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Avoid thailand ???? (Read 3828 times)
Sprintcyclist
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Avoid thailand ????
May 20th, 2009 at 3:21pm
 


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It seemed like a good idea to return to paradise. That was the memory a Melbourne-based American couple had of the Thai holiday island Phuket where they used to live.

When they did return for a short holiday early last month, it became a holiday in hell.

After a night in prison plus $60,000 in mysterious payments through a Kafkaesque legal system, it was a very expensive hell too.

Logan Hesse and Urica Lopez met in Phuket four years ago where they were both working.

In May 2007, the house they were living in burnt down while they were out to dinner with friends.

Mr Hesse says police investigators told them at the time the cause was an electrical fault.

Soon afterwards, they left Thailand to come to Melbourne where they were enrolled as students at La Trobe University.

Mr Hesse revealed his story yesterday following revelations Melbourne tourist Annice Smoel faced jail on the island over the theft of a beer mat.

He believes such cases are due to a tourism downturn because of the global financial crisis and recent civil unrest.

These had bitten into the usual source of `supplementary income' for Phuket's police and other officials, Mr Hesse claims.

"Their pockets are lighter so they are turning on tourists," he said.

Mr Hesse said nothing more had been heard about their house fire until they arrived at Bangkok last month. They were immediately detained and their passports were confiscated by police who told them a Phuket arrest warrant was outstanding for "criminal damage".

The costs started piling up from that point.

The couple were expected to cover the $265 price of an air ticket for a police officer to accompany them on to their island destination.

In Phuket, they were refused permission to speak directly to the US embassy and were slapped in jail for the night.

Their problems were compounded by arriving at the start of the Thai New Year, when all officaldom shuts down for a week.

Although the initial police investigation found an electrical fault was the cause of the fire, a subsequent report some months later changed the cause to a cigarette, even thought they were out at the time.

The house owner was pursuing them for $60,000 in a civil action.

Under Thai law, the civil action had to be resolved before any criminal trial could take place, so they were uable to leave.

Mr Hesse said this could have meant waiting in Thailand for years with no source of income.

The lawyer who claimed he had been appointed by the US embassy then tried to pocket $7000 until they made a fuss in his office.

The pair then negotiated with the house owner to reduce his claim to $50,000 and a further $1500 went to the police to have the matter heard expeditiously.

"In court the judges didn't even speak to us, we just had to hand over a wad of money to the landlord and we were fined 10,000 bhat ($380) for criminal damage," Mr Hesse said.

"We were never able to find if the house was insured.

"I think the landlord was able to organise a second fire investigation, either because he had no insurance or he was under pressure from the bank.

"They knew we would come back because we had friends [in Thailand]."

Mr Hesse said he and Ms Lopez had set up a blog to tell their tale and hopefully recoup some of their total $60,000 in costs  from sympathisers.

The revelations follow a case earlier this year when a British man in Thailand was shackled and jailed for three weeks for ''being rude to officials''.





http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-news/return-to-phuket-turns-into-holiday-fro...

following a few recents stories from there , might be better to just avoid the place
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Re: Avoid thailand ????
Reply #1 - May 20th, 2009 at 4:04pm
 
Might be good idea for Australians to have holidays in Australia, even in order to keep our economy going.

I think that "mat woman" created opportunity, rather that being exploited by locals.

But on the other hand, mat could be irresistible and it was put there to be tampered with.
(Conspiracy theory can be always created)
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Calanen
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Re: Avoid thailand ????
Reply #2 - May 20th, 2009 at 4:47pm
 
No need to avoid Thailand.

Just avoid stupidity. Usually. These people in this situation were unlucky, and yes, foreigners always lose in Thailand. And elsewhere in Asia.

The lady that has been charged with taking that bar mat, argued angrily with a General in the Thai police. In front of his troops. Knowing the Asian psyche as I do, the only thing that was going to guarantee, was that she was nailed to the wall. She is going to have to apologise, profusely, to the General, and everyone else, unless she has some real good friends in Canberra.

