dekbahnnok

Does The Nation know something that apparently the Judicial Sytem doesn't?

Sondhi Limthongkul faces a suspended sentence and may not be able to lead the protest, will this affect the PAD leaders?

(Reuters) - A firebrand media mogul and leader of Thailand's royalist "yellow shirts" protest movement was jailed on Tuesday for 20 years for securities fraud, but immediately bailed on appeal.

The Criminal Court sentenced Sondhi Limthongkul, who led protests in 2005, 2006 and 2008 that undermined two elected governments led or backed by ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, to a total of 85 years in prison, but commuted the term twice to 20 years.......................

...................It was the fourth time that Sondhi, 64, the charismatic leader of the yellow-shirted People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) had been jailed by a top court but released on bail pending appeals.

http://in.reuters.co...E81R0EQ20120228

Seems like the amataya is very much alive and kicking...............

He appealed. It's pending.

Chalerm Yoobumroog's son shot Sondi's son in the head in a disco....his other son shot a police officer in the face....now he is pushing for the amnesty to help the country reconcile?

Get a hold of the CIA and ask if they know anything about this... Or maybe even the Secret Service...The CIA has a definitive history here...

Gotta keep the Generals happy....on both sides on the river

Sounds like the Thais are raising the bar. It will cost more at the border for all goods to cross and the Thais are making points pretending to do something to combat the 'pill industry' while cashing in.

get a new wife....the Tom is there for a reason.....no reason no Tom

So does this mean that all other resorts will be issued with a precisely calibrated complement of "resting" Russian gangsters, elderly British failures with advanced liver disease, and nasty restaurants serving nastier German sausages?

Ritual Mayhem.......

These bowls are expensive in Europe and the US as they are popular with collectors.

some Thais may have been trying to sell skull bowls or may use them in rituals.

some Thai 'witches' burry foetesus in clay pots then dig them up later to use them in poisons and other potions.

Tellin' it like it is! The High Season is bad. Just too many travellers invade Nepal and charge around spending money. Seasoned travellers know it is not the time to go. High airfares, high prices, full domestic flights and blotched bookings,

The winter is a good alternative. It is not that cold. Trekking is fine as weather is dry and routes are not packed. Flights are not full. Competition is strong. Thamel is empty except for Fridays.

After visiting Thailand Kathmandu is a real shocker. Clean has a different definition.

There is great scenery in and around the Kathmandu Valley and beyond. Once you see the Himalayas it is worth the hassles.

The air fares used to change a lot over the seasons, but with Thai that is pretty much a thing of the past.

Poverty is endemic. Glue sniffing kids roam the streets in packs and sleep and excrete in the streets and at temples. When you gotta go nowhere is sacred. Tri Deva Marg, the entrance to Thamel has been home to the glue sniffers for at least a decade.

If you want a more controlled and secure route to the Himalayas try China or head to Leh.

If you have some money go to Bhutan. Nice people and nice mountains

Its all been said before. Royal Nepal and TG have this monopoly sewn up for years. It has to be one of the most expensive 4 hour journeys on earth. If you go thru India forewarned yo may need a transit visa and your layover is about 20 hours.

I was in Nepal in Oct and it really sucked. There is nothing I can say was worthwhile. The trip was a dream for my gf, was a total bust for even her.

The only thing Nepal has to offer any more is trekking. You must trek hard and high. Permits for ABC trek will run about B1500 pax rock bottom. That is simply your ability to walk the trail. Mustang is about US700.

KTM is now an ugly, dirty sprawl. The city is wholly broken, the government in shambles. All the lovely old squares are dirty, temples in disrepair. Traffic buzzing in the squares YOU PAY TO ENTER.

Pokara is now nothing more than a jumping off point for a trek. Smoke/pollution gathers in the valley, Annapurna cannot be seen.

NOTE: MANY, MANY restaurants in the tourist areas charge you addl 10% service charge and some even tack an addl 13% VAT on tha AND if that is not bad enough, yes they tax the svc chg. Of course, all this goes in pocket. They don't care if you complain, they know no one returns anymore to Nepal.

For me, a total waste of money

If you do go. Get your permits in KTM, get out asap and get up into the mountains. There is nothing to see in KTM valley, temples ((often charges) are uncared for...

*The people are still lovely despite their condition

*Its easy to skirt the squares that charge fees, use your head (we never paid)

Even Bhaktapur is barely worth it, not really. I have a video I had taken of a traffic jam, replete with horns blazing and cars and motorbikes jostling on a small "street" in Bhaktapur. It was a bit of an epiphany - how the tourist marketing bullshit was so disjointed from reality.

BTW - we found human fecal matter and urine in a temple in Patan Durbar square. The Golden Temple (always one of the best) is broken and scaffoleded and NOT worth entrance fees. Of course, they dont tell you that. It appears it will never be fixed judging by the age of the scaffolds and lack of attention in general. They have stopped caring for their temples.

