The Washington Times
  • Subscribe
  • Times News Services
  • RSS
  • Mobile Headlines
  • e-edition
  • E-MAIL ALERTS
  • REGISTER
  • LOG IN
  • E-MAIL ALERTS
  • WELCOME
  • Your Profile
  • Log Out
  • Front Page Image
  • Classifieds
  • Autos
  • Real Estate
  • Jobs
  • Special Sections
  • Customer Service
  • Home
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Sports
    • NFL
    • NBA/WNBA
    • MLB
    • NHL
    • Tennis
    • Golf
    • Motorsports
    • Soccer
    • NCAA
    • Olympics
    • Outdoors
    • Other
  • Culture
    • Home & Living
    • Family & Kids
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Health
    • Washington Visitors
    • Books
    • Military History
    • Life
    • Auto
    • TV Listings
    • Movie Listings
    • Death Notices
    • Entertainment
  • Themes
  • Communities
  • Shopping
    • Stores
    • Coupons
    • Daily Double
    • Promotion
    • How It Works
  • Videos
    • Two Guys
    • Birnbaum on Washington
    • Liz Glover
    • Amanda Carpenter
    • Morning Briefing
    • Documentaries
    • Joe Giganti
    • Video Game Minute
  • Podcasts
    • About Headlines
    • Audio and Radio
    • America's Morning News
  • Security

    White House praises IAEA's censures of Iran

  • Business

    Wall Street tumbles on Dubai fears

  • Local

    Private funeral Friday for Pollin

  • Politics

    Ads add heat to health care debate

  • National

    At Mall of America, it's business as usual

  • World

    Drug lords finding safe haven in Bolivia

  • Business

    Health, climate bills seen to stifle hiring

Wednesday, January 5, 2005

Criminals target tsunami victims

Rate this story

Average 0.00
after 0 votes
Login or register to rate this story

  • Font Size -+
  • Print
  • Email
  • Comment
  • Tweet this!
  • Share
  • Article
  • Comments ()
  • Click-2-Listen
  • Videos

More Stories

  • Wall Street tumbles on Dubai fears
  • Obama calls service members on holiday
  • Gay marriage vote stalls in N.J., N.Y.
  • Shaq pays for murdered girl's funeral

By

STOCKHOLM -- Thieves, rapists, kidnappers and scam artists are preying on tsunami survivors and families of victims in Asian refugee camps, hospitals and in the home countries of European tourists hit by the waves.

Reports and warnings have come in from nations as far apart as Britain, Sweden, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Hong Kong, telling of criminals taking advantage of the chaos to rape survivors in Sri Lanka, kidnap orphaned children and plunder the homes of European tourists reported missing.

In stark contrast to a worldwide outpouring of humanitarian aid in response to the Dec. 26 tsunami that has left at least 150,000 dead, a women's group in Sri Lanka said rapists were attacking homeless survivors.

"We have received reports of incidents of rape, gang rape, molestation and physical abuse of women and girls in the course of unsupervised rescue operations and while resident in temporary shelters," the Women and Media Collective said.

Save the Children warned that youngsters orphaned by the tsunami were vulnerable to sexual exploitation.

"The experience of earlier catastrophes is that children are especially exposed," said its Swedish chief, Charlotte Petri Gornitzka.

In Thailand, thieves disguised as police and rescue workers have looted luggage and hotel safes around Khao Lak beach, where the tsunami killed up to 3,000 people.

Sweden sent seven police officers there on Monday to investigate the reported kidnapping of a 12-year-old Swedish boy.

Thai police yesterday said a Western-looking man was suspected to have kidnapped the boy, Kristian Walker, after he was treated by a Thai doctor for an ear injury.

The boy's brother and sister survived the tragedy and have been taken back to Stockholm by their father, but Kristian and his mother are on the list of missing persons. The children's American grandfather, Daniel Walker, flew to Thailand this week to seek news about the missing pair.

12Next »

Post a comment

There are comments on this article, submit your opinion!

Commenting is disabled for this entry.
If you feel there is still something worth mentioning about this entry please contact the author or the site admin.

Ask a Question

You Report

Do you have another point of view, photos, audio, video or more information about a story?

Top Stories

Most Read

  1. EDITORIAL: Hiding evidence of global cooling
  2. Climate 'czar' says hacked e-mails don't change anything
  3. EDITORIAL: The global-cooling cover-up
  4. Grade-schooler unearths fossil at dinosaur park
  5. Top Republican lawmakers not attending State Dinner
More Top Stories »
  1. D.C. sports icon, Wizards owner Pollin dies
  2. Climate czar rejects doctored data claims
  3. List of W.H. state dinner guests
  4. PRUDEN: Trouble afoot for high priests
  5. HOLMES: Behind Obama's overseas allure

Most Shared

  1. EDITORIAL: The global-cooling cover-up
  2. PRUDEN: Trouble afoot for high priests
  3. EDITORIAL: Hiding evidence of global cooling
  4. EDITORIAL: The duty of a nation to obey God
  5. Climate 'czar' says hacked e-mails don't change anything
More Top Stories »
  1. Fenty's approval in D.C. divided by race
  2. Finance mavens gloomy
  3. Grade-schooler unearths fossil at dinosaur park
  4. Drug lords finding safe haven in Bolivia
  5. Global Warmists exposed

Most Commented

  1. Climate 'czar' says hacked e-mails don't change anything
  2. EDITORIAL: Hiding evidence of global cooling
  3. Climate czar rejects doctored data claims
  4. EDITORIAL: The global-cooling cover-up
  5. EDITORIAL: The duty of a nation to obey God
More Top Stories »
  1. Obama taking emissions goal to summit
  2. PRUDEN: Trouble afoot for high priests
  3. Obama to attend Denmark climate summit
  4. 9/11 families sharply split on civilian court trials
  5. HOLMES: Behind Obama's overseas allure

Listen to Washington Times Radio

  • America's Morning News

    with John McCaslin and Melanie Morgan

Blogs & Columns

  • Hot Button Blog

    RNC: Breast cancer recommendations may lead to 'rationing'

  • Belief Blog

    Evangelicals OK civil disobedience

  • Out of Context

    Foods that might kill libido

  • On the Fly

    United lifts some 'award' blocking

  • Technology

    Facebook wins round against phishing spammer

  • Redskins 360

    Hall out, Rogers will start

  • SNOBlog

    Beyond 'Woody'

Videos

Advertising Links
TWT Store
  • e-edition
  • Print Edition
  • Weekly Washington Times
TWT Affiliates
  • Middle East Times
  • Golf
  • UPI
  • Arbor Ballroom
  • Washington Times Global
  • About TWT
  • Press Room
  • F.A.Q.
  • Work for TWT
  • Advertise
  • Sponsors
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Site Map

All site contents © Copyright 2009 The Washington Times, LLC.