12 year-old scammer or just a clown?

[worgeordie]

Next time your out for a drink with your friends,and there is someone sitting

close by,cradling a small beer,earwigging your conversation,especially if

you are talking about saving money,buying Archa beer,it could be wor Joe.

you will know for sure if he reports your conversation on ThaiVisa,next day!

Where i come from he could be called a" nosy bugger",

Regards Worgeordie

[hml367]

Next time your out for a drink with your friends,and there is someone sitting

close by,cradling a small beer,earwigging your conversation,especially if

you are talking about saving money,buying Archa beer,it could be wor Joe.

you will know for sure if he reports your conversation on ThaiVisa,next day!

Where i come from he could be called a" nosy bugger",

Regards Worgeordie

Quite a few of them on TV.

[dave2]

re

The last time I was there, I went upstairs to use the loo at McDonalds and the kid follows me up the stairs playing a freaking wooden flute. I'm thinking, please don't come into the bathroom, and that is exactly what he did as soon as I started to urinate. So there I stand taking a pee and he walks up next to me to pee and asks me if I speak Thai. Now, at this point I am uncomfortable talking to him in the bathroom with my penis hanging out, as there is no telling what kind of set up this could be, so I'm trying to hurry it up and ignore him. Then he asks me if I had a large penis in Thai! Then in English! Then again, louder, then louder. Then he starts laughing

WOW .. the happiness just went out of mc donalds at thaphae gate for me

can you imagine if a lone old fart tourist my age went for a wizz there and a last feed before going to the airport

could end up in the police station if this kid decided to start screaming he touched me in the toilet

this is bad news and could easily turn into worse even blackmail .... by going anywhere near this boy !

dave2

[Mapguy]

Peeing in McDs! A clear warning by Dave! As AMEXCO used to say, when going out to eat, shop or travel, "Don't leave home without (doing) it!!"

[Keesters]

Great guess. You're quite right, my real name is Walter Mitty. Where can we meet so you can collect your prize? While we are playing games, my guess is that you are a retired detective, right?

I didn't ask him what he was up to because I was intrigued to see what he was going to do next. He could see me watching but he still proceeded with his smearing the juice and giving an injured look. I was expecting him to try and scam customers coming out of 7-11 but as it was, he got on his bicycle and pedalled off. I got in my car to go home, and of course I could see him ahead of me, then he stopped on the pavement near Inter Bar and was obscured by a parked car. It was about 1am and hardly anyone about.

My guess is that he was up to no good so the point of my post is to see if anyone else has seen this kid or heard of something similar going on. I've never heard of anything like this in Chiang Mai. Another odd detail is that he had a cyclists fluorescent jacket on, and a spare one in his hand? The cordial juice was 42 baht and I'm not sure, but I don't think he took the rest of the bottle with him, but there was a fair amount spilt on the side of the road. So far, it's a mystery, that's all.

And a mystery it will have to remain as you didn't hang around to find out.

One has to wonder why this forum attracts so many, for lack of a more polite word, idiots. The op saw something he thought was strange, described it in

detail, and asked if anyone else had seen it and knew what it was. Normal people would suggest some reasonable ideas as to what it might have been. Perhaps some had even seen the boy in action, feigning an injury outside a bar, in front of a car, or whatever. But not the CM forum.

asked if anyone else had seen it and knew what it was

Never asked either of those questions in OP. Might help if you read the OP before making, for lack of a more polite word, idiotic comments.

[daveAustin]

re

The last time I was there, I went upstairs to use the loo at McDonalds and the kid follows me up the stairs playing a freaking wooden flute. I'm thinking, please don't come into the bathroom, and that is exactly what he did as soon as I started to urinate. So there I stand taking a pee and he walks up next to me to pee and asks me if I speak Thai. Now, at this point I am uncomfortable talking to him in the bathroom with my penis hanging out, as there is no telling what kind of set up this could be, so I'm trying to hurry it up and ignore him. Then he asks me if I had a large penis in Thai! Then in English! Then again, louder, then louder. Then he starts laughing