Soldiers often have those friends in Canberra - doubt she will. One never knows.
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ISLAM is a vicious [un-reformable] political tyranny, which has always murdered its critics, and it continues that practice even today.
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Re: Avoid thailand ????
Reply #3 - May 20th, 2009 at 9:32pm
 
yes, avoid at all costs, and most other parts of SE Asia, as well.
i can't believe how stupid australians are.
we really are a bunch of dumb f*cks.
DR9.
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Re: Avoid thailand ????
Reply #4 - May 21st, 2009 at 2:16am
 

Quote:
.............According to a survey conducted by Political and Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC) in 2008, expatriates perceive the level of corruption in Thailand to be among the highest in Asia. The main source of corruption in Thailand is known as 'money politics', a term that refers to the flow of money within the political scene. This is confirmed by the Transparency International Global Corruption Barometer 2007, where the political parties are named by Thais as the most corrupt sector in Thailand...............



Quote:
However, Thailand's investment climate continues to suffer from several issues. According to the World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report 2008-2009, companies consider corruption to be the fourth most major barrier to doing business in Thailand after government and policy instability, and inefficient government bureaucracy. Corruption is indeed a significant problem in Thailand,


http://www.business-anti-corruption.com/country-profiles/east-asia-the-pacific/t...

in a corrupt country, people with money (tourists) may be arrested as a shakedown for cash.
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Re: Avoid thailand ????
Reply #5 - May 21st, 2009 at 10:31am
 
Sprintcyclist wrote on May 21st, 2009 at 2:16am:

in a corrupt country, people with money (tourists) may be arrested as a shakedown for cash.



I heard a lot of bad Asian stories too, but it is possible to survive, bullying, overzealous Sargent in the army, psyhopatic boss even concentration camp.

Of course bad luck can strike at any time, but being invisible (sensibly and modestly dressed, quiet, polite) can help survival rate enormously.
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Re: Avoid thailand ????
Reply #6 - May 23rd, 2009 at 11:22pm
 
Calanen wrote on May 20th, 2009 at 4:47pm:
No need to avoid Thailand.

Just avoid stupidity. Usually. These people in this situation were unlucky, and yes, foreigners always lose in Thailand. And elsewhere in Asia.

The lady that has been charged with taking that bar mat, argued angrily with a General in the Thai police. In front of his troops. Knowing the Asian psyche as I do, the only thing that was going to guarantee, was that she was nailed to the wall. She is going to have to apologise, profusely, to the General, and everyone else, unless she has some real good friends in Canberra.

Soldiers often have those friends in Canberra - doubt she will. One never knows.


Friday 22nd I listened to Micheal Smith on 4bc interview the owner of the Aussie bar (he is an Australian).
The owner said that there were a couple of off duty police in the bar at the time and saw the bar mat being nicked.
The cops chatted her but apparently she tried to do a runner but was quickly caught.
When they caught her she abused them and subsequently refused to sign any statement(s) which meant the matter could not proceed to court.
According to the bar owner, her problem was entirely of her own making. (silly arrogant cow)

I am all for expecting people who come to our country to obey our laws and have regard for our culture and I also think that it is an entirely reasonable requirement on us when we visit any other country.

If what the bar owner claimed is true, this woman can consider herself very lucky that a Thai official stuck his neck out for her but because of her lousy behaviour, other decent Australian tourists may face a tough time.

Cheers.
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Re: Avoid thailand ????
Reply #7 - May 23rd, 2009 at 11:30pm
 
I agree completely, avoid breaking the law, or avoid getting caught, and this woman could do neither.
I heard her interviewed on Radio when they started campaigning for her, and I did not believe a single word she said, and this was before the further evidence from the bar owner came to light.

I had to laugh when she said she feared she would be the next schappelle corby, I thought how appropriate is that comparison? guilty as sin, and lying through your teeth with ridiculous excuses, yep, that is bound to impress the local authorities.

A simple apology, and a small fine would have seen the matter dealt with, but then she would not get to sell her harrowing tale to all the tabloid media outlets, she should make a good quid from this.
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Re: Avoid thailand ????
Reply #8 - May 25th, 2009 at 10:49am
 

mozzaok - Quote:
A simple apology, and a small fine would have seen the matter dealt with

a simple bribe paid works well there ........





