Reward offered for tips on attack of American teacher

[saakura]

Very honest of you to write the truth and admit your faults. And yes, there can be absolutely no excuse for the barbaric way in which you were left to die. If not for the old thai man who under considerable risk, helped you. I wish you a full recovery and a good future.

[dcnx]

Tragic story. It's shameful nothing happened to the attackers. But this is the reality of living here, our lives are worth little, if anything at all, and so is theirs.

Bottom line is this, you don't hurl insults at a Thai or challenge them to a fight unless you are prepared to literally kill them along with anyone who may be with them, and you had better have a weapon and be prepared to use it because chances are they do.

Westerners fight, argue, and insult others to win, Thais fight to kill.

[Barnet]

Big, bad, brave ol' Thai males once again.....

Takes 4 of them to stab 1 over an insult.

They really are the most cowardly, pathetic excuses of mankind on this planet.

[PaullyW]

Tragic story. It's shameful nothing happened to the attackers. But this is the reality of living here, our lives are worth little, if anything at all, and so is theirs.

Bottom line is this, you don't hurl insults at a Thai or challenge them to a fight unless you are prepared to literally kill them along with anyone who may be with them, and you had better have a weapon and be prepared to use it because chances are they do.

Westerners fight, argue, and insult others to win, Thais fight to kill.

This is what is true and what most westerners from this Era have not experienced. I recommend any expat friends who live here to always carry something deadly. You don't go looking for trouble, and you try to avoid it, but if you cannot, it's kill or be killed time. And that goes for the effeminate middle and upper class Thais and the poor, rough ones alike.

We need to better take care of each other. They are slaughtering us.

[stevenl]

I want to thank those that have commented in this forum for expressing their opinions. I am the American teacher who was mentioned in this article. I am currently in the hospital in Hat Yai getting a final surgery as a result of the injuries from being stabbed nearly ten months ago and felt the need to inform the public about my case. I have been in the hospital for about 3 weeks this time for an abdominal rebuild. In total I have spent about 3 months in the hospital and gone through about 9 surgeries since that night. It has been a long and difficult process, but consider myself lucky to be alive.

That night I went out to watch some football with some friends. To be honest I had a few beers, but felt I was o.k. to drive home on my motorbike about 12:15 am. I left my friends and was going to get something to eat on the way home. I was passing the intersection of the road I was driving on when I saw some younger boys ahead ready to take a right turn crossing the road I was heading straight on. As I got close, they both gunned their engines and lurched their bikes directly in my path. I narrowly avoided crashing into them and having nearly crashed I got angry at them. In that moment of anger I said, "<deleted> you!", and gestured to them the same. It looked like they had continued on their way and I headed on. Moments later I was crashed into by these same youths and knocked off my bike. They pulled to my side and approached me. As they approached me I asked, "Arai?", and gestured with both my arms in the air. One of them got close and I pushed him away. The next thing I know I was being attacked and one of them I thought was punching me in stomach. I went down and got back up and noticed all the blood and yelled at them to go in both English and Thai. They left and I walked over to the sidewalk and laid on my back bleeding. Luckily an old Thai man happened to walk by and used my phone to call for help. The rest is a bit hazy, but I woke up in the hospital later the next day. During the next few days things were toch and go, but luckily I pulled through and got realeased from the hospital 58 days later.

Later the police identified possibld suspects and asked me to I.D. them. I was able to clearly identify one of the attackers, but the other one I couldn't clearly identify from the police photos. The boy who I identified I believe was arrested and the other who I later remember to be the one with the knife was set free. Both were 17 year old friends who had been arrested together before. The boy I identified went to trial in December with his parents in tow, since he was 17 at the time of the crime. Apparently, he had been free up until the trial date under the custody of his parents. I testified to the best of my ability and hoped for some justice. I had hoped he would serve some time in jail, be liable for compensation, or be willing to testify against the boy who actually did the stabbing. Unfortuntately, I learned last week that he was set free and not charged with anything.

