British couple fights Bangkok airport extortionists
Two tourists were held by an airport gang until they paid up £8,000

Stephen Ingram and Xi Lin were falsely accused
of stealing from a shop at Bangkok airport. Photo: Michael Sheridan

A British couple who were falsely accused of shoplifting in Bangkok airport and were forced to pay £8,000 in bribes to secure their release are to take legal action for compensation.

They were the victims of an extortion racket that has ensnared other foreign travellers at the airport, which handles most of the 800,000 British visitors to Thailand every year.

Stephen Ingram, 49, and Xi Lin, 45, both technology professionals from Cambridge, were detained by security guards as they went to board Qantas flight QF1 to London on the night of Saturday, April 25.

They were accused of taking a Givenchy wallet worth £121 from a King Power duty-free shop and were handed over to the police. An official release order from the local Thai prosecutor’s office subsequently conceded there was no evidence against them.

They were freed five days later after a frightening ordeal in which they said they were threatened and held against their will at a cheap motel on the airport perimeter until they had handed over the money.

The bribes were paid to an intermediary named Sunil “Tony” Rathnayaka, a Sri Lankan national in his fifties who works as a “volunteer” interpreter for Thailand’s tourist police (motto: “To serve and to protect”).

“Our main motivation is to protect other innocent British tourists from being caught up in this nightmare,” said Ingram last week. “We intend to take every legal means to recover our money and obtain justice.”

Last week Rathnayaka admitted in a telephone interview that he had received cash and money transfers amounting to more than £7,000 from the Britons. He said the money was for police bail and for a payment to a figure he called “Little Big Man” who could withdraw the case against them.

“In Thailand everyone knows it’s like that,” he said. “They can go to jail or they can just pay a fine and go home. It is corruption, you know?”

Rathnayaka also agreed that the “bail” — about £4,000 — was never returned to Ingram and Xi. Thai law says bail should be refunded.

In a detailed statement the couple said they were first detained at an airport office of the tourist police and later taken to cells at a police station in an isolated modern building on the fringes of the airport.

Rathnayaka confirmed that he met them in the cells on the morning of Sunday, April 26, and arranged the “bail”. The police kept the couple’s passports. Rathnayaka then escorted Ingram and Xi to the Valentine Resort, a lurid pink motel a few hundred yards from the runways. They were to remain there for four days.

During that time, Rathnayaka warned them not to tell anyone about their plight, especially the British embassy, lawyers, friends, family or the press.

However, on April 27 they sneaked out of the hotel and found their way to the embassy, where they met Kate Dufall, the pro-consul.

According to the couple, she told them the embassy could not interfere with the Thai legal system and put them in contact with Prachaya Vijitpokin, a lawyer.

Vijitpokin and a colleague, Kittamert Engchountada, of the Lawyers Association of Thailand, urged them to stay in the country to fight the case and have since assembled a dossier for potential prosecutions.

However, Ingram said the couple were so terrified by this stage that they decided to meet the demands for money, which they raised by bank transfers from Britain direct to Rathnayaka’s account. The Sunday Times has copies of the transactions.

Ingram and Xi were put on a British Airways flight to London early on Friday, May 1, having received their passports with official documents from prosecutors and police stating that no charges were to be brought against them.

They have said they are willing to return to Thailand and testify to try to stop the extortion if the government will guarantee their safety.

That could become a priority for Thailand, which has suffered a series of blows to its tourist industry through economic and political upheaval.

Inquiries last week established that Rathnayaka and his accomplices have continued preying on tourists who end up in police custody after being accused of theft from the airport duty-free shop. “I am just helping people,” he explained. “I don’t get paid to do this. All the embassies know me.”

Officials at the Danish embassy confirmed that a Danish woman fell into Rathnayaka’s hands about two weeks ago and was allowed to leave Thailand only after handing over more than £4,500.

When a Sunday Times journalist posing as a businessman in trouble contacted Rathnayaka last week, the first thing he said was: “If it’s a case, for example, of shoplifting at the airport duty-free then I can help. Bail is 100,000 baht (£1,800).” He later declined an interview, saying the Sri Lanka embassy — which employs him as an interpreter — had told him not to speak.

The Foreign Office said consular officials had offered to raise the case with the Thai authorities at the time but had been asked by the couple not to intervene.

A spokesman for King Power duty-free said the company had strict rules for evidence to be submitted to the police in shoplifting cases, but added: “We cannot control what happens after that.”

-- timesonline.co.uk 2009-06-28

I quick review of the video footage would clear this up .

and the Malaysian woman a few months ago who complained about being charged for shoplifting from kingpower ?

wonder how many other have been detained for shoplifting at kingpower ?

Holy toledo batman. I have never heard of this happening before. Are they only hitting up British ? This could hurt tourism more than the protests do.

............... and Thailand takes another hard shot to the kidneys, staggering now against the ropes, we shall see what the media can dish out next to put the final nail in the coffin. It just goes to show you if you are not fit enough to play with the big countries don't go into the ring!!

Oz

round and round we go,
tourist traffic down = money down = find creative money scheme= scam
victim stays quiet = no problem
victim goes public = another nail
perp should be charged with crime against Thailand

That's absolutly frightening. Had they actually been in the shop in question.

