tropo

It was all for nothing. The drug business is back to normal, as robust as ever. No one in the world ever succeeded in wiping out the drug trade. It's impossible. He made lots of enemies and they are coming after him.

Yes, you are completely disconnected from reality. There are 2 criminal court cases here, the first one as plaintiffs, the second one as defendants. There will be some civil cases for damages as well, so up to 4 court cases. 9 years ago I spent a lot more than that, and I got a good deal. Good lawyers will charge more than 100k for each court case. They already lost their first payment as the lawyer did nothing.

Hua Hin, and well documented.

No matter who was in the wrong, there is no justification for the beating they took. Do you see the young thug with injuries? Who was in the hospital with injuries? Who is selling up and leaving? They got all they wanted and are going for more. There is no reason to hear anything they have to say. Nothing they have to say can make it right.

No, it's not. My home country, Australia has trial by jury for serious assault cases, which this is. In the UK, too In the UK, more serious assault cases, those deemed "indictable offences," are tried in the Crown Court with a jury, while less serious cases, or "summary offences," are typically heard in Magistrates' Courts without a jury. Here's a brief overview of the court system in Thailand: Thailand does not have a jury system; instead, judges or a panel of judges decide the guilt or innocence of a defendant, as well as determine the sentence. No Jury System: In Thailand, the legal system operates with judges, not juries, making decisions based on the evidence presented by both the prosecution and defence. Judges Solely Decide: The judge or panel of judges is responsible for determining guilt or innocence and, if guilty, for imposing the appropriate sentence. Departure from Western Systems: This differs significantly from the jury trial process common in some Western legal systems, where a group of citizens decides the facts of the case. Advocacy System: In Thailand, courtroom proceedings are conducted in an adversarial system, whereby the two opposing advocates represent their clients' cases before one or more judges.

Are you suggesting that maybe the elderly man deserved to be knocked unconscious and sustain about 22 additional punches to the head while on the ground?... and his wife being attacked?

The Philippines is much safer? You can't be serious? There's no comparison. Thailand is like a padded cell in contrast to the Philippines. Disputes such as this one might have ended up with both dead, in the Philippines. Be very careful who you raise your voice to in the Philippines. A big difference is they don't often shout back, but quietly take care of business. It's a jungle compared to Thailand. I can't comment on Vietnam.

Obviously (I thought) because they are on bail which includes confiscation of their passports.

This is nonsense. The Thai police and justice system is about as fair as your lawyer is good. I had a criminal case that I needed to defend with my wife. The first lawyer f***ked our case by providing our evidence late to the court so it was not accepted, and due to that the defendants opened a criminal case against us. We were lucky to find very good lawyers (recommended on this forum) to get out of a sticky situation that could have landed us in prison. Bear in mind, that the judge's decision in Thailand is final. There are no juries here. One good thing is they insist on a mediation session before the court case where the parties can come to an agreement. The local police in this case might have been negligent in carrying out their duties, but court cases involving foreigners are taken quite seriously when they arrive in court.

I was in the 8th Grade in South Africa, and the other kids called me "professor", but I still wouldn't have passed that test, and back in those days the school curriculum was very "old English". Blazers and ties warn at all times, hair was chopped above the collar, and we were caned for minor infringements.

Forget about kids, not many adults would be able to pass that test. Would you? On an overall score in all 7 categories, I would fail. Of course, a lot of the history and Civil Government questions are USA-specific.