Multimillionaire held in Thailand at Mexico's request
Stephanie Salter, Elizabeth Fernandez, Chronicle Staff Writers
Staff writer Tyche Hendricks provided translations, and Rafael D. Frankel of The Chronicle's Foreign Desk in Thailand also reported.
Friday, February 14, 2003
A San Francisco multimillionaire was jailed in Thailand this week for possible extradition to Mexico on charges of child sexual abuse involving young boys in the resort town of Puerto Vallarta.
Thomas Frank White, who made his fortune here in investment securities and helped pioneer discount online stock brokering, was being held in a 26- by 13- foot cell with about 20 other inmates at the Bangkok Remand Prison, Thai law enforcement authorities said.
According to Thai authorities, White was arrested Tuesday evening in the lobby of Bangkok's opulent Hotel Oriental. Lt. Col. Chanchai Likitkarnsatorn of Thailand's Crime Suppression Division Police made the arrest, which had been requested by the Mexican government. Mexico does not have an extradition treaty with Thailand, but petitioned the Thai government for White's arrest on Dec. 4.
White founded Thomas F. White & Co. Inc. in San Francisco in 1978 and established many subsidiaries in the ensuing years. Today is his 68th birthday.
One of his American attorneys, Nanci Clarence, who flew from San Francisco to Bangkok, described the conditions in the cell as "crowded and filthy" and "intolerable." She said White has been forced to sleep on a cold, hard concrete floor and has not received medication for a heart condition.
He has been wanted in Mexico on charges of child sexual abuse and providing drugs to minors since the state of Jalisco issued a warrant for his arrest on Feb. 26, 2001. Mexican federal prosecutors followed with their own warrant on similar charges in October 2001.
White also is named as a co-defendant in a civil suit filed in San Francisco Superior Court in November, which alleges sex abuse of a minor from Modesto in White's Upper Haight home, one of five residential properties he owns in the city. The plaintiff, now 20, says the abuse took place when he was 17.
White had been under scrutiny since mid-1999 by child protection advocates in Puerto Vallarta, where he owns a resort hotel and a seaside villa called the Casa Blanca.
Mexican authorities say his alleged victims are about a dozen poor or homeless boys between ages 10 and 16 who submitted sworn affidavits accusing White of enticing them to his home, paying them for sex and providing some with drugs.
Through attorneys in San Francisco and Mexico, White has denied all charges.
Jose Maria Ortega Padilla of Juarez told The Chronicle that his client is the victim of "an orchestrated conspiracy" and has been "accused by some young children who were used by someone wanting to harm White. They were pressured to accuse White. These are not credible charges."
Ortega Padilla called the allegations "entirely baseless" and said the case against White "was instigated by people who seek notoriety by making false accusations against prominent members of the community. With a prejudiced agenda they were only too pleased to ruin the reputation of a wealthy, gay San Franciscan who spent time in Mexico . . ."
Ortega Padilla said he has filed sworn affidavits from "each of Mr. White's accusers" who allegedly have recanted their accusations against White.
But according to Marco Roberto Juarez Gonzalez, who is handling the Jalisco general prosecutor's case against White in Puerto Vallarta, any retracted statements that may be filed would have to be examined and ruled upon by a judge.
In Mexico, said Juarez, "justices tend to give more value to initial statements" than to retracted ones because "they know that witnesses can be compromised" into changing their testimony.
Until the municipal government of Puerto Vallarta refused to issue a use permit in February 2001, White planned to operate a shelter and school for poor children in a compound he had built in the village of Mismaloya, just south of Puerto Vallarta.
Information in a videotape obtained by The Chronicle indicates that White also is funding a school and shelter for poor children in the Jomtien Beach area of Pattaya, Thailand, about 68 miles from Bangkok.
Citing protections guaranteed by the U.S. Privacy Act, a spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok refused to confirm that White was in custody, but did say that embassy staff had "made contact" with a U.S. citizen who had been detained.
In July 2002, at the behest of Mexican authorities, the FBI issued a transit warrant for White. It notified U.S. law enforcement agencies, including the San Francisco Police Department, that White was wanted for extradition as a "narcotics user" and for "child molestation of several minors. " The transit warrant advised police to contact the San Francisco office of the FBI.
