Phuket bike gang knife and rob two foreign tourists

[webfact]

Phuket bike gang knife and rob two tourists
Tanyaluk Sakoot

PHUKET: -- An 44-year-old Italian tourist was stabbed at 3am yesterday morning (July 3) as he was being taken back to his hotel in Karon.

The Italian, who has not been named, was riding on the back of a bike driven by a woman acquaintance when, near Karon Circle, they were kicked off the bike my a number of youths.

The woman managed to escape, but one of the youths stabbed the Italian twice in the stomach before making off with his bag, containing his passport and wallet.

The tourist managed to get help and was rushed to hospital where he underwent an operation yesterday the double knife wound in his abdomen. He is understood to be out of danger.

Half an hour after he was attacked, the same gang, it appears, came upon a lone Russian woman tourist riding a bike along the beach road at Kata, close to Club Med. Sofia Tolsteva was also kicked off her bike and had her mobile phone stolen.

She received a knife cut but escaped severe injury and, after first aid treatment, was able to go back to her hotel.

Police have announced that some members of the gang have already been arrested. A press conference will be held later today.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-bike-gang-knife-and-rob-two-tourists-47192.php


-- Phuket News 2014-07-04

[neverdie]

We had a bit of this sort of thing happening on some of the back roads near my place a few years ago. Frightening stuff. Im always weary of other bikes catching up from behind, i tend to just keep increasing my speed until they disappear....... tend to find myself riding home at 120-130km/h, which only frightens me even more.

Hope the Italian guy makes a full recovery and they round these b@stards up and teach them a lesson, little prikz.

[Cadan]

Scumbags... Punish them harshly... Phuket needs to get out of the bad press it had for your years... not easy with these kind of reports.

my last time is almost 2 years back and absolutely have no desire going back... its a different Thailand down there where people are driven by money and ripping off tourists at any chance they get

[Lancelot]

I bet implementing a punitive fine -say about 500 baht- would bring this non sense to a swift end

Crime against foreigners is like free money and there is very little down side risk for the locals participating...

[Just1Voice]

TAT Announcement: "Come to Phuket for the unique holiday experience of being kicked off your bike, knifed and robbed. What exciting stories to tell all your family and friends when you return home!"

[Traveller45]

Death Penalty.

[transam]

Remember the "Birch", these scrotes couldn't give a fugg about being caught and spending a little time sucking fish heads.

Birch 'em, see if that gets to the wee cells........

[IamNoone88]

Why? On one side, because they have been getting away with it for too long and have no respect for the law and complete disregard for others. On the other side, a total lack of enforcement. In the middle, the tourists who regularly get robbed, injured and murdered.

[Larry001]

Ten years ago a city in The Philippines introduced standard sentencing for anyone that was convicted of any sort of crime against a foreign tourist. Punishment was 2 years jail and crime against tourists almost disappeared. Of course tourism progressed at an amazing rate. A thought

[MK1]

The last time an event occurred like this was when the female Australian travel agent was sadly fatally stabbed and robbed in what was considered an opportunistic attack, June 2012, just over two-years ago.

It will be interesting to see what social-economic background the actual perpetrators come from that inspired them to commit such a crime. In reality, in comparison to other high-profile locations, there is not one city in the world that can be deemed as particularly safe at 3am. However, irrespective of the risk to public safety in spite of this, the doomsayers will still take great pleasure in casting their dark cloud fear upon Phuket once again.

[Jimbolai]

I like guns. Shoot the bastards. If people can not have guns why do cops not do the job?

[wwest5829]

Scumbags... Punish them harshly... Phuket needs to get out of the bad press it had for your years... not easy with these kind of reports.

my last time is almost 2 years back and absolutely have no desire going back... its a different Thailand down there where people are driven by money and ripping off tourists at any chance they get

Have to agree. I've lived here three years now and will not visit Phuket due to its poor reputation.

Plenty of other choices. Sad, I would wish better for any traditionally practising Thais.

[MK1]

I bet implementing a punitive fine -say about 500 baht- would bring this non sense to a swift end

Crime against foreigners is like free money and there is very little down side risk for the locals participating.

Correction, night time crimes usually carry at least double the penalty as opposed those carried out during daylight hours in Thai.

Edited July 4, 2014 by MK1

[transam]

I bet implementing a punitive fine -say about 500 baht- would bring this non sense to a swift end

Crime against foreigners is like free money and there is very little down side risk for the locals participating.

Correction, night time crimes carry at least double the penalty as opposed those carried out during daylight hours in Thai.

20quid..............

[SanukJoeII]

I just have thoughts why people risk much by being on the road in the dark of the night. The Italian at 3 am, let him bring home by a female on a bike (bike does not necessarily mean motorbike). Why he didn't take a taxi? More safe I would say.

Then the Russian woman decides to take a ride on her bike along the beach at 3.30 am.... dark as the night, why risk being attacked? Stay in your hotel or if you really have to be outside, take some safe transportation!

[Zumteufel]

I like guns. Shoot the bastards. If people can not have guns why do cops not do the job?

If you had a gun legally, so would those bastards. Think.

[jack1965]

Give Puket a miss and go to Pattaya which is much safer and has more to Offer to all travellers.

