smileydude

Its always sad whenever you read of a untimely, unnatural and undignified death.

My condolences go out to whoever has lost a brother, father or perhaps grandfather in this case and may he rest in peace.

From a professional point of view the injuries point to massive trauma sustained from impact with a hard object be it getting hit by a car, falling off a car or falling down from height as many have speculated.

Fractures of both legs and the spine are injuries we often see from falls from height but could also result from impact. Bruising around both eyes often results from a fracture of the base of the skull. As to whether the injuries were inflicted intentionally or by accident depends upon forensics and motive which I believe if the police are diligent would not be difficult to conclude. I hope his family gets closure soon.

As person who works in the thai healthcare industry let me say this:

Thailand is not the only country in the world where hospitals do not give treatment without providing some evidence that you can pay or have coverage, eg. credit card, medicare card, private insurer card etc. Same thing in the US, you have to show you can pay for the service before it is provided. Whether this is unethical or inhumane can be debated.

Thailand's National healthcare office pays each hospital around 670 baht/per patient/per year to take care of all OPD treatment (out-patient deparatment) costs.

Most of those covered by the NHC scheme are the elderly(non-employed) and epideomologically 30% of those covered by NHC are people with chronic diseases like diabetes and hypertension who require monthly visits (12/year) and medication costs average 2-3000 baht/visit. The other 70% visit the hospital on average about 2.2 times a year.

Do the math. In terms of medical economics the hospitals are losing money and except for private hospitals where it is optional to join the scheme, all hospitals under the Ministry of Public Health MUST participate in this medical coverage scheme even though they are losing money.

So instead of blaming the hospitals who are trying to survive and want fair rules on reimbursement on what is considered an emergency or critical to avoid unnecessary costs often accrued by those who abuse the system and come to the ER claiming an emergency just because they don't want to wait in the normal cues, we should take a hard look at the NHC, Social Security and Civil Service systems as a whole. The problem is Thais pay alot less in tax then say the Scandanavians or Europeans yet they want great medicare coverage and get mad having to wait a week for a hernia operation when the waiting list in the UK NHS is on average 6 months.

I place the blame on the politicians who initiated the NHC due to populist agendas to make the voting population happy for FREE medicare without caring that the system is not economically feasible and is becoming a war between the patients and the hospitals. All those fancy private hospitals don't have to give a rat's ass because they're not part of the system and its a pay-per-service business but what about all those state and university-based hospitals who have to provide UNLIMITED hospital accredited-level (HA) treatment for a capitated cost of 670 baht/patient?

There are no free rides or lunches on medicare. Pay your taxes and ask your government to appropriate more of the GDP towards healthcare (Thailand appropriates less then 5% of its GDP , its about 11% in the UK and 20% in the US). Take responsibility on caring for your own health (proper exercise, eat healthy, avoid drinking and driving etc.) and please stop whining and abusing your health benefit rights.

Then maybe we have hope the system won't crash and burn.

As a thai I find this very sad and embarassing but totally believable.

Where has all the buddhist ethics and teachings gone in today's society?

Parents need to be thrown in jail as an example.

Rapist needs to be castrated as an example.

Need I say more?

story smells like pla-ra

and putting the blame on some ficticious middle eastern dude.... sounds typically thai style racial stereotyping as it would never seem believable if they profiled a blue eyed blonde farang no?

At least make up a more believable story... geesh

Just made this video presentation to see. It's a dedication to men who lost their lives to Thai women(use the term loosely) and my own little story. Check it out and spread the link around.

R.I.P.

# Johan Winlöf

# Dale Henry

# Ian Beeston

# Toby Charnaud

# Ronald Wayne Martin

# Michael Butcher

# Raymond Hyde

Funny stuff...... A month of boinking for 20,000 baht is a great deal. I have dropped that in a couple of days on Soi Cowboy. Can you see the irony of you meeting her as internet bride, watch her get scooped up by someone with more jingle to their jeans than you, then casting scorn upon the new guy?? Two rules for Thailand...

1. Never ever believe one word a Thai girl says. All the Thais know this, sort of sad the farangs do not. The tip off is when every time a Thai girl finishes a sentence, they say jing jing. ( true true). Why would anyone say that if what they were saying was true ???

2. As your plane is taking you back to farang land to work, your loving sweet Thai " girlfriend " is in bed with another customer. If you do not know that, you should avoid any Thai girl other than a one night rental.

I get a bit tired of these sad sack stories.. People , wise up.....These endless stories , ranging from tragic to idiotic, are all over the internet, there is no need for you to get cleaned out as well.

But, but... my girl's different. Jing jing!

hahahahaha

The Thai bashing going on here is unbelievable.