So, in the end I feel, as if justice has not been served in my case. I have spent more time in the hospital, had to deal with tbe trauma of almost losing my life, and have financial problems due to hospital bills and not being able to work. For those of you that commented that I should be out late and not drinking and driving, I understand your point. In addition, I am aware of Thai culture and that confronting people and saying, "<deleted> you!", was not the best decision that night. Either way, I don't think I deserved to be stabbed and left for dead.

So, use this as a cautionary tale and be safe out there. Hopefully, in the future incidents like these will be avoided and the Thai justice system improved.

Was there any evidence against the boy(s)?

[EyesWideOpen]

Tragic story. It's shameful nothing happened to the attackers. But this is the reality of living here, our lives are worth little, if anything at all, and so is theirs.

Bottom line is this, you don't hurl insults at a Thai or challenge them to a fight unless you are prepared to literally kill them along with anyone who may be with them, and you had better have a weapon and be prepared to use it because chances are they do.

Westerners fight, argue, and insult others to win, Thais fight to kill.

Correct. Any fight involving you against several Thais is not

going to be a fair fight . Forget Queensbury

rules....... Bite, kick, stab, punch out eyes, etc, because you

are now in a fight for your life. So act accordingly.

After 14 years in Thailand, the few conflicts I had with

Thais went away pretty quickly once they realized I was

prepared to go all the way. But being 6 foot 7 inches probably

helped a bit... :-)

As far as justice, I suggest you buy your own, which is

what the rich Thais do......

Not sure if stories are being covered more, but it sure

seems like there are a lot of farangs being attacked

stories. I always felt when I first came to Thailand

that there was some sort of unwritten rule that the

criminals in Thailand were not to attack farang tourists,

as that would jeopardize a massive income stream

to the country. But maybe that rule has quietly gone

away......

Edited March 6, 2016 by EyesWideOpen

[waitforusalso]

when you are in a country where these idiots think they can do as they please and the law lets them what do you expect. I notice you never mentioned if they were a hi so family or one with connections, as they were let off with no charge after stabbing someone 10 times this would appear to be the case. Until such time as the law actually does what it is supposed to here this will continue to happen, maybe thats why a few people I know have a mate they keep handy for such times, when faced with the possibility of being on the receiving end these ar***oles tend to turn into major cowards.

Hi so ...riding motorbikes??

[Chicog]

There is nothing right about their actions or reactions.

However, I always recall the German chap in Chiang Mai who berated someone over a minor traffic dispute and was shot dead shortly afterwards.

Sometimes you just have to swallow your pride and let things go - it just isn't worth it.

All well and good if the bloke got his just dessert for doing it, but that's not much good to you if you're dead.

According to witnesses at the scene, the German man had been weaving through traffic on his motorcycle which resulted in the suspect honking at the victim and chasing him. Witnesses reported that the German had raised his middle finger to the suspect. When Mr. Schuller stopped for the traffic light, witnesses report that the suspect got out of his car, knocked the German man off his motorcycle and shot him twice in the back. He then got back in his car and drove away. Witnesses took down his license plate number and reported it to the police when they arrived.
Mr. Pricha denied all involvement in the murder when arrested by police but the police state that the case is solid and there are many witnesses to the crime.

Edited March 6, 2016 by Chicog

[thaiduncankk]

Tragic story. It's shameful nothing happened to the attackers. But this is the reality of living here, our lives are worth little, if anything at all, and so is theirs.

Bottom line is this, you don't hurl insults at a Thai or challenge them to a fight unless you are prepared to literally kill them along with anyone who may be with them, and you had better have a weapon and be prepared to use it because chances are they do.

Westerners fight, argue, and insult others to win, Thais fight to kill.

This is what is true and what most westerners from this Era have not experienced. I recommend any expat friends who live here to always carry something deadly. You don't go looking for trouble, and you try to avoid it, but if you cannot, it's kill or be killed time. And that goes for the effeminate middle and upper class Thais and the poor, rough ones alike.