WOW .. the happiness just went out of mc donalds at thaphae gate for me

can you imagine if a lone old fart tourist my age went for a wizz there and a last feed before going to the airport

could end up in the police station if this kid decided to start screaming he touched me in the toilet

this is bad news and could easily turn into worse even blackmail .... by going anywhere near this boy !

dave2

Why not just piss in the moat like everyone else? lol

[daveAustin]

As usual you get a lighthearted/interesting thread sent off-tangent by boorish know-alls (Beetle). Presumptuous much this kid has been exploited, abused and/or controlled by mafia gangs, ad nauseam? For all we know he is a reptoid alien looking to gain insight into Lanna culture before his species infiltrate the North, though in all likelihood he is just an annoying little brat with a screw loose due to useless parents that don't know how to parent [All parents screw up ALL kids!] But one thing's for certain, he will very likely grow into a fine, upstanding scam artist/thief/murderer of a man and may even get to own a jet-ski one day.

Edited September 28, 2014 by daveAustin

[Chiengmaijoe]

Next time your out for a drink with your friends,and there is someone sitting

close by,cradling a small beer,earwigging your conversation,especially if

you are talking about saving money,buying Archa beer,it could be wor Joe.

you will know for sure if he reports your conversation on ThaiVisa,next day!

Where i come from he could be called a" nosy bugger",

Regards Worgeordie

Let me guess....... Banter?

[Chiengmaijoe]

Mystery solved. After seeing Dave2's reply(the only one that really answered my question, thanks Dave) I figured that , as I thought, he has probably been around for a while and hanging around the Thapae, Loi Kroh area. On the way home I couldn't miss him really as he was messing around with the barriers at the U-turn after Thapae gate, opposite the start of Loi Kroh rd. I parked my car further up the road and went back to speak with him.

As you might expect his first words were "twenty baht" , as he held his hand out. He obviously didn't remember me but I told him how I saw him putting red cordial on his face the night before outside 7-11 and after initially denying it, he then admitted it. I asked him why he was doing it and he said to make people think he was injured, so they would give him money. Just as I thought. I then asked him where his parents were and he said he had none and that he lived on the street. He did seem quite a strange kid and at a guess I think he could be sniffing glue or something.

Out of curiosity and a bit of concern for the kid, I went to the army/police checkpoint at Thapae gate to see if they knew about him. Tokay, had already said here that they know him. I asked the army guy at the front if he knew him, and he said no, and the only police guy that was there also said no. I explained to him about the kid and he couldn't have been more disinterested if he tried. He was much more interested in watching the Arsenal v Spurs game than to have any interest in a young kid living on the street , much as I expected. However, a young army kid sat directly behind the police officer started explaining to the policeman about who the kid was, so he eventually gave a nod of acknowledgement, as if he already knew anyway. At no great surprise he continued watching the match.

So there it is. He is out begging for sure, using the syrup was an attempt, albeit a bad one, at getting sympathy for a supposed head wound , he is parent-less (I asked the young army guy) , he lives on the street (when I left the Thapae gate, he was then sleeping, or at least lying on the floor), the police know about him and don't care, and according to Dave2's story he could quite possibly get someone into a lot of trouble.

He does appear to be reasonably well fed, his bike looks reasonable, a bit better than you'd expect anyway, so he does seem to be surviving on his wits. About 5 or more years ago there used to be street kids hanging around the touristy areas but somehow they disappeared and as a consequence a kid like him stands out. Assuming that the relevant agencies took care of the street kid problem in the past, then hopefully someone will eventually help this kid out.

I've added a photo of him, if the Mods or anyone else disapproves, and want it removed, I understand. It is a back shot.

Edited September 28, 2014 by Chiengmaijoe

[uptheos]

re

The last time I was there, I went upstairs to use the loo at McDonalds and the kid follows me up the stairs playing a freaking wooden flute. I'm thinking, please don't come into the bathroom, and that is exactly what he did as soon as I started to urinate. So there I stand taking a pee and he walks up next to me to pee and asks me if I speak Thai. Now, at this point I am uncomfortable talking to him in the bathroom with my penis hanging out, as there is no telling what kind of set up this could be, so I'm trying to hurry it up and ignore him. Then he asks me if I had a large penis in Thai! Then in English! Then again, louder, then louder. Then he starts laughing

[watcharacters]

Post made at 0130.........draw your own conclusion.

good observation!