I have a couple of questions to the detractors:

If you live in Thailand but feel the need to rubbish the place and the people endlessly then why do you stay?

If you don't live in Thailand and are not in a relationship with a Thai then why are you here in this forum rubbishing a place and people you know nothing about?

If you have married a beautiful woman 20 or more years younger than you and you think it's because you are a great person then why couldn't you jag a young beauty in your home country?

I am married to a Thai lady 19 years my junior, we presently live in another 3rd world country where I am working at present. I've lived here for nearly 20 years and have seen plenty of blokes who fall hopelessly in love with young girls and then suffer emotionally or financially or both. There is no doubt the vast majority of these types of relationships (ones with a substantial age difference) are based initially on the lady wanting out of a desperate situation, either abject poverty or being subject to routine bashings. Not because they find old men attractive. This happens in all 3rd world countries, it is not unqiue to Thailand. Many of these relationships fail and many prosper. Young blokes have an excuse for being naive, older men don't. Accept the fact that the lady is with you to escape and try to make it work. Most older blokes can tell very quickly, certainly inside a year, if they're being had.

Where I live there is a fairly small Thai community (30 - 40 ladies) comprised almost exclusively of women who were "working" in Thailand and subsequently married a farang client who offered them a permanent way out. They are a highly principled group and their husbands (like myself) are the happiest they have ever been. There are few exceptions. Perhaps it should be pointed out though that these men all have many years of 3rd world country experience.

LIfe is what you make it. Be a realist and be careful. If you're not happy then do something about it, don't sit and bitch and try to make everyone around you miserable too.

If you screwed up, it's your fault, no one else's.

Well said! :jap:

i hope anybody thinking of investing in infesting corrupt countries like thailand will think again after reading this, its not about the lease and if it was' legal' its about greedy thais stealing all they can from foreigners , bleeding them dry , ...looks like his x wife was not content with being rescued from wherever the gutter was he dragged her from, no doubt she will be at the temple now thanking buddha for her '' good fortune "................DONT INVEST IN THAILAND !!................. land of stealing. There are lots of thai kids that need foster parents , farang are welcome ,.............ANYONE INTERESTED IN HELPING ???

Wow, somebody here in Thailand must have really stuck it to you considering your attitude towards thais and the country in general.

True, Thailand has those cons and thai wives just looking to make an easy killing especially targeting those homely farangs who upon disembarkation off the plane have women all over them, fall into the ego trap that he's gods gift to women and loses all common sense on how to handle his money.

But the point is cons and thieves exist everywhere. If you want to do business in any country you have to do your homework, but even then there is no guarantee it will succeed or you will not be cheated. Its a fact of life of all businesses that you have to be aware of the risks and take precautions.

As for marriages YOU chose your own partner based on your OWN logic and wisdom and sometimes the brain that hangs below your belt so venture at your own risk.

You have no one else to blame except yourself. Don't show others how idiotic you are by blaming a whole country or nationality for your woes.

Nevertheless no matter how naive someone is no one deserves to be cheated and I feel sorry for Joe and hope he finds a way out of this mess.

Peace

Frank Oz brought us characters such as Kermit and Miss Piggy who became household names worldwide. Frank was a master puppeteer.

I fear that his ability as a puppetteer will be eclipsed by Thaksin and his new puppet.

Looking forward to seeing the Thaippets at a parliament near you.

Thaippets or Thakpets you oughta trademark that name! Might come in handy when they want to make a movie out of it.

I think people critising the Red Shirt leaders comments miss the point. The Movement was instrumental in mobilising the rural vote that put the party into power. AND as such they had better be included in the cabinet otherwise there will be an instant disconnected between the new Government and the electorate. Think of Obama appointing no blacks to his cabinet or senior Government posts. Think of a Labour Goverment appointing no one from the Labour Movement. Think of the Lib-DEMs (who have sacrifiued some of theiir principles) accepting that they don't get key cabinet posts because of the support to Cameron. Some of you guys just have to get over the fact that the majority of the people in this country support the winners of this election and for the vast majority of the rural population in the North and North-East of this country (plus millions of low paid workers in agriculture, commerce and industry) the Red Shirts represent their thinkinbg and their resistance to the rich elite of this country. This is Politics 101.

I get your point but what concerns me is the majority isn't always right. This is about using populist policies to win the election not for the benefit of the country but for certain groups/interests. Please allow me to elaborate on a couple points.

Thaksin and many of his allies are an example of the rich elite.

Jatuporn represents the poor

Jatuporn helps Thaksin

the poor help the rich elite get into office

the gap between the rich and poor widens????

bit of an irony don't you think?

Politics 101 at its best.

