newtronbom

Any PAD supporters still holed up at the airport have ZERO sympathy from me if they get hurt or killed. They know what they did, they know what's coming. You can't just seize an international airport and expect to be greeted with flowers and cookies.

If they had seized the JFK or L.A. airport, it would have ended a long time ago, and probably much worse than the Thai police will hopefully end it tonight. As far as I'm concerned, if you run past security at the JFK or L.A. airport, protesting something or not, you get shot in the back before you get anywhere. The Thai government and police have been more than patient, but enough is enough.

I fully agree with you. If this was any where in the west, there would have been a much stronger response by police. It is way past time the Gvt. took off the "soft gloves" and got these protesters out. They are ignoring a direct order of the court as well. The Gvt. doesn't need any further excuses to act strongly in my opinion. This country is going to take a long time to get over this no matter who is in power. They have just lost the prime tourist season any way. 500 mill a month is on the low side. what about all those who have fruit and veges rotting at the airport? Who will reimburse them? Will "PAD"????

I wonder if what we has been discussed about Thaksin this and he being a criminal etc.etc. is only some sort of a cliche... of people who are living in an illusionary dumb sheep kind of follow the leader with the biggest mouth..isn't there anyone here on the forum who has the GUTS to be pro-Thaksin??? I don't understand much about politics...what I do understand is that Thailand after he is ousted has been exposed of not able to handle democracy....The PAD has destroyed more than Thaksin with his " corruption" or criminal activities....foreign investments under Thaksin was more stable...now forget it....I wouldn't want to invest anything into Thailand...No one now will be able to run Thailand with a strong fist...which the Thais need...a strong leader....corrupt or not....so long the majority of Thailand propers isn't that more important??? The poor was benefitting so much, more stability, educational reform, fight against corruption, crime, drugs....all a major push towards a better Thailand...Now it is all going down the hole...just because a small minority rich big mouths are envious of Thaksins successes.....think of this for a minute...hope more people on this forum has the GUTS to also respond.....

I agree with you there. This country was much more stable under Taksin. He bought in a lot of reforms that really did benefit the poor. One good example is the 30 baht hospital card. That gave any one in need, access to state hospital. I also agree that no one would want to invest here at the moment either. At least under Taksin, investors stood a fair chance of making a good profit. Better the devil you know, than as it is now, where we have all these “super rich” people behind the scenes pulling the strings on these protestors for their own “political and financial” interests and “not the countries interests”. Good on you for speaking out. Taksin is corrupt, but he ran a good shop!

I will add my 10 cents worth here. We bought our house just over 5 years ago, at 4.3 mill. We are on average, 35 mins from Phanthip Plaza. Have spent less than 300 thou getting it to look very nice. It is just under 200 g/wha. 5 weeks ago we had the "Land office" value it. 9.5 mill they quoted us. I think that 1 mill a year rise in value is not too bad! There is nothing wrong with the property scene in this country, as long as you buy wisely. Sure. If we wanted to get rid of it quickly, we may have to drop down a bit, but we would still make a nice profit. I think you have to look at the long term. Some of us do live here. "Naams" comment hits the mark. A $10,000 house in the states - $1.75 house? Where is the guys head?

PS: Sorry I mucked up the subscribe bit.....

I agree with the rest of you. It was a nice bar. Went there a couple of times and liked the food as well. It is a pity. As the rest of yousay, hope they start up again - maybe in a better spot.

I believe that it is possible that these people mean what they say, but what about their lads. A lot of them will be "out of work" now. Will they be willing to give up a life style of violence after so long? What about all the people who are in it for the killing and violence, not the political agenda, what ever it was. Many evil people are drawn into conflicts like this, as it is an excuse for "Murdering others" and that is what they enjoy, they don't give a toss about the realities - political -religious - or such. They love "Mayhem" and I don't believe many will soon give it up. Just look at many of the so called conflicts in Africa. They continued on way past the "official" finishing point. One of the many things that I have not understood about the conflict in the south, was the lack of "demands" or "conditions" by the people doing the bombing and shooting. They just carried on blowing up schools, police stations and shooting innocent folks, but never seemed to be making a point - apart from the wholesale slaughter, of what their problems were. There have been speculation about unfair dealings by the Thai Govt etc. and more on religious suppression, but I have never seen anyone stand up with a sign and say - hey! read this. We want this. If you dont give it to us we will do this! Or - THIS is the reason we are doing that etc. It has always been very quiet. If you can call 4000 odd people being murdered and blown up quite.

We hope you all have a really good night. Stay safe(safer?) and use taxis. Will look forward to the posts after the party.

I agree with those who say Bangkok is a good place to live. We live 45 mins from the city center and don't have the pollution, traffic jams out here. As a city, Bangkok has its ups and downs just like any other place, but what we really like about it, is the diversity of the place. There are so many choices. Home is what you make it. If you don't like it, go some where else and moan. Having said that, has anybody else noticed the cost of living here these days?? Pretty much the same as most of our home cities I recon. A 1000 baht don't go far at all now. I can remember buying 15 baht of food on a street stall and not finishing it. Lucky to get full on 50 baht now days. Computers and electronics may have halved their price over the last 4 years, but food and gas have gone way up. Progress. Who the heck needs it!