Sometime after the FBI document was issued, White left San Francisco and traveled to Pattaya, Thailand. He has been living there for several months in an exclusive residential development that caters to European and American buyers and offers extra privacy as a key selling point.
Piyathida Jermahunsa, the special prosecutor in Bangkok who will handle the White case for Thailand, told The Chronicle that White could be detained in jail for up to 60 days. She said she is waiting for the Mexican Embassy in Bangkok to forward information about the Mexican investigation of White.
A spokesman for the Mexican embassy in Bangkok said he would not answer any questions about the case at this time.
©2003 San Francisco Chronicle Press
Friday, February 14, 2003
Sunday, February 02, 2003
Cambodian-Thai enmity at root of riots
Reports of slur open old wounds among neighbors
By Matt McKinney and Rafael D. Frankel, Globe Correspondents, 2/2/2003
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia - As mobs rampaged through this city last week, one of the rioters exhorted the gangs to ''teach Thais to stop looking down on Cambodia.''
The rallying cry helps to explain the explosion of street violence Wednesday against Thais and Thai-owned businesses.
People in both countries say the unrest fed on some Cambodians' longstanding mistrust of their wealthier, more-developed neighbor and insecurities about Cambodia's national cultural treasure.
Rioters, led by groups of students, stormed the Thai Embassy, restaurants, and factories after rumors spread that a Thai soap opera star had suggested Thailand was the rightful owner of the Angkor Wat temple complex.
At least one Cambodian died, eight Thais were injured, and the Thai government has estimated the damage at $23 million.
Although it now appears doubtful the actress made such comments, the reports fueled a commonly held belief among Cambodians, and one often admitted by Thais, that citizens of the richer, larger country assume a superiority complex when it comes to Cambodia, analysts said.
The countries share the same branch of Buddhism and many cultural traits.
But while Cambodia has struggled to recover after years of war, Thailand became a major force in the local economy.
Cambodia remains dependent on imports from Thailand and has been swept by a wave of Thai music, movies, and television shows.
Dr. Charnvit Kasetsiri, a professor of Southeast Asian history at Thailand's Thammasat University, said that ''in some ways the Thais know they are modern compared to Cambodians.''
''In recent history, during the period of colonialism, and in the American war in Indochina, [Thailand] escaped all the trouble,'' he said. ''So we've become very successful, and we look down on our neighbor.''
The Hindu-Buddhist Angkor Wat, so central to Cambodia's identity that it is incorporated in the country's flag, has figured prominently in the enmity between the countries, during territorial wars between their ancient dynasties.
The sculptured walls of the main temple, which was completed in 1150, show a band of Thai mercenaries marching with Khmer soldiers.
But in 1431, the Thais - then known as Siamese - returned to sack Angkor Wat and seize some of its treasured possessions, setting off a battle for control.
The Thais held the property until they were forced by French colonialists in the late 19th century to return it; the temples again fell into Thai hands during World War II, but were soon returned to Cambodian control.
A dispute over access to the temples continues today. Cambodia completed an access to the remote Preah Vihear temple, near the countries' shared border, after Thailand shut down an entrance to protest what it said was pollution coming from Cambodia.
''If you go back to Angkor, that's the height of Cambodian civilization, and the Thais took over, literally, and then absorbed the high civilization of the Khmer,'' Kasetsiri said. ''So with this kind of inferior-superior complex, a kind of family, love-hate relationship with Cambodia has developed. This makes some bad feelings between the two nations sometimes, and it's very sensitive.''
That sensitivity was palpable not only in the rioting in Phnom Penh on Wednesday, but the day after in Bangkok, when hundreds of Thais gathered at the Cambodian Embassy in their own protest and tore down the Cambodian national emblem on the front wall of the embassy.
The crowd only dispersed after it heard a message from King Bhumibol Adulyadej, seen as the highest moral voice in Thailand, urging the protesters not to resort to violence.
For now, both countries are trying to repair their damaged relations after the riots, which prompted Thailand to downgrade diplomatic links and cut economic ties with its neighbor.
Many Cambodians say they are worried that the violence could take a toll on the country's efforts to shed its ''war-torn'' reputation and assure foreign business leaders and tourists that stability has finally been achieved.
