Galong

In my opinion this sort of news NEEDS to get out to the rest of the world. Travelers and potential travelers need to know the facts and stats. Personally, I'd like to see bars closed for good. Nothing good comes out of drinking as is obvious by this event and so many others.

If the government really cared, they'd do something right NOW. Waiting will only mean more senseless deaths, rapes, violence, etc, etc.

LESSON: don't got to bars. Drink at home with friends instead.

uuh?? Who are these guys? I havn't seen 6,000 volunteer security guys patrolling in Phuket! Do they mean the beach hawkers in Patong or something?

Putting aside my flippant comments, statements like this should not be made if they are untrue, since they may give tourists a false sense of security.

Simon

Spot on Simon! Tourists and expats need to know the facts and the reality of the situation.

If there are actually 6,000 volunteer security forces, why wasn't there at least 1 on the beach where the victim was murdered?

On a different note, after reading today's Phuket Gazette, it sure does look like the BIBs got their man this time. All of the evidence seems to be stacking up against this guy. So, in this case, well-done.

Apart from the Muslims, who do not drink alcohol (for religious reasons), I have only met one Thai male who doesn't drink alcohol.

Peter

Hey Peter, a lot of my Muslim friends drink, but not in excess. I only know a couple of Thai guys who don't smoke cigarettes. So, vices seem to be rampant.

I live near a school and the amount of noise that comes from the school all day leads me to think that nothing is being taught there, so the likelihood of them teaching students about the evils of excessive drinking seems rather slim.

Ok, can the Thaivisa members walk me through this report and point out the hidden bits that prove the police have arrested the wrong man.

I think that some of us (or maybe just me ) find it rather odd that the cops can find a suspect this quick when they normally can't do regular normal cop work. They seem to be dreadfully corrupt and incompetent most of the time, but when it involves bad international press, suddenly, they become super coppers and find their man! Historically, when a tourist is killed (unless it's done at the hands of a cop ), they find the culprit almost right away. Doesn't that make you think something's up?.

The 'murder weapon' was found in his house...well, that's easy to plant. Scratches on his body however are another thing. However (again), it's easy to put them there. Who did the DNA work to see of the scratches had the victim's DNA on the suspect?

Sorry, but personally I don't trust the boys in brown and see no real reason to believe them right away in cases like this. True, they could be spot on and doing a fine job of police work... but....

PHUKET : A warrant has been issued for the arrest of a man belonging to a sea gypsy tribe for the brutal slaying of a Swedish tourist in Phuket on Saturday.

Oh, so it was a sea gypsy... how convenient. Blame it on a 'tribal' guy instead of a Thai. Now, I'm not saying that sea gypsies are pure as the driven snow, but Thais generally treat them like animals and seemingly have no respect for them whatsoever. This seems a bit suspicious to me.

Meanwhile, Pol. Maj-Gen. Decha Butrnampetch, Phuket police commissioner, revealed that

preliminary investigation was narrowed down after 20 circumstantial witnesses gave useful information to the investigation. Three suspects are being sought for further investigation as they appeared near the scene before the victim was murdered.

So 20 or so witnesses on a deserted beach, and dada 3 suspects in a matter of moments. Twaddle.

Hmm, and NOT ONE OF THEM had the balls to step in and do something??? :D One little coward with a knife isn't enough to stop several people from over-powering him and holding him until the magnificent Thai police farce turns off the soap operas and actually turn up where they're needed.

It always amazes me how efficient the cops are when it's a potential case of loss of face in the international community. They always seem to catch their man in these cases. Like many of you (I'm assuming), I have my doubts as to whether this is the actual culprit.

So, he could be back out in as few as two years! He "could" be responsible for a bunch of deaths (indirectly)... 2 to 10 years? Boy, that'll teach him... such a harsh lesson... geez.

No matter how much money there is in this country, it is THIRD WORLD nonetheless and compassion is about as mythical as that "jai yen yen" crap.

Why do they even bother to come out with laws if they're not going to enforce them? Don't they realize how stupid or weak they are for doing this?

