TotallyOz Posted August 28, 2011 Posted August 28, 2011 The man who allegedly murdered Charles Jones in Thailand was a Talented Mr Ripley-type figure who preyed on gay tourists for cash, a close friend of the Kiwi said. Thai police yesterday arrested a 22-year-old Syrian named "Mohammed" for the brutal stabbing of Jones in the resort of Pattaya. Police found $40,000 in cash, as well as Jones' laptop, mobile phones and his watch when they arrested Mohammed. Stuart Yeatman, who discovered Jones' body, said the Syrian national had completely changed his appearance since the murder, cutting his hair and buying new clothes. Yeatman described him as a "professional thief" who befriended tourists before robbing them, and likened him to the lead character out of the movie The Talented Mr Ripley. He said: "This guy would have relied on the fact that the people he robbed were quite secretive and guarded. He was a professional thief. I think he felt it was just another tourist." Yeatman described the police investigation as "relentless". Police were planning to re-enact the murder in Jones' high-rise apartment in the next few days. Jones' brother-in-law, who asked not to be named, said the arrest changed nothing. "We have still lost a loved one." Jones' body will be back in the country in time for a funeral in Westport on Saturday. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10747892 Quote
Guest Posted August 28, 2011 Posted August 28, 2011 Thai police yesterday arrested a 22-year-old Syrian named Mohammed" I guess a few of these people will listen to the homophobic rhetoric from their society and take things way too far. That's one reason why I never go to that part of the world. I would be slightly happier if they set up camp further away from the gay scene of Pattaya. Quote
Guest RichLB Posted August 28, 2011 Posted August 28, 2011 I don't want to be a nitpicker, but maybe the title of this thread could be changed to "Thailand murder suspect...". As it reads it suggests that the suspect is Thai, not Syrian. Quote
bkkguy Posted August 28, 2011 Posted August 28, 2011 The man who allegedly murdered Charles Jones in Thailand was a Talented Mr Ripley-type figure who preyed on gay tourists for cash, a close friend of the Kiwi said .... Yeatman described him as a "professional thief" who befriended tourists before robbing them, and likened him to the lead character out of the movie The Talented Mr Ripley. He said: "This guy would have relied on the fact that the people he robbed were quite secretive and guarded. He was a professional thief. the version in the Nation paints a somewhat different picture from that in the New Zealand Herald 21-year-old Mohamad Shanar Ryad reportedly told police he met Jones on August 19 in South Pattaya. He said Jones invited him to smoke marijuana with him in his room and paid him Bt400 to perform oral sex on him. Ryad claimed that on Monday night, Jones invited him to his room again, but the pair got into an argument, during which Jones pulled a knife on him and attempted to sexually assault him. According to police, Ryad admitted to using his pocket knife to stab the victim about 20 times before fleeing with Jones's valuables and hiding at the room of Ryad's Thai girlfriend in Soi Chalermphrakiat 19. Killer of NZ croquet chief nabbed I am sure both Yeatman's and Ryad's version of events are constructed to serve their own purpose and both should be taken with a grain of salt, and both newspapers obviously have their own agendas as well and there is not a lot of "impartial" "factual" reporting at this level - obviously becuase that does not sell many newspapers! bkkguy Quote
bkkguy Posted August 28, 2011 Posted August 28, 2011 I guess a few of these people will listen to the homophobic rhetoric from their society and take things way too far. Of course if the "alleged" murderer's name was Somchai from Udon rather than Mohamad from Syria then it would not have been "homophobic rhetoric from their society", it would have been the hapless falung leaving temptation in the way of a poor naive socially oppressed Thai. And perhaps if Somchai had been converted by a far right US preacher he would have been twice as justified ... If a Syrian newspaper reported on this event saying the NZ man was a sexual predator preying on innocent Syrian young men you would probably dismiss this out of hand as biased but you seem to blindly accept the totally unsupported accusation by a "friend" of the NZ man in the NZ press that the Syrian was a "Talented Mr Ripley-type figure who preyed on gay tourists" bkkguy Quote
Guest Posted August 28, 2011 Posted August 28, 2011 Well, the prevalent religion in Syria is homophobic & I'm quite entitled to raise the point. Society sometimes questions many supposedly "bad" influences on youth, such as violent films or video games. When religious leaders promote bigotry, double standards apply & we're expected to turn a blind eye. Quote
