THAILAND: GERMAN MAN ACCUSED OF KNOWINGLY INFECTING THAI GIRLS WITH HIV ARRIVES IN BANGKOK AHEAD OF EXTRADITION.
Record ID:
646725
THAILAND: GERMAN MAN ACCUSED OF KNOWINGLY INFECTING THAI GIRLS WITH HIV ARRIVES IN BANGKOK AHEAD OF EXTRADITION.
- Title: THAILAND: GERMAN MAN ACCUSED OF KNOWINGLY INFECTING THAI GIRLS WITH HIV ARRIVES IN BANGKOK AHEAD OF EXTRADITION.
- Date: 23rd November 2004
- Summary: (EU) BANGKOK, THAILAND (NOVEMBER 22, 2004) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. GV/CU: EXTERIOR OF TRUCK WITH HANS-OTTO SCHIEMANN INSIDE; CLOSE OF SCHIEMANN INSIDE TRUCK (2 SHOTS) 0.10 2. MV/GV: SCHIEMANN GETTING OUT OF TRUCK; SCHIEMANN'S LEANING ON CRUTCH (2 SHOTS) 0.30 3. (SOUNDBITE) (English) HANS-OTTO SCHIEMANN SAYING: "Nobody can take out me because I am a Thai people. Yes, understand? I writing a letter to the consulate of Germany. I need help for her because this is crazy. What is doing? I'm a Thai person. She cannot take me back to Germany. I don't want to go." Question: You don't want to go? Answer: No, I have a daughter here." 4. SCHIEMANN TALKING TO REPORTERS 5. (SOUNDBITE) (English) SCHIEMANN SAYING: "Mosquito can give you AIDS too, you know this? No? Oh mosquito...blood understand? One people have AIDS can give everybody AIDS, you know? No?" 6. POLICE OFFICERS TALKING 7. (SOUNDBITE) (German) SCHIEMANN SAYING: "I never said that. It was complete rubbish. People always get that wrong. A test was never done. I have asked repeatedly to have a test done but nothing was done about it. It's complete rubbish". 8. REPORTERS TALKING TO SCHIEMANN 9. (SOUNDBITE) (German) SCHIEMANN SAYING: "Thailand is prostitution. You can buy a woman here. You do not get anything for free. You marry a woman so if you put it brutally you pay to have a whore. Has anyone got a fag (cigarette) for me, I haven't had a smoke in hours". 2.20 10. MV/PAN: SCHIEMANN WALKING INSIDE THE IMMIGRATION DETENTION CENTRE 2.37 11. GV: EXTERIOR OF DETENTION CENTRE 2.41 12. LV/GV: SCHIEMANN BEING PROCESSED INSIDE CENTRE (SEEN THROUGH WINDOW) (2 SHOTS) 2.50 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 8th December 2004 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: BANGKOK, THAILAND
- Country: Thailand
- Reuters ID: LVA4PTV0TDUOP0FG2TF3MJXVIEUE
- Story Text: A German man at the centre of an HIV scare involving
almost a hundred Thai women and girls, arrived in Bangkok
on Monday to await extradition.
Hans-Otto Schiemann, who is at the centre of a HIV
scare involving almost a hundred Thai women and girls,
arrived in Bangkok on Monday (November 22) to await
extradition to his home country.
The one-legged German is accused of knowingly infecting
young Thai girls with HIV and had previously told reporters
that he had contracted the virus two years ago.
The 56-year-old former sailor from Schweinfurt in
Bavaria was remanded in custody last month for over-staying
a one month visa by three years.
Health officials, police and prosecutors say they are
powerless to charge Schiemann over his sexual activities in
the town of Chaiyaphum, which is 342 kilometres northeast of
Bangkok.
Under Thai law it is not illegal to intentionally
infect others with HIV.
The Chaiyaphum court found him guilty of immigration
charges last week and sentenced him to 58 days in jail,
which he had already served while awaiting trial.
A German embassy official in Bangkok confirmed that
Schiemann's repatriation would be completed within the next
ten days.
Schiemann denied being HIV positive to reporters outside Bangkok's
Immigration Detention Centre on Monday
(November 22) and said Thai authorities could not legally
deport him.
"Nobody can take out me because I am a Thai people.
Yes, understand? I writing a letter to the consulate of
Germany. I need help for her because this is crazy. What is
doing? I'm a Thai person. She cannot take me back to
Germany. I don't want to go," he said.
The embassy official said while the German government
is concerned about the allegations directed against
Schiemann, he would not be detained or put under
surveillance once he is in Germany.
He said that under German law Schiemann could be
charged with second degree murder and face 20 years in
prison if he was accused and convicted of knowingly
infecting others with HIV in the country.
Schiemann's common-law Thai wife of five years has full
blown AIDS.
When asked about his HIV status by reporters, Schiemann
said anyone could be infected with HIV because mosquitos
transmit the disease.
"Mosquito can give you AIDS too, you know this? No? Oh
mosquito...blood understand? One people have AIDS can give
everybody AIDS, you know? No?" he said.
Schiemann had angrily called Thai women "witches" and
"monkeys" before his first court appearance in October and
again lashed out at them on Monday (November 22), calling
them money-hungry prostitutes.
He also denied allegations he refused to be tested.
"I have asked repeatedly to have a test done but nothing
was done about it. It's complete rubbish," he said.
Neighbours said he drove around the town offering large
sums of money to female students aged as young as 15 years
for sex and also frequented karaoke bars to pick up women.
Local authorities printed some 2,000 flyers warning
students to avoid him and posted banners throughout
Chaiyaphum.
Health officials told Reuters that the scale of the
problem was not yet clear, with many women reluctant to
come forward for an AIDS test.
Health officials in Chaiyaphum warned that Schiemann
could have directly or indirectly infected up to 400 people
in the small community before being picked up by the police
in early October.
Deliberate transmission of AIDS is a crime in many
Western countries but remains unaddressed in some
developing southeast Asian nations where commercial sex
work is rampant.
Schiemann is being held at the Immigration Detention
Centre until his deportation and is expected to fly into
Frankfurt or Munich.
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