I have the opportunity or earning some money through work on the internet. However its imperative the connection is solid.

Is this possible ?

Preferabaly in Chiang Mai but I could move anywhere.

SURELY certain companies NEED solid connections and manage to aquire them ?

Any posts gratefully appreciated. Ive done lots of reading and am plain confused by the options

Thank you.

I use "True". no problems at all. Just be aware that you won't get the speed they advertise. I have a 3mb super package. Get a free sim with it which I don't use. Have tested my connection regular. 2.6 kb/s down load at highest, average 2.1 kb/s. Upload 0.690 kb/s highest, average 0.540 kb/s. Some days are slower than others, depending on demand. Take today for example. (See attachment). You will need a Thai national, or a work permit to get it set up. The local "True shop" will tell you what speed the area you are in, will support. Good luck.

OK, I won't click it, but it does make me wonder about my registry and wonder if anyone can recomend a good, user friendly freeware registry scanner/cleaner??

Try "CCleaner from Piriform Co." Its free and seems to work fine. I've been using Skype for a while and not seen that message either. I agree. Don't click it. Phishing for sure.

Hello,if i was looking for a used mobile for connecting to the internet with grps what brand,model would you recommend regarding cheap cheap,& reliable?Or are the used phones not too much different in price than new,like used pick up trucks over here?

I'm not to fussy about getting one with bluetooth,unless you convince me otherwise.

Once i get this is it just a case of plugging it in to the laptop with a dtac 300 baht card with 250 baht used for 100 hours?

I used a Samsung "SGH E 250" for a few months. Sim from dtac, call their call center to set up(dial 1678 - they speak english) 256 baht = 7 days x 24 hrs - average 250 kbs download and average 21 kbs upload. Dead easy to set up. Can get a free copy of the phone PC suite from any Samsung phone outlet (or off the web) saved onto a flash drive. Brainless set up. That has the usb gprs modem driver you need on it. 2nd hand phone should only cost 1800 - 2000 now, as brand new it was only 4500 with 1 gb sd mem tossed in. The usb cable to PC cost 145 baht. The newer 600 or 900 models are faster i have heard, but have not seen myself. You are right to stay away from bluetooth. Way too slow! Good luck.

Nividia or ATI? I say ATI if you wanna go to two cards in the future coupled with a mobo that will support Crossfire.

Your correct with the crossfire thing, it does seem to be more widely supported than SLI at the moment, but i went with the Nvidia 9800DX2 1gb video ram. Its basically two 512mg cards, on the same board - Nvidia's answer to the dual core. I need to replace my motherboard and CPU next - im planning on getting a board that will support SLI and then i might go and buy another one later and SLI them together... but with the cost of these little darlings (19k at the moment) - its going to be a while before i can justify the purchase to myself

Definitely going quad core next, just not sure which one... if the NVidia boards are expected to be around 15-16k as suggested on the motherboard thread, then i wont be able to go too high on the CPU...

I need a payrise

Take a look at the new DFI Lanparty DK X48-T2RS

Think it supports SLI. Check it out on their site. Really nice board. Put a pic on to gaze at.

Thanks for the advice people. I have gone with the DFI LT X48 - T2R. I paid 8200 at TK Computers in Panthip. that was the best price I could get at Panthip.

Hello all, I play final fantasy 11 online and I want a new desk top for it, I want to panthip today but there are tons of shops, I have a few questions:

#1 Can someone tell me which shop has a good reputation to build me a great desk top, shop name and which floor.

#2 Should I get the copied version of windows or get original?

#3 My budget is 20-30k I have an idea of what I wanna get but please let me know what you guys think thank you.

#4 Which brand do you guys think I should get ? there are so many out there><

Ok here it goes:

3.0 Ghz (not sure if I should get pentium or AMD)

500 GB (Could grab a 750)

19 Inch wide screen LCD (Minimum resolution and brand I have no clue)

512 MB Nvidia or ATI?

Mother board I have no clue since Im a newbie, what is great on the market right now? Maby with a fan on it and doesnt get too hot, I would prefer the new DDR3 too but not sure If I should get 1,2 or 3.

Hi there. I have always found that the best all shop in Panthip Plaza is "TK Computers" for high performance rigs. It is on the first floor, on the right side gioing in, around the middle towards the back. The owners name is Don. Ask for him (late 30s, little over weight) and tell him your budget and what you want out of your PC. He is very straight. If you want good gaming, you need a good monitor. I would suggest 19" as the minimum size. Make sure you see the specs and get a high resolution screen, with a high refresh rate. Don does not sell monitors, but he will tell you where to go, and make sure you don't get ripped off!! The cheapest place to shop, is at "Klong Tom Center" over near china town - but you will need someone who can speak Thai for you. You also need to do a lot of leg work. Panthip is the easyest way to go!! Haggle over the price with Don. Don't accept the first price he gives you, but you can't blame the man for wanting to make a living. Cheers and good hunting.

