrupt, let's keep this discussion closer to the fact that they rudely and completely ignored a report of a missing child.

Objectively, I can say that they are nowhere close to a public service. Subjectively I can say they are a <deleted> disgrace.

[pedro01]

They are not policemen, Everybody knows that. They are just their for their personal enrichment.

[boomerangutang]

so sad about kids being tortured and tormented. The accused man is demonic.

[boomerangutang]

In Thailand, unless you're far away from everyone, there are always people who will notice something awry. If a cat belches in an alley, some Thai will know about it. How is it the community did nothing? If I see a little kid alone, I immediately look around for which adult(s) are watching out for him/her. If no adult is cognizant, I start actively looking for an adult, even if I have to shout in public.

It's more than the police who are remiss in these scenarios, it is members of the public who are not aware of what's going on around them.

[Loles]

If pour family's child is missing this is the normally police handling.

But if a dam-n reach Chinese child is missing they are jumping to the wall in their efforts.

And as above some-one told they are not really police officers.

They bought their ranke and have to earn back ASAP the investment.

Just this week I have seen in Bangna post office a very young and pretty girl dressed in very high ranked police uniform. How comes ???

Edited December 22, 2013 by Loles

[Loles]

I cannot imagine what these families are going through. Unfortunately, the Thai media will make a firestorm about this and rapidly and conveniently forget about it after 2 weeks.

Thai media our other media around the worls cares of something until it can sale advertising. I guess this is not new.

[Tokay]

But when he went to police seeking help, Mr Sulliang said he was turned away.

That seems to sum up most people's experience with the police here, self included. Totally worthless. The only reason any of them wanted to be police in the first place was because they can make so much money through corruption. No interest in upholding the law or protecting the people.

[surangw]

if you want the police to do something, pay them up front and promise more if they do their job.

[parryhandy]

''I would really like [the killer] to be executed in the most painful, cruel, and heartless way, just like what he did to my daughter.''

[jaltsc]

'' 'We had to wait for three hours before an officer would even talk to us. The policeman then made a record of our statement, but did not do anything or show any enthusiasm that he wanted to help.' Ms Ladda said."

If I understand the legal system correctly, this is the point where you are supposed to offer an "inducement" for the police to do their job

[LuckyLew]

Looks like a few more of Thailand finest have been at it again.

Perhaps the parents should have road their mopeds thru the police station with no helmet waving 100 baht notes

[canman]

This is the sort of thing which should bring people out in the streets to protest.

[kurnell]

This is the sort of thing which should bring people out in the streets to protest.

Sadly Thai cops are just Thais, and Thais are the most apathetic people on the planet.

[paz]

police apathy is just an euphemism to not say direct complicity in an horrific crime and heaven knows how many others.

Bravo to the devastated mother to be willing to denounce these uniformed shameful humans.

Then regarding the 24 hours rule so religiously obeyed, that's just another piece of "incomphrensibly wrong Thailand".

[EyesWideOpen]

They are not policemen, Everybody knows that. They are just their for their personal enrichment.

Exactly correct. This is often a point of confusion for tourist here. They see a Thai

man in a police uniform, and mistakenly think he a civil servant tasked with protecting

the public. The reality is they are nothing more than members of a very large mafia

whose goal is to make money. Actual police investigation of a crime cuts into their

fund raising activities, so cannot be tolerated unless of course money is paid prior

to an investigation... When Suthep reforms the corrupt political system here, I certainly

hope he reforms the police as well.........

[mikebell]

This is the sort of thing which should bring people out in the streets to protest.

Surely Sutthep should have Thai Police reform as top of his list?

[lostmebike]

''We had to wait for three hours before an officer would even talk to us. The policeman then made a record of our statement, but did not do anything or show any enthusiasm that he wanted to help.

Yes, this is the Royal Thai Police we all know and love.

''I asked him again politely, 'Why do you have to wait that long?' He just got up from his chair and walked away without even answering my question.''

''When the fair was over, I went back to the police many times, but they didn't want to talk to me about the case,'' he said.

Some may think arrogance but the Thai Police are masters at incompetence. They just don't know how to handle the public. Sure they can take money from people but when the public really need serving, they show their true colours.

Apathetic? Oh yes and their performances are constantly pathetic, laughable at best.

[tingtongteesood]

Good article exposing how useless the police here are. They principally exist to enrich their own, in particular their senior officers. Anything else is an interruption to their primary function.

Well being a policeman is quite low paid and they have to bribe their way into the job and start out trying to recoup the bribe money they paid and by the time they do it is second nature to them so they just keep on finding ways to make illicit cash...Actually I think a great many pay their way into the job specifically to try and make bribe / tea money as they know there is the potential for an endless flow of cash. Corrupt to the core from the very start. A very sad state of affairs indeed.