grandpops

I've heard the rumor that PROSTITUTION is illegal in Thailand...probably ONLY a rumor. But if that was the case I wonder why they arrest people who steal bar mats. They should go after all the sex offenders in this country.

And I'll have a guess that there's a fair portion of sextourists or S-Expat's amongst those who post here that she rightfully deserves to be in jail for committing a crime. Clean your own yard first, guys. Most of you are here for the same reason.

This yard was a lot cleaner years ago before mass trash tourism, stag weekends and hen parties descended on us. Clean your acts up first before you travel here. There used to be warnings everywhere about officials here. Show respect, don't wear shorts, beach wear etc. Might be old fashioned but it works better than having the trash run the show and insist to police and immigration that they have their way.

Most of us are here escaping this loud trash drunk culture. The main shock as I see it is that anybody had the balls to stand up to her and her mates. The ozzy media is in a real tiz. Woman arrested for loutish behviour OMG and one of those white superiour women at that. Surely as most of the other parties are men, she must be in the right. Case and Mind closed again and the press descends even further into the gutter.

Police here don't put themselves out to do much, so she must have said or done something to tick them off. Anyway, she will be able to wail about it when she gets the TV and magazine deal they seem to be angling for.

I suspect many amongst us are happy to see this type of behaviour frowned upon. Look down on us if you please, but you should look around oz, USA, UK and realise it's what drives us away from there that is the issue, not the quality of what is on offer here.

And as for compounding the issue, she then imploys a Lawyer who insults Thai Officials to ram home the lesson to the Police here that she and her followers have really learned nothing. What makes it sadder is that they will never see the error of their ways and claim the victim role.

Showing their continued ignorance of Thai Law and ways she now digs her heals in. Every expat poster on here could have got themselves out of this mess easily by using a Thai Lawyer or intermediary. She appears to want out, but on her terms of being the victim and being a western woman. She ain't getting it and is having a tantrum.

Be a man, apologise, make up and get on with your life. We are all equal now so lets start behaving like it. Take responsibility for your or your mates actions, you will feel better for it and be more respected.

"The police brought her to Kathu Police Station for questioning, but she refused to admit her guilt and continued to insist that she was joking with her friends," said Col Grissak, who has extensive experience in the ways of foreigners from his work as head of the Tourist Police in Bangkok.

-- Phuket Gazette 2009-05-20

This is a pretty telling statement... the police told her she was guilty and she had the audacity to refuse her guilt.

Whats probably telling as well is that Ozzy Sheilas have grown up thinking they are right in every respect and that men are all rapists, wife beaters, drunks and oppressors. Soaps and movies where the men are simpletons and women save the day and have all the brains etc. Its just that.... movies and in the real world (outside of oz and hollywood), nations (all of them many times larger than this little western outpost stranded in Asia) have tradition such as respect for authority.

Anybody thinking of not coming, please do not come.

This poor sole is now trapped in one of the most luxurious hotels in Patong, her idiot Lawyer is effectively banned from here due to his comments so why keep him? He is probably more interesed in finding buyers for her story.

Anybody care to be imprisoned here http://www.phuketgraceland.com/ poor dear

Whats the betting no Ozzy man has ever dared stand up to these ladies before?

But Mr Murphy (her lawyer) told the Nine Network that the behaviour of the Thai police has been ridiculous.

"We're hopeful that the Thai authorities will listen and understand that their behaviour to date has been completely ridiculous," Mr Murphy said.

"To lock up this Melbourne mother for what's effectively 18 days for theft of a bar mat which other people have admitted doing seems simply crazy."

"She had had plenty to drink and if she did get upset that would be entirely understandable."

Best sack the lawyer, telling the Thai authorities that they are ridiculous will not help matters at all.

I agree, the Ozzies have learned nothing from this. She now has a high paid lawyer that could easily end up behind bars if he shows his idiot face here.

The lawyer is now looking round for money from the Ozz media and the saps will buy it.

