Swedish/Thai leuk krung kidnapped from Hua Hin school

[buksida]

Niza Engdahl was in school on Wednesday, when a woman came to pick her up. According to a a friend of the father, who has posted what happened on the internet, the Thai woman claimed that she was Niza's mother.

The teacher admits that Niza denied that the woman was her mother, but because the woman gave her Thai ID Card as guarantee, the teacher accepted that the woman stayed to play with Niza while she went to a meeting. When she came back, both the woman and Niza were gone.

Later, it turned out, that the woman, who exchanged her ID card for the child, was indeed Niza’s mother, Surat Enmak who left the familiy in 2009 and in april 2010 gave divorce and custody of their two children to Henrik Engdahl. But since picking up her daughter that Wednesday she has disappeared with the 4 year old girl..

Henrik Engdahls recognized the woman on the schools surveillance camera as his former wife. Mother Surat Enmak has not contacted him after the kidnapping, and he does not know her intentions.

Mr. Engdahl has reported the kidnapping to the police but has been told that he must wait 15 days from the kidnapping before a thorough investigation can take place because of the police's 'step-by-step' procedure.

“I'm stuck in a big country with no clue,” Engdahl says.

Swedish Henrik Engdahl was in the province of Buri Ram, where he previously lived with Surat Enmak, when scandasia talked to him today, Tuesday 8 March 2011. He has been seeking his little girl, in Bangkok, Pattaya and now in Buri Ram, since she was kidnapped from the school at about lunch time on the 2 March 2011.

“Niza is a sentive girl, a daddys girl, where I go she goes and she must be feeling horrible now being with strangers, who don't know her needs,” Henrik Engdahl says.

He is disappointed with the school who just accepted an ID in exchange for the girl to go with a stranger and want to initiate a law suit against the school when he gets back to Hua Hin.

Niza was wearing a kindergarten school uniform when she was abducted. A dark blue dress, with a light blue shirt and a west over the shirt.

If you see this girl contact your local police department in Thailand. Or you can call directly to Henrik Engdahl: (+66) (0) 822433115

Source: Scandasia

[PeteC]

15 days! This child and many others could be cold in the ground by then, or so deep into the human trafficking network to be on the other side of the world.

The only positive thing I see here is that the woman is her birth Mother and probably won't harm her. There are many cases worldwide of a person on the bad end of divorce abducting their own children but in my recollection they have been found quickly. Pete

[PeteC]

Be sure to see the above link that Buks lists as photos there. Here it is again. Pete

http://www.scandasia.com/viewNews.php?c ... ws_id=8454

[Spitfire]

^ Agree, we only know what the story has reported but the police could do a bit better than just say "wait 15 days" and basically waste the most important time of investigation.

School deserves to be sued for being incompetent/negligent, ID cards are easily forged.

As you say Pete, the only crumb of comfort is that it appears to be the birth mother, so the motivation is probably that the mother wants her to grow up with the mother, not the big nasty foreigner.

Wonder what would be happening if it was a Thai man, especially a rich/connected one, making the complaint?

[richard]

Despicable, but why am I not surprised???

I've seen a violent custody battle fought in a restaurant with the Thai mother hurling bottles at the estranged farang. Mother pacified and walked out only presumably to plot the farang downfall with the family and friends

Different kinds of minefields here in SE Asia to the west

Thai women are seemingly delicate, polite and devoted UNTIL they are provoked or stand to lose face. I speak from personal experience

[STEVE G]

To be fair, these sort of custody kidnappings happen all over the world and are generally motivated by emotions rather than evil intent.
If the Mother left her genuine ID card it could be that she is being driven by natural motherly attraction rather than anything else and isn't really thinking of the consequences.

[PeteC]

This is just an FYI if some are not familiar with this program. I'm sure the UK and EU have something similar. It's been very successful over the years in locating missing kids. Pete

http://www.amberalert.gov/

[margaretcarnes]

I hate to sound cynical but doubt this kidnapping has anything to do with Motherly love. Probably more to do with potentially blackmailing the father. In which case hopefully the little girl is reasonably safe.

[PeteC]

I hope we learn about the outcome. If the above link drops the ball, perhaps our kind Scandinavian members can keep an eye out for anything in their native language publications. Pete

[Takiap]

Not sure of the details here, but if the father wasn't actually granted custody by a court, that is, just an agreement between him and his ex, there may not be much he can do because to the best of my knowledge, Thailand does not recognize parental abduction. I really hope he gets things sorted out though.

Also not sure what this whole 15 days thing is all about, because according to my wife, and several others, a missing persons report can be filed after 24 hours.

[buksida]

Niza Finally Re-united with Her Father
The 4 year old Niza Engdahl, who was abducted by her mother twelve days ago in Hua Hin, is now back with her father Henrik Engdahl.
Niza’s mother, Surat Enmak, did not show up at the Swedish Embassy this Monday morning as was arranged. But with the help of Pattaya police, who called her up and told her to give up the child, Surat Enmak agreed to meet with Henrik Engdahl in the afternoon instead.
Finally at 4 o’clock Henrik Engdahl succeeded in getting Niza back in his arms again. Surat Enmak told him that she never intended to keep Niza but just wanted to spend some time with her, which she said she had her rights to do.
It was a very confused and tired girl who was finally reunited with her father in Pattaya, and right away she greeted him with a big hug and kisses. Few minutes later in the car she fell a sleep, exhausted. Realizing that his little girl was back and that they were now on their way back to normal life, he couldn’t hold back his tears.
“I hope this will never happen again for me or any other parents,” he said.
“This was a wake up call. I hope also for other parents, “ he added.
Henrik Engdahl will now contact his lawyer about what to do regarding the school.
“This would never have happened if it wasn’t because of the school,”, Henrik says.
On Facebook, the interest in the case was huge. Today the page about Niza’s abduction now have 987 friends. Henrik Engdahl is happy to know that a lot of people and especially family and friends in Sweden have been there for Niza and he is thankful for the help he had from all.
“Getting Niza back would never have happened without their great support. They were there watching both night and day for news about Niza. I’m very happy that Niza has such dear family and friends,”’ Mr. Engdahl says with great humility in his voice.

Source: Scandasia

[PeteC]

That's a good ending, but I can't help feeling a bit sorry for the Mother. She simply did things the wrong way, probably upon the advice of dimwitted Pattaya girlfriends. Now her chances of getting visitation are slim to none, where they would have been good IMO if she had just talked to her ex-husband. For the sake of the child, I hope neither the Father nor Mother is preoccupied with trying to turn the child against one another. The child is always the loser in cases like that. Pete

[STEVE G]

Yes and I suppose it's possible that the only reason that she gave up custody of the children in the first place was due to lack of any income to support them.

[margaretcarnes]

Henrik is clearly a very responsible and caring father who has bust a gut to find his daughter. Thankfully with success. But I'm not convinced that the mothers' motives were entirely down to overwhelming maternal instinct.
There must have been some valid reason for her not apparently having visitation rights in the first place.
We all know Thai Mums who readily leave their children with grandparents etc for months on end in order to move away for work. Most of us also know Thai Mums who abandon their farang husband and leave him with the children of their own accord.
Compare this with a more Western situation where the children would almost always be placed in the custody of the mother - and maintainance payments enforced on the father. Would this Western way really work with Leuk kreung children in Thailand? Or would the mother simply take the maintenance money and flit off again leaving the children with family.
It's a different culture which many of us still struggle to get our heads around - but at the end of the day one loved and lucky little girl is safe, and hopefully some Farang fathers in unstable marriages to Thais will take heed.