Criminals Target Tsunami Victims

From an ABS-CBN Interactive report:

Thieves, rapists, kidnappers and hoaxers are preying on tsunami survivors and families of victims in Asian refugee camps, hospitals and in the home countries of European tourists hit by the wave.

Reports and warnings came in from as far apart as Britain, Sweden, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Hong Kong on Monday of criminals taking advantage of the chaos to rape survivors in Sri Lanka or plunder the homes of European tourists reported missing.

There have also been reports of sexual abuse of women and girls in rescue shelters and during unsupervised rescue operations. Thieves in Thailand have been masquerading as police and looting hotels of the belongings of tsunami victims. Along the coasts of Sumatra, pirates pose a constant danger to relief efforts. In a related report, Prime Minister Goeran Persson stated that Swedish authorities are withholding the names and addresses of victims to preclude home burglaries.

Companion post at The Jawa Report