All the while, the poor dears are living in that frighful hel_l hole the Graceland Hotel. This is probably the most expensive hotel in Patong and is right on the beach. Sure she will be able to survive another 4 weeks of this!!

Christ, all you blaggers out there, come to Thailand, go on a nicking spree and end up staying in a 5 star resort courtesy of the press.

http://www.phuketgraceland.com/ Its not the Bangkok Hilton but it will do

Anybody find out who is picking up the tab here? Can't be difficult in Patong in the low season. Any locals?

From what I understood about this whole issue it was not so much the bar mat as the fact that she apparently abused the police when they asked her to open her bag.Now I dont know about anyone else but when in a foreign country and you are approached by police people for whatever reason,you keep your cool and comply within the bounds of the law and common courtesy.Even if she was drunk,as has been reported, she was still capable of maintaining decent behaviour one would hope.If not then the owner of the bar would then be held liable for serving alcohol to a drunk person.

This story has many sides and I feel that the way it has been reported is not fair to the LOS.

Thailand has a lot to offer but the drunk farang element causes a lot of problems here for many parts of the community.

Once this lovely lady stops crying victim and accepts her part in it all then the issue will go away.

Thats a sensible post and well balanced. It is the drunken falangs that get all the problems here as always.

You are right. Contrition, a bit of humility and acceptance of guilt (lets not forget the bag had the mat in it) and its all forgotten.

A Western liberal attitude should be left at home when visiting Thailand. For all its "ways" Thailand is a very desirable place to live and most of us long term expats who accept it as it is, have no problems.

To the Bogans threatening a boycott of the bar. It only takes 40 or 50 people who live in Patong to agree with the owner and his bar is safe and will remain busy. Most local people I know don't drink there exactly because it is full of loud drunken yobs. You all clear off and we might start going back

You are safer in there than in the backstreet bars believe me. This is the safest best run bar in Patong by all accounts so if you are scared.... stay at home.... please.

In my home state in the U.S., a theft of property valued at less than $500 is a 1st degree misdemeanor. The maximum jail sentence for a 1st degree misdemeanor is 6 months in jail, though if it's a first offense, a fine and/or probation would probably be given instead of a jail sentence. Two to five years seems very harsh.

Similar in the UK. And, like your country this leads to repeat offending and a class of petty criminal that knows how far to push the law, how to get legal fees paid, sympathy from lefty social workers etc.

I bet her or her mates never steal in Thailand again! Think they will be angels in Oz?

One thousand bahts worth of beer mat is about right for the quality and size of the one in the picture. One thousand Baht is one third of a months wages to many in the service industry. Had it been a Thai they had stolen from it would have been much much worse and had a Thai been caught stealing 1000 bahts worth of items from another Thai it would have resulted in a severe beating if not worse.

It was not a prank. Please somebody explain how putting this mat in a bag is funny? It was obviously going to be stolen.

I read on another site that this place is totally covered by CCTV cameras at every angle and every table. This system is used when people argue about beer tabs. The customer is shown a video replay of every drink arriving at their table!!! Hope we get to see it soon.

It's generally considered a good sign and a victory when your opponents start attacking you and trying to have you banned or censored.

It was a snivelling attack on you by a sore loser who could not match your common sense and honesty in posting on here.

Well done Koo, keep posting. Not all falangs have a superior elitist air to them and a lot of us are certainly not on the side of the Junta.

I feel sorry for the Thais, they are not the worlds smartest politicly. The Aussie girls have set a trap and the Thais got caught in it. The Aussies will now stay home in droves and spend there money at home..thanks to the Aussie girls showing how dim whitted the thais can be.

Thais don't need nor want pity from you.

As for the trap, funny how the clever ladies ended up fleeing, squealing to the press, in jail, passport removed and in tears, whilst the Thai Police they out-witted were reduced to locking them up and laughing at their pleas.

More Aussies are likely to come here if they think these loud drunken types are going to be put off.

Thais win all round as they always do.

I suggest any teachers in Thailand, print the above post out and see if their students can spot more than the 10 errors I noticed on the most cursory of readings.

