Poipet Casino Holds Thai Hostage

[george]

Casino holds Thai 'hostage'

Cambodian immigration officials have detained a Thai woman without charge - apparently holding her as a hostage in exchange for her South Korean husband and one of his friends who fled to Thailand after winning a large sum of money in a casino in Poi Pet.

"They want us to deport the South Koreans," Major Trairat Kaewsri, an official at the Thai-Cambodian Border Coordination Centre, said yesterday after visiting Cambodia. Trairat said he was preparing to send a letter of protest to Cambodian authorities. "It's wrong to hold a Thai citizen without pressing any charges," he said.

The woman, 32-year-old Monchata Paenkaew, has been detained since Saturday evening. She, along with her husband and his South Korean friends, crossed into Cambodia from Thailand on Saturday afternoon. After Monchata was detained, the South Koreans returned to Thailand, two of them without their passports.

According to Thai police, the South Koreans won about Bt5million gambling at the Grand Diamond City casino in Poi Pet.

After the win, Monchata went to the Poi Pet immigration bureau to carry out the passport procedures needed to return to Thailand, but she was detained and the passports in her possession seized.Monchata was told that the casino had accused her group of cheating and alerted the authorities. Monchata phoned her husband and friends and told them to head back to Thailand immediately.

She also phoned her father in Thailand and told him she was being held.Two of the South Koreans managed to cross the border without passports.They didn't inform us what charge the South Koreans would face.I think it's impossible to exchange the Korans for Monchata because they will have to face action for illegally entering Thailand first," Trairat said.

--The Nation 2004-03-22

[Moving]

Anybody know how often this happens...I have been thinking about crossing over the border to do some gambling but not at the risk of being detained...Of course not much danger of that since it appears they were winners..I am not usually on that end.

[george]

Update:

'Poipet officials tried to frame me'

A Thai woman claimed yesterday that Cambodian immigration officials had tried unsuccessfully to get her to admit to being part of a passport forgery gang.

Monchata Paenkaew, 32, who was held at the Poipet immigration office from Saturday afternoon until Sunday evening, said she was wrongfully detained.

Monchata said she, her Korean boyfriend and his three friends travelled to Poipet casinos via the Aranyaprathet checkpoint on Saturday morning.

"I left a casino around 6pm to wait for my Korean friends at the Friendship Bridge before returning to Aranyaprathet," she said.

"Suddenly two Cambodian immigration officials forced me into a car and drove away while many Thais could see what was happening to me from across the bridge."

She said a Thai immigration official helped secure her release after Cambodian officials ascertained that she was not involved in the forgery gang.

She denied speculation that she and her Korean friends were detained because they had broken the law or incurred gambling debts.

"After my release, I learnt that my Korean friends were also arrested. I still don't know why we were detained. We did not win or lose any serious bets," she said.

A Thai casino manager in Poipet said a Cambodian immigration official told him that two of the four Koreans were named on a blacklist in Phnom Penh, which caused Monchata and her friends to be detained for questioning.

--The Nation 2004-03-23

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Anybody know how often this happens...I have been thinking about crossing over the border to do some gambling but not at the risk of being detained...Of course not much danger of that since it appears they were winners..I am not usually on that end.

I think that only the winners need be careful Moving. I am a bit like you, so I have nothing to fear at all.

[terdsak_12]

And how many thousands of times to the Thais wrongly hold/imprison Burmese/Lao/Cambodians?

Why do these people think they are so superior to their neighbours?

[mouse]

A Thai casino manager in Poipet said a Cambodian immigration official told him that two of the four Koreans were named on a blacklist in Phnom Penh, which caused Monchata and her friends to be detained for questioning.

I would be interested in finding out the names of the Koreans, for personal reasons. Anyone know?

[megashox]

A Thai casino manager in Poipet said a Cambodian immigration official told him that two of the four Koreans were named on a blacklist in Phnom Penh, which caused Monchata and her friends to be detained for questioning.

I would be interested in finding out the names of the Koreans, for personal reasons. Anyone know?

Here they are:

[1] Kim

[2] Kim

[3] Kim

[4] Kim