khaolakguy Posted August 29, 2011 Posted August 29, 2011 If the Syrian is not acting in a homopbobic way, and allowing guys to suck his cock, even for money, doesn't sound homophobic,then whether his religion is homophobic or not is irrelevant, so why bring it up? Quote
Guest Posted August 29, 2011 Posted August 29, 2011 If the Syrian is not acting in a homopbobic way, and allowing guys to suck his cock, even for money, doesn't sound homophobic,then whether his religion is homophobic or not is irrelevant, so why bring it up? You are suggesting I should not bring up this issue based on some hypothetical claim. Or is there evidence? Also, whilst generally disapproving of homosexual acts, some of these societies make a big distinction between being the active and passive partner. Basically certain countries promote a nasty homophobic culture. That may or may not be a factor in this case. However from what I have seen and experienced, gay liaisons with people from SE Asia will on average be much safer & more pleasant than those with their counterparts from the middle east & north Africa. Quote
Guest buckeroo2 Posted August 29, 2011 Posted August 29, 2011 If the Syrian is not acting in a homopbobic way, and allowing guys to suck his cock, "paid him Bt400 to perform oral sex on him" I read that to mean that the deceased paid the Syrian 400 baht to suck off the cock of the victim. After reading your commenet I can see how it can be interpreted to mean that the Syrian was paid to allow the victim to do the sucking - so just who sucked whom? Quote
bkkguy Posted August 29, 2011 Posted August 29, 2011 You are suggesting I should not bring up this issue based on some hypothetical claim. Or is there evidence? "hypothetical claim", "evidence" - I don't see anything in either article suggesting the Syrian was homophobic, but perhaps you can enlighten me However from what I have seen and experienced, gay liaisons with people from SE Asia will on average be much safer & more pleasant than those with their counterparts from the middle east & north Africa. The Pattaya press is full of articles about gay tourists and expats being attacked, robbed, killed, etc by Thais - how are you calculating your "average"? go back and re-read the NZ Herald and Nation articles again and my suggested Syrian press story and then convince me that your original post to this thread was not based on prejudices confirmed by the NZ Herald article! and the coverage of this - and the visitor comments - are a classic study! http://www.pattayaone.net/pattaya-news/ ... n-pattaya/ http://www.pattayadailynews.com/en/2011 ... ss-murder/ bkkguy Quote
khaolakguy Posted August 29, 2011 Posted August 29, 2011 You are suggesting I should not bring up this issue based on some hypothetical claim. Or is there evidence? I guess a few of these people will listen to the homophobic rhetoric from their society and take things way too far. The hypothetical claim is your own assertion that his Syrian background may have made him homophobic and a murderer! Something that is not supported by any report of the murder, but perhaps therefore reflects your own prejudices. You separately assert that: However from what I have seen and experienced, gay liaisons with people from SE Asia will on average be much safer & more pleasant than those with their counterparts from the middle east & north Africa. However as you earlier wrote that: I never go to that part of the world. you're hardly in a position to make this comparison! Quote
Guest Posted August 29, 2011 Posted August 29, 2011 you're hardly in a position to make this comparison! On the contrary, I've met several people from that region, without actually having to visit the countries. I've even had to physically eject 2 of them from my room, something that's never been required with acquaintances from Asia or Europe. Finally, would you claim the homophobic rhetoric has no effect on peoples attitudes towards gays? Or is it something that might be a factor in this case? Quote
khaolakguy Posted August 30, 2011 Posted August 30, 2011 I think that the Syrian's religion had about as much influence on this sad murder as the religion of the victim. Nor do I blame Buddhism when Thais commit murder! Despite never having visited "that part of the world" you have had to "physically eject two of them from my room". Where are you finding these people that you have had to eject from your room, presumably having chosen to invite them there in the first place? I would look to another common factor rather than religion as being the cause of your bad experiences. Quote
