Post by bahnoo on Aug 25, 2006 0:49:51 GMT 7
CRIME / VOYEURISM IN PUBLIC TOILETS
Women told to look out for hidden cameras
WASSAYOS NGAMKHAM & APIRADEE TREERUTKUARKUL
Women need to be more careful when using toilets and dressing rooms now that voyeurs have invaded their privacy by taking secret photos and posting them on the Internet, police said yesterday. The warning follows the latest distribution of such photos on the Internet last week.
The photos are believed to have been taken with a camera hidden in the toilet of a popular coffee shop in Siam Square, but a search failed to find the camera.
The deputy head of the Crime against Children, Juveniles and Women Suppression Division, Wisut Wanitbut, said he did not think the shop owner was involved. He suspected that voyeuristic customers were to blame.
''They probably installed the camera in the morning and went back to take it out in the afternoon,'' he said.
He advised women, especially teenage girls and students, to look out for tiny devices that might be hidden in toilets and dressing rooms in spas, fitness clubs and shopping centres.
''Don't expose too much of your body, and please don't even think you can do absolutely anything at all when you are alone,'' Pol Col Wisut said. He suggested the state control the sale of tiny cameras. This would be better than waiting for them to be misused again and then trying to catch those responsible, who would face a maximum of three years in jail, he said.
Thai Web Masters Association president Poramate Minsiri disagreed with the proposal, saying it would affect other buyers who need such cameras for useful purposes, such as to ensure safety and security. But he agreed with Pol Col Wisut that women should be more careful when they are in secluded places.
Women could check for hidden cameras by turning off the light and then lighting a lighter. If there were cameras, the lenses would reflect in the light, he said.
Central Pattana Group managing director Kobchai Chirathivat said it would be difficult to watch for suspicious people entering female toilets because the people who install the cameras would probably be women, not men.
Mr Kobchai said he would tell cleaners to look for anything out of the ordinary in toilets. So far staff had been told to watch for thieves or other criminals, not for any hidden electronic devices.
Central Pattana owns Central department stores and CentralWorld.
Women told to look out for hidden cameras
WASSAYOS NGAMKHAM & APIRADEE TREERUTKUARKUL
Women need to be more careful when using toilets and dressing rooms now that voyeurs have invaded their privacy by taking secret photos and posting them on the Internet, police said yesterday. The warning follows the latest distribution of such photos on the Internet last week.
The photos are believed to have been taken with a camera hidden in the toilet of a popular coffee shop in Siam Square, but a search failed to find the camera.
The deputy head of the Crime against Children, Juveniles and Women Suppression Division, Wisut Wanitbut, said he did not think the shop owner was involved. He suspected that voyeuristic customers were to blame.
''They probably installed the camera in the morning and went back to take it out in the afternoon,'' he said.
He advised women, especially teenage girls and students, to look out for tiny devices that might be hidden in toilets and dressing rooms in spas, fitness clubs and shopping centres.
''Don't expose too much of your body, and please don't even think you can do absolutely anything at all when you are alone,'' Pol Col Wisut said. He suggested the state control the sale of tiny cameras. This would be better than waiting for them to be misused again and then trying to catch those responsible, who would face a maximum of three years in jail, he said.
Thai Web Masters Association president Poramate Minsiri disagreed with the proposal, saying it would affect other buyers who need such cameras for useful purposes, such as to ensure safety and security. But he agreed with Pol Col Wisut that women should be more careful when they are in secluded places.
Women could check for hidden cameras by turning off the light and then lighting a lighter. If there were cameras, the lenses would reflect in the light, he said.
Central Pattana Group managing director Kobchai Chirathivat said it would be difficult to watch for suspicious people entering female toilets because the people who install the cameras would probably be women, not men.
Mr Kobchai said he would tell cleaners to look for anything out of the ordinary in toilets. So far staff had been told to watch for thieves or other criminals, not for any hidden electronic devices.
Central Pattana owns Central department stores and CentralWorld.