Jatuporn said the red-shirt group will have no problem if its elements are not brought into the Cabinet

Of course,parlementary immunity was all that was needed.To hell with the cabinet ,saving our a*se for the crimes commited and which will be commited inn the future is the only goal.

Jatuporn's bucket list

#1 burn some buildings

#2 get elected into parliament

#3 save my own hide

#4 get a lobotomy and plastic surgery

Well he's already achieved all but the last on his list, go for it!

Good luck to Yingluck, and good luck to Thailand.

Let's hope that this "fresh face", in spite of her ties to her brother, is able to do something good and positive for Thailand as a whole, and not just a few select. I say we give her a chance and see what she can do. If she fails, well, there's always the next election to get rid of her. Providing the military doesn't intervene in the meantime.

I'm not a big fan of anything red or the ideology of burning property gets you elected in parliament but I have to concede that since Ms. Crab was elected by the majority we must give her a chance to prove her mettle. I'm sure she's going to have a fun time juggling those ministerial chairs among factions, a job I would not envy. I pray that the majority know what they're doing because if they're wrong everyone suffers. My bet is on the generals though.

What is wrong with my countrymen? I'm so proud to be Swedish..... Not

Just a bad publicity day for Swedes. Every country has their bad apples but I wouldn't think any less of any nationality especially Swedes just because of the bad press. The good news is the relevant authorities are actually cooperating. The bad news is like many other people on TV have noted Thailand is becoming a haven for foreign criminal elements. Countries need to get their immigration/criminal record databases updated and interconnected.

I think Thailand should take a look at Hong Kong's Airport Railway link.

Build a bus terminal at Makassan station which provides free tranport service to most of the centrally located hotels

(or almost practically all the hotels like in HK would be even better).

I'm not into conspiracy theories but not sure if the taxi mafia's would lobby against that though.

You gotta admire the tenacity of the IRS.

Dogding taxes between $1 to $1 million they treat it the same, breaking the law.

I think the IRS would serve as a good example to Thai authorities. Stick to principles and base your decisions more objectively then subjectively.

slapoutHe has already made his way to the Red TV broadcasting room and is continuing where he left off prior to going into the slammer. Sounds like he is on the campaign trail for a ministry position.

If this is factual rather than hearsay it could prove to be Yinlucks first testing time regarding the Red Shirts and no doubt her brothers expectations of positions in the cabinet.

Indeed there may well be the grand opening of a can of worms for Yingluck, the P.T.P. and sadly the Thai people in the not to distant future.

OK I know that this is not going to be popular but has the time not come for all TVF members to accept that there has been a decisive victory for the PTP and that no amount of rhetoric will change that.? The wishes of the people of Thailand must be respected, irrespective of what you think may have been the voters' motivation and whether their choice was the right one. Let the new government make its own way, with whatever mistakes it makes but don't nitpick on such irrelevancies as Jatuporn's release from custody. In my opinion, he may be a popular figure amongst the redshirts but is a nobody in the realpolitik of the new government.

I also wonder what terrorism charges have been brought against Jatuporn, has he been alleged to have bombed, shot or personally committed arson against the populace? Or is it the case that he incited such actions?

Do not misunderstand me, I do not believe that he would be a useful member of any administration but he is an elected MP and that is the will of the people

/

Well said.

I accept the ruling but the system is an embarassment to Thailand.

On a more lighter note I think these guys came out of the wrong hole when they were born.

Just another reminder that we have yet to discover signs of intelligent life in Parliament

I once commented that thai police can be pretty good if they want to but someone commented "Did you just step off a f.@ck#n plane?"

As a thai I feel the police pay more attention to cases involving farangs because they know they will get more heat from the embassies, Foreign Ministry, Tourism ministry etc due to the bad publicity. Double standards but I can live with it because as hosts we all have a duty to treat our guests the best we can and ensure their safety (unless they do something stupid like hang out in the wee hours of the mornings in seedy places or act cocky with local toughies).

I've noticed that most of the "white collar" internet scams, boiler rooms etc originate from foreign criminal elements white the thais prefer the blue collar scams like extortion, stealing, cheating etc. Its like all the scumbags in Thailand have a turf agreement!

Out of all this tragedy there is a light at the end of the tunnel. You kill somebody, the chances are you will get caught and pay for your misdeeds. Karma works in mysterious ways. Have a nice day at the Bangkok Hilton.

"Tommy was in the group we arrested [in February], but we didn't catch Johan.

Tommy ?

Johan ?

Why are the police on first name terms with the killers ??

I would think in the press conf, they would have had trouble pronouncing, Soderlund and Ljung. Would be kind of a tongue twister for the BIB and make them look foolish on one of the few efficient busts they have made.

