Tourist Assistance Foundation assist Destitute Swedish Tourist in Pattaya

PATTAYA: -- A newly formed, Ministry of Interior-approved Foundation, assisted a Swedish Tourist who was left with no money or place to stay due to a reported theft of cash and valuables by a Thai Woman he had taken back to his Central Pattaya hotel room.

Mr. Cherif Hafsaoui aged 68 arrived in Thailand on 21st November and is due to return to Sweden later this month. He invited a Thai Woman back to his room at the Eastiny Place Hotel but the next morning he awoke to find the woman had gone and 30,000 Baht in cash and credit cards had been stolen.

At this point Mr. Hafsaoui had no money to eat or to pay for the remainder of his stay at the Hotel and for 4 days he lived at Pattaya Police Station. Eventually the Swedish Embassy in Bangkok were made aware of the case and contacted the Tourist Assistance Foundation also based in Bangkok. They assessed the case and decided to assist Mr. Hafsaoui so he could stay in a Hotel for the remainder of his Holiday and had money to eat and drink.

Full story: http://www.pattayaone.net/pattaya-news/156328/tourist-assistance-foundation-assist-destitute-swedish-tourist-in-pattaya/


-- Pattaya One 2014-11-27

Why do people insist on keeping large sums of money etc in their hotel room ?

This sort of thing is well publicised yet happens all too often. At 68 I'm presuming this gentleman is an ' experienced. ' traveller.

Mind you in some hotels safety deposit boxes are not exactly ' safe ' and compensation for loss non-existent.

In room safes should be standard in Pattaya, but it is very nice to see that someone helped him out..... a pity it took 4 days.

But here you have to look at the positive and never ask why!

It's this impertinent ATM-fee of 180THB on foreign cards. Grab the equivalent of 100US-$, and you will get 5,62 bucks (=%) stolen. Grab 1000US-bucks = 0,562%....

In room safes should be standard in Pattaya, but it is very nice to see that someone helped him out..... a pity it took 4 days.

But here you have to look at the positive and never ask why!

1. You can open a room safe with an over-ride code published on the internet.

2. Ladies and Katoeys admitted to rooms have been known to memorise the combination you use to lock the safe by eye or by sound. Sometimes they sneak out the whole safe.

Why do people insist on keeping large sums of money etc in their hotel room ?

This sort of thing is well publicised yet happens all too often. At 68 I'm presuming this gentleman is an ' experienced. ' traveller.

Mind you in some hotels safety deposit boxes are not exactly ' safe ' and compensation for loss non-existent.

B30,000 is not much money in Pattaya but for a kid from Nong Khai might be a fortune.

Why do people insist on keeping large sums of money etc in their hotel room ?

This sort of thing is well publicised yet happens all too often. At 68 I'm presuming this gentleman is an ' experienced. ' traveller.

Mind you in some hotels safety deposit boxes are not exactly ' safe ' and compensation for loss non-existent.

B30,000 is not much money in Pattaya but for a kid from Nong Khai might be a fortune.

Weak not to say lame.

Kudos to the Swedish Embassy and the Tourist Assistance Foundation. I wonder how many other embassies would do the same?

Kudos to the Swedish Embassy and the Tourist Assistance Foundation. I wonder how many other embassies would do the same?

I dont actually think his embassy did anything more than refer him to a charity........

OK, so this guy is 68, had no travel insurance to cover theft, no friends in the whole world who could western union him a couple of hundred USD. He had been paying for his room nightly during his stay and tbh, is dressed like a bum when collecting a very generously donated pile of cash. No mention of said prostitute stealing his passport........

I think the TAF funds would be better used assisting tourists with serious medical emergencies as opposed to daft old blokes who carelessly get turned over by prostitutes.

Kudos to the Swedish Embassy and the Tourist Assistance Foundation. I wonder how many other embassies would do the same?

I dont actually think his embassy did anything more than refer him to a charity........

OK, so this guy is 68, had no travel insurance to cover theft, no friends in the whole world who could western union him a couple of hundred USD. He had been paying for his room nightly during his stay and tbh, is dressed like a bum when collecting a very generously donated pile of cash. No mention of said prostitute stealing his passport........

