Caught red handed? Local officials say the photo has damaged the temple's reputation unfairly. Photo / File, Reddit
Caught red handed? Local officials say the photo has damaged the temple's reputation unfairly. Photo / File, Reddit
Back in 2016 a photo surfaced online pinpointing the moment a tourist's watch was lifted off her arm by 'adorable' pickpockets.
"This pic solves the mystery of the missing watch," claimed the man who shared the photo of his trip to Thailand to Reddit.
As his girlfriend posed with two young girls in traditional Thai costumes one can be seen holding on to the clasp of her wristwatch. Reviewing their holiday photos the pair concluded that this must be the moment the watch went missing.
Other forum users shared similar stories of having met speculating that the sisters might be operating as part of an 'organised gang', operating in the Doi Suthep temple in Chiang Mai.
One Reddit user dubbed them the "two most popular child thieves in all of Asia". Had the photo not surreptitiously caught the moment, the pair might have been none the wiser. The photo catapulted the children to infamy having appeared in international news outlets, including those in Thailand.
Police were soon involved, interviewing the two girls' parents - Du Nithiworaphob and Poommarit Jirapaporn – being interviewed about the incident, according to the Bangkok Post.
Eventually a village elder, Methaphan Fuengfukitchakarn, had to vouch for the two girls' character and explain that the photo op was not part of a pickpocket racket but a fund raiser for a children's social scheme.
The tourists found this photo when reviewing their holiday snaps. Photo / File, Reddit.com
The children would dress in Hmong costume to greet tourists. Money donations would be used to fund education and food for the local children.
He told the police that the two girls should not be judged on the basis of the photo. The parents were distraught. They could not believe that the tourists had decided to go to the media first with the photos rather than raising the matter with local police:
"The afternoon when the village chief came to me explaining what had happened, I felt very sad," their father told the Daily MailOnline. "Why would someone post something about my girls and not go to the police first?
"People in the village don't believe the kid could do such a thing, they are too young and don't have the skill to do it."
His wife said she had grown sick through worry, telling the Bangkok Post she had not eaten or slept properly for days.
"Stealing is considered a hugely shameful act in our family, as well as our tribe community, and I would never encourage them to do that," she said.
Police say the parents considered filing for damages in a defamation lawsuit, but the tourists have long since departed the country.
"If it were their children how do they think, the picture of their children are spread all over the world," Mr Poommarit told the Post.
Since the incident four years ago, parents have been reluctant to let their children greet visitors.
The office of the Governor in Chiang Mai said it launched an investigation into the "serious accusation".
"All officials reported that the girls had a history of good behaviour and no prior record of offences. In addition, up to now, no one has filed an official complaint with the authorities. We have therefore concluded that there is no grounds to believe this false accusation," the Governor's office told the Daily Mail.
"It's funny how white people's voices always end up being louder than those of ethnic people like us," Mr Poommarit told the Bangkok Post. "I don't ask for much. All I really wanted was a simple apology."