Be honest: OK, fishermen, we'd appreciate it if you didn't fish now, but you can do it if you really want to.

If the PAD does - indeed - hold a demonstration - protest - in the ensuing months - expect this vicious - Thaksin - led - proxy government to come down hard on it - and anyone attending.

Before the police had a hands-off approach to the demonstrations. Now it's a totally different ball game!

Dark times lay ahead. Unfortunately.

Oh, but you're forgetting that Samak claims to have never been involved in instigating violence against protesters. He certainly wouldn't cause violence in Thailand (again). Don't you believe him?

I don't see what/how/why the government wants to block access to this website. Monks are ordained by their own choice. If they want to break their precepts, then that is a matter for each to be dealt with on an individual basis. What's the point of voluntary ordaining if you're going to break your precepts??

Monks are the same as everyone else in society some good, some bad. Wearing saffron robes does not suddenly make you a good person.

Simon

Well-said Simon... I was on a mountain bike ride last week and my buddies and I went over to a small shop after the ride to have a beer. Three monks walked in while we were sitting there and they all bought cigarettes. I found that to be rather odd for monks, but like you say, they are in the monkhood of their own choise and there are worse things to do than smoking cigarettes. Banning websites seems a step in the wrong direction.

If the gov is so interested in the actions of monks, they should start working on instilling a sense of right and wrong in Thai society from birth. Banning is a knee-jerk reaction and ineffective in reality. This is something I would expect in Burma... same, same

Anyone, absolutely anyone can contribute to Wikipedia. I've tried several times to tell the facts about the Tiger Temple and my additions seem to disappear shortly after I put them up. I'm not rude in my additions, just want to question the motives and treatment of the tigers. Someone obviously feels otherwise about the place.

I don't doubt for one moment that Samak was responsible for the killing of many student protestors... in fact, I consider him to be very evil and potentially very dangerous, but the fact remains, Wikipedia is a weak source of objective information.

Lonely Planet and the Lonely Planet Zombies who consider this silly book to be the Bible of travel are responsible for ruining many a formerly fine place. If it's in the Lonely Planet, it's on the way to being ruined by mass tourism, backpackers and people who don't have the talent to search for interesting places on their own. It's a lazy way to travel.

The prove are there, during Thaksin period, drugs were almost gone from Thailand, everyone knows about it.

Despite the damage that was caused, Thailand were almost drug free!

"Thailand was almost drug free" :D Yep, and Britany Spears is almost a good parent.

My guess is that you didn't lose any relative or friends. Drugs were available then and they'll be available after the next killing spree.

I think he should have been allowed to serve out his last term of office. as it were, the coup and PAD have yet to prove any guilt on the part of thaksin.

NONE! only heresay. and a lot of jealousy.

GO THAKSIN!

:D

Dang, don't you read the news? He concealed money, used his position in order for his family to buy land at under market value, sold a Thai telecommunication company to a foreign country, etc, etc, etc. I guess some folks just ain't gonna accept the facts.

By the way, hasn't Thaksin got a doctorate?

Well, have you heard him speak in English? So, he bought a doctorate, big deal.

I have had taxi drivers in Singapore who had better English skills than this filthy rich criminal. He is about as useless as rubber lips on a woodpecker. He will likely cause more trouble for Thailand than any of us can imagine.

Hmm, let's see... Samak is probably lying about his involvement in the murder of students in Thailand's dark past and now he's apparently willing to go out on another killing spree. I'm certainly impressed. Ah, democracy is wonderful innit.

'Kind' elephant becomes victim of firepower

A village elder, who asked not to be named, said that despite the veterinarian's plea for them to stop, many people on motorcycles chased the beast, making it even angrier. He said he had then heard 10 gunshots as if the villagers were "trying out their fire power."

The Nation

Stupid Third World barbarians!!! I'm not surprised by this. A gang of Thais assaulting an elephant is in keeping with their macho image of multiple attackers on a single victim.

