Refugees frightened over thefts
A Thai refugee is scared of living in his Palmerston North neighbourhood, which has become a hotspot for thieves.
The man, known in New Zealand as Steven Brentwood, has installed four surveillance cameras in response to 10 robberies at his home in Highbury in the past year.
The Thai fugitive is affiliated with the Red Shirts political protest group and is wanted in his home country under lese majeste charges – hardline laws that forbid people from threatening or insulting Thailand’s royal family.
Brentwood fled to New Zealand in 2014 after a speech he made to a rally in support of the elected government at the time, which was later overthrown by a military junta. Criticising Thailand’s monarchy was punishable by up to 15 years’ jail.
Brentwood said his family felt safe in New Zealand, but not in their neighbourhood.
He often worked in the early hours of the morning, when the robberies took place, leaving his wife, son and newborn daughter at home.
In the latest incident, on Friday, a man wearing a hoodie jumped Brentwood’s fence and unsuccessfully tried to cut the camera’s cable with a knife.
‘‘I left home to start a new life and this thing happens. ‘‘Because I got a camera I try to remain strong, but my wife gets very scared when I go to work. It makes me very worried... We’re very worried about the people here.’’ Brentwood said his family couldn’t afford to move to another neighbourhood, and the costs of the burglaries were mounting.
Brentwood installed a flashlight in the backyard to deter people from entering, however it was smashed less than a week later. The experience has had a devastating effect on Brentwood’s wife, he said.
Manawatu¯ Reuniting Refugees Trust chairwoman Lorna Johnson said it effectively put refugees through post traumatic stress. Many of them had come from a country where the state didn’t protect them. ‘‘That makes it more frightening for people who have been through an awful lot already.’’