''The challenge for [Cambodian] Prime Minister Hun Sen now is to move on with this as gracefully as possible and try to restore full diplomatic relations with Thailand,'' said Kao Kim Hourn, executive director of the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace. ''Cambodia didn't deserve this at all.''
McKinney reported from Phnom Penh; Frankel from Bangkok. Material from the Los Angeles Times was included in this report.
© 2003 Globe Newspaper Company
By Matt McKinney and Rafael D. Frankel, Globe Correspondents, 2/2/2003
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia - As mobs rampaged through this city last week, one of the rioters exhorted the gangs to ''teach Thais to stop looking down on Cambodia.''
The rallying cry helps to explain the explosion of street violence Wednesday against Thais and Thai-owned businesses.
People in both countries say the unrest fed on some Cambodians' longstanding mistrust of their wealthier, more-developed neighbor and insecurities about Cambodia's national cultural treasure.
Rioters, led by groups of students, stormed the Thai Embassy, restaurants, and factories after rumors spread that a Thai soap opera star had suggested Thailand was the rightful owner of the Angkor Wat temple complex.
At least one Cambodian died, eight Thais were injured, and the Thai government has estimated the damage at $23 million.
Although it now appears doubtful the actress made such comments, the reports fueled a commonly held belief among Cambodians, and one often admitted by Thais, that citizens of the richer, larger country assume a superiority complex when it comes to Cambodia, analysts said.
The countries share the same branch of Buddhism and many cultural traits.
But while Cambodia has struggled to recover after years of war, Thailand became a major force in the local economy.
Cambodia remains dependent on imports from Thailand and has been swept by a wave of Thai music, movies, and television shows.
Dr. Charnvit Kasetsiri, a professor of Southeast Asian history at Thailand's Thammasat University, said that ''in some ways the Thais know they are modern compared to Cambodians.''
''In recent history, during the period of colonialism, and in the American war in Indochina, [Thailand] escaped all the trouble,'' he said. ''So we've become very successful, and we look down on our neighbor.''
The Hindu-Buddhist Angkor Wat, so central to Cambodia's identity that it is incorporated in the country's flag, has figured prominently in the enmity between the countries, during territorial wars between their ancient dynasties.
The sculptured walls of the main temple, which was completed in 1150, show a band of Thai mercenaries marching with Khmer soldiers.
But in 1431, the Thais - then known as Siamese - returned to sack Angkor Wat and seize some of its treasured possessions, setting off a battle for control.
The Thais held the property until they were forced by French colonialists in the late 19th century to return it; the temples again fell into Thai hands during World War II, but were soon returned to Cambodian control.
A dispute over access to the temples continues today. Cambodia completed an access to the remote Preah Vihear temple, near the countries' shared border, after Thailand shut down an entrance to protest what it said was pollution coming from Cambodia.
''If you go back to Angkor, that's the height of Cambodian civilization, and the Thais took over, literally, and then absorbed the high civilization of the Khmer,'' Kasetsiri said. ''So with this kind of inferior-superior complex, a kind of family, love-hate relationship with Cambodia has developed. This makes some bad feelings between the two nations sometimes, and it's very sensitive.''
That sensitivity was palpable not only in the rioting in Phnom Penh on Wednesday, but the day after in Bangkok, when hundreds of Thais gathered at the Cambodian Embassy in their own protest and tore down the Cambodian national emblem on the front wall of the embassy.
The crowd only dispersed after it heard a message from King Bhumibol Adulyadej, seen as the highest moral voice in Thailand, urging the protesters not to resort to violence.
For now, both countries are trying to repair their damaged relations after the riots, which prompted Thailand to downgrade diplomatic links and cut economic ties with its neighbor.
Many Cambodians say they are worried that the violence could take a toll on the country's efforts to shed its ''war-torn'' reputation and assure foreign business leaders and tourists that stability has finally been achieved.
''The challenge for [Cambodian] Prime Minister Hun Sen now is to move on with this as gracefully as possible and try to restore full diplomatic relations with Thailand,'' said Kao Kim Hourn, executive director of the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace. ''Cambodia didn't deserve this at all.''
McKinney reported from Phnom Penh; Frankel from Bangkok. Material from the Los Angeles Times was included in this report.
© 2003 Globe Newspaper Company