There are beautiful beaches, great hotels, lovely women and trannies and much more Tourist police looking after tourists. A great place for solo travellers and families too with great shopping and sight seeing too. Paradise on Earth

[Zumteufel]

Scumbags... Punish them harshly... Phuket needs to get out of the bad press it had for your years... not easy with these kind of reports.

my last time is almost 2 years back and absolutely have no desire going back... its a different Thailand down there where people are driven by money and ripping off tourists at any chance they get

Have to agree. I've lived here three years now and will not visit Phuket due to its poor reputation.

Plenty of other choices. Sad, I would wish better for any traditionally practising Thais.

I've lived in Phuket for 6-7 years now. Never been mugged or felt threatened, even in red light districts alone late at night. As stated above, the crime rate here is not necessarily higher than everywhere else considering population density and night life.

That said, the act is despicable, and they should be punished harshly. Apart from the obvious harm to the victims, those idiots don't realise the harm they're doing to tourism and Thailand's reputation, which of course affects other Thais.

[bangon04]

I just have thoughts why people risk much by being on the road in the dark of the night. The Italian at 3 am, let him bring home by a female on a bike (bike does not necessarily mean motorbike). Why he didn't take a taxi? More safe I would say.

Then the Russian woman decides to take a ride on her bike along the beach at 3.30 am.... dark as the night, why risk being attacked? Stay in your hotel or if you really have to be outside, take some safe transportation!

You are probably right. Best to be on the safe side. So the embassies should warn their citizens to stay inside the hotel after dark...

Sort of a curfew, you mean? Sounds like a winning idea...

[Lancelot]

2004- Thailand records 11.7 million visitors

2013- Thailand records 26.7 million visitors

Seems visitors can't get enough of the local crime and scams

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism_in_Thailand

[Lancelot]

I bet implementing a punitive fine -say about 500 baht- would bring this non sense to a swift end

Crime against foreigners is like free money and there is very little down side risk for the locals participating.

Correction, night time crimes carry at least double the penalty as opposed those carried out during daylight hours in Thai.

20quid..............

It was a joke son

[Paulzed]

The thais know that they can rip off ttourists in these areas and many of them brag about it.

The jet ski scam was a good one for the thais to rip into the un suspecting tourist. Motorbike snatch and grab also a popular choice, and the drugged by a bar girl and lost all my possrsions is an all time favorite

[Dublin]

Give Puket a miss and go to Pattaya which is much safer and has more to Offer to all travellers.

There are beautiful beaches, great hotels, lovely women and trannies and much more Tourist police looking after tourists. A great place for solo travellers and families too with great shopping and sight seeing too. Paradise on Earth

​ never heard Pattaya described quite like that, do you work for TAT...Naaa !!! come to think of it they could not come up anything as good as that...

[wabothai]

You people at TAT.

the main tourist areas in thailand need some drastic (thug) cleaning up.

You might want to focus on that before it is too late !!!!!!!

Further more you may want to read the posts on TV you may learn something.

I mean "thai visa" chaps.

[crazydrummerpauly]

What a lovely town in a lovely country

[Sparkles]

Give Puket a miss and go to Pattaya which is much safer and has more to Offer to all travellers.

There are beautiful beaches, great hotels, lovely women and trannies and much more Tourist police looking after tourists. A great place for solo travellers and families too with great shopping and sight seeing too. Paradise on Earth

​ never heard Pattaya described quite like that, do you work for TAT...Naaa !!! come to think of it they could not come up anything as good as that...

Beautiful beaches in Pattaya ...really ? Of course in foreigners falling off high rise buildings Pattaya does have the edge and the katoeys are super friendly.

[Krataiboy]

Phuket is becoming increasingly unsafe for visitors, thanks to these yob gangs who are clearly beyond the control of their parents or the local police. But too little is being done to expose the extent of the problem, let alone tackle it.

If they can find time between recycling "happiness" handouts, the Thai and English language newspapers need to publish the facts and figures on the growing plague attacks on tourists, together with information about the number of arrests and convictions and the kind of punishments imposed.

Hopefully, the glare of publicity would wake up the somnolent UK and other foreign consults, who should be issuing travel warnings, and galvanise the supine police and TAT into doing more.

Meanwhile, I'm pinning my hopes on the boys in khaki. The generals have done a good job in tackling other criminal elements, like the taxi mafia. Now they need to wield their considerable clout to purge Phuket of the young hoodlums who are destroying the island's reputation as a safe international tourist destination.

[jack1965]

I have no idea who TAT is!!

I'm from Australia and I visit Pattaya every year.

It is an undiscovered Paradise and has no Tsunami's!

There are great beaches in Kolat and beyond and Jomtien too .

It's not all about Walking Street.

[transam]

I have no idea who TAT is!!

I'm from Australia and I visit Pattaya every year.

It is an undiscovered Paradise and has no Tsunami's!

There are great beaches in Kolat and beyond and Jomtien too .

It's not all about Walking Street.

You don't have similar stuff in Aus.?

[Yann55]

its a different Thailand down there where people are driven by money and ripping off tourists at any chance they get

So right. Actually I'd say it's not Thailand at all.

Been there twice and I've no intention of going back. There are lots of great places to visit in real Thailand, like Loei and Phukadung for example. Also lots of great beaches in places other than Phuket, Phi Phi or Krabi, with similar gorgeous white sand, crystal clear waters and coconut trees in the background.