Child sexual abuse in Thailand

[MrPlum]

This evening, I had a reminder that difficulties can suddenly arrive on your doorstep and turn your calm oasis into a cause for concern.

Tonight, I drove from my house and stopped at the security gate. The attendant was slow in leaving his hut to let me out. He normally hears me and the barrier is raised quickly. As he came out he was zipping up his fly. It wouldn't have crossed my mind that anything was untoward, he seems a nice old man, but as I went past the hut, a movement from inside caught my eye. A young boy, maybe 12 years old, stood up, pulling up his shorts.

The topic title draws the obvious conclusion but before I put 2+2 together and get 5, I would like to bounce the incident off forum members.

How would you see this and what would you do, if you had youngsters under your care?

[migrant]

I hate to jump to conclusions, but that set of circumstances definitely calls for some further investigation.

In my book there is no quarter for child abusers, castration and a long prison sentence comes to mind along with a set of abusers of their own.

Again I don't advocate guilty until proven innocent, but if proven guilty then no punishment is hard enough.

[Big Boy]

Would it not have been easier to ask what was going on right away? The way you describe it, I can't think of one, but there might be a totally innocent explanation.

[Siani]

This evening, I had a reminder that difficulties can suddenly arrive on your doorstep and turn your calm oasis into a cause for concern.

Tonight, I drove from my house and stopped at the security gate. The attendant was slow in leaving his hut to let me out. He normally hears me and the barrier is raised quickly. As he came out he was zipping up his fly. It wouldn't have crossed my mind that anything was untoward, he seems a nice old man, but as I went past the hut, a movement from inside caught my eye. A young boy, maybe 12 years old, stood up, pulling up his shorts.

The topic title draws the obvious conclusion but before I put 2+2 together and get 5, I would like to bounce the incident off forum members.

How would you see this and what would you do, if you had youngsters under your care?

That is terrible..really awful. I suggest that you go to his employers and ask for someone to survey him. I am not sure how big the estate is, but maybe quietly keep an eye..well in other words ..spy on him. If true..he must exposed...

[Big Boy]

I suggest that you go to his employers and ask for someone to survey him.

My personal opinion is that such an action could lose an innocent man his job. Such an action is assuming he is guilty until proven innocent. I'm afraid by not taking immediate action (and I know there would have been a shock factor, and maybe a language barrier), the moment has been lost.

[kendo]

Mr Plum i agree with Big Boy on this if you would have confronted him you would have known strait away as he knows he was doing wrong he would not have been able to look at you and he would have been very on edge.

Now speak to your farang neighbours to keep an eye on him and take notes mobile phone's have camera's etc take a discreat picture as hard eveidence.

Now 12 year old kids are always looking for money and if your worst fears are correct, it will happen again as these monsters will always take oppertunies and risks untill they get caught.

I really think that you should not let this issue pass you by it's about evidence or catching him in the act but as Big Boy has said you could loose an innocent man his job but my gut feeling is he was abusing this kid for a few baht.

I can understand your really not happy about this good luck with your action, i think posting on here is the right thing to do to gauge reactions.

Kendo.

[Siani]

Mr Plum i agree with Big Boy on this if you would have confronted him you would have known strait away as he knows he was doing wrong he would not have been able to look at you and he would have been very on edge.

Now speak to your farang neighbours to keep an eye on him and take notes mobile phone's have camera's etc take a discreat picture as hard eveidence.

Now 12 year old kids are always looking for money and if your worst fears are correct, it will happen again as these monsters will always take oppertunies and risks untill they get caught.

I really think that you should not let this issue pass you by it's about evidence or catching him in the act but as Big Boy has said you could loose an innocent man his job but my gut feeling is he was abusing this kid for a few baht.

I can understand your really not happy about this good luck with your action, i think posting on here is the right thing to do to gauge reactions.

Kendo.

I agree..but this has to be nipped in the bud now...the main thing is to have him surveyed, without him knowing. If he is guilty as you suspect..then take action with his employers..also track down the boys parents and tell them. It must be easy to catch him in the act, just leave a car parked with a camera etc.near the entrance.

