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A Lesson From Tourism Industry- SLO
Subject: A Lesson From Tourism Industry- SLORC, Watch Out!
>From: vongkovp@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Piyapong Vongkovit)
>Newsgroups: soc.culture.thai
>Subject: The Swedish pedophile case.
>Date: 24 Jun 1995 17:11:23 -0400
By PIMUK RAKKANAM
Please toggle back to PCUPI and hit alt c BANGKOK, June 23 (UPI) --
Thai officials expressed satisfaction Friday over the jailing of a
Swedish man for having sex with a Thai boy and said the landmark case
was likely to curb the sexual exploitation of Third World children by
tourists.
Bengt Bolin, a 69-year-old Swedish retiree, was sentenced to three
months in prison on Thursday by a Stockholm court for violating Swedish
laws against having sex with minors.
He was also ordered to pay $4,000 plus interest to the Thai boy with
whom he had sex and $5,527 to the Swedish court to cover its costs.
The case is regarded as setting a major precedent because although
the offense occurred in the Thai tourist resort of Pattaya, Bolin was
convicted and sentenced under newly enacted Swedish laws.
Similar legislation aimed at tourists who visit poor, mainly Asian
countries in search of under-age sex partners is pending or has already
been passed by several European countries, the United States and
Australia.
"We have signaled to pedophiles that if they continue their behavior
they will risk legal punishment," said Wanchai Roujanavong, deputy
director of the Thai Attorney General's Office.
Wanchai, who traveled to Stockholm to represent the Thai Justice
Ministry in the case, said the conviction and sentencing of Bolin would
be beneficial to the fight against sexual exploitation of children.
"We believe these sexual offenses will decline because we have shown
our commitment to fight against such activities," he said.
Wanchai said Bolin had attracted the support of Swedish pedophile and
homosexual groups during the trial.
Nevertheless, he said Bolin had expressed anguish over being shunned
by family and friends for the past two years.
Bolin was arrested by Thai police on Feb. 19, 1993 in a Pattaya hotel
room with a Thai boy who was then 13 1/2 at the time, according to Sudarat
Sereewat-Srisang, coordinator of non-government organization Fight
Against Child Exploitation.
"Two Swedish undercover police posing as pedophiles tipped off Thai
police to arrest Bolin," Sudarat said at a news conference in Bangkok
Friday. "Bolin thought they were the same as him. He told them how many
kids he had sex with and how many times he had sexual intercourse with a
14 year old boy."
Sudarat formerly worked with another private group, End Child
Prostitution in Asia-Pacific Tourism, which financed the trip to Sweden
of the Thai boy in order for him testify in the case.
Bolin was released from Chonburi Prison, southeast of Bangkok, after
he posted bail of $6,000. He managed to obtain a new passport and flee
home to Sweden on March 10, 1993.
But after unprecedented cooperation between Thai and Swedish
authorities, prodded by private organizations, Bolin was re-arrested in
Sweden and went on trial June 12-15.
He could have been sentenced to a maximum of four years for the child
sex offense under Swedish law.
"This is the first case of a foreign government prosecuting its
citizen for sexually abusing children in Thailand," said Saisuri
Jutikoon, an advisor to the Thai prime minister's office. "Men who want
to exploit children are not acceptable. And our own laws, which require
that violators must be caught in the act, are totally inadequate."