I think the TAF funds would be better used assisting tourists with serious medical emergencies as opposed to daft old blokes who carelessly get turned over by prostitutes.

Your words of compassion are noted.

In room safes should be standard in Pattaya, but it is very nice to see that someone helped him out..... a pity it took 4 days.

But here you have to look at the positive and never ask why!

1. You can open a room safe with an over-ride code published on the internet.

2. Ladies and Katoeys admitted to rooms have been known to memorise the combination you use to lock the safe by eye or by sound. Sometimes they sneak out the whole safe.

If anyone is dumb enough to even show the location, let alone open a room safe in the company of such “ Ladies and Katoeys admitted to rooms “ they wouldn't deserve much sympathy.

In room safes should be standard in Pattaya, but it is very nice to see that someone helped him out..... a pity it took 4 days.

But here you have to look at the positive and never ask why!

1. You can open a room safe with an over-ride code published on the internet.

2. Ladies and Katoeys admitted to rooms have been known to memorise the combination you use to lock the safe by eye or by sound. Sometimes they sneak out the whole safe.

Yes, but under the soap in the bathroom doesn't seem to work.

I have never ever had an issue with an in room safe so am happy to see one.

If it can be picked up and carried off I may choose not to use it.

Kudos to the Swedish Embassy and the Tourist Assistance Foundation. I wonder how many other embassies would do the same?

I dont actually think his embassy did anything more than refer him to a charity........

OK, so this guy is 68, had no travel insurance to cover theft, no friends in the whole world who could western union him a couple of hundred USD. He had been paying for his room nightly during his stay and tbh, is dressed like a bum when collecting a very generously donated pile of cash. No mention of said prostitute stealing his passport........

I think the TAF funds would be better used assisting tourists with serious medical emergencies as opposed to daft old blokes who carelessly get turned over by prostitutes.

Your words of compassion are noted.

He said, sitting in Raffles Hotel, sipping his gin and tonic

But I agree, some expressed compassion would be nice, alongside recognising also this Swedes (perhaps unwittingly) "idiocy"

How did he get robbed ? the hotel security hold on to the ladies I.D. card when she is a guest of a resident and only return it upon her departure after an

internal phone call to the residents room for confirmation that all is well . Or so my friends tell me

Mr. Cherif Hafsaoui, a Swedish tourist ???

A real common Swedish name or a real common Arab name???

FredNL, on 27 Nov 2014 - 17:20, said:

Mr. Cherif Hafsaoui, a Swedish tourist ???

A real common Swedish name or a real common Arab name???

The difference is negligible.....

I sure hope for those friendly and generous charity people that I'm wrong but he sure looks very much like some guy who stopped me few months ago, saying he was a Swede, had lost everything and needed some little money to get to the embassy in Bangkok to get new documents etc.

This man can be a Sweed by nationality, but its a native Marrocan. I, frankly don't believe his story, I know this people.

Saw this on Pattaya One TV and he was continually trying to grab the girl and she was shaking him off.

If it looks like a bum and smells like a bum it's a bum.

Kudos to the Swedish Embassy and the Tourist Assistance Foundation. I wonder how many other embassies would do the same?

I dont actually think his embassy did anything more than refer him to a charity........

OK, so this guy is 68, had no travel insurance to cover theft, no friends in the whole world who could western union him a couple of hundred USD. He had been paying for his room nightly during his stay and tbh, is dressed like a bum when collecting a very generously donated pile of cash. No mention of said prostitute stealing his passport........

I think the TAF funds would be better used assisting tourists with serious medical emergencies as opposed to daft old blokes who carelessly get turned over by prostitutes.

Heartless comment to say the least...

he don't look mutt swedish to me

or is it just me ?

Mr. Cherif Hafsaoui ... one of those new swedish types ?

he don't look mutt swedish to me

or is it just me ?

Mr. Cherif Hafsaoui ... one of those new swedish types ?

Ever heard of immigrants ? Scandinavia is full of them . He's probably living on the good welfare system in Sweden.

He looks British to me

he don't look mutt swedish to me

or is it just me ?

Mr. Cherif Hafsaoui ... one of those new swedish types ?

Yep and brought to you by those wonderful multiculturalists.