[kendo]

Is there a Women and Child Protection Unit in this province maybe a school teacher could answer that, i know they have them in Bangkok and pattaya as i have seen them on TV working with i think CEOP from the UK busting these filthy monsters.

Kendo.

[caller]

It must be easy to catch him in the act, just leave a car parked with a camera etc.near the entrance.

Hmmm, one might imagine a security guard, even in LOS, getting curious about a car parked near the entrance, not least if a camera was visible?

Might I suggest all the secret squirrel stuff is consigned to the bin and get back to the basics?

I mean, how discreet, or otherwise, is the guy's hut? And how busy is the entrance? It might be just as easy to report your suspicions to the Police?

[PeteC]

This could be a one off with the boy never seen again around the area. It's not clear from Mr. P's post if he could even identify or recognize him if seen again. Getting a photo of the boy and then explaining the incident to the police is the best route IMO. The boy can then be found and counseled/questioned. It will be useless to question the guard, and the police won't even attempt it without first interviewing the boy.

As Kendo mentioned it's not unusual for boys to do the soliciting, although unusual IMO outside of bar areas. I don't think any of us though really knows what goes on in Thai society concerning things such as this. It could be as common as uncles and stepfathers having relations with their female child family members. There's an entire underworld of the unspoken and unseen in Thai society. Pete

[Takiap]

I agree Pete. I think a lot goes on that we and/or the outside world are not aware of. Just last week I witnessed something which I'm sure was very similar to Plum's experience. As I had no way of knowing for sure whether my suspicions were correct, I simply had to bight my tongue. Accusing a person of sexual abuse is rather serious, and if you accuse, and turn out to be wrong, very bad things can happen, especially in Thailand.

Plum, as Pete has said, the police won't be interested unless you can lead them to the boy. And, if they were to question the security guard, and he asked them who accused him, they would more than likely tell him.


Perhaps try approaching the gate on foot from time to time, but whatever you do, just be careful.

[MrPlum]

Thank you for the responses and apologies for the sketchy details. It seems the boy concerned is his son. This development is quiet, so little traffic goes in and out. The head of security is a Policeman, who is often with the old man. Some teenage boys come around too. I had thought they were family. Who is to know if more are involved? The mind can imagine all kinds of scenarios.

I have heard, with girls, that if one brother forces sex, say on a sister, the other brothers and perhaps even the father will also do the same. The attitude appears to be, if she's already spoilt, then what's the harm?

Considering the risk of retaliation and the difficulty in obtaining evidence, I don't think I wish to risk my own security or that of my family. I've spoken to my Thai 'wife' and we've decided to warn our youngsters to not enter the hut under any circumstances, to not take money from anyone and to not go to the gate alone. Had the boy shown signs of distress, I might act differently.

This problem appears to be prevalent in Thailand... http://www.seameo.org/vl/child/text1.htm

[Norseman]

Considering the risk of retaliation and the difficulty in obtaining evidence, I don't think I wish to risk my own security or that of my family. I've spoken to my Thai 'wife' and we've decided to warn our youngsters to not enter the hut under any circumstances, to not take money from anyone and to not go to the gate alone.

Yes, I do agree with you that any further investigations from your side could jeopardise your own safety because you never know what kind of friends the guard has.
I think you did the right thing also when warning your own family about this guard, just wait until he fell asleep on duty so you have a real reason to sack the bastard.

[Big Boy]

It seems the boy concerned is his son.

I know as a collective, we have already hung, drawn and quartered this guy, but surely this additional piece of information could mean it's something quite innocent.

I wouldn't have thought twice about my son changing in front of me when he was 12 years old, or vice versa. IMHO I do not think a son pulling up his trousers in front of his father in a private area is as suspicious as the subject would have indicated, and I wonder why this piece of vital information was omitted from the OP.

[Takiap]

BB, I must agree with you here. It's all to easy to jump to conclusions here in LOS. I remember seeing a building site foreman a few years back strolling down our soi with two young and very attractive girls hanging onto his arms. I immediately thought he was up to something, since I had often seen him with his wife. When I made my thoughts known to my wife, she was rather shocked, and informed me that that the two girls were in fact his daughters. and that there was nothing unusual about their behavior.

The joys of living in a strange land.................