I am looking at upgrading - replacing my ancient desktop. Could do with some informed advice on which mainboard to choose. I am looking at 3 boards and there is a huge difference in price. While I agree you can not stint when it comes to a good board, I don't like throwing away money that I can ill afford. Here are the 3 that I have got down to. There does not appear to be a significant difference between them performance wise, but I may be wrong - and that's why I could do with the advice. My coices are 1/. a DFI LT X48 - T2R(see attachment jpeg), 2/. an nvidea EVGA nForce 790i Ultra SLI, Dual DDR3, 4x PCLe 16x gpu slots, with firewire 1394aa(see attached jpeg), and 3/. an ASUS P5K-E, which appears to have around the same specs as the other two. The DFI is 8000 bht, the nvidea 790i has not been quoted as it has not quite arrived, however I believe it will run to around 16000 bht, and last but I believe not least, the ASUS is only 4500 bht. Ok, the ASUS has small differences (notably the price) - onboard sound is not quite as good but still 7.1 surround, it's front side bus is 1600 and supports Dual Channel 1060 mhz like the other two, has 4 mem slots and will run a Quad core just the same as well. To fill in the picture, I am going to put in a Intel Q6600 core 2 Quad 2.4 Ghz cpu,2x 2 Gb DDR2 ram, 2 x nvidea GE Force 8800 8 series ULTRAs, running off a Maxtor 250 Gb 10,000 hard drive, with a 500 Gb storage drive, as I do a lot of graphics with huge file sizes. Hope some one out there can help me out here, as I don't want to make a big mistake. The nvidea is sexy but is it really worth it??? The DFI is a good price and board, but that Asus looks good to me. newtronbom

Hello. I'm back. No. I havn't disappeared with shame or anything like that. I managed to find a few days work and earn a few baht that we really need, that's all. I see the debate is still raging. My post was after all, just a way of trying to clear the bad name I got and set the record straight. It was not intended as a retrial, as some of you seem set on doing. One of the toughest courts in the world, found us innocent and set us free. THAT IS A FACT. That's all I wanted to say. I thank the many people who have stood up for us, and for the good help and advice we have received as a result of this post, and it is the majority of you. I feel sorry for those few souls, who have, with practically no information, tried to do what the court in Thailand, thankfully did not do, with the wealth of information THAT WAS available to them. Cheers to those of you who took this as it was meant to be. Tough luck and get a real life, to those of you who didn't!!

I think it is well past time to close this post. Not because I am loosing - we didn't and from what most of you say, we havn't. But because it has gone way off the track of what I started out. I don't need to prove myself to anyone - unlike some of you here. Surviving and keeping my sanity after over two years in hel_l, is proof enough for me! I am off to try and find some more work (legal) and try to get our lives back to gether. Cheers. Mitch Newton

when I try to use the windows update site I get an Error number: 0x800A0046. Have followed all the "fixes" they suggest and still cant get it. Any one had this problem with windows XP Pro? I am running XP Pro Dark edition. Would appreciate any help on this. Mitch

I don't believe everything I read in newspapers, but just like I don't believe everything I read in a web forum.

If you have no PROVE* that the OP is guilty for the Thailand case with heroin...you better stop making your hidden accusations and leave him alone. What you are doing is dirt cheap and you're acting like a coward, acting as an anonymous person on a web forum....

I'm sure you have better things to do.

* the OP and his wife were released from prison after 22 months by a Thai Judge and found innocent of being part in the smuggling case of 40 kgs of heroin. Anyone....ANYONE...who is released from prison in Thailand after such heavy accusations has a very strong case he/she was NOT involved.

So...back off and try to be a gentleman not a hyena.

LaoPo

Thanks LaoPo. The conviction rate for drug offences at the Ratchada Court Bangkok, where we were sentenced, is over 98%. You do not get the benefit of doubt in a Thai court. You are either innocent, or very guilty. We did not know which way it would go, right up till the moment we were set free - despite the assurances of our lawyer! I dont think the judge would have told me about my right to sue the police, if they (there were 4 of them) were not completely satisfied that we were not guilty. The judges were very hostile toward us at the beginning of our trial. After the first couple of days however, they all swung in our favour, when they saw the "quality" and lack of police evidence. Wish I had a video of the court proceedings. It was great viewing, even though we were scared for our lives. Literally!! Mitch.

I am not sure that I would be publishing anything or kicking up much dirt until the appeal is over. If you make the courts and police look bad, you might find the prosecution winning the appeal just to save face and show you who is boss.

Thanks. I am worried about that myself. How to try and make a dollar without upsetting the big guys. I have stuck to the facts without trying to make them look bad, so they should no complaints so far. There are so many things that they did and said about us that I have not printed here, which will come out eventually, but you are correct in that I must be very careful right now. I appreciate your concern and thanks for your support. Mitch