We need to better take care of each other. They are slaughtering us.

A rather pathetic suggestion to 'carry something deadly'.

I am not sure if you are aware, but it is a pretty serious offence to carry a deadly weapon.

[Bluespunk]

Tragic story. It's shameful nothing happened to the attackers. But this is the reality of living here, our lives are worth little, if anything at all, and so is theirs.

Bottom line is this, you don't hurl insults at a Thai or challenge them to a fight unless you are prepared to literally kill them along with anyone who may be with them, and you had better have a weapon and be prepared to use it because chances are they do.

Westerners fight, argue, and insult others to win, Thais fight to kill.

This is what is true and what most westerners from this Era have not experienced. I recommend any expat friends who live here to always carry something deadly. You don't go looking for trouble, and you try to avoid it, but if you cannot, it's kill or be killed time. And that goes for the effeminate middle and upper class Thais and the poor, rough ones alike.

We need to better take care of each other. They are slaughtering us.

A rather pathetic suggestion to 'carry something deadly'.

I am not sure if you are aware, but it is a pretty serious offence to carry a deadly weapon.

As serious as dying?

[Robbie Dye]

Funny how Thais understand 4 letter words. Are we giving them too much practice? There are some farangs around who use the f word 4 times in a 3 word sentence!

[DipStick]

The guy is working in Thailand as a teacher. He should know what thai youths are like if insulted. Unless you have backup assistance it's better to keep your mouth shut.

Exactly, why rise to the bait. Driving in Thailand with youngsters on bikes unlicensed ( same can be said for cars and trucks) the results are seen every time you take to the road. Of course it's frustrating, but just drive carefully and expect the local bad driving to be there. We foreigners cannot beat the system. I realised this years ago after driving in Brazil, HK, Taiwan, USA, Africa Europe and Asia . Go with the flow not against it .

[tomacht8]

Here a similar case, but with a fatal end.
It's a shame that adolescent murderers and stabbers in Thailand can walk free without any penalty.
And no one should tell, that a 17 year-old, does not know exactly what it does when he strikes someone a knife in the stomach.
The courts are blind or do not want to see any responsibility.
When that happens among Thais, the families clarify with each other, the compensation payment.
As a foreigner without good Thai friends/ connections you are lost here.
It's a shame that such social misbehavior /criminal offense is not punished (adequately) by the Thai society.
Hopefully it does not become a "fashion" trend of youth, to stab foreigners here, because there no penalties are to be expected.
By this passivity of Thai society, the threshold is lowered from adolescents.

I wish you a speedy recovery.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/753644-man-suspected-of-the-fatal-stabbing-of-german-bar-owner-taken-into-custody-koh-samui/
http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/777033-suspects-in-the-murder-of-a-46-year-old-german-man-in-samui-could-walk-free-on-tuesday/
http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/849887-a-year-after-the-murder-of-volker-schwarges-friends-family-wonder-if-justice-will-ever-be-served/

[DipStick]

Tragic story. It's shameful nothing happened to the attackers. But this is the reality of living here, our lives are worth little, if anything at all, and so is theirs.

Bottom line is this, you don't hurl insults at a Thai or challenge them to a fight unless you are prepared to literally kill them along with anyone who may be with them, and you had better have a weapon and be prepared to use it because chances are they do.

Westerners fight, argue, and insult others to win, Thais fight to kill.

This is what is true and what most westerners from this Era have not experienced. I recommend any expat friends who live here to always carry something deadly. You don't go looking for trouble, and you try to avoid it, but if you cannot, it's kill or be killed time. And that goes for the effeminate middle and upper class Thais and the poor, rough ones alike.

We need to better take care of each other. They are slaughtering us.

A rather pathetic suggestion to 'carry something deadly'.

I am not sure if you are aware, but it is a pretty serious offence to carry a deadly weapon.

As serious as dying?

