Thai woman robbed of 300,000 baht to bag snatcher at SEA Games in Cambodia
A bag snatcher stole a handbag with assets worth 300,000 baht from a Thai woman at a restaurant in Cambodia last night. The victim suffered serious injuries to her arms and legs.
The Thai woman spoke to KhaoSod about the theft that occurred at 9pm on Thursday, May 11. She revealed that she visited Cambodia to watch a football match between Thailand and Vietnam at the South-East Asian Games (SEA Games). She could not enter the stadium, so she went to a restaurant to watch the broadcast.
The woman reported that two thieves on a motorcycle approached her and snatched her Channel handbag. Despite their efforts, she did not let go of the bag, resulting in her being dragged along the road. Eventually, the thieves managed to escape with her bag, which contained earrings, credit cards, passports, cash and personal documents. The total loss amounted to over 300,000 baht.
After the incident, the woman went to a nearby police station to file a complaint. Initially, the Cambodian police officers were hesitant to take her complaint due to the language barrier, but she sought the assistance of a Cambodian friend in Thailand. Later, a police interpreter contacted her by phone and inquired about her purpose for visiting Cambodia, including questioning whether she was an athlete joining the SEA Games. The officer also urged her to keep the theft a secret, claiming that it could damage Cambodia’s reputation as the host country for the SEA Games.
The woman requested the police to expedite the investigation process, as she needed to return to Thailand on May 14. Unfortunately, she was not the only victim of theft, as Thai sports news host Sathit Kreekul was also attacked by a thief who attempted to snatch his bag while he was standing outside a hotel. Thankfully, the thief failed and fled the scene.
There was another Thai woman who had her handbag stolen recently in Cambodia, although no further details were given as to whether the thief was apprehended.
The 32nd SEA Games, also known as SEA Games 2023, is taking place from May 5 to 17 in Cambodia. The event comprises 36 sports competitions, with participants competing for a record-breaking 608 gold medals in SEA Games history. However, the types of sports competitions introduced by Cambodia have been a source of contention between sports fans and organizations in Cambodia and Thailand. Cambodia has been accused of favouring its athletes by adding many traditional Cambodian sports to the event, and the kickboxing competition has been changed to Cambodian kickboxing, also known as Kun Khmer.