Guilty by inadmission?? Hey.I am not trying to make myself out to be a saint here. How many of you guys are so called saints? The fact is, that we had nothing to do with the case in Phuket and that is the point I am making. I don't need to justify my life to you, or anyone else. What you say in your post, about the police suspecting me because of my previous conviction was already mentioned by me in one of my earlier posts. If you had read that properly, you would have seen that I agree that there were good grounds for the initial suspicion by the police - however, once they interviewed us and it became clear to them (as it did to the judge) that we were not involved in this case, they should have set us free. As to the case in Japan, I was convicted of possession, not dealing. I took ganja to Japan for 4 of us, having drawn the short straw. My 3 friends went to court for me on the day and backed up my story. The judge fined me $US2000 and ordered me to leave. Never spent a day in prison! Change of name? Yes I certainly did. Wasn't going to get a good job (or any job) with my record was I? All legal. Google the NZ embassy here for confirmation if you doubt me. House worth 9 million? Is now, but it wasn't when we bought it. Paid 4.5 mill for it around 5 years ago. Did all the work on it myself, as couldn't afford to get builders. Money came straight out of MY MOTHERS ACCOUNT. You can be sure the Thai judge in our case, checked that out thoroughly before giving it back to us. You can also be sure the police didn't want us to have it back either. My yacht, was paid for by my partner legitimately from his bank account (police checked that out too). My side of the business, was to sail it back to Thailand, repair and paint it, then charter it out for diving or fishing, for both of which it is very suitable. I still hope to do this. Special rates apply to thaivisa.com members! Yeah, I am protesting our innocence in this case because, we had nothing to do with it, but I have never said that I have lived an innocent life. Look all you like on Google, you won't find any statement by me saying that I am a saint. I said earlier in this post that I don't need to justify myself to you and that's true, but I have, because people like you piss me off! Am just very thankful, that other members of this forum, aren't so keen to see me and my wife get the death sentence after SO MANY YEARS IN A JAPANESE PRISON. Mitch Newton rests his case.

Thank you for explaining.

No matter what you write, there will always be Farang judges who think you're guilty, even if you are innocent in this case which, in my eyes, was a nightmare after 22 months in jail.

You might not be a Saint but at least you can't be convicted for things in the past anymore

Wish you well and hope you can stay out of prison during the follow up; scary thought.

Tip: if you want, you can ask one of the Moderators to close your own thread and the bashing will stop...

LaoPo

thank you for your support and your confidence in us still. we hope we stay out of the can as well. i won't close this. let them get it out of their system. we may may find some insights that are useful too. cheers. mitch.

Only a drug conviction in Taiwan, eh? I see you use both Kerry Graeme Mitchell and Ian Newton and admit you are New Zealander. You do realise there is such a thing as Google?

-----

http://www.marijuanalibrary.org/HN_14.html

08/17/93 Drug Swallowing smuggler bagged in Japan

TOKYO (Reuter) - A New Zealander has been arrested in Japan after he was

alleged to have smuggled drugs by swallowing huge quantities of marijuana, a

customs official said on Tuesday.

The official at Osaka International Airport in western Japan said

construction engineer Kerry Mitchell, 37, was seized there on July 12 after he

was alleged to have swallowed 755 grammes of the drug in 118 individual plastic

packets.

"It was amazing -- the guy swallowed more than 700 grammes of marijuana in

packets done up in plastic food wrap," said the official.

- - - -

___

You have already mentioned your connection with ganja and being trouble elsewhere in Asia, so I wonder how many Kiwis there are named Kerry Mitchell involved in drug smuggling in Asia? The age seems to fit as well (37 in 1993 vs 49 in 2005). An identical twin brother?

I wonder if this is why the foreign narcotics community were interested in you. Everyone is entitled to a new start in life - change you name from Mitchell to Newton did you to avoid detection? - but when you are protesting your innocence and leave out key facts from your life story, I don't want one of these delusional foreign publishers with their "innocent-Schapple-Corby-like" to pick up the story. Well, at least this you were smart this time around not to have any drugs on you.

I wonder how you managed to afford a house valued at 9 million baht and a yacht valued at almost 5 million after all those years in a Japanese jail.

Guilty by inadmission?? Hey.I am not trying to make myself out to be a saint here. How many of you guys are so called saints? The fact is, that we had nothing to do with the case in Phuket and that is the point I am making. I don't need to justify my life to you, or anyone else. What you say in your post, about the police suspecting me because of my previous conviction was already mentioned by me in one of my earlier posts. If you had read that properly, you would have seen that I agree that there were good grounds for the initial suspicion by the police - however, once they interviewed us and it became clear to them (as it did to the judge) that we were not involved in this case, they should have set us free. As to the case in Japan, I was convicted of possession, not dealing. I took ganja to Japan for 4 of us, having drawn the short straw. My 3 friends went to court for me on the day and backed up my story. The judge fined me $US2000 and ordered me to leave. Never spent a day in prison! Change of name? Yes I certainly did. Wasn’t going to get a good job (or any job) with my record was I? All legal. Google the NZ embassy here for confirmation if you doubt me. House worth 9 million? Is now, but it wasn’t when we bought it. Paid 4.5 mill for it around 5 years ago. Did all the work on it myself, as couldn’t afford to get builders. Money came straight out of MY MOTHERS ACCOUNT. You can be sure the Thai judge in our case, checked that out thoroughly before giving it back to us. You can also be sure the police didn’t want us to have it back either. My yacht, was paid for by my partner legitimately from his bank account (police checked that out too). My side of the business, was to sail it back to Thailand, repair and paint it, then charter it out for diving or fishing, for both of which it is very suitable. I still hope to do this. Special rates apply to thaivisa.com members! Yeah, I am protesting our innocence in this case because, we had nothing to do with it, but I have never said that I have lived an innocent life. Look all you like on Google, you won’t find any statement by me saying that I am a saint. I said earlier in this post that I don’t need to justify myself to you and that’s true, but I have, because people like you piss me off! Am just very thankful, that other members of this forum, aren’t so keen to see me and my wife get the death sentence after SO MANY YEARS IN A JAPANESE PRISON. Mitch Newton rests his case.

