PHUKET: Phuket's stolen ketchup victim has caught up with the cuprit. Case solved, tomato sauce back on the shelf.
New Zealander Michael Laird returned to Phuket from a long trip to China to find the entire contents of his rented house in Chalong had been stolen, even down to the ketchup in the kitchen cupboard.
Yesterday, after making sure the matter was reported to Chalong police, Mr Laird happen to look into his neighbor's property - and spied his cooking gas cylinder.
When police responded to Mr Laird's request to talk to the neighbors, the owner, Manit Seasor, was only too pleased to let officers check out the house.
''Come on in,'' he said. ''We have nothing to hide.''
However, Khun Manit's son Theerachai, 22, saw the police coming and took off over a back fence.
Putting two and two together, Khun Manit quickly deduced that the goods that son Theerachai had said he had been given by a friend had actually come from Mr Laird's place next door.
Khun Manit telephoned his son and coaxed him into giving up to police.
Mr Laird, 50, who had been travelling in China for three months, said ''about 90 percent'' of his goods, valued at 60,000 baht, had been returned.
''I'm very happy,'' he said. ''The police did a good job and I got my stuff back.''
Khun Theerachai told police it was the first and only time he'd done such a thing, stealing Mr Laird's goods just last week.
FC Phuket Hulks Flex Muscles at Last 4-1New Zealander Michael Laird returned to Phuket from a long trip to China to find the entire contents of his rented house in Chalong had been stolen, even down to the ketchup in the kitchen cupboard.
Yesterday, after making sure the matter was reported to Chalong police, Mr Laird happen to look into his neighbor's property - and spied his cooking gas cylinder.
When police responded to Mr Laird's request to talk to the neighbors, the owner, Manit Seasor, was only too pleased to let officers check out the house.
''Come on in,'' he said. ''We have nothing to hide.''
However, Khun Manit's son Theerachai, 22, saw the police coming and took off over a back fence.
Putting two and two together, Khun Manit quickly deduced that the goods that son Theerachai had said he had been given by a friend had actually come from Mr Laird's place next door.
Khun Manit telephoned his son and coaxed him into giving up to police.
Mr Laird, 50, who had been travelling in China for three months, said ''about 90 percent'' of his goods, valued at 60,000 baht, had been returned.
''I'm very happy,'' he said. ''The police did a good job and I got my stuff back.''
Khun Theerachai told police it was the first and only time he'd done such a thing, stealing Mr Laird's goods just last week.
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Sounds like an embarrassing loss of face for the father to have the police and the media cover this.
If I were Mr Laird I would be planning to move house right away since there could be repercussions or at least a lot of awkwardness or bad feelings against him even though he is the victim.
Posted by Rob on June 11, 2011 22:47