Quote:
Natalie Appleby and her fiance know all too well the problems Annice Smoel faced - the Perth couple went through a similar ordeal last month.

While Mrs Smoel, a mother of four, is safely back in Melbourne after spending four nights in a Thai jail on charges of stealing a $50 bar mat, Ms Appleby still shivers at how her fiance suffered a similar - and much more expensive - fate.

Like Mrs Smoel, Ms Appleby's fiance - who only wanted to be identified by his first name, Michael - went for a drink in the popular Aussie Bar in Phuket.

He had surprised Ms Appleby, who travelled to Thailand last month to act as bridesmaid at a friend's wedding, by travelling to Phuket.

On his first night in Phuket, and the night before the wedding, Michael went with a group of people to the Aussie Bar.

"He doesn't remember finishing his second drink. The next morning he had no recollection of the night but found he had woken up in a Phuket jail," Ms Appleby told WAtoday.com.au.

Michael managed to find an English-speaking detective in the jail and made a phone call to his worried fiance.

Her father went to see Michael, and things began to get worse.

"First of all they tried to charge him with stealing, but a Thai lady there said the shop he was accused of stealing from was actually closed," Ms Appleby said.

"They then said they had made a mistake and charged him with damaging the roof of a house. There weren't any houses there, but they said it would cost $5000 for the charges to go away. They said if we talked to the Australian Consulate, (Michael) would be taken to the Bangkok Hilton (the notorious Thai jail, Bangkwang prison)."

After negotiating with a detective - "he wanted the money in an envelope" - the family paid $3000 to have the charges dropped. Ms Smoel pleaded guilty to her charges - in order to leave Thailand - was fined $38 and placed on a good behaviour bond.


"(The detective) told us everything would be sweet and to enjoy the rest of our holiday," Ms Appleby said.

"We could've done like (Mrs Smoel) and fought the charges but he would've been there for quite a few more days. Michael was obviously petrified. There were big, big grey patches in what they were charging him with."

Michael left Thailand for Perth almost immediately. Ms Appleby suspected his drink had been spiked, and said the incidents were a warning for Australians visiting the tourist mecca.

"People need to know to watch out. You need to be with friends and they need to be watching out for each other," she said.

"You have to be careful of having a big night. It's a shame. I don't want to say don't go there, because it can be good, but maybe the bad publicity will make them clean up their act. People there say this sort of thing is happening all the time and Thai prostitutes will drop drugs into Westerners drinks."



http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-news/3000-the-price-of-thai-justice-20090522...
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Re: Avoid thailand ????
Reply #9 - May 26th, 2009 at 8:07pm
 
to the poster who dissed Ms Corby.
Got some info no-one has got, do we?
Don't assume anything, unless you've the proof.
Crystal Ball: we'll be at war with the near east soon, and we won't be allies.
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Re: Avoid thailand ????
Reply #10 - May 26th, 2009 at 8:31pm
 
I suppose that you refute her guilt, so what, the ones that count, the judges, did not agree.

I suppose the fact that her whole family had links to the drug trade impresses some with her pathetic claim that someone put the drugs in without her knowledge, but I have no sympathy for those who try and garner support through sensationalising events with a media circus, it is the absolute, dumbest way to go.

She should have kept sthtum, organised a bribe, and been home for her next birthday.

Maybe a dingo did it?
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Re: Avoid thailand ????
Reply #11 - May 26th, 2009 at 9:09pm
 
Happy wrote on May 20th, 2009 at 4:04pm:
Might be good idea for Australians to have holidays in Australia, even in order to keep our economy going.
....


It is a great idea not just because economy but Australia is a very diverse country geographically and as climate and scenery goes and all else does not matter.



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Re: Avoid thailand ????
Reply #12 - May 27th, 2009 at 11:01am
 
northy wrote on May 23rd, 2009 at 11:22pm:
Calanen wrote on May 20th, 2009 at 4:47pm:
No need to avoid Thailand.

Just avoid stupidity. Usually. These people in this situation were unlucky, and yes, foreigners always lose in Thailand. And elsewhere in Asia.