Quote Hagler: Didn't you say in another of your posts that you had a house just outside of BKK that is worth 9 million baht?

Surely the court would have had you put that up as surety ?

=====

That crossed my mind too!

3 million Bt to avoid another possible injustice?

Cheap, pay it & go.

Who has your passport?

I have my passport which is brand new. It doesn't have an entry stamp or visa on it though - not that I need a visa, as I'm on bail right? That is another nest of worms to sort out when this is all over. I was here on a non immigrant marrige visa, which still had 9 months on it. I wonder what happens to that? I had thought that the court would want my passport, but they just wanted a copy. I have no reporting clause either as we won our case. Just I have to apply for permission to leave the country. Mitch.

Despite all this, I love Thailand. It is my home.

you seem to be a brave man Ian. i will submit your case to the Klingon High Council with the recommendation to award you with honorary Klingon citizenship.

congratulations on the outcome and joke aside. if something like this would have happened to me and my wife we'd take the next available flight out of Thailand.

If i was Ian i would be doing the same as soon as possible. Look at the case of Kevin Quill he was acquitted by the courts and then the supreme court overturned this ruling.

See below.

Kevin Quill, 45, former owner of the Fighting Cock pub, was arrested and convicted in 2001 on drug charges, which he has strenuously denied.

He served six months in a Thai jail before being granted bail. In 2005 the country's Court of Appeal acquitted Mr Quill of the charges saying there was no evidence against him.

However this week the case went to the Supreme Court who rejected the acquittal and sentenced him to six years' imprisonment.

Scource: Telegraph and Argus (British local paper)

How can anyone have any confidence in the Thai judicial system when you see this kind of thing happening. He had every chance not to return from the UK to Thailand when he was acquitted, but believed in the Thai system and he was sadly let down badly.

Cheers, Rick

Hi Rick. Thanks for the advice. It's a shitty situation we have cause on one hand this is, for better or worse our home now. Burnt all my bridges so to speak at home. I too am worried about Thai justice, but what to do? If I stay we run the risk of going down, but on the other hand, if we get out of dodge, I will be breaking the law as well. The prosecutor has appealled our case and I am not allowed to leave the country without permission from the court. I don't have Taksin Shinawatts clout and I doubt that the court would give us permission to leave. Oh dear. Mitch.

Firstly, "Congratulations" on yours and your wife's release after serving 22 months in a Thai jail! I can only imagine how horrendous it must have been inside. (I hear enough about the poor conditions in Bangkok Remand Prison and Klong Prem Prison in Bangkok).

I can't believe that it took 22 months for your case to come to court - the wheels of justice turn so slowly in Thailand. From what you have written above, it seems that your nightmare is far from over. Despite being acquitted, the State Prosecutor is appealing the verdict??? Have I understood correctly? Therefore you are not supposed to leave the country without prior approval from the Court. right?

How long will it take to reach the Supreme Court (Dika Court)? It could be anything from 6 months to 18 months to 2 years right? So in the meantime, your life remains in limbo. Has you lawyer advised you of the timeline? I still find it very hard to understand why - after all you and your wife have been through - why on earth do you want to stay in a country such as this which as treated you like this??

I think you should now be weighing up the possible outcomes if this is going forward to the Dika Court:-

1) You are succesful, win your case and you are declared a free man.

2) You are unsuccessful - what is the minimum and maximum sentence? (Remember that the original sentence handed down by the initial court can also be increased at this point if I understand correctly).

Perhaps something to consider... try and get a sounding via your Lawyer/another Lawyer as to the likelihood of you obtaining compassionate leave for you and your wife to leave the coutry to get medical treatment or visit your or her "sick" mother in NZ/UK and then it is up to you if you return or don't return for the Supreme Court Trial.....

Although you should be aware that the Supreme Court hearing will not be run like it is in the West. In Thailand, your Lawyer and the State Prosecutor will submit all their papers and arguments in advance (I think you have 1 month from when the State Prosecutor files an appeal for you to submit all papers). Then, on the date of the Supreme Court hearing, the verdict which has already been decided, is just read out. So you will not have a chance to speak up at all at the hearing.

I am not sure what happens in the event the defendant is "absent"?????????? i.e. if you and your wife ARE granted leave to exit the country but then YOU decide NOT to return here for the Supreme Court trial. Perhaps you forfeit the case? (Something to find out from your Lawyer or call up the British Embassy for advice).

Depending upon what decision you make, you and your wife can sell your house etc and start again in another country. Or return to a country with a PROPER police force!@

I think you need to now be finding out LOTS of information in terms of dealing with a best case and worst case scenario and the odds. If you have family financial support, you may want to consider engaging another lawyer who specialises in Supreme Court cases and sound them out on your likely verdict.... It pays to be wise in advance as many can tell you from bitter experience.

I would also strongly advise you to get either the British or NZ Embassies on side. What a difference if they can submit a document of support on your behalf and/or attend the Supreme Court Hearing.....