[Felixthecat]

Obviously a scam.....welcome to Thailand!

[Chiengmaijoe]

Post made at 0130.........draw your own conclusion.

good observation!

That's a great contribution to this topic. You fit right in here, hardly indistinguishable from everyone else.

[Beetlejuice]

I hate this kid with a passion. We get pizza from time to time at the small pizza shop outside of IMM Hotel and that little punk is usually there harassing people sitting outside and even sometimes inside McDonalds.

The last time I was there, I went upstairs to use the loo at McDonalds and the kid follows me up the stairs playing a freaking wooden flute. I'm thinking, please don't come into the bathroom, and that is exactly what he did as soon as I started to urinate. So there I stand taking a pee and he walks up next to me to pee and asks me if I speak Thai. Now, at this point I am uncomfortable talking to him in the bathroom with my penis hanging out, as there is no telling what kind of set up this could be, so I'm trying to hurry it up and ignore him. Then he asks me if I had a large penis in Thai! Then in English! Then again, louder, then louder. Then he starts laughing. I bolted out of there as the last thing I need is some Thai kid speaking loudly about my penis in a bathroom. Just a bad situation to be in.

I told the manager at McDonalds they should keep him out of there, but they don't. I've seen him sit down with people eating and literally start eating their fries.

Little punk. Unfortunately, he is going to grow up into a big punk.

A 12-year-old lad out in the middle of the night and approaching strange men in public toilets. The boy could be touting for business and I wonder how many sick and twisted stinking old perverts are prepared to take their encounters with this boy further?

Even if the kid does have mental problems, it certainly seems that the boy has no loving family that cares for him and he is in a struggle for survival, left to care for himself by any means possible, which in fact is enough to do any kids head in.

I could never feel extreme hate for children that are in situations such as this, because it is pitiful. It is highly probable that the boy will grow up to be a big punk, but who could be surprised at that, considering that the kid is fighting against the odds and is in a no hoper situation right from the start with no potential at all.

Some of the attitudes on here regarding the plight of homeless and abused children are astounding and is because of these ignorant non-compassionate attitudes that are the main reasons why the welfare of such children is considered as low priority by the authorities and the general public that more or less are equating these kids with soi dogs, as a general nuisance, a problem that should be discretely self eradicating and something that does not inconvenience and infringe on anyone else.

[Suradit69]

The thing is, while he is a youth now, they grow up into scammy adults. I never did anything close to this when I was 12 years old. The guys whith the jet skis or the boiler room operations...this is how they start.

A truly amazing chain of thought. He might also end up a politician in the US or a banker in London or, of course, he might simply have been playing a prank on a friend ... but the more sinister implication to which everyone seems to have leapt, is certainly a comforting "trip" for the warped minds of the condescending.

then he got on his bicycle, wearing a reflective jacket and drove off

"Driving" a bicycle with a reflective jacket is pretty conclusive. A life of crime is inevitable I'm afraid.

[Chiengmaijoe]

Next time your out for a drink with your friends,and there is someone sitting

close by,cradling a small beer,earwigging your conversation,especially if

you are talking about saving money,buying Archa beer,it could be wor Joe.

you will know for sure if he reports your conversation on ThaiVisa,next day!

Where i come from he could be called a" nosy bugger",

Regards Worgeordie

"It's only banter for me but you seem to take things too seriously, Jo.

Regards worgeordie".

?

[Chiengmaijoe]

The thing is, while he is a youth now, they grow up into scammy adults. I never did anything close to this when I was 12 years old. The guys whith the jet skis or the boiler room operations...this is how they start.

A truly amazing chain of thought. He might also end up a politician in the US or a banker in London or, of course, he might simply have been playing a prank on a friend ... but the more sinister implication to which everyone seems to have leapt, is certainly a comforting "trip" for the warped minds of the condescending.

then he got on his bicycle, wearing a reflective jacket and drove off

"Driving" a bicycle with a reflective jacket is pretty conclusive. A life of crime is inevitable I'm afraid.