I guess elephants are supposed to change their very nature to get along with villagers who don't have the sense to stay out of the jungle when the breeding season begins.

Ah, the streets of Pattaya are now safer now that these hardened criminals are in the klink :D

Pot is NOT a dangerous drug and there is an ever-growing number of places where 'personal use' amounts are either completely overlooked or considered a misdemeanor. heck, even in my redneck state, Virginia, it's not a big deal...well, unless your employer is a fan of beer and myopic to the realities of this fairly harmless substance. I hope my attitude here won't put me on Samak's upcoming war on drugs...

Well done Galong. I grassed up a bloke hunting birds with a large rifle in Huay Nam Dang National Park in Chiang Mai. Dunno if the rangers took any notice though. National Parks are clearly non-hunting areas by law and not by mood or any other lame excuse.

Nice to hear mine is not a solo operation, brother.

There are elephants (since this is an elephant thread) that certainly don't look too happy either. Ah, dreams of letting them go dance in my head.

i guess they need to respect your authori-thai

:D I love it when folks get my avatar!

I love these animals and find them amazing and beautiful, but I treat them with the utmost respect and prefer to see them from a very safe distance--and that means I am looking through binoculars!

You're right Scott. These are amazing animals, but they are 'potentially' dangerous... unusually though that's only when it's breeding time. Under normal circumstances the elephants avoid humans as we have such a bad reputation for hurting them.

And, thanks geriatrickid for your kind words of encouragement. I'll continue to help where I can. I forgot to point out that there is a huge pile of empty Sang Som bottles under the mahout sala, so I don't think they're hurting for money. Sorry to sort of hijack this thread with my birdies stuff.

Well, the way elephants are generally treated in Thailand (see this National Geographic article) I hardly blame them for getting a little revenge from time to time... If these monks were really innocent, then it's sad though.

BTW, I turned in a couple of mahouts at Ton Pariwat Wildlife Sanctuary (Phang Nga Province) a couple days ago for killing birds in the sanctuary with slingshots. They looked rather pissed off at me when I showed up with a couple of rangers. I've seen mahouts with slingshots the past three time I went there. I scolded them previously, but I'm going to let the rangers take care of it from now on. I reckon I need to be careful the next time I go there.

Onward Christian soldiers! Mahouts are treated about as well as the elephants, well maybe not that well. They might be lucky to male 2,000 baat per month. Armed with the mighty, and highly accurate slingshot, I am sure they will have the chance to make a significant dent in the bird population as they strive to add an additional morsel of protein into their diet.

But yes, you would possibly need to be very careful the next time you visit. In fact, may I suggest that you not visit, for your own good of course.

So you see nothing wrong with killing protected wildlife in one of the last remaining parks that have the species available in this small area just because these guys want to kill them for food? Furthermore, how do you know they are killing them for food? Are you sure they're not killing them just for fun? What are you doing to help mahouts get out of this poor impoverished state? I suppose it's OK in your eyes for them to beat these noble beast too, eh?

I'm about as UN-Christian as they come, so you're really off base there.

I'll go back there as often as I wish thank you. I speak up for what's right and the park officials thanked me for informing them. I'll tell the rangers again if I see the mahouts breaking the Thai laws in this park.

But I'm sure you don't agree and these 'poor' mahouts should be able to kill animals in a wildlife sanctuary... because they're too poor to afford food... what a load. There aren't any starving mahouts in this country. There are plenty of poor people, but they don't need to kill birds for food.

Well, the way elephants are generally treated in Thailand (see this National Geographic article) I hardly blame them for getting a little revenge from time to time... If these monks were really innocent, then it's sad though.

BTW, I turned in a couple of mahouts at Ton Pariwat Wildlife Sanctuary (Phang Nga Province) a couple days ago for killing birds in the sanctuary with slingshots. They looked rather pissed off at me when I showed up with a couple of rangers. I've seen mahouts with slingshots the past three time I went there. I scolded them previously, but I'm going to let the rangers take care of it from now on. I reckon I need to be careful the next time I go there.