....and who would even notice?

Yes. These are the people who would notice: the Russians, the Chinese, me, my friends who live here, Thais from BKK. Even sex tourists who are looking for more than just bars/brothels 24/7.

Regardless of how cynical we may all be, one fact is undisputable: Pattaya by a clean-ish beach is better than Pattaya by a degraded beach.

So many beetches in Pattaya for so little beach.

Why do the government keep letting these rallys happen?

Is so that the Red shirts can have a look at see if all the damage they caused is almost fixed? Ahh yes remember that place we burned down!

I think you'll find it's called freedom of expression or just plain freedom !

Sometimes freedom is the right to be stupid.

This part of the story is a flashing neon sign. Think about it. They call the mother and demand money or else they will violate the woman again. Just how did they expect to get this money? Considering the time differences, it is not like the woman could do a bank transfer just like that. And even if it was a cash transfer service like Western Union, id cards would have to be presented when collecting the cash. What kind of rapists would go and leave a trail? Why haven't you investigated this aspect of the story and not just the titillating aspect of a "gang rape".

Why? That doesn't sell articles to the British tabloids.

There was a previous case in Samui where the perps attacked a girl while she was talking to her mother on the phone who was in England. Later she she was found on the beach dead and after a few days some Burmese males were arrested. Most people familiar with Southern Thailand would not be surprised to learn that the perps in this case would be stupid enough to phone the victim's parents and demand money.

US$93 million fraud and he stayed in a crappy condo in Don Mueang.

keeping low profile....

His girlfriend and her relatives got his money...

More details, BTW,in 'the other' Phuket publication.

- refused to press charges at several opportunities

- knew at least one of her attackers well

Obviously not easy for the police to follow up on this if the victim is not cooperative in their investigation; still, in my opinion not the right attitude of the police when they are quoted as follows: "We investigate every alleged rape, but there is only so much we can do."

Remember this one? An underage girl who was raped went to the police station (Mahasek, BKK) with her mother to report her rape. The officer in charge took the girl into his office and forced her to give him a blow job. He was later arrested.

It does not take a lot of imagination to understand why this young woman was reluctant to go to the police station to report the attack and identify her attackers. She might have been concerned about reprisals.

I would be willing to bet that the police know who did this and the police also know they have done it before and will do it again. For sure the Thai guys have photos on their phones.

This young woman is lucky she is alive as opposed to have been killed and dumped in the ocean

Anyone who thinks Phuket is civilized is an absolute fool.

In a case of rape the benefit of doubt should go to the victim.

Exactly!

Many readers would be happy to "tune up" the perps...gratis!

The poor high season is creating a smaller pool of victims for the sharks to feed off, they are becoming more desperate going to greater lengths to feed their bank accounts. Tea money is getting harder to get, it harder to scam an organised tour group than individual tourists. The BKK BIB travel to Pattaya and shake down bars, the Pattaya BIB set up jetski scams and now it seem travelling to BKK to hunt money. It all stinks of desperation, soon, with a bit of luck, the sharks will be eating each other.

Pattaya is infamous for rogue cops. When one of the rogue cops(or gang) creates too much heat they get reigned in or even shot. The more money they get the more outrageous and dangerous they get. Keep a low profile to avoid becoming a target.

Bearing in mind that the car involved in this horrific collision was a Honda. I find the Google ad's attached to this thread (And others) to be in poor taste.

Would the same ad's appear if the subect matter was different?

Christ on a bike..... You have GOT to be kidding? Does it realy matter? Are we to all cast aside any thoughts of Honda whist pondering on the incident? Should Google have placed adverts for the girl in question saying "Its cool to drive underage who cares" I would agree with you but a random, generic Honda advert JUST because the car she was driving was a Honda???

The Honda was a "loaner" she was driving while her BMW was being repaired. What self respecting 'waisaloon' or rich student player would accept a Honda from her rich father!

Ever see Thaksin's son's car from Daddy....a Ferrari...now that is a parental statement!

Bearing in mind that the car involved in this horrific collision was a Honda. I find the Google ad's attached to this thread (And others) to be in poor taste.

Would the same ad's appear if the subect matter was different?

Christ on a bike..... You have GOT to be kidding? Does it realy matter? Are we to all cast aside any thoughts of Honda whist pondering on the incident? Should Google have placed adverts for the girl in question saying "Its cool to drive underage who cares" I would agree with you but a random, generic Honda advert JUST because the car she was driving was a Honda???

The Honda was a "loaner" she was driving while her BMW was being repaired. What self respecting 'waisaloon' or rich student player would accept a Honda from her rich father!

Of course she was gonna get off.. her father owns the largest ind. estate in Thailand (Amata nakorn).. oh.. and he's one of the top police in metropolitan Bkk.

What school does she attend? Which disco do her and her friend hang out at? Sounds like the perfect girlfriend although her father could be a problem!

