Pedophiles Target Refugee Children

[YimSiam]

I agree with MaiLuk's points - I saw this headline and was excited to read what had been discovered, having spent alot of time in the area, and what I found was an article about one pedo (including some very questionable claims - the guy has been bragging to the police about how much pedo sex he's been having, how strong he is? Gimme a break.) Obviously, cop Tassawat has recently come from a pedo conference (probably in Pattaya, irony lives on) and has all the right (but bullshit) quotes for Thornton. It's the same thing that happened with Thornton's book (i don't know him personally) - I was stoked to see a book on Mae Sot and the Karen, but then found it hysterical and not always substantiated or balanced (though I have no doubt he spends a lot of time in MS).

 

And for the record, kids who move back and forth across the border between Myanmar and Thailand everyday aren't refugees, they're just poor migrants. There more than a million Burmese in Thailand, and only some are refugees.

 

I'm surprised Irrawaddy is willing to put so much behind this story (and related non-stories), when so far there is so little to it. Not that there isn't pedophilia in Mae Sot - there may be, the place is a crime-ridden cesspool where people, drugs, and guns are bought and sold with relative ease, and where if your workers cause any trouble, you kill them - but the story's just not there yet.

[Neo]

At first I thought this was an interesting read, but after seeing the comments I have to agree it is most likely made up. If parts are true, hopefully they can be substantiated. And if they're not, then that sucks because it paints many innocent under the ire of guilt.

[bust]

Maybe I'm bias but don't see it that way at all. I spent a lot of time with Phil and have always found his integrity intact. He is one of the few journo's in the area the Karen trust. I've actually seen footage of American news crews paying for mock battles for a bit of film to go with their story. I visit the markets around the Friendship Bridge every visit and have been offered children for sex. The fact that Mae Sot is used to get a point across does not make the story any less credible. The Thai/Burma border runs a long way and the camps up towards Mae Sariang run for several kilometers. Maybe it s just too hard for some to fathom, but I would pretty well guarentee he's on the money with this one.

[bust]

MaiLuk said:

Please ask your friend to provide statistics or credible proof to support his/her sweeping claims that:

Feel free to do it yourself Mai Luk.... comments@irrawaddy.org