The lady that has been charged with taking that bar mat, argued angrily with a General in the Thai police. In front of his troops. Knowing the Asian psyche as I do, the only thing that was going to guarantee, was that she was nailed to the wall. She is going to have to apologise, profusely, to the General, and everyone else, unless she has some real good friends in Canberra.

Soldiers often have those friends in Canberra - doubt she will. One never knows.


Friday 22nd I listened to Micheal Smith on 4bc interview the owner of the Aussie bar (he is an Australian).
The owner said that there were a couple of off duty police in the bar at the time and saw the bar mat being nicked.
The cops chatted her but apparently she tried to do a runner but was quickly caught.
When they caught her she abused them and subsequently refused to sign any statement(s) which meant the matter could not proceed to court.
According to the bar owner, her problem was entirely of her own making. (silly arrogant cow)

I am all for expecting people who come to our country to obey our laws and have regard for our culture and I also think that it is an entirely reasonable requirement on us when we visit any other country.

If what the bar owner claimed is true, this woman can consider herself very lucky that a Thai official stuck his neck out for her but because of her lousy behaviour, other decent Australian tourists may face a tough time.

Cheers.


Yeah. Good advice to avoid Thailand - for bogans. They just embarrass other Australians by their behaviour.
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Re: Avoid thailand ????
Reply #13 - May 27th, 2009 at 11:47am
 
muso wrote on May 27th, 2009 at 11:01am:
northy wrote on May 23rd, 2009 at 11:22pm:
Calanen wrote on May 20th, 2009 at 4:47pm:
No need to avoid Thailand.

Just avoid stupidity. Usually. These people in this situation were unlucky, and yes, foreigners always lose in Thailand. And elsewhere in Asia.

The lady that has been charged with taking that bar mat, argued angrily with a General in the Thai police. In front of his troops. Knowing the Asian psyche as I do, the only thing that was going to guarantee, was that she was nailed to the wall. She is going to have to apologise, profusely, to the General, and everyone else, unless she has some real good friends in Canberra.

Soldiers often have those friends in Canberra - doubt she will. One never knows.


Friday 22nd I listened to Micheal Smith on 4bc interview the owner of the Aussie bar (he is an Australian).
The owner said that there were a couple of off duty police in the bar at the time and saw the bar mat being nicked.
The cops chatted her but apparently she tried to do a runner but was quickly caught.
When they caught her she abused them and subsequently refused to sign any statement(s) which meant the matter could not proceed to court.
According to the bar owner, her problem was entirely of her own making. (silly arrogant cow)

I am all for expecting people who come to our country to obey our laws and have regard for our culture and I also think that it is an entirely reasonable requirement on us when we visit any other country.

If what the bar owner claimed is true, this woman can consider herself very lucky that a Thai official stuck his neck out for her but because of her lousy behaviour, other decent Australian tourists may face a tough time.

Cheers.


Yeah. Good advice to avoid Thailand - for bogans. They just embarrass other Australians by their behaviour.


All sounds good to me. I'll ditto these three comments.

Holidaying in Oz is also a good option anytime. Just got back from Hamilton Island...it was fantastic. Still prefer Port Douglas though. Planning a driving holiday around Tassie for next year, have to make it crayfish season of course.
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Re: Avoid thailand ????
Reply #14 - Jun 11th, 2009 at 1:26am
 
This doesn't seem like any particular reason to avoid Thailand.  The real damage here seems to be the civil action, which could happen in a Western country.  I'm sure you all read about lawsuit horror stories from time to time.

Regarding the petty corruption, I don't see the fuss.  Such corruption is standard to undeveloped nations.  It hardly seems like a mystery that you have to pay to play, even for the most minor of things.  I've lost count of the number of Mexican government functionaries I've given a "taste" in order to smooth things along.

And of course, it seems that the couple brought this upon themselves through low-level criminality, arrogance, and rudeness.  Regardless of the nation you happen to be in and regardless of your nationality such behavior does not go unpunished.
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"General, these are American regulars. In a hundred and fifty years they have never been beaten. They will hold."&&-- Col. Preston Brown, C/S, 2nd Division, the Marne, June 1, 1918
 
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