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Tourist Police send message: Paedophiles in Pattaya will be eradicated
Photo: 49-year-old Norwegian Alf Oddvar Bjorndal was arrested in Pattaya on charges of child abuse and could face a sentence of 10 - 15 years in Chonburi prison. The messsage: child molesters are not welcome here and will be caught.
Police arrested 49-year-old Norwegian Alf Oddvar Bjørndal for molesting a 13-year-old boy at the Manipha Guesthouse on January 11, 1998, after receiving a complaint from an 11-year-old boy’s mother.
Mrs. Pranom Sornphet told Pattaya tourist police that her son had gone missing for 3 days and that upon his return told her that he had stayed with, and been sexually molested by, a "Falang".
Mrs. Pranom and her son led a squad of tourist police, headed by Pol. Lt. Thanomsak Indharabutr, to the Manipha Guesthouse, where officers found Bjørndal, clad only in a pink towel, and a 13-year-old boy lying naked on his bed. Police also found a picture album that contained photos of young boys and a camera with 9 pictures already taken. Later investigation revealed that the pictures in Bjørndal’s camera were also of young boys.
Bjørndal was arrested for child abuse.
While police were still in the room, another young boy arrived, a 14-year-old illegal Burmese immigrant, bringing the total to three children accusing Bjørndal of molesting them.
The caretaker of the Manipha Guest house told police that a woman often brought 10-13 year old boys to Bjørndal’s room. This was confirmed by the boys, who told police that Mrs. Pradab Saekhoo, a.k.a. ‘Jay Noo’, 45, arranged contacts for them and received 100 baht per child. The boys received 200 baht to be with the man each day.
Police found the procuress working construction at a new hotel site. Mrs. Pradab Saekhoo confessed to charges of procuring and was arrested and charged with procuring children for the purpose of child prostitution. Pradab told police that she had known Bjørndal for many years and that he had been a good client of hers.
The three boys told police that ‘Jay Noo’ had ‘tricked’ them into coming to visit the Norwegian, who they called ‘John’. They said that ‘Jay Noo’ told them he was a kind man who liked to play with children and give them money for food.
Once in the room, the man told the boys his wishes, offering them each 200 baht. The boys agreed.
Police have since learned that Pradab had control over a group of boys, which she provided to visiting paedophiles. Some of the boys began to visit Bjørndal without first contacting Pradab, which, when she found out, made her angry. She then went to the 11-year-old boy’s mother to report the matter to the police as an act of revenge against Bjørndal.
Photo: Pradab Saekhoo, a.k.a. 'Jay Noo', 45, received 100 Baht for each boy she procured for child prostitution.
Arresting officers scolded the mother who made the initial complaint, telling her that she had been remiss in teaching her child right from wrong and should begin to take an active interest in her child’s development, saying to her, "How can we put sole blame on foreigners with money for corrupting children when Thai nationals act as procurers and parents do not teach them about avoiding strangers. If we want an Amazing Thailand, we should be a bit more meticulous in the way we instruct our young people in handling basic life situations."
Both Pradab and Bjørndal were remanded to custody and await further interrogation.
Update, January 13: Pattaya Mail has received word from Norway’s No. 1 newspaper, VG (Verdens Geng) that Alf Oddvar Bjørndal is an escapee from a 1 year 8 month jail sentence for sexually molesting children in Norway and is wanted by Interpol.
Bjørndal’s case has shocked the nation of Norway and is receiving intense coverage in the Norwegian press. Bjørndal has made the front page of all the major dailies there. Norwegian television and press reporters are now in country to further report on the case.
Photo: Bjørndal was taken for arraignment to Chonburi court.
Sudarat Seriwat of the coalition to Fight Against Child Exploitation (FACE), renowned for getting involved in cases such as this, and Paweena Hongsakul, Child and Women’s Rights Advocate, have gotten involved in this case and will certainly push for the maximum sentence.
Bjørndal was taken for arraignment on January 13 to Chonburi court. Police are still compiling evidence, so a further court date was set for January 23, 1998. Nai Visarn from Bangkok was appointed by the Norwegian Embassy to represent Bjørndal. Bjørndal was denied bail and has been remanded to custody at Chonburi prison. If convicted, Bjørndal could face a sentence of 10 - 15 years in Chonburi prison.
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We are now less than a month into Amazing Thailand year. Pattaya Mayor Pairat Suthithamrongsawat said the number of European tourists in Pattaya had rocketed up 80% and over 100 million baht per day had been spent by tourists during the New Year holiday.
There has been a large increase in the number of Russian tourists, due to the rouble’s power surge against the baht.
The mayor related that during the past year, many businesses had to close, but this year the droopy tourist industry would revive and everything would be peachy. Pattaya will regain her former glory and be world famous once again.
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Burglars net 2M baht from private residence
Burglars netted more than 2,000,000 baht in cash and valuables last week in an armed robbery at the South Pattaya home of Peter Gasta (sic) a US national, and his wife Chaliow Jaemjan.
Mrs. Chaliow Jaemjan reported to police that 3 men burst into her bedroom, held her at gunpoint and led her directly to her husband’s bedroom.
