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PHUKET: A crackdown is likely on gangs of youths and irresponsible parents are likely targets as well following the stabbing of two tourists on Phuket by eight youths and a girl.
Authorities admit that youngsters roam Phuket's streets at night on motorcycles without parental control and that more crimes are likely unless families control their adolescent children.
In the night of horror that involved the stabbing of an Italian man and a Russian woman in the space of an hour, only the main confessed perpetrator, Eakowat Ninbho, 20, is old enough to be named.
He and the gang rode on four motorcycles when they attacked an Italian journalist in the road behind Club Med in Kata about 3am on Thursday. The man was stabbed twice in the ribs, but is now recovering.
The gang made off with a bag containing a mobile telephone, a notebook computer, $HK6000 and 500 baht and the man's passport.
An hour later their victim was Mrs Inna Sifonova, 28, who was out walking with two friends near the Kata outdoor surf centre. She suffered a superficial stab wound to the chest.
Phuket police reacted rapidly and rounded up seven of the gang later the same day, using security camera footage and knowledge of where local youths hang out.
''Very bad boy, very bad boy,'' Mrs Sifonova said when a Phuket City press conference enabled her to confront her main attackers.
The case and other incidents involving youths on motorcycles will inevitably bring a reaction. Like all places, Phuket has a segment of young people who choose to hang out, take drugs and sometimes drift into serious crime.
Khun Eakowat told police he was keen to steal some cash and goods to help put his sister and brother through school. Police were sceptical.
The murder of Australian travel agent Michelle Smith in a bag-snatch gone wrong nearby in Kata Noi led to increased safety concerns by Phuket police, working with the community. The number of incidents now appears to be on the rise.
Authorities admit that youngsters roam Phuket's streets at night on motorcycles without parental control and that more crimes are likely unless families control their adolescent children.
In the night of horror that involved the stabbing of an Italian man and a Russian woman in the space of an hour, only the main confessed perpetrator, Eakowat Ninbho, 20, is old enough to be named.
He and the gang rode on four motorcycles when they attacked an Italian journalist in the road behind Club Med in Kata about 3am on Thursday. The man was stabbed twice in the ribs, but is now recovering.
The gang made off with a bag containing a mobile telephone, a notebook computer, $HK6000 and 500 baht and the man's passport.
An hour later their victim was Mrs Inna Sifonova, 28, who was out walking with two friends near the Kata outdoor surf centre. She suffered a superficial stab wound to the chest.
Phuket police reacted rapidly and rounded up seven of the gang later the same day, using security camera footage and knowledge of where local youths hang out.
''Very bad boy, very bad boy,'' Mrs Sifonova said when a Phuket City press conference enabled her to confront her main attackers.
The case and other incidents involving youths on motorcycles will inevitably bring a reaction. Like all places, Phuket has a segment of young people who choose to hang out, take drugs and sometimes drift into serious crime.
Khun Eakowat told police he was keen to steal some cash and goods to help put his sister and brother through school. Police were sceptical.
The murder of Australian travel agent Michelle Smith in a bag-snatch gone wrong nearby in Kata Noi led to increased safety concerns by Phuket police, working with the community. The number of incidents now appears to be on the rise.
Whilst I'm not condoning these crimes in any way, surely the root cause must however be addressed. One suggestion (if not already in place), is to show them inside the prisons themselves, to experience what happens when you break the law, and the potential consequences. Perhaps this could also be useful to to deter potential crime.
One of the observations in Phuket is the seemingly lack of facilities for youngsters, and perhaps this should also be looked into by the authorities. Community groups, and other training schemes directed towards this particular age group would surely be a positive move.
Posted by reader on July 5, 2014 12:41