With almost 5000 posts to your name, you should know how to insert quotes. The second quote was from me, was unrelated to submaniac's and was made in order to identify the kid. I was , after all, asking if anyone knew or had seen him. Bearing that in mind, your comment is just stupid. As is your first comment. I have already posted that he admitted to using the syrup to fool tourists so how can you say he might have been playing a prank on a friend? Let me guess, you didn't read it.

Something worth bearing in mind for the future...... Read the topic and give a little thought before you reply. Another option is .... If you've got nothing to say, say nothing.

[Beetlejuice]

Mystery solved. After seeing Dave2's reply(the only one that really answered my question, thanks Dave) I figured that , as I thought, he has probably been around for a while and hanging around the Thapae, Loi Kroh area. On the way home I couldn't miss him really as he was messing around with the barriers at the U-turn after Thapae gate, opposite the start of Loi Kroh rd. I parked my car further up the road and went back to speak with him.

As you might expect his first words were "twenty baht" , as he held his hand out. He obviously didn't remember me but I told him how I saw him putting red cordial on his face the night before outside 7-11 and after initially denying it, he then admitted it. I asked him why he was doing it and he said to make people think he was injured, so they would give him money. Just as I thought. I then asked him where his parents were and he said he had none and that he lived on the street. He did seem quite a strange kid and at a guess I think he could be sniffing glue or something.

Out of curiosity and a bit of concern for the kid, I went to the army/police checkpoint at Thapae gate to see if they knew about him. Tokay, had already said here that they know him. I asked the army guy at the front if he knew him, and he said no, and the only police guy that was there also said no. I explained to him about the kid and he couldn't have been more disinterested if he tried. He was much more interested in watching the Arsenal v Spurs game than to have any interest in a young kid living on the street , much as I expected. However, a young army kid sat directly behind the police officer started explaining to the policeman about who the kid was, so he eventually gave a nod of acknowledgement, as if he already knew anyway. At no great surprise he continued watching the match.

So there it is. He is out begging for sure, using the syrup was an attempt, albeit a bad one, at getting sympathy for a supposed head wound , he is parent-less (I asked the young army guy) , he lives on the street (when I left the Thapae gate, he was then sleeping, or at least lying on the floor), the police know about him and don't care, and according to Dave2's story he could quite possibly get someone into a lot of trouble.

He does appear to be reasonably well fed, his bike looks reasonable, a bit better than you'd expect anyway, so he does seem to be surviving on his wits. About 5 or more years ago there used to be street kids hanging around the touristy areas but somehow they disappeared and as a consequence a kid like him stands out. Assuming that the relevant agencies took care of the street kid problem in the past, then hopefully someone will eventually help this kid out.

I've added a photo of him, if the Mods or anyone else disapproves, and want it removed, I understand. It is a back shot.

Thank you for your time and effort to publish this in-depth and explanatory report. This is, sad, sad, sad.

It certainly does highlight the problem. It makes me feel like I want to adopt that boy myself, but I have no doubts this would be an extremely difficult task, considering we don`t know the circumstances involved, plus the boy could be suffering from acute mental trauma plus substance abuse or drug addiction problems having endured and been through a lot of abuse for most of his short life and will probably require someone or an organisation that has more experience in dealing with these children than I have.

I too hope that someone or group will decide to help this boy and at least get him off the streets.

[Sparkles]

There is an organisation in the city that looks after street kids ,they have a small hand crafts shop up near Wat Pra Singh almost opp the post office.If anyone knows this name of this place maybe they might assist and post it here. I can't see the police being interested.

I guess he is not attending school.Chiengmaijoe its good you have had the best interest of the kid at heart ,he needs help.

[pgrahmm]

I forwarded this thread on to a CM friend of mine that works with a Christian agency for lost/sold/traffic'd girls-women......

Hopefully there might be some effort and resources available for this kids situation......

[Mapguy]

The police also have an effective "Big Brother" program. No joke.

[Chiengmaijoe]

I forwarded this thread on to a CM friend of mine that works with a Christian agency for lost/sold/traffic'd girls-women......

