Danish expat witnessed his wife’s murder

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The 53 year old Danish expat Palle Jensen and his Thai wife Pim were on Saturday 1. November 2014 attacked by members of her family while staying in the house of other family members. Two days later, his wife died from her injuries and Palle Jensen now fears for the safety of his 6 year old son and himself.

The following is the story as told by Palle Jensen.

Palle Jensen and Pim, his wife of 7 years, were staying at her sister and brother-in-law’s house in Nong Chang, Uthai Tani where they were planning the celebration of the wife’s oldest son becoming a monk, when the brother in laws’ older brother turned up in an agitated state with his father carrying a large bamboo stick.

Palle explains that his wife had previously told him how this man had assaulted her sexually and Palle had therefore already told him that he did not want to see him.He repeated this message as the man approached them.

“While I was telling him to back off and watching the bamboo stick, his father walked behind me. Out of a sudden I heard a loud smack and my wife fell unconscious to the floor. The old man had hit my wife,” Palle says.

Palle turned around to punch the man that had hit his wife, but family members, that did not yet understand the gravity of the situation, grabbed his hand and hold him back to prevent a fight. While Palle was held, the older brother leaped over a table and hit him with the bamboo stick just above his left eye. Few seconds later the two men were gone.

Palle and the couple's 6 year old son at Pim's funeral. The mark Palle received after being hit healed quickly.
Palle and the couple’s 6 year old son at Pim’s funeral. The mark Palle got after being hit with the bamboo stick healed quickly. Photo: courtesy of Palle Jensen

No one called the police
Palle’s wife got up, fell again. Palle was confused but remember running around shouting that his wife needed help. Her brother-in-law helped her into the back of a pick-up truck and drove the couple to a hospital.

Both Pim and Palle were x-rayed and examined at the Hospital, at that time there was nothing to see. After the examination Palle tried in vain to find someone at the hospital that would contact the police, but no one helped.

On the next day, 2nd November, Palle’s wife was transferred to the larger Uthai Tani Hospital. She told him that the old man had struck her with some kind of wooden stick. Her description of the weapon became her last words, her throat started swelling, breathing became difficult for her and she lost her voice.

Around midnight Palle went to the police station to report the crime. In the morning of the 3rd November Palle’s wife’s throat kept swelling to a point were she almost couldn’t breath. Palle could see she was trying to say something, but her mouth was full of plastic tubes. The hospital tried to scan her to see if they could help her but the 3rd November 9:48 in the morning she passed away.

An unreported rape
The rape by her brother-in-laws older brother, which Pim had told Palle about,had taken place while Palle was in Denmark. She did not report the crime to the police in fear of a family feud, but it did not keep Palle from telling other people about this, when they asked him why he would not see this person anymore.

Palle thinks his wife and him were attacked partly because they were harming the reputation of the brother-in-laws older brother and father and partly because they were afraid that Palle and his wife would reveal more harmful things about them.

“I’m sure they targeted both of us, he just didn’t hit hard enough. I told the police to arrest the two men quickly or I wouldn’t survive long. I feel very threatened,” Palle says.

Two pictures that show how someone, tried to break into Palle's 6 year old sons while he was sleeping in there 3 months ago.
Two pictures that show how someone, tried to break into Palle’s 6 year old sons while he was sleeping in there 3 months ago. Photo: courtesy of Palle Jensen

Mutilated dog and an attempted break in
Palle believes that the knowledge he has of the two men is one reason why he should fear for the safety of himself and his son. Other reasons are the more or less indirect threats Palle has received, 3 months ago somebody tried to get into his sons bedroom at night and the other day Palle could not understand why the dog was not there when he came home. Later it came back with a cut 8-10 cm long and 5 cm deep.

At the moment Palle does not know if the two men have been arrested, he has heard rumours that the one who allegedly raped his wife and hit him had been arrested and then later let out again on a THB 20.000 bail. Apart from the attempted break in and dog mutilation someone threw fruits from a pissoir into the oven were his wife was cremated, Palle is sure it is a signal, and sure about who is doing it.

“I am confident that it is the older brother(of his wife’s brother-in-law) who did this. I can’t say it with 100% certainty, but it seems obvious. If he came with a stick again I could fight back, but I can’t stop a bullet. Many people have guns in this area, and I’m sure he can get his hands on one if he tries,” Palle says, when asked why he stays in the town he answers that he will not leave before the criminal case is over.

A picture of the cut Palle's dog got few days ago. Palle is confident that one of the men that attacked him and his wife is behind the mutilation.
A picture of the cut Palle’s dog got few days ago. Palle is confident that one of the men that attacked him and his wife is behind the mutilation. Photo: courtesy of Palle Jensen

Even though the brother-in-law’s older brother did not provide the killing strike, Palle hopes he will be convicted as an accomplice. To secure his 6 year old son’s safety Palle considers sending him to relatives or friends in other regions of Thailand until the threat is gone.

Help from the Embassy
To get help with the case Palle contacted the Danish Embassy in Thailand. According to Palle the Embassy agreed to help him translate the police report. According to Palle he speaks Thai and understands some eighty percent of the language, but he wants to be one hundred percent sure that there are no misunderstandings.

“I don’t know why the Embassy chose to help me, I have been told they don’t usually do that, when the victim is Thai. Maybe it is because I was hit too. But I was in tears when they told me they would help,” Palle says.

Palle already reported most of his story to the police, but after the Embassy got involved, the process has been on a standby. Palle will tell his story to the police Wednesday the 12th November, assisted by staff from the embassy.

 

2 Comments on “Danish expat witnessed his wife’s murder”

  1. ER DER NOGEN PÅLIDELIGE STATISTIKKER OVER VOLDTÆGTER OG MORD I THAILAND?

    DER ER LIDT UENIGHED OM THAILAND ER ET SIKKERT LAND ELLER DET MODSATTE!

    JENS

  2. Hermed den største kondolence fra Chiang Mai.

    Jeg læste det hele i går aftes og har jo ikke glemt det, og fortalte det til min kone. For et par timer siden spurgte jeg en dansker, der har en fabrik kun 70 meter fra mig, om hvad han sagde til sagen, og så viste det sig at han ikke kendte til ScandAsia, selvom han har boet herude i 14 – 15 år. Jeg har boet her i 12 år.

    Men vedrørende skydevåben så er der jo mange af dem i Thailand, nærmest som i USA, for ellers er jeg jo ikke bange for nogen, og gik heldigvis selv en gang, i København, til fægtning. Mit haglgevær måtte jeg efterlade i Danmark.

    Men jeg håber da at morderen bliver sat i fængsel, selvom retssystennet, kendelserne, her i Thailand til tider kan vare underlige, ud fra den internationale standard.

    Men igen min kondolence til dig og sønnen.

    GERT

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