The robbers then demanded the key to the safe. How they knew there was a safe in the house is not known.
After opening the safe, located on the first floor, the three robbers removed 1,000,000 baht in cash, 3 diamond rings and 10 troy ounces of gold ornaments.
The American owns the Las Vegas Bar on Soi Post Office.
When police questioned Mrs. Chaliow, she became very rude and surly and some of her answers seemed to be deliberate obfuscation. This made police suspicious that she may be involved in the robbery, although no charges were brought.
Police believe they know the robber’s identity and a manhunt is in progress.
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Chonburi MPs working to improve the province
by Kittisak Khamthong
Chonburi’s magnificent 7 MPs had a party cum meeting at the Wonnanapha Room of the Bangsaen Beach hotel.
Dr. Sansak Ngarmphiches, Head of the Parliamentary on Tourism, stated that the 7 Chart Thai party MPs had a plan to work together, for better and worse, and for richer and for poorer, with the ordinary people of Chonburi.
The group’s priority project is the development of roads, electricity, public water supplies and other necessary projects.
The group said this project will be implemented in every area, every alley and every Soi. This will give people every chance to improve their lives.
The group said this was their plan in the last administration and thousands of millions of government funds had been invested in the project. The plan had been aimed at developing the above in rural areas. Even though it did not meet with complete success, it did attain a certain measure of it.
Another of the group’s desires is human development, especially in providing education to young people. Vocational skills must be developed according to the potential of the individual. Young people must not be victims of pollution and a bad environment and evil drugs. The 7 legislators have a concrete action plan to achieve this goal.
They also give their full support to various groups, such as housewives, farmers, volunteers, community developers, college students, clubs and too many others to name. They encourage these groups to continue with their constructive work for the public good. They hope the above groups will give all help possible to the earnest MPs in solving societies problems and providing a good life for everyone.
The MPs said that in 1998 they must be meticulous, resourceful and all-seeing, as the economic crisis had affected the condition of many sectors of society, which had political implications. Therefore, the plans to for development which had been laid might come to a halt. All these problems and dire possibilities did not discourage the MPs. They still had hope and were sincere in using the existing potential to face the problems. The people are their first consideration, at all costs.
Present at the meeting were Hon. Dr. Sansak Ngarmphiches, Head of the Parliamentary on Tourism, Sontaya Khunpleum, Assistant Minister of Communications, Vitaya Khunpleum, The Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and co-operatives, Sanga Chanawong, Assistant to the Secretary of the Ministry of Communications, Somchai Sahachairungreuang, Assistant Public Relations Attaché with the Prime Minister’s Office, Sorasit Nitiwuthiwararak, with the Environmental Committee and Chansak Chavalitnititham, with the Department of Industry.
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A Malaysian national succumbed to a fatal overdose of heroin in Pattaya.
A citizen found the body of an unidentified man while looking for cochineal in the forest near Banglamung.
At the scene, police found a syringe near the body of the young man. Initial investigations suggested that he had been dead for no more than 6 hours.
Searching the victim’s clothing, officers discovered the man was a Malaysian national, Rasman bin Abladif, 31. He was a member of the Malaysian Civil Service, Railroads Department.
The police broadly conjecture that a drug gang sold the Malaysian the ‘snow from hell’. Not knowing the purity of Thai heroin, he injected too large a dose.
The body was sent to the Forensics Hospital for autopsy.
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Samaritan returns cash to patron
Pattaya Mail’s Pattaya area, near the Khrua-Theque roving reporters were busily roving in the South disco-restaurant, when they received the shocking news that one of the waiters, Mr. Na-Hemya Maria, 20, had returned a pocketbook containing 10,000 baht in cash to its owner.
Mr. Na-Hemya handed-in the pocketbook to the owner of the disco-raunt, who then made an announcement over the public address system. Ms. Juthmat Rodthong rushed up to claim her missing wallet.
After checking to make sure no money was missing, Ms. Juthamat was vociferous in her praise of Mr. Na-Hemya, saying he was a model citizen. She tearfully admitted despairing when she found her money had gone missing.
‘Who would think that someone would actually return it? Especially with the economy in such a sad state and everyone scrambling to survive,’ said the relieved woman.
Mr. Na-Hemya said he understood how Ms. Juthamat would regret the loss of her money, as he himself had no money to buy clothing. Being a Muslim, he did not really wish to work at a restaurant which served alcoholic beverages, but need proved to be want.
Ms. Juthmat gave Mr. Na-Hemya a 1,000 baht tip in thanks.
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Chipping away at small-time dealers
The police’s battle against the truly dangerous drug, methamphetamine, continued last week with the arrest of two men caught with 42 tablets of speed near the Pattaya Park Hotel.
After police received a report from sources that ‘speed’ dealers were operating in Pattaya, the Pattaya Police and the Crime Suppression Division mounted another costly operation, involving over 10 officers.
This latest of the law’s endless ‘sting’ operations, instead of catching big time dealers, only netted these small time operators. Both were arrested and sent for charging.
Police in the area seem to be having a "problem" catching the big time dealers as most of the arrests are of people with 1-50 tablets of the drug in their possession.
Why this is so is not known. The reader may conjecture.
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