Hopefully there might be some effort and resources available for this kids situation......

Well done. Let's hope something comes of it. I'm more concerned about his hanging around toilets than his ill-conceived fake blood routine. The lack of police interest doesn't surprise me, but it does sadden me. Has anyone seen the statue outside the main police station in town?

Edited September 28, 2014 by Chiengmaijoe

[Beetlejuice]

I forwarded this thread on to a CM friend of mine that works with a Christian agency for lost/sold/traffic'd girls-women......

Hopefully there might be some effort and resources available for this kids situation......

Well done. Let's hope something comes of it. I'm more concerned about his hanging around toilets than his ill-conceived fake blood routine. The lack of police interest doesn't surprise me, but it does sadden me. Has anyone seen the statue outside the main police station in town?

My son is a police officer in Chiang Mai and part of that area falls under his rounds.

I asked him about the police approach towards these problems and what he told me was not very inspiring. He said that the police will only intervene if these kids break the law or are involved in serious accidents or are discovered dead somewhere. Most times if these children are caught taking drugs, offering sexual services or getting up to mischief, the police will just pull them to one side, give the kids a quick lecture and make them move on to somewhere else. He continued to say that many of these children are mentally disturbed and have glue sniffing and drug addictions even alcohol addictions and sadly quite a few have physical handicaps and are HIV positive. My son also said that during the late hours around the town there are minors offering sexual services, but the police are more interested in apprehending the predatory paedophiles that approach these kids rather than the welfare of the children themselves.

He said that it is not because individual police officers do not care, but rather the police do not have any professional trained personnel on their teams to deal with these types of problems plus they do not have the resources or the facilities even if they did decide to rescue these kids. He went on to say that it would require a well defined plan with a directive coming from the top and the appropriate agencies involved with a long term strategic system of homing, educating and caring for these children until they reach adulthood. Otherwise he said; what is the point of rescuing these children if they don`t know what to do with them afterwards?

So there you have it straight from the horses mouth just to put you in the picture.

[Awk]

And a mystery it will have to remain as you didn't hang around to find out.

One has to wonder why this forum attracts so many, for lack of a more polite word, idiots. The op saw something he thought was strange, described it in

detail, and asked if anyone else had seen it and knew what it was. Normal people would suggest some reasonable ideas as to what it might have been. Perhaps some had even seen the boy in action, feigning an injury outside a bar, in front of a car, or whatever. But not the CM forum.

asked if anyone else had seen it and knew what it was

Never asked either of those questions in OP. Might help if you read the OP before making, for lack of a more polite word, idiotic comments.

You mean even the title, "12 year-old scammer or just a clown?", was not enough for you to understand the op was asking for some feedback?

[northernjohn]

I forwarded this thread on to a CM friend of mine that works with a Christian agency for lost/sold/traffic'd girls-women......

Hopefully there might be some effort and resources available for this kids situation......

Well done. Let's hope something comes of it. I'm more concerned about his hanging around toilets than his ill-conceived fake blood routine. The lack of police interest doesn't surprise me, but it does sadden me. Has anyone seen the statue outside the main police station in town?

My son is a police officer in Chiang Mai and part of that area falls under his rounds.

I asked him about the police approach towards these problems and what he told me was not very inspiring. He said that the police will only intervene if these kids break the law or are involved in serious accidents or are discovered dead somewhere. Most times if these children are caught taking drugs, offering sexual services or getting up to mischief, the police will just pull them to one side, give the kids a quick lecture and make them move on to somewhere else. He continued to say that many of these children are mentally disturbed and have glue sniffing and drug addictions even alcohol addictions and sadly quite a few have physical handicaps and are HIV positive. My son also said that during the late hours around the town there are minors offering sexual services, but the police are more interested in apprehending the predatory paedophiles that approach these kids rather than the welfare of the children themselves.

He said that it is not because individual police officers do not care, but rather the police do not have any professional trained personnel on their teams to deal with these types of problems plus they do not have the resources or the facilities even if they did decide to rescue these kids. He went on to say that it would require a well defined plan with a directive coming from the top and the appropriate agencies involved with a long term strategic system of homing, educating and caring for these children until they reach adulthood. Otherwise he said; what is the point of rescuing these children if they don`t know what to do with them afterwards?

