COBRA22

The VP must be one very astute individual

I would think it would be difficult to tell the difference by just looking at individuals as to where they come from

Australia has a population of 21 million people, it considered one of the most multi cultural countries on earth, it has naturalised citizens from over 290 countries around the world.

Walking down the street in Phuket I defy most people to identify an Australian (Anglo Saxon as this seems to be the stero type the VP refers to) from a Britian, American, New Zealander, and majority of European countries.

Maybe he inspects there passports.

Or maybe this is a payback comment for the Bloody Beer Mat!

Her story is here

http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/latest/558285...hai-jail-stint/

"I HAD TO PLEAD GUILTY"

Annice Smoel has been reunited with her young daughters at Melbourne airport, saying she only pleaded guilty to stealing a bar mat in Thailand to get out of the country.

The mother of four arrived home in Melbourne on Thursday after spending 18 days in the holiday town of Phuket - including four nights in jail accused of stealing the mat from the Aussie Bar.

"I had to do what I had to do to get out," she told reporters at the airport.

"The governor of Phuket was there and he guaranteed me personally that I wouldn't go to jail if I pleaded guilty.

"If I'd pleaded not guilty it would have taken months to go to trial and I just had to come home."

Ms Smoel and her husband Darren earlier shared a tearful reunion with their four daughters, who'd feared the worst for their mum who was facing a possible five years in jail for a prank gone wrong.

Ms Smoel was celebrating her mother's 60th birthday at the bar when she was arrested. She claimed her friends had put the bar mat in her handbag as a practical joke.

"I'm just so relieved and very happy to see my daughters again, very much so," Ms Smoel said.

"I wasn't free until I was on the plane because they never handed my passport to me.

"They deported me, I was marched through customs and it wasn't until I actually went through customs at Phuket airport that I was actually free."

Ms Smoel said she would never go back to Thailand after her nightmare holiday.

Her husband said they were happy to be home.

"It's been a very long time to be away, we're exhausted but happy to be back," he said.

Interesting that they think Australians will come in numbers.

No way, not after all the negativity this week and I bet more to come this weekend.

Bali is back in vogue for Aussies, Thailand has been knock down and is now on the mat and will struggle to recover in the eyes of Australian couples and family tourists

So to all the people posting and claiming that the 36 year old mother of 4 was abusive and demeaning of the Thai Police where is the evidence?

I have read and listened to her interview, the interview of her friends that were with her on the night and at the Police station and all refute this accusation.

The Australian Bar Owner in his first Radio interview said he was not in Thailand at the time and did not have any involvement or knowledge of the event at the time. So he certainly can not claim to be a witness to this alleged tirade of abuse.

If she had a language barrier problem with the Thai Authorities how is it that they could understand the alledged abuse but could not explain the charges being alleged or understand her claim of innocence.

So contributors just jump in without any research on the topic, that ok for an opinion base topic but don't state issues as fact if you have know idea.

The women involved state their was absolutely no abuse of of Thai Officials or Police in a radio interview in Melbourne this morning.

They stated they told Police they were the ones who had played the prank and confessed to Police at the Station where they had accompanied the woman detained by Police.

It was revealed the bar Owner was not even in Thailand at the time of the event and was just making assumptions in his comments about drunken and abusive behavior of the women.

The bar mat is worth no more than $12AUD and his claim of $60 was just an exaggerated guess.

This story and events is far from over in Australia.

The story was also front page news on most of the major daily newspapers all around the country to day and on all news and Current Affairs TV programs last night.

Thailand is certainly getting a bad rap down under with many contributors stating they will either never go to Thailand or never return to Thailand.

I am sure there will be many more developments in Australia to day on this story

As said in previous responses this will have a massive negative impact on Australian tourism to Thailand

Radio interview

http://www.3aw.com.au/displayPopUpPlayerAction.act

I think you will find that a Aussie chap owns the bar, he looks like David Boone or Merv Hughes with his handlebar moustache.

He needs to step in and not press charges.

The story over here goes along the lines that BG placed the towel in her hand bag as a prank.

Security in the Hotel had observed what took place and got in to a discussion with the BGs and the woman walked out of the Bar leaving her Bag and the bar mat in the Bar. Undercover Police arrested her as she left the Bar on the street.

She has been locked up now for several days and the BGs have made representations to the Police and provide statutory declarations stating the Australian woman had no involvement in the episode.

But the Thai Police have said she will be held for up to 48 days before any charge is laid followed by going to court that will take at least 7 visits before any decision of guilt or otherwise is determined.

There is out rage from Humanitarian groups and high profile legal firs and Counsels.

Time for Australians to read a few reports on the Thai Justice system before considering a trip to LOS.

This are really hotting up down here.

So Thailand is a place where you will be thrown into a filthy, small jail cell with 3 others if you so much as take a bar towel from a bar?

I though Singapore was bad. Time to visit somewhere else.

This story is really gathering a very high profile in Australia, The Australian Prime Minister has now publicly denounced the Thai justice system and vowed to do everything possible to secure her immediate release.

The radio talk back stations have been swamped by callers telling of their experiences with rip offs and corruption in Thailand.

So many people with negative stories on Thailand coming to the public's attention will see a dramatic drop of in Aussies holidaying in Thailand and Phuket in particular (the new Bali for Australians).

I have never heard so much negativity from tourists from any country regarding Thailand.

It will be most interesting to see the reaction from the Thai Authorities given the comments from the Farang Australian Prime Minister, I doubt they will be prepared to lose face over this matter, even although it is just a small towel placed on the bar to soak up the spillage.

A Melbourne mother is stuck in Thailand charged with theft and facing time in a Phuket jail cell.

Thirty-six-year-old Annice Smoel says: "I get very scared when I see police. I'm just trying to keep it together, so I can get home." Undercover police arrested Smoel in the early morning hours of May 3.

Patong Police claim Smoel stole a bar mat from Phuket's Aussie Bar. Smoel spent the next day in a four-metre-by-four-metre cell with three other women.

Police have confiscated Smoel's passport. Smoel says she is struggling with a severe language barrier and doesn't know what will happen next.

She is facing between two and five years jail - and has not been given any food in the past four days according to her lawyer.

3AW Breakfast is speaking to Smoel, her husband and lawyer now.