Gaybutton Posted March 9, 2009 Posted March 9, 2009 The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ Airport Thieves Under Spotlight Police Believe a Number of Gangs are Operating at Suvarnabhumi By: Saritdet Marukatat and Wassayos Ngamkham Police don't believe the arrest of three suspects last month will end the scourge of thieves targeting outbound passengers at Suvarnabhumi airport. "I believe there is more than one gang operating at the airport," tourist police chief Adis Ngamchitsuksri said. Suspects Amorn Wisetya, Suranart Channum and Pairat Saengpong were arrested on Feb 26 after the Tourist Police Division was contacted by Mohammad Umar. Mr Mohammad, a 57-year-old Qatari, left Bangkok on Feb 11 only to discover after picking up his luggage in Doha that a bag had been damaged and the lock broken. A mobile phone and gold ring were among the items missing. Tourist police focused their inquiries on the assumption the bag had been interfered with between the check-in counter and the aircraft. Lady Luck was on their side too, as Mr Mohammad was alerted that someone was using his stolen designer Samsung Giorgio Armani mobile, thanks to a special function on the phone which allows it to be tracked even after the SIM card has been replaced. The investigators used the new phone number to track the suspects. They discovered the phone had been sold to a shop in the Rangsit area of Pathum Thani and the ring was sold to a shop in Don Muang district in Bangkok. Finding the stolen items not only made Mr Mohammad happy but also proved the police theory correct. The thieves worked for a baggage handling agent commissioned by Qatar Airways. According to the tourist police commander, they damaged the bag while it was being loaded on to the aircraft. Once the thieves targeted a bag, it took them just a few minutes to break its lock and steal whatever valuables it contained. Nobody suspected what they were up to as they were the only ones inside the plane's hold, stacking luggage. They stole small but valuable items as they were easy to conceal. While such items did not translate into big money for the thieves, stealing them greatly damaged the reputation of Thailand. And while airlines were informed about the problem, they preferred to keep it quiet by paying damages to the passengers so the issue would not hurt their reputation. The next step for police was to try and get undercover officers to work with baggage handling firms. The hard part of this, said Pol Maj-Gen Adis, was to get his agents involved in the scam. Suvarnabhumi is not the only airport in Thailand facing this problem. A similar complaint had been sent from a budget airline flying out of Phuket airport. Tourist police investigators are now investigating. After seeing so many such cases, Pol Maj-Gen Adis can offer a word of advice on baggage security. "Passengers should put all valuables in hardcover baggage because it is more difficult for criminals to break. Do not use soft baggage," he said. But Thailand's main airport has more problems than thieving baggage handlers. Passengers have filed complaints about luggage being snatched or pick-pocketing in the departures area. On Jan 15, Tahar Boutrigue, an Algerian, was arrested after police followed him when a passenger reported his luggage stolen two days earlier. Tourist police say when they raided his apartment they found him with a stolen notebook computer, camera and bag. He had targeted people who left their luggage unattended, Pol Maj-Gen Adis said. On Feb 27, two Mongolians, Tsedendorj Tserendash and Chinbold Darisuren, were arrested on charges of pick-pocketing a purse from Japanese tourists on the departures floor. In addition to the Algerians and Mongolians, Laotians, Chinese and South Americans have been arrested, according to the Tourist Police Division. Their prime operating time is from 7pm to 9pm, said Pol Maj-Gen Adis. That is when Suvarnabhumi's departures hall is busiest with travellers checking-in for their night flights. "Japanese travelers are the favourite target for Asian pickpockets, especially those from China," Pol Maj-Gen Adis said. Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted March 9, 2009 Posted March 9, 2009 Seems like Suvarnabhumi is on the way to getting a nickname similar to that of London's main airport, Heathrow - known for decades as "THIEF-ROW'. Living in Asia, I am constantly amazed at the large number of travelers who simply do not lock their check-in baggage. That might at least deter all but the most determined of thieves. But then again, for those who do lock their bags the relatively new type of luggage locks now being promoted by the US Homeland Security people, do worry me - the type that US security agents can open at will and then re-lock. I have a couple of these and they're not that difficult to prize open. I have little doubt about the truth of the comment by Pol Maj-Gen Adis - "Passengers should put all valuables in hardcover baggage because it is more difficult for criminals to break. Do not use soft baggage" The problem is that airlines are cutting back on the weight of individual bags. Soft bags give you an extra kg or 2 which might well save a major additional payment. Far more sensible, I'd have thought, is to take all your valuables with you in your carry-on. But what those of us with full length designer gowns should do, I have not yet worked out Quote
Guest Astrrro Posted March 9, 2009 Posted March 9, 2009 All small valuables should be on your body or carry-on luggage. Giorgio Armani mobile? Showoffs like him are just asking to get ripped off. B) Quote
Guest GaySacGuy Posted March 9, 2009 Posted March 9, 2009 If these kind of people are hired to work in the plane's hold, what they steal might be the very least of our worries. What might they plant in a plane??? It wouldn't take much to blow a hole in the aircraft and bring it down. Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted March 9, 2009 Posted March 9, 2009 It wouldn't take much to blow a hole in the aircraft and bring it down That sure is a fearful scenario. I assume there is some kind of screening process for all airport workers, but if they can get valuables out, then getting something in must be equally simple. I have said this before on another thread, but the fact that the security checks at Suvarnabhumi are all so close to the aricraft gates, is also a real concern for me. A number of major airports, including Hong Kong, are in the process of moving all their security checks back to an area immediately after check-in and before a passenger gets anywhere near the immigration control points. This seems by far the logical position for all airports in these days when terorism seems to know no bounds. Quote
Guest Astrrro Posted March 9, 2009 Posted March 9, 2009 the security checks at Suvarnabhumi are all so close to the aricraft gates The security check at wing C has a lovely ladyboy working as a security screener. The morning I went thru he was working with the hand held metal detector. I was considering putting some coins in my underpants but didn't want to get on some kind of permanent pervert list. I told him I was from new York and he said he'd love to go to New York and started singing New York, New York. Much better than the TSA guys in America. He's tall with a blonde unisex haircut and earrings. Quote
Rogie Posted March 9, 2009 Posted March 9, 2009 He's tall with a blonde unisex haircut and earrings. He/she should be in immigration - much nicer on the way in than on the way out Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted March 10, 2009 Posted March 10, 2009 I was considering putting some coins in my underpants but didn't want to get on some kind of permanent pervert list Next time, let some coins jangle in your pants and you'll probably get "Three Coins in a Fountain" as he puts his hand in to take it - oops, them - out Quote
