Christopher Paul Neil Flees to Thailand
Last Updated: 2007-10-19
Asia is on fire with the story about the manhunt for Christopher Paul Neil. Internet forums, news agencies and blogs are pouring over the story for every detail. His Myspace page, his forum posts as a teacher, every detail of his life are being examined by everyone with a connection to the internet it seems.
Mr Neil posted over 200 pictures of himself on the internet abusing young boys in Asia, at least 12 of them. He thought he had concealed his identity by scrambling his face in the images but Interpol computer specialists have managed to unscramble those images and have extrapolated a clear image of his face and as a result, several people were able to call the police and identify him. The search for him is codenamed 'Operation Vico'.
At the time the story broke, he was working as an English teacher in South Korea. Paedophiles often use the teaching industry to gain access to children, as background checks are often cursory, enabling unrestricted access to young students in the classroom and in a position of power and authority.
After the John Mark Karr story, how much worse could it get for Thailand's image? Well, it now seems Christopher Neil has chosen Thailand as the place to run and hide after his identification. His reasons for this are unclear at the time of writing but it has left many expatriates wondering how much worse it can get for Thailand's tarnished image.
Some expats living in the Kingdom complain that they are often looked down upon by friends and family back home, simply because of the distorted perception of this country. Others, who may have young children in Thailand, complain that they sometimes get disapproving looks from other Westerners, who may think they are walking with a very young prostitute, when in fact the child is their Son or Daughter.
It's interesting to note that there are places in the World with much worse child prostitution issues than anywhere in Asia. Much of what goes on along the borders with Eastern Europe is largely unreported. Media organisations prefer to target places like Cambodia, Vietnam and especially Thailand. How much of this is a self sustaining myth is not clear... but for sure, raising the profile of a countries problems can only make it more of a magnet for people like Christopher Paul Neil.
Phrases like 'Thailand, a paedophile's paradise', as some Micky Mouse news channels say, do nothing to help the situation. Thailand is a country of gentle, morally sound, family loving people. To describe Thailand in such a way is at the very least a disgrace.
Never forget that these high profile manhunts are for Westerners.
Has Mr Neil chosen Thailand thinking he can disappear into the jungle, to go on one last sex tour before his arrest, or maybe he's thrown himself into the Mekong? We'll, update this page as and when.
Update...He's been captured in the North East, in spite of the fact a concentrated effort to locate him in Pattaya was underway and he'll likely be taken to Bangkok for extradition to Canada... We'll update when more details are evident.
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