What a pathetic quote. If you spent time .i.e years in the Bangkok Hilton for stupidity then I think you would wish you had have been killed. It's comments like yours who reinforce my fears of why the Thais are probably turning quite rapidly again foreigners. Unbelievable you must be a wonderful person to socialise with ! ,!

[Bluespunk]

I'm sure people say the same about you DipStick.

At no point DipStick did I advocate carrying arms.

All I asked DipStick was is carrying a weapon as serious as dying?

I don't, DipStick, advocate carrying weapons but was rather posing a question about an issue being debated.

All clear DipStick?

As to why Thais assault non Thais.

Very frequently due to perceived notions and yes prejudices towards non Thais.

Some non Thais are to blame at times but the hate and violence shown in many occasions is due to a mindset and unfortunate attitudes.

An attitude I'm sorry to say that is found all over the world.

Hope that makes my views clear DipStick.

Edited March 6, 2016 by Bluespunk

[FritsSikkink]

I want to thank those that have commented in this forum for expressing their opinions. I am the American teacher who was mentioned in this article. I am currently in the hospital in Hat Yai getting a final surgery as a result of the injuries from being stabbed nearly ten months ago and felt the need to inform the public about my case. I have been in the hospital for about 3 weeks this time for an abdominal rebuild. In total I have spent about 3 months in the hospital and gone through about 9 surgeries since that night. It has been a long and difficult process, but consider myself lucky to be alive.

That night I went out to watch some football with some friends. To be honest I had a few beers, but felt I was o.k. to drive home on my motorbike about 12:15 am. I left my friends and was going to get something to eat on the way home. I was passing the intersection of the road I was driving on when I saw some younger boys ahead ready to take a right turn crossing the road I was heading straight on. As I got close, they both gunned their engines and lurched their bikes directly in my path. I narrowly avoided crashing into them and having nearly crashed I got angry at them. In that moment of anger I said, "<deleted> you!", and gestured to them the same. It looked like they had continued on their way and I headed on. Moments later I was crashed into by these same youths and knocked off my bike. They pulled to my side and approached me. As they approached me I asked, "Arai?", and gestured with both my arms in the air. One of them got close and I pushed him away. The next thing I know I was being attacked and one of them I thought was punching me in stomach. I went down and got back up and noticed all the blood and yelled at them to go in both English and Thai. They left and I walked over to the sidewalk and laid on my back bleeding. Luckily an old Thai man happened to walk by and used my phone to call for help. The rest is a bit hazy, but I woke up in the hospital later the next day. During the next few days things were toch and go, but luckily I pulled through and got realeased from the hospital 58 days later.

Later the police identified possibld suspects and asked me to I.D. them. I was able to clearly identify one of the attackers, but the other one I couldn't clearly identify from the police photos. The boy who I identified I believe was arrested and the other who I later remember to be the one with the knife was set free. Both were 17 year old friends who had been arrested together before. The boy I identified went to trial in December with his parents in tow, since he was 17 at the time of the crime. Apparently, he had been free up until the trial date under the custody of his parents. I testified to the best of my ability and hoped for some justice. I had hoped he would serve some time in jail, be liable for compensation, or be willing to testify against the boy who actually did the stabbing. Unfortuntately, I learned last week that he was set free and not charged with anything.

So, in the end I feel, as if justice has not been served in my case. I have spent more time in the hospital, had to deal with tbe trauma of almost losing my life, and have financial problems due to hospital bills and not being able to work. For those of you that commented that I should be out late and not drinking and driving, I understand your point. In addition, I am aware of Thai culture and that confronting people and saying, "<deleted> you!", was not the best decision that night. Either way, I don't think I deserved to be stabbed and left for dead.

So, use this as a cautionary tale and be safe out there. Hopefully, in the future incidents like these will be avoided and the Thai justice system improved.

next time:

don't drink and drive,

don't start cursing,

don't start pushing people.

maybe you could teach that to other persons too.

you shouldn't be stabbed though.

