embrace

This is too high profile of a case for corrupt coppers to get away with because of the victim being a US marine.

Urgh, How did he get out of Phuket and Thailand you think? With the help of corrupt coppers.

Time to face reality, US of A can watch all they like, he's gone and won't be coming back.

Likewise,

You're all over this thread with ONE agenda only. What's your angle here? You must be one of Lee's best mates. Not doubt you'll completely disappear from this thread when Lee gets extradited. Lee WILL be extradited, it will take time but it WILL happen. A friend working at the British Embassy in Bangkok has told me that there's enough goodwill on all sides to force the extradition through. Read it and weep buddy.

Interestingly I'm now hearing that Mr. Aldhouse was arrested on August 18th, at Heathrow Airport.

According to the source he was arrested on an outstanding charge, for which he had previously skipped bail and the UK.

Check out the video on the Fox NewsChannel.

When Aldhouse was on the run, a report said "It was well known that he was short of cash". Then 5 million baht gets dropped into his account........

Plus he was able to easily raise the cash to fly back to the UK as well as hide out for 11 days. I wouldn't doubt that this guy has a lot of friends in high and low places (in Thailand).

Making it to Cambodia was no biggie......and as the Thai police claimed that he was still in Phuket......the authorities in neighboring countries such as Cambodia probably weren't alerted until he had made his exit to Singapore.

What ever he's going to pay is probably not all that bad. People who think a dowry is not important are just being cheap. If you want to know what a pay out is really like, don't marry a rural Thai farm girl; marry a middle class Chinese girl. You'll really feel the hurt in your wallet then.

Total and utter <deleted> mate.

I married a middle class Chinese girl. Born in Bangkok and educated at Chula with a graduate degree.

There was no dowry, it was never ever mentioned. Not only that, but her parents insisted on and paid for the hotel reception, which cost over 100K Thai baht.

From what I've seen from other farangs, the dowry is usually insisted upon from the poorer familes, especially Issan where the family fully intend to keep the entire sum. Thai ladies divorced with kids and have been abandoned by some Thai guy still manage to get the dopey farang to pay a dowry. Good luck to the familes if farangs are this dumb!

As for the op, why don't YOU insist on paying for the wedding. Go along with the dowry for show BUT you will get back every last baht once the wedding is over. I think that's a more than fair compromise. If the family want to keep the money, then the girl's a whore, being sold by her family.