So there you have it straight from the horses mouth just to put you in the picture.

That is a good point. What is the use of the police interfering when they have no social services here in Thailand to pass them on to. Even ihn the states where they have the social services they are so over burdened with cases that they really can't do a lot. Put the kids in foster homes. I have known some who went through them and most of them do not have fond memories of them.

For about three years I dealt with kids in Maximum detention center for the province of British Columbia Canada and most of them had come through the social service system.

Please do not get me wrong there are some excellent foster homes but the civil service staff is unable to examine the conditions in most of them as they have a heavy work load thus allowing a lot of less than desirable ones through.

[Keesters]

One has to wonder why this forum attracts so many, for lack of a more polite word, idiots. The op saw something he thought was strange, described it in

detail, and asked if anyone else had seen it and knew what it was. Normal people would suggest some reasonable ideas as to what it might have been. Perhaps some had even seen the boy in action, feigning an injury outside a bar, in front of a car, or whatever. But not the CM forum.

asked if anyone else had seen it and knew what it was

Never asked either of those questions in OP. Might help if you read the OP before making, for lack of a more polite word, idiotic comments.

You mean even the title, "12 year-old scammer or just a clown?", was not enough for you to understand the op was asking for some feedback?

Neither the title or the OP asked the questions you say they did. As for feedback, I along with many others have given him plenty.

[Konini]

Neither the title or the OP asked the questions you say they did. As for feedback, I along with many others have given him plenty.

Hmm. I'm not sure that I was reading the same OP as you did

My guess was that he was trying to feign injury and after sympathy money. The only problem was the very strong sweet smell from the juice. Was he just crazy, or a scammer, I wonder. Too early for Halloween.

Seems pretty clear to me that he was asking a question. An the title of the thread,

12 year-old scammer or just a clown?

even has a question mark, so is clearly asking a question.

(Tut tut, ChiengMaiJoe, you missed the question mark after I wonder. Detention tomorrow night. You'll write an essay on the importance of punctuation and write "I will try harder" 100 times. And if either are not very neat and in joined up writing, you'll be getting six of the best")

Seriously though, it's obviously a question, even though it lacks the question mark Even if taken out of context and you don't read the whole post, it's still obvious that it's a question which he wants other people's opinion on.

[Chiengmaijoe]

He's hanging around the Night Bazaar tonight and I saw him there a few nights ago. I just saw him and pointed him out to my wife. She commented on the fact that he is well-nourished (my phrase) and has a good bike. His cheeky manner may be enough for some tourists to help him out and get by, or maybe he isn't parent-less, although his escapades at McDonald's suggest otherwise. Having spoken to him, I wouldn't believe much of what he says.

Talking of people who get by from the generosity of tourists, or by their wits, I saw Thomas a few nights ago. Anyone who has frequented tourist bars in the last twenty years will know Thomas. He is a Thai guy who is a bit simple but because of his gentle, smiling nature people help him out. He stands and looks at you, gives what is nowadays a big toothless grin, and holds out his hand for you to shake, and although he doesn't ask for money, you get the feeling that you should help him out. I always give him 20 baht, as I'm sure plenty of other people do, and I wouldn't be surprised if some of the bar staff offer him some of their food. I've seen him around for about 20 years, and so I asked him how old he is now. He said forty! Hardly a tooth in his head ........

Edited September 30, 2014 by Chiengmaijoe

[onthedarkside]

6 posts removed that add no value to the topic - just members bickering.

[northernjohn]

6 posts removed that add no value to the topic - just members bickering.

But it is so much fun.

The question I have arose when Chiengmaijoe said

He's hanging around the Night Bazaar tonight and I saw him there a few nights ago. I just saw him and pointed him out to my wife. She commented on the fact that he is well-nourished (my phrase) and has a good bike. His cheeky manner may be enough for some tourists to help him out and get by, or maybe he isn't parent-less, although his escapades at McDonald's suggest otherwise. Having spoken to him, I wouldn't believe much of what he says.

I was wondering could he have parents that he is supporting?