The Tourist Assistance
Foundation was able to serve its first crime victim in Pattaya, coming
to the aid of Swede Cherif Hafsaoui.
Teerarak Suthathiwong
The recently launched Tourist Assistance Foundation served its
first crime victim in Pattaya, coming to the aid of an elderly Swedish
man who was robbed and left penniless by a woman he took back to his
hotel.
Cherif Hafsaoui, 68, was forced to live at the Pattaya Police Station
for several days after he took a woman to his hotel room the first night
he was in town. The next morning he awoke to find 30,000 baht in cash
and credit cards gone with the woman.
Days later he was spotted dirty and destitute in the station by
Kwanchanok Thana of the Ministry of Interior-established foundation. She
contacted the Swedish embassy and also provided him 10,000 baht from the
Pattaya Tourist Assistance Fund.
Together with the embassy, Hafsaoui was able to contact his son in
Sweden to send him money. The tourist paid off his hotel and was able to
book a ticket home.
Pattaya police chief Col. Supathee Bungkhrong said the Swede’s case was
the first for the new foundation, which now stations two officers in the
lobby of the Pattaya station.
There was no mention made whether the thieving woman would be tracked
down to face judgment.