[dcnx]

Tragic story. It's shameful nothing happened to the attackers. But this is the reality of living here, our lives are worth little, if anything at all, and so is theirs.

Bottom line is this, you don't hurl insults at a Thai or challenge them to a fight unless you are prepared to literally kill them along with anyone who may be with them, and you had better have a weapon and be prepared to use it because chances are they do.

Westerners fight, argue, and insult others to win, Thais fight to kill.

This is what is true and what most westerners from this Era have not experienced. I recommend any expat friends who live here to always carry something deadly. You don't go looking for trouble, and you try to avoid it, but if you cannot, it's kill or be killed time. And that goes for the effeminate middle and upper class Thais and the poor, rough ones alike.

We need to better take care of each other. They are slaughtering us.

A rather pathetic suggestion to 'carry something deadly'.

I am not sure if you are aware, but it is a pretty serious offence to carry a deadly weapon.

How much is your life worth to you?

In a country where the law is determined by money, your life is worth literally nothing, and you can be killed like a dog for honking your horn at someone, there is no shame in breaking the "law" to protect yourself.

I'd rather be judged than carried to my grave.

[ace]

Get a car, turn on the air, turn up the sounds, relax, let them go first, cut in, whatever. And motos just bounce off you, scratch the paintwork mind....

Glad to hear u made it through.

Edited March 6, 2016 by ace

[poohy]

next time:
don't drink and drive,
don't start cursing,
don't start pushing people.
maybe you could teach that to other persons too.
you shouldn't be stabbed though.

yes be careful !

sadly you can't win here they are a bunch of c888ts and that's the way you should see them , that applies to all thai men

[dcnx]

Tragic story. It's shameful nothing happened to the attackers. But this is the reality of living here, our lives are worth little, if anything at all, and so is theirs.

Bottom line is this, you don't hurl insults at a Thai or challenge them to a fight unless you are prepared to literally kill them along with anyone who may be with them, and you had better have a weapon and be prepared to use it because chances are they do.

Westerners fight, argue, and insult others to win, Thais fight to kill.

This is what is true and what most westerners from this Era have not experienced. I recommend any expat friends who live here to always carry something deadly. You don't go looking for trouble, and you try to avoid it, but if you cannot, it's kill or be killed time. And that goes for the effeminate middle and upper class Thais and the poor, rough ones alike.

We need to better take care of each other. They are slaughtering us.

A rather pathetic suggestion to 'carry something deadly'.
I am not sure if you are aware, but it is a pretty serious offence to carry a deadly weapon.

As serious as dying?

What a pathetic quote. If you spent time .i.e years in the Bangkok Hilton for stupidity then I think you would wish you had have been killed. It's comments like yours who reinforce my fears of why the Thais are probably turning quite rapidly again foreigners. Unbelievable you must be a wonderful person to socialise with ! ,!

There is nothing stupid about defending yourself if you have to, and heaven help any of us who are in such a terrible situation.

If you are attacked by a local, he is probably going to try to kill you. So either die, be harmed, or defend yourself by whatever means. You don't have other options.

I don't advocate breaking the law, but let's be honest here, in matters of self defense, you can usually buy your way out of such legal issues if you have the means. If you don't have money, and you find yourself in such a bad situation, you roll the dice or flee. But a roll of the dice is still better than dead. I'd also rather have a weapons charge than dead. But that's just me, and after almost 15 years here, I've never once had a policeman search my body during a road stop, and I doubt they ever will.

[willyumiii]

An English language teacher setting a fine example of language.

What does a Swiss teacher say when cut up by a gang of punks on a scooter?

The post says his very poor choice of words was before the stabbing and the cause of it.

[willyumiii]

Foreigners, not just Americans, need to learn that behavior and language tolerated in their home countries, is not tolerated here.

They also need to learn that if a Thai has a bone to pick with you, they almost never do it one on one....they get their friends and gang up on you,

You can not win.

