Key Points
Haichao Zhu, a co-founder of the Bitcoin application Rooch Network, suffered a robbery in Bangkok.
He was in the city to attend the 2024 Ethereum Devcon conference.
Zhu made a post on X on November 5, warning Ethereum Devcon attendees to be careful after his harrowing experience.
He was attacked and robbed at knifepoint while traveling alone late at night.
His phone was stolen and he sustained a minor hand injury.
Zhu was not seriously hurt but was dissatisfied with the local police’s handling of the situation.
He spent an entire night at the police station without seeing any progress on his case.
In his warning post, Zhu advised other Devcon attendees to be vigilant, especially after dark.
He also noted that despite his experience, Bangkok remains a generally safe and enjoyable location, but one must be wary of potential dangers.
Additional Safety Measures
Jole Star, the other co-founder of Rooch Network, made a separate post on X.
He mentioned that he and Zhu would be contacting local shops near the crime scene to check surveillance footage.
However, he admitted that it might be difficult to identify the perpetrators.
Star also advised conference attendees to avoid walking alone at night and to refrain from using their phones while walking to reduce risk.
The Ethereum Devcon conference is the Ethereum Foundation’s largest annual event.
The seventh edition of the conference is scheduled to start on November 12 at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center in Bangkok.
Prominent figures in decentralized tech, including Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, Ethereum Foundation executive director Aya Miyaguchi, and Portugal’s former secretary Bruno Macaes, are set to attend the event.
This attack is not an isolated incident.
A similar attack occurred at the Ethereum Community Conference in Brussels in July.
Rishant Kumar, Kilt Protocol’s head of growth and a conference attendee, warned of “thugs targeting crypto folks,” sharing his own experience of warding off an attacker.
There has been a worrying trend this year of increasing attacks on individuals associated with cryptocurrencies.
In August, eleven Israeli tourists were attacked, and Bitcoin worth $700,000 was stolen from them.
In the previous month, a 29-year-old was killed after being forced to transfer almost 3 Bitcoins.