All I would also say is Thailand is just one country, you and your wife have already seen 22 months inside a Thai jail. This will no doubt have left some terrible scars and aged you in ways that many Posters cannot even begin to comprehend. Ask yourself are you really prepared if the verdict does go against you. And I am sorry to say that I would not equate levels of justice at the Supreme Court here with the Supreme Courts in Western countries.

Furthermore, IMO which I may be wrong and apologies if I sound negative here but as a consequence of the above, your name will ALWAYS be flagged in this country. Can you live with the unknown bust and arrest at 2am as you have previously been picked out by the Thai Police? (Those bastions of honour and justice ).

Once again apologies if I seem overly negative, I am just trying to be realistic.

The Very Best of luck and health to you and your wife.

Andiamo

Thank you for your post. Appreciate the advice. All that you say is quite correct. BUT...my wife is Thai, the good people who put their land up to get us out on bail would lose it, if I don't appear in court (over 3 mill which is very low for a case this big, which all the more shows how confident the judges are in our innocence in this case), and the complete lack of evidence with the police. They cant bring in new evidence by law even if there was any. Finally the judges comments during the trial are all down on paper. If you had been there you would have seen what they thought of the police in our case. Yes it will still take a long time for this to go to court - ave about 2 years. Unlikely the prosecutor would appeal again when he loses this one as it is only standard form to appeal a big case like this in any case. Cheers for your help, but will stick around. Their memory span is not that great and they have many other and bigger cases to chase. Mitch. PS: The NZ embassy were with us at court every day and saw that we had things pretty much in control. They said it was very exciting watching the action eg. police and prosecution screaming at each other, police getting shit on their faces with every bit of so called evidence going down in flames! It was quite a show and I am lucky I speak good Thai and could understand 80% of what went down. Mitch.

huh? Didnt you say in another of your posts that you had a house just outside of BKK that is worth 9 million baht? Surely the court would have had you put that up as surety ?

Hi. Sorry to get back so late but i've been out. The court would have let us put the house up as security, however we were both in prison, and had no way to arrange that and the police ran us in circles for over 3 months when we did get out, before telling us that they had lost our land ownership papers!! We would call them and make a time to go in and pick the papers up, take a cab into town at around 270 baht there and the same back, only to arrive and be told that so and so was out and would we please come back another day! We had hardly any money and were beginning to think we would never get them back. I think we finally just wore them out. We have only just got them back after having to report them "LOST". We have been out near 6 months now. So if we had had to rely on our house papers to get out, we would still be in paradise prison!! This is just a small example of the many problems we have had in dealing with the police. They do not take kindly to loosing. Mitch

PS: and we dont even have 3 mill now, let alone 3 mill more to give the Thai gvt!!

Despite all this, I love Thailand. It is my home.

you seem to be a brave man Ian. i will submit your case to the Klingon High Council with the recommendation to award you with honorary Klingon citizenship.

congratulations on the outcome and joke aside. if something like this would have happened to me and my wife we'd take the next available flight out of Thailand.

If i was Ian i would be doing the same as soon as possible. Look at the case of Kevin Quill he was acquitted by the courts and then the supreme court overturned this ruling.

See below.

Kevin Quill, 45, former owner of the Fighting Cock pub, was arrested and convicted in 2001 on drug charges, which he has strenuously denied.

He served six months in a Thai jail before being granted bail. In 2005 the country's Court of Appeal acquitted Mr Quill of the charges saying there was no evidence against him.

However this week the case went to the Supreme Court who rejected the acquittal and sentenced him to six years' imprisonment.

Scource: Telegraph and Argus (British local paper)

How can anyone have any confidence in the Thai judicial system when you see this kind of thing happening. He had every chance not to return from the UK to Thailand when he was acquitted, but believed in the Thai system and he was sadly let down badly.

Cheers, Rick

Hi Rick. Thanks for the advice. It's a shitty situation we have cause on one hand this is, for better or worse our home now. Burnt all my bridges so to speak at home. I too am worried about Thai justice, but what to do? If I stay we run the risk of going down, but on the other hand, if we get out of dodge, I will be breaking the law as well. The prosecutor has appealled our case and I am not allowed to leave the country without permission from the court. I don't have Taksin Shinawatts clout and I doubt that the court would give us permission to leave. Oh dear. Mitch.

Firstly, "Congratulations" on yours and your wife's release after serving 22 months in a Thai jail! I can only imagine how horrendous it must have been inside. (I hear enough about the poor conditions in Bangkok Remand Prison and Klong Prem Prison in Bangkok).

I can't believe that it took 22 months for your case to come to court - the wheels of justice turn so slowly in Thailand. From what you have written above, it seems that your nightmare is far from over. Despite being acquitted, the State Prosecutor is appealing the verdict??? Have I understood correctly? Therefore you are not supposed to leave the country without prior approval from the Court. right?

How long will it take to reach the Supreme Court (Dika Court)? It could be anything from 6 months to 18 months to 2 years right? So in the meantime, your life remains in limbo. Has you lawyer advised you of the timeline? I still find it very hard to understand why - after all you and your wife have been through - why on earth do you want to stay in a country such as this which as treated you like this??

