A New Zealand teenager's first overseas holiday has led to his arrest and detention in Thailand, where he is accused of stealing a watch at an airport.
Loukas Rainger, 18, has been in custody for four days after immigration officials stopped him from boarding a flight home at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport on July 18. Thai authorities allege Rainger stole a woman's Swatch watch from a security tray while passing through screening at Surat Thani Airport on July 3. He was reportedly detained because there was a warrant for his arrest.
Rainger's mother, Natasha Rainger, told Stuff.co.nz that her son spent the night in a Bangkok police cell before being transferred by train to a prison in Surat Thani, approximately 650 kilometers away. "He spent 12 hours handcuffed to a chair while being taken on a train from Bangkok back down to Surat Thani, where he was taken to a police station and only then interviewed," she said.
If convicted of the alleged theft, which occurred at an airport, Rainger faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to 10,000 Thai baht (approximately A$425), along with additional legal costs. "I'm honestly at the point where I would give my life to get him out of there," Ms Rainger stated.
Ms Rainger explained that her son told her the watch was on the airport tray with his belongings, and he mistakenly picked it up. "He didn't maliciously steal it or intend to steal someone's belongings, he didn't think, he's inexperienced, young," she said. "He'd been on a long boat trip just right before, and had been really sick. He should have left it or handed it in but that doesn't deserve years in a Thai prison."
The alleged victim has received a written apology from Rainger and will be compensated $1,000. The watch, which sells for $80 to $100 online, has also been returned. Lawyer Werabhat Hemthansarp, who is representing Rainger, expressed hope for obtaining bail for the teenager on Tuesday, noting that the seriousness of the charge is heightened because it occurred at an airport.
Rainger, who recently finished school, had spent the previous month traveling in Thailand with a friend. He was preparing to return home to start an electrician apprenticeship when he was detained.