I'm Romanian but I come from Moldova. I have lived for five years in Thailand and it is not the first time when I hear that Romanians are involved in ATM scams. So far I have heard four times. That doesn't look good for my fellow brothers. If they broke the law then there should be no mercy, they should be charged according to the Thai law, period.

hey Moldova is a great place and I look forward to visiting there again...good luck and I hope you are enjoying Thailand!

It seems like the scum of the earth just gravitate to Bangkok.

a bit more of a year ago five or so Romanians were caught for the same crime in Singapore.

Jailed for 5 years and over. Silliporeans dont mess around with this stuff. no compromise, no tea money and no ways to make jailtime funtime over there.

Not sure if these guys are to be called scum though. quite high tech stuff they do, pretty harmless as they rob from the banks and insurance companies who are the biggest thieves anyway.

in Thailand they will face 7 years if they do not plead guilty, 3.5 if they plead guilty BUT they are usually face one count/charge for every time they used a card....usually the Scottish guy is Thai and promises the guys doing the leg work to "get them out".

Once they are "in" they learn how the police and courts file the additional charges slowly. Their names are called, they are chained up, and off they go to court and have another potential 7 year conviction.

Often they meet fellow "workers" while waiting a year or two in jail before being convicted.

The "workers" are often amateurs, but these guys may be professionals who failed to do their homework about legal penalties in Thailand.

The 10% commission sounds ridiculous, but they may be following the "script" written by the director.

Sounds like a set up as who would be "innocent" enough to have the cards, money and tools in one place.

These Romanians must be pretty smart to operate in Thailand without Thai associates.

Perhaps you have heard of Thai girls fraudulently using their boyfriends' cards. Most guys pay the bills rather than file a Police Report thansee their girlfriends face legal action. The police are usually willing to cooperate along with the card companies and retailers. The user would face one charge for every time the card is used.

What went wrong is the question?

It's not the event that ought to be scrutinized, but "the way" of Thailand. Few if any laws are enforced, and practically no police departments in any district can be classified as protecting and serving the citizens - similar to politicians and other power brokers here. It's (not the loss of life or living under these conditions) - the way of Thailand- is a JOKE folks, that's why so many are constantly smiling in Lack of Sanctions/ Land of Scams (LOS).

The poor do not have the luxury of air bags, seat belts and Mercedes Benz's while going to work (for 150 baht/day) and returning.

Two things:

Seat belts

Law-enforcement

Law Enforcement: The Boys in Brown collect their cash from the drivers and the owners. That is the law enforced!

Judging from recent court filings, it appears it might be Jatupornleaks.

I am saddened by the deaths, but people who put themselves in harms way, in an active conflict area, will always be at risk.

The military strategist at the big Austalian SE Studies institute mentioned that the general impression globally military experts, was that Thai army urban suppression as an operation, was carried out very well, and would be used as an example for their own training programs.

Not defending any actions that prove themselves to be malicious but the operation itself was as effective as it could have been.

What a load of rubbish- any Australian Government on who's watch this type of extra-judicial murder took place would be forced to resign, after which there would be REAL investigations, Royal Commissions and prosecutions with lengthy jail terms for the soldiers involved...and how effective is an operation where innocent civilians like the photographer and the zookeeper get it in the neck?

And now around Chiang Mai there is increasing evidence of red shirts being hunted down and killed by government assassination squads...but no investigation of these deaths either.

The Burmese government must wonder how Thailand gets away with it without any international sanction..

Ask the Hero of the Reds Nai Thaksin. He had over 1,500 Thais murdered during his war on drugs. He should be in the Hague in the International Criminal Court facing justice. The Royal Thai Police colluded with the Red Movement allowing them to build barricades, stock pile weapons, make fire bombs and then the Red Guards assassinated police officers, destroyed public property, caused the deaths of soldiers, and put innocent protesters in harms way in the name of democracy. In the past I had great expectations of Nai Thaksin and his leadership. He proved himself to be an elitist concerned only with power and money. He is a hi-sco megalomaniac. Just what Thailand needs and Pue Thai would have the Thai people elect as President of The Democratic Republic Of Thailand! The biggest con game in Thailand's history continues.

Dumb arrogant S.O.B. Will soon find out the Thai system is not a 'jolly'...

probably a retired grower who is looking for publicity.....follow this story and find out how much he pays to "get down with my homies in Brown"....

A Thai friend rented her 800,000 baht house to a French national who committed suicide by lighting the house on fire. The house was destroyed. The 71 year old Frenchmen died a few days after the fire. The owner has no insurance.

Is the Estate (or the relatives) of the French renter liable?

He has a late model car, savings and a pension.

The police are waiting for the relatives to come from France to collect the body. Will the police protect the interests of the house owner and ensure the owner receives compensation for the loss of the house?

HOw should she proceed to ensure her interests are protected.