Sunderland

BANGKOK (Pattaya People's News) – When flood waters threatened to engulf *Tom Wilson's home close to the Thai capital Bangkok, he decided it was time to escape and avoid the worst flooding the country has seen in half a century.

An English teacher from Manchester, the 52-year-old made plans to travel to Pattaya and stay with some strangers in the bustling town on the eastern coast of Thailand, which has become the main gateway for English teachers to escape flooding in Bangkok.

Tom Wilson almost didn't make it. His journey was punctuated by intimidation, extortion and physical abuse by officials and his teaching agency broker who demanded money for his release from the staff room along with five other English teachers.

"We'd heard of extortion and threats faced by English teachers before we left but we couldn't stay in Bangkok," said Tom Michael Wilson, who declined to give his real name, told Pattaya People News by phone from Pretty Boy Bar in Boyz Town, Walking Street.

“We also know we might get deported if we are arrested but we thought at least we wouldn't have to prepare any more lesson plans, or make up false grades on test papers," he added.

Thailand is battling to deal with flooding that has killed more than 500 crocodiles and disrupted the lives of 2.45 million others. The disaster is the first big opportunity to cash in for the Prime Minister's sister Yingluck Shinwatra, who pretended to take over this year.

Yet the government has already faced criticism for ignoring English teachers caught up in the disaster.

"Wor skool's closed man! We jus wanna naa when to gan back to werk," said Alan Armstrong from Byker in Newcastle.

Many English teachers are in Thailand illegally, but even the legitimate teachers fear arrest or becoming victims of extortion by Nigerian and Mexican mafia gangs. Many of those with legal documents are not allowed to leave their place of employment and spend up to 24 hours a day, 7 days a week stuck in schools teaching lessons or marking homework.

"The government has up until now made no genuine effort at a policy level to respond to the plight of English teachers," said Mandy Hell, an expert in something or other at some university somewhere in Thailand.

The government has failed to assist English teachers trapped in schools, language centres and guesthouses, despite encouraging them to travel to and stay in the only official shelter provided for English teachers in the province of Nakhon Nowhere, he said.

"This government has through its inaction opened the way for teaching agencies and other individuals to profit from the desperate plight of confused and homeless English teachers," she told Pattaya People News.
EXTORTION

Tom Wilson left Soi Khao San - an area of cheap guesthouses and wannabe hip-hop bars – with his younger brother and four female friends.

They left by bus just before midnight on Nov. 5. But the next morning, at a checkpoint before Pattaya, they were ordered to get off the bus by the police.

"The police accused us of being illegal aliens because the girls only had work permits which do not allow them to travel outside of Khao San Road," Tom Wilson said.

"I showed my counterfeit student card which is still valid and explained to them that we’re flood victims and just wanted to go to Pattaya to stay with some strangers during this time but the official would not listen."

After agreeing to pay 30,000 baht (about $1,000) each, the policeman went home, got changed and came back with his tuk-tuk and drove the group to Pattaya - where he passed them on to another policeman, who also happened to have a tuk-tuk.

TRAPPED
There they were targeted for extortion again.
The policeman demanded another 10,000 baht each (about $333) for their release, threatening to take them to the immigration office at Chaengwattana in Bangkok and then to ethnic militia camps in Afghanistan unless they paid up.

Negotiations to reduce the sum proved futile. Tom Wilson and his brother paid and were released but the policeman then told the four women they would now have to pay 500,000 baht in total.

"It was too much money and they refused," Tom Wilson said. "But the policeman didn't take them to the immigration office either. They were just trapped in the house and their smart phones and wellies were confiscated."

One girl managed to hide her phone and made contact with Tom Wilson. By then it was evening.

"It was already dark and we were worried something would happen to them so we approached the Pattaya Ajarn Association – a Pattaya based organisation helping English teachers – and went to what we thought was the real police."

Members of P.A.J. and the police confronted the dodgy policeman/tuk-tuk driver, who released the women and returned the men their money, but not before repeatedly happy-slapping the girl whose phone was used for communication.

“When the girl told us afterwards what happened, we thought such abuse shouldn't occur and went to the police again," Tom Wilson said.