Just had to bash the Thai police heh ?

Couldn't leave it alone - even though they catch a killing duo within 24 hours of the murder.

I for one think they are highly efficient when we are talking murders of foreigners.

I dont want to mention details, as some people would still miss their loved ones.

But at least 3 murder cases within the last year or so springs to mind.

Yes and the lesson for today is

Assumption is:

1. The mother of all f@#K ups!

2. Assume means making an Ass out of U and Me

We're in danger of losing sight of the reality behind this thread - a young man has been murdered.

I admit that I too got involved in personal posts and apologise.

Let's get back to the point.

This illustrates just how helpful Thai's are not in these situations.

how do you blame to Thai's for not helping? I'm guessing the fact it was a luxury villa in Phuket would indicate most of the guests observing the incident would be foreign, so how exactly can you pick fault with Thais?!

and what exactly, would you have Thai's do in that situation? It sounds like anyone that had tried to intervene would have met the same fate as the poor Swede. Would you die for a stranger?

why do so many people have a go at Thai people all the time?

next you'll be telling me that no-one in England ever gets stabbed, and no-one in the US ever gets shot...

I'm glad there are people who think like you. I'm thai but I come to this site for some interesting reading and insightful comments but lately its been depressing with all this thai-bashing and racist-like comments on every single frikin topic. Thailand was voted the numero uno spot to visit for many years running. Is the reason we are such a highly rated destination because of the food?, the beaches? the unique culture?, good value for your money?, easy going smiling attitude of thais? sex industry? easy access to ganja or various uppers or is it because all you tourists are just sadists yearning for a bunch of psychopaths to mug you at every corner and scam you on jewelry. Constructive criticism is ok but alot of you guys just show how cynical and bitter you are despite being guests in this country. Nobody put a gun to your head and asked you to stay.

Has anyone bothered to ask if employees had gun to their heads?

They do not like it, simply resign and get a job with the airline who does not exploit.

Just typical Thai mentality "give them a finger,, they want the whole hand" no comprehension what so ever.

I gave my staff 20% off daily special prices(which are already half price), some had the nerve to question why its not 50%, mind you, its on top of their free meal allowance.

i gave my staff leniency in regards to having a day off(and they get 1 day off per week), so some started shifting and changing every second day.

Business should NOT have to explain it self, do not like it-off you go and find another job.

Gotta agree you got a good point there.

While we are on the subject what about the Thais exploiting the Burmese here and in Burma?

I pay my burmese housekeeper 8000 baht/month with one day off a week. If a burmese has a license to work legally they can demand the same salary rates as thais because thais are avoiding the job like the plague.

Thais prefer their factory jobs probably because it feels alot less demeaning. As long as there is a supply of illegal immigrants who are willing to work for a pittance (but by their own countries standard a killing) there will always be opportunists.

The Hispanics in America, the South Asians in the UK and australia, the eastern europeans in Europe, the southeast asians in East Asia, etc etc. Pretty much a worldwide problem that can only be solved if you legalize and standardize the rules.

i'm a bit disappointed at the posters on this thread... a visiting group of teachers and students get shot at and all i read are a lot of cynical comments, jokes, and the typical bashing at BIB and thais in general. i feel sorry for the woman who suffered even six stitches although the bullet only grazed her skull. she is truly lucky!

this sort of incident is not so infrequent, and i would think it would fall into a couple of scenarios:

- the driver pissed off another driver (like the pilot that was shot on the way to suvarnabhumi)

- the teachers made some unsavory enemies at the market

- the shooters were bored delinquents or high on drugs and the car was a random target

it may be difficult to find the perps because this probably happened on a more rural highway without cameras and they did not pass through any toll booths, it was at night so eyewitnesses would be rare. however, i have been surprised before in how the BIB can find their man, whether they turn themselves in or others report them (or maybe these have been just scapegoats).

I agree, seems like we have alot of members who are either: 1. Bitter but enjoy living here

2. Just finished drinking there midday beers

3. Blond

The incident was reported to local police, who are investigating.

Consider it solved.

most probably.

Actually thai police are pretty smart in solving cases especially getting leads etc. They may not be CSI but if the Australian Embassy is serious about getting to the bottom of this and piles pressure on the relevant authorities the results will come in. The shooting doesn't sound random but I think its premature to speculate.

Hopefully they won't just find a fall guy though.

"hub of misery" is a very misleading title and casts a negative light on Thailand. Alot of human trafficking involves non-coerced people trying to better their lives and some actually achieve it. It happens in alot of countries so I don't think Thailand deserves the title of "hub".

"hub of trafficking" is a better title but less sensational I guess, why don't we call it "hub of hope"??