An American who has been here long enough to work as a teacher, should know better.

If you are going to react like this to rude drivers in Thailand ( most Thai drivers are rude ) you will probably not live very long.

I am American and am often upset about how people drive in Thailand, but I am smart enough to keep my "rage" to myself.

[Sheryl]

To be fair, what led to the curse was more than bad driving - they intentionally charged him on their bikes. Presumably just because he was a farang and he was there, so already a type of hate crime.

Of course, that in itself indicated violent aggression on their part and all the more reason to stay low key. Had he not been drinking I suspect he would have had the sense to do so. Alcohol lowers inhibitions and it does go against primal instinct to let other people push you around like that, even though remaining passive is in fact the wisest course.

[Wilsonandson]

Try this one next time your in trouble with the hood. Worked wonders for me. "SORRY".

[dcnx]

Foreigners, not just Americans, need to learn that behavior and language tolerated in their home countries, is not tolerated here.

They also need to learn that if a Thai has a bone to pick with you, they almost never do it one on one....they get their friends and gang up on you,

You can not win.

An American who has been here long enough to work as a teacher, should know better.

If you are going to react like this to rude drivers in Thailand ( most Thai drivers are rude ) you will probably not live very long.

I am American and am often upset about how people drive in Thailand, but I am smart enough to keep my "rage" to myself.

This, exactly.

If you run your mouth or flip the bird, be prepared for the worst, as it may cost you your life.

However, sometimes we are targets simply because we are foreigners. For those times when you have no choice, I hope to read you survive and have to pay 1 million baht to a family instead of fishing your body from the river or a ditch.

[cyberfarang]

Tragic story. It's shameful nothing happened to the attackers. But this is the reality of living here, our lives are worth little, if anything at all, and so is theirs.

Bottom line is this, you don't hurl insults at a Thai or challenge them to a fight unless you are prepared to literally kill them along with anyone who may be with them, and you had better have a weapon and be prepared to use it because chances are they do.

Westerners fight, argue, and insult others to win, Thais fight to kill.

This is what is true and what most westerners from this Era have not experienced. I recommend any expat friends who live here to always carry something deadly. You don't go looking for trouble, and you try to avoid it, but if you cannot, it's kill or be killed time. And that goes for the effeminate middle and upper class Thais and the poor, rough ones alike.

We need to better take care of each other. They are slaughtering us.

A rather pathetic suggestion to 'carry something deadly'.

I am not sure if you are aware, but it is a pretty serious offence to carry a deadly weapon.

I used to think that way, but now I`m not quite sure.

It`s a difficult dilemma knowing where to draw the line and how far we should take things. I can remember 20 years ago on the news about a man traveling on the New York subway when he was suddenly confronted by 6 black muggers. In fear of his life he drew out his gun and shot the lot of them, none survived. After a well publicised court trial he was found not guilty of murder and ruled it was a case of self defense. What are people expected to do when finding themselves up against the odds and their lives are at serious risk from a bunch of mindless thugs?

[Tess59]

Maybe we need to request from authorities to give special attention to foreigners who's willing to help this country go forward in communications ... Any suggestions?.. My prayer for this American teacher .

[luke000]

Its quite easy to avoid confrontations with Thais .

[Sheryl]

Not always. Depends on the Thai and also often on their level of inebriation.

In this instance the Thais initiated the confrontation for no fault of the farang. His mistake was to react in a way that exacerbated it.

In my years here I have certainly had a few instances where nothing I could do would stop a Thai hell bent on a confrontation with me. The most I could do was avoid fanning the flames further.

[luke000]

The O,P. states that the youngsters "cut in front of him" , which is normal driving in Thailand .

He then states that the youngsters did this deliberately .

Did the youngsters cut in front of him deliberately to cause a confrontation or were they just driving in a wayward manner .

If the felang wouldnt have reacted and just smiled, shrugged his shoulders and kept driving, there would probably have been no escalation .