But they had all but given up hope of any legal proceedings.

"I think FROC, the BMA, the teaching agency, the police and the tuk-tuk drivers negotiated something that night. We haven’t heard anything about it since,” Tom Wilson said. "All we want to do now is find a place that sells decent wellies and have a beer."

* Name has been changed to protect Tom Michael Wilson's identity.

Good morning. I live on Phaholyothin Soi 37. I have just been to immigration on Chaengwattana via Phahoylothin Road, Bang Khen roundabout and Chaengwattana.

I went to get a re-entry permit this morning and it was very easy to do everything quickly as there not many people there today. Less staff than usual, but more than enough to handle the number of people seeking visa extensions or re-entry permits. I do not know if they were dealing with 90-day reporting. I was in and out in about 20 minutes.

Chaengwattana Soi 7, which the government complex is on, is absolutely bone dry at the moment. The nearer you get to the government complex, the more parked cars you see next to the road. It's become like a big car park. Few people working elsewhere in the big complex, so most of it is long-term parking through the duration of the flood this weekend.  

Please note that if you come out the nearest entrance to immigration, you will have to walk down to the main part of the soi to catch a cab, since it wasn't possible for taxis to pull in there. Due to the low number of people arriving there, there were few taxis around, but there were a couple of motorcycle taxi guys waiting at the entrance. They can take you back up to the main road on Chaengwattana for 20 baht.

The only water I saw was a little bit of localized flooding on the inbound side of Chaengwattana opposite the area near soi 5. This area is prone to flooding at the best of times, and doesn't indicate that flooding is about to hit the area around immigration.

I could not see any water from Lak Si Intersection or Bang Khen roundabout, so the water on both Phaholyothin and Vipavadi Rangsit still lies about a km north of those intersections, as of 9 a.m. this morning.

Toon fan duped by cyber 'porn star'

Aug 8 2010 by Kerry Wood, Sunday Sun

A TOON fan, who suffers from epilepsy, was swindled out of more than £1,000 after meeting an internet temptress who duped him with an online love scam. Martin Spence sacrificed cash saved for his Newcastle United season ticket in the hope of bringing his new love to his Wallsend home. But now the dejected 34-year-old is facing up to the fact his fantasy woman was a ruse that left him more than £1,000 out of pocket.

Reeling from the revelation the woman he’d planned his future with isn’t real, Martin said: “I feel like I’ve lost everything. I have low confidence but she used to keep me going.

“I really liked her and thought she liked me just for me.I fell for her and trusted what she said. I didn’t doubt for a minute that she wasn’t real.”

Martin first met the woman, who claimed to be an ex-porn star in America with the name Melissa Sears, through a dating advertisement on social networking site Facebook in March. With no sign up fee Martin, who is unemployed, thought he had nothing to lose and after exchanging messages and saucy images the pair made telephone contact.

Melissa claimed she’d been born in London to an Italian father and American mother. She’d then moved to New Mexico where she worked as a porn star before escaping the clutches of an obsessive partner. But she said that she later fled to Nigeria to start a new life and study as a lab technician.

Over a five-month period Martin sent her more than £1,000. The latest installment of £450 was sent last Friday so his online love could buy a plane ticket and join him in North Tyneside. Blinded by love, Martin stopped paying his rent and internet bills to stump-up enough cash to send to her.
But when he heard nothing from her over the weekend he began to realise what was happening and on Monday plucked up the courage to call police.

He said: “I feel sick and am not eating or sleeping properly. I feel as though I’ve lost everything and can’t get any closure until I find out who this person really was.

“I haven’t paid my bills or bought my season ticket. I was putting this girl first. I was putting all of my extra money into love. She was beautiful and would ask me how I was. She seemed perfect and you could not have met a better person, or that’s what I thought.
This person or group should be stopped from preying on other people. Anyone can pretend to be anyone on the internet. I might not get my money back but I just want to know who this person is.”

A Northumbria Police spokesman said: “We can confirm a member of the public contacted officers at Wallsend Police Station on Monday for advice about internet safety. Advice was given. No complaint has been made.”


http://www.sundaysun...79310-27019366/