Terrible news. Not surprising. At least they were smart enough to go with the flow, and get out without further harassment. Is there anyone here that is capable of keeping things in check?

Nearly a half million baht...

Thaivisa baht convertor = 449,943 THB



Valentine Resort Bangkok:

900 Baht/night

This scam has been going on for quite a long time now. Another victim was arrested last Thursday for nicking a lipstick from King Power but I don't think thats got in the papers yet. She got bail for 100,000 baht and a Lawyer, recommended by the British Embassy, has charged her 50,000baht for his services, no receipt! I wonder if he will turn up when she does require his services now he has the money.

I know whenever I'm leaving a country I just don't go into any of these shops even just to look.

I'm so proud my tax money goes to support such a moral and upstanding police force. Truly, Thailand should be rightly proud of such a clean and just judicial system

And good on the Brits for having a go. Irrespective of whether they stole or not, the punishment does not fit the crime.

Surely of you've been arrested you should be taken to a police station - not a resort???

This post has been edited by jonclark: 2009-06-28 09:10:13

A TV poster reported in this forum recently that he was the target of a similar scam at the airport but as I recall the incident involved cigarettes. As I further recall not a single viewer believed his story and he took a lot of stick as a result. So, in light of the expose above, perhaps it's time to consign to urban myth the notion that such things don't happen here in Thailand and perhaps cut such posters a little more slack.

This is not the first time people have been jailed under strange circumstances after visiting King Power Duty Free. This is a company that ignores rules and laws and doubled their retail space simply by taking it over when Suvarnabhumi opened. They wanted to open another restaurant and quietly built a two story building next to the terminal without asking anyone's permission.

The couple may be guilty of theft but my gut says there is a different message here. Do not go near any of the King Power Duty Free shops. If you do you do so at your own risk. We all know the airport is full of criminals of all stripes yet because it is an airport with controlled space we feel a false sense of security. Saving a few Baht on cigarettes or alcohol is worth the risk?

I bet these people would not have the problems they had if they were shopping in Singapore's or Hong Kong's airports.

Well said! I remember that posting too.

If you read the article fully you will see that they are targeting not just the British.

I have heard of this happening before, specifically with King Power 'duty free' shops at the airport. Inidan nationals get ripped off by the same shake-down. I never used to go to 'duty free' shops (because I didn't care for any of the vanity crap they carry), but now I'm a lot more wary of even going in their vicinity. This is a full tilt scam.



If it's found that the Tourist Police and regular police were in on it, then other heads should roll - not just the immediate sheisters (the Sri Lankan and store workers).

Cops from a different district should deputize a farang couple to set up a sting at the shop in question. Unfortunately, Thai police are no good at setting up stings. They've never done any for the jewelry scams that have been going on in Bkk for decades, and (as far as I know) they've never done any undercover work re; the daily scams of tourists in Bkk who are told major destinations are closed (when they're not) and thereby redirected tourists to shopping tours. I know Bkk police are only motivated by money, but it's in Thailand's interest to snuff out all scams. The biggest source of money for Thailand is tourism. TAT should get on the ball and work with non-corrupt police (oxymoron?) to do some stings and under-cover work on these scams.

I'm confused about this story and where the culprits lie.

Are they saying that there are folks at King Power who are involved in this scam?

These people are only involved after the initial accusation has been made?

Confused.

Thanks. I was one of those posters, who posted a letter written by and Indian man who's story was nearly note for note identical to the current episode with the Brit couple.

This is the sort of company king power are, i was travelling with a friend that wrongly asked the assistant in KP what ther cig allowance was for the uk ,she looks at a chart and tells him 200, he bought 2000 she never queried it, he was mysteriously stopped at heathrow and they were taken off him, coincidence ?. maybe, but the fact remains she did not limit him to 200, as allowed,,thai business all over, greed,.......

This post has been edited by imaneggspurt: 2009-06-28 09:34:58

WHAT then you will have more police involved in the scam and the price would double, and a chance 1 of the nice officers says you hit him (50,000 baht for time off) and when he informed his mummy on the phone she had heart attack (another 50,000 baht) and while his brother was taking her to hospital he had a accident (another 50,000 baht) ner take the hotel any day

Exactly, if things arent going well resort to what you do best, scam/steal,. sad isnt it,.....

8k pound is a massive amount! They should have fought it if they were innocent, why did they pay? did they steal it? giving in to these scams/extotions will make it continue! if you get in trouble you call your embassy and take it from there, REMEMBER INNOCENT UNTILL PROVEN GUILTY. Things need to change in Thailand

That's slanderous. I think unless you have something better than your cigarette anecdote and have evidence of company instigation of or acquiescence to any related activity you should take it back .

Seems to me the owner of Kingpower would be extremely upset about all this.

If I were the complainant I'd be straight on the blower to him.
Seems like he'd be the best person to get things done and get heads chopped if he were sent the relevant information.

John

This post has been edited by sleepyjohn: 2009-06-28 09:48:50

Everybody should boycott or avoid king power shops, anyway it's always more expensive than on the streets.

Thats true, seems everywhere in the world some people think just because you are buying in a duty free it will be cheaper, WRONG, i bought mouthwash in the LHR Boots and when i queried why it was more than on the high st they replied, ,"the overheads are more in here ".

Whew, i was just in that store last week.
Never again!
Thanks for the warning everyone.