I think you should now be weighing up the possible outcomes if this is going forward to the Dika Court:-

1) You are succesful, win your case and you are declared a free man.

2) You are unsuccessful - what is the minimum and maximum sentence? (Remember that the original sentence handed down by the initial court can also be increased at this point if I understand correctly).

Perhaps something to consider... try and get a sounding via your Lawyer/another Lawyer as to the likelihood of you obtaining compassionate leave for you and your wife to leave the coutry to get medical treatment or visit your or her "sick" mother in NZ/UK and then it is up to you if you return or don't return for the Supreme Court Trial.....

Although you should be aware that the Supreme Court hearing will not be run like it is in the West. In Thailand, your Lawyer and the State Prosecutor will submit all their papers and arguments in advance (I think you have 1 month from when the State Prosecutor files an appeal for you to submit all papers). Then, on the date of the Supreme Court hearing, the verdict which has already been decided, is just read out. So you will not have a chance to speak up at all at the hearing.

I am not sure what happens in the event the defendant is "absent"?????????? i.e. if you and your wife ARE granted leave to exit the country but then YOU decide NOT to return here for the Supreme Court trial. Perhaps you forfeit the case? (Something to find out from your Lawyer or call up the British Embassy for advice).

Depending upon what decision you make, you and your wife can sell your house etc and start again in another country. Or return to a country with a PROPER police force!@

I think you need to now be finding out LOTS of information in terms of dealing with a best case and worst case scenario and the odds. If you have family financial support, you may want to consider engaging another lawyer who specialises in Supreme Court cases and sound them out on your likely verdict.... It pays to be wise in advance as many can tell you from bitter experience.

I would also strongly advise you to get either the British or NZ Embassies on side. What a difference if they can submit a document of support on your behalf and/or attend the Supreme Court Hearing.....

All I would also say is Thailand is just one country, you and your wife have already seen 22 months inside a Thai jail. This will no doubt have left some terrible scars and aged you in ways that many Posters cannot even begin to comprehend. Ask yourself are you really prepared if the verdict does go against you. And I am sorry to say that I would not equate levels of justice at the Supreme Court here with the Supreme Courts in Western countries.

Furthermore, IMO which I may be wrong and apologies if I sound negative here but as a consequence of the above, your name will ALWAYS be flagged in this country. Can you live with the unknown bust and arrest at 2am as you have previously been picked out by the Thai Police? (Those bastions of honour and justice ).

Once again apologies if I seem overly negative, I am just trying to be realistic.

The Very Best of luck and health to you and your wife.

Andiamo

Thank you for your post. Appreciate the advice. All that you say is quite correct. BUT...my wife is Thai, the good people who put their land up to get us out on bail would lose it, if I don't appear in court (over 3 mill which is very low for a case this big, which all the more shows how confident the judges are in our innocence in this case), and the complete lack of evidence with the police. They cant bring in new evidence by law even if there was any. Finally the judges comments during the trial are all down on paper. If you had been there you would have seen what they thought of the police in our case. Yes it will still take a long time for this to go to court - ave about 2 years. Unlikely the prosecutor would appeal again when he loses this one as it is only standard form to appeal a big case like this in any case. Cheers for your help, but will stick around. Their memory span is not that great and they have many other and bigger cases to chase. Mitch. PS: The NZ embassy were with us at court every day and saw that we had things pretty much in control. They said it was very exciting watching the action eg. police and prosecution screaming at each other, police getting shit on their faces with every bit of so called evidence going down in flames! It was quite a show and I am lucky I speak good Thai and could understand 80% of what went down. Mitch.

huh? Didnt you say in another of your posts that you had a house just outside of BKK that is worth 9 million baht? Surely the court would have had you put that up as surety ?

Hi. Sorry to get back so late but i've been out. The court would have let us put the house up as security, however we were both in prison, and had no way to arrange that and the police ran us in circles for over 3 months when we did get out, before telling us that they had lost our land ownership papers!! We would call them and make a time to go in and pick the papers up, take a cab into town at around 270 baht there and the same back, only to arrive and be told that so and so was out and would we please come back another day! We had hardly any money and were beginning to think we would never get them back. I think we finally just wore them out. We have only just got them back after having to report them "LOST". We have been out near 6 months now. So if we had had to rely on our house papers to get out, we would still be in paradise prison!! This is just a small example of the many problems we have had in dealing with the police. They do not take kindly to loosing. Mitch

Despite all this, I love Thailand. It is my home.

you seem to be a brave man Ian. i will submit your case to the Klingon High Council with the recommendation to award you with honorary Klingon citizenship.

congratulations on the outcome and joke aside. if something like this would have happened to me and my wife we'd take the next available flight out of Thailand.

If i was Ian i would be doing the same as soon as possible. Look at the case of Kevin Quill he was acquitted by the courts and then the supreme court overturned this ruling.

See below.

Kevin Quill, 45, former owner of the Fighting Cock pub, was arrested and convicted in 2001 on drug charges, which he has strenuously denied.

He served six months in a Thai jail before being granted bail. In 2005 the country's Court of Appeal acquitted Mr Quill of the charges saying there was no evidence against him.

However this week the case went to the Supreme Court who rejected the acquittal and sentenced him to six years' imprisonment.

