Mishes - Benedikta House

From: http://www.akha.org/content/missions/benediktahouse.html

Benedikta House

Mr. Woon and his boy friend Mr. Thavee

The investigation into the activities of Mr. Woon at Benedikta house happened at the request of the Akha.

Traditional Akha said that Mr. Woon was trying to convert people at Hooh Mah Akha village and had taken down some village signs.

We went to Mr. Woon's Benedikta mission and wanted to pay him a visit, but he wasn't there, so we just got a picture of the old wooden house.

Then we got an email that said Mr. Woon was getting 10 million baht to build a very large "fake orphanage", since most of his kids were not orphans. We were told that Mr. Woon was one strange guy.

At this time an Akha man called us and told us that Mr. Woon had a homosexual lover named Mr. Nok Thavee and that the two of them were raping and selling some of the young boys as young as 8 years. We were also told that he had molested scores of other boys in the shower.

Mr. Woon reportedly bought the new house below in Chaingmai Laguna Homes Complex for Mr. Nok Thavee. Mr. Woon's blue Ford is shown.

Shortly after this time three male victims of Mr. Woon filed claims in the court in Bangkok. An article about Mr. Woon appeared on the front page of the Daily News Thai Language paper in January,2004.

Mr. Woon turned himself in to the CSD police in Bangkok and paid 500,000 baht and was released. We later ;;heard a larger sum was also confiscated. But as to date we have no more information on the criminal procedings in Thailand. We were told by sources that there was a criminal case pending in Sweden against Mr. Woon. (of Malaysian nationality, Mr. Woon also holds a Swedish passport and was sponsored by a Swedish Mission http://www.kungsbacka.pingst.se/mission/index.htm

His link in Thailand is now missing from the site.

Swedish police contacted us but never contacted the children witnesses in six months time. The Swedish embassy never contacted the children either.

We find this very disturbing, that children who went to this much effort to go to Bangkok, find their way through the justice system, and file a case, are ignored by the Swedish government.

Pictures below show the old orphanage, with sign, then where some of the kids were relocated to around the corner. Ms. Eva of Ban Chavit Mai, which also has Akha children and a bakery downtown Chiangrai, helped move some of the kids. Of Swedish citizenship also, we wonder what Ms. Eva knew and when she knew it?

Huts of Akha from Hooh Mah Akha who were converted and moved to a lowlands marsh, the remains of one of the splendid mountain homes. Religious fanaticism imposed on indigenous people can make fools of many.

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The video below from Al Jazeera television is interesting.

The sooner the Thai powers that be understand that their policy of protecting religion includes the protection of the rights of minorities to practice their age old beliefs, whether they be Buddhist, Animist or other, the better. It is evil incarnate to permit the coerced conversion that is taking place in Thailand's hills in current times.