Scource: Telegraph and Argus (British local paper)

How can anyone have any confidence in the Thai judicial system when you see this kind of thing happening. He had every chance not to return from the UK to Thailand when he was acquitted, but believed in the Thai system and he was sadly let down badly.

Cheers, Rick

Hi Rick. Thanks for the advice. It's a shitty situation we have cause on one hand this is, for better or worse our home now. Burnt all my bridges so to speak at home. I too am worried about Thai justice, but what to do? If I stay we run the risk of going down, but on the other hand, if we get out of dodge, I will be breaking the law as well. The prosecutor has appealled our case and I am not allowed to leave the country without permission from the court. I don't have Taksin Shinawatts clout and I doubt that the court would give us permission to leave. Oh dear. Mitch.

Firstly, "Congratulations" on yours and your wife's release after serving 22 months in a Thai jail! I can only imagine how horrendous it must have been inside. (I hear enough about the poor conditions in Bangkok Remand Prison and Klong Prem Prison in Bangkok).

I can't believe that it took 22 months for your case to come to court - the wheels of justice turn so slowly in Thailand. From what you have written above, it seems that your nightmare is far from over. Despite being acquitted, the State Prosecutor is appealing the verdict??? Have I understood correctly? Therefore you are not supposed to leave the country without prior approval from the Court. right?

How long will it take to reach the Supreme Court (Dika Court)? It could be anything from 6 months to 18 months to 2 years right? So in the meantime, your life remains in limbo. Has you lawyer advised you of the timeline? I still find it very hard to understand why - after all you and your wife have been through - why on earth do you want to stay in a country such as this which as treated you like this??

I think you should now be weighing up the possible outcomes if this is going forward to the Dika Court:-

1) You are succesful, win your case and you are declared a free man.

2) You are unsuccessful - what is the minimum and maximum sentence? (Remember that the original sentence handed down by the initial court can also be increased at this point if I understand correctly).

Perhaps something to consider... try and get a sounding via your Lawyer/another Lawyer as to the likelihood of you obtaining compassionate leave for you and your wife to leave the coutry to get medical treatment or visit your or her "sick" mother in NZ/UK and then it is up to you if you return or don't return for the Supreme Court Trial.....

Although you should be aware that the Supreme Court hearing will not be run like it is in the West. In Thailand, your Lawyer and the State Prosecutor will submit all their papers and arguments in advance (I think you have 1 month from when the State Prosecutor files an appeal for you to submit all papers). Then, on the date of the Supreme Court hearing, the verdict which has already been decided, is just read out. So you will not have a chance to speak up at all at the hearing.

I am not sure what happens in the event the defendant is "absent"?????????? i.e. if you and your wife ARE granted leave to exit the country but then YOU decide NOT to return here for the Supreme Court trial. Perhaps you forfeit the case? (Something to find out from your Lawyer or call up the British Embassy for advice).

Depending upon what decision you make, you and your wife can sell your house etc and start again in another country. Or return to a country with a PROPER police force!@

I think you need to now be finding out LOTS of information in terms of dealing with a best case and worst case scenario and the odds. If you have family financial support, you may want to consider engaging another lawyer who specialises in Supreme Court cases and sound them out on your likely verdict.... It pays to be wise in advance as many can tell you from bitter experience.

I would also strongly advise you to get either the British or NZ Embassies on side. What a difference if they can submit a document of support on your behalf and/or attend the Supreme Court Hearing.....

All I would also say is Thailand is just one country, you and your wife have already seen 22 months inside a Thai jail. This will no doubt have left some terrible scars and aged you in ways that many Posters cannot even begin to comprehend. Ask yourself are you really prepared if the verdict does go against you. And I am sorry to say that I would not equate levels of justice at the Supreme Court here with the Supreme Courts in Western countries.

Furthermore, IMO which I may be wrong and apologies if I sound negative here but as a consequence of the above, your name will ALWAYS be flagged in this country. Can you live with the unknown bust and arrest at 2am as you have previously been picked out by the Thai Police? (Those bastions of honour and justice ).

Once again apologies if I seem overly negative, I am just trying to be realistic.

The Very Best of luck and health to you and your wife.

Andiamo

Thank you for your post. Appreciate the advice. All that you say is quite correct. BUT...my wife is Thai, the good people who put their land up to get us out on bail would lose it, if I don't appear in court (over 3 mill which is very low for a case this big, which all the more shows how confident the judges are in our innocence in this case), and the complete lack of evidence with the police. They cant bring in new evidence by law even if there was any. Finally the judges comments during the trial are all down on paper. If you had been there you would have seen what they thought of the police in our case. Yes it will still take a long time for this to go to court - ave about 2 years. Unlikely the prosecutor would appeal again when he loses this one as it is only standard form to appeal a big case like this in any case. Cheers for your help, but will stick around. Their memory span is not that great and they have many other and bigger cases to chase. Mitch. PS: The NZ embassy were with us at court every day and saw that we had things pretty much in control. They said it was very exciting watching the action eg. police and prosecution screaming at each other, police getting shit on their faces with every bit of so called evidence going down in flames! It was quite a show and I am lucky I speak good Thai and could understand 80% of what went down. Mitch.