See if the average Thai Student's English is equal to that of such an intellect as regfrancis.

Here we go Thailand!

Thai authorities really know how to get back tourists to Thailand.

Wake up! TAT - are you sleeping? TAT - YOU need to wake up now, as it seems like the Thai government is still not able to take action against anything that could harm Thailand's reputation abroad.

Most people think it a good thing to stamp out this mindless pilfering and abuse of officials. Those who don't are welcome to holiday elsewhere in the world. Spain seem to be more happy to host thousands of drunken louts.

Most Thais are happy to leave there belongings overnight out in the street as stealing is a big no no here. No bearded social workers turning the victim into the criminal, no brash MS's howling about the whole thing being a male conspiracy. She stole, she was rude. Shouldn't have been!

Phuket gets by nicely with little in the way of drunken holiganism.

Been reading this (apologies for the repost) Am learning abit about oz culture with its Bogans, Tracy Grimshaw, Kath and Kim etc.

Am heartened to see that many ozzies are tired with this bogan behaviour and the bleeding hearts that leap to their defense when they get what they deserve.

May post along the lines of "Thailand is a place I want to go if they uphold laws and expect better standards of behaviour".

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/comments/...077-661,00.html

Sympathy in short measure.

Right dbrenn.

The PAD were actively stating on BBC, CNN, Al JAzeera et all during the airport seige that northern Thais were uneducated and too stupid to vote.

Long forgotten now by the PAD loyalists but that was their policy statement at that time.

Funny how they were too stupid to vote three years ago when they elected Thaksin, but not too stupid to vote on the referendum which was pushed down their throats.

Is the referendum therefore not valid as stupid people voted in favour of it or are there different stupids?

Army to monitor red shirt rally Sunday evening

First Army Area Commander Lt Gen Kanit Sapithak said Sunday that the Army will closely monitor the rally of the red-shirted movement in Bangkok Sunday evening.

Kanit said although police did not request the military's help to deal with the rally, the Army would closely monitor the demonstration at the Phai Khiew Temple.

The Nation 2009/05/10

Anybody still in doubt as to who is running the country these days and since 2006? Haven't they got any Burmese or Cambodians to shoot at these days? No women and children to herd into squalid holding camps in the northern jungles?

Army move in without any request from, police, Governor or Abhisit.

Speaks volumes to those with ears to hear it!!! Sorry some of you guys are still not getting it, but the rest of us and the rest of the world certainly are.

Good luck with your anti-thaksin rants and paranoia. You will wake up one day and some of these goons will have enacted the most racist (against the majority of Thais who are not skin whitener junkies) anti-falang set of policies asia has seen in a long time.

Reconciliation committee wary of suggestion from Sanoh

The Committee for Reconciliation, keeping elite snouts in troughs and Political Reform has not accepted a proposal from Pracharaj Party Leader Sanoh Thienthong (TRT Non-Banned # 1) to replace the current Constitution with that of 1997 and to offer amnesty to banned politicians, a panel member said yesterday.

Chinnaworn Bunyakiat, the Government Whip Chief and a member of the committee, said Sanoh's proposal was just a discussion position and not the committee's decision.

The committee will meet on Tuesday to discuss how to resolve political conflicts and bring about reconciliation through political reform and constitutional amendment, but without jeopardizing their grip on power.

He said the committee had received many ideas but would make a resolution after sounding opinion from all sides and reporting on the progress of it work in the media.

Democrat/army puppet Party MP Nipit Intarasombat, a committee member, denied allegations that the Democrat/army puppet Party was not sincere in solving the political crisis, saying that otherwise it would not have appointed the committee to take opinion from every sector of society before amending the Constitution to achieve national reconciliation.

Chinnaworn said the committee was divided on whether to conduct public hearings or call a public referendum on its conclusions after 45 days.

Meanwhile, Democrat Party advisor Banyat Bantadtan opposed Sanoh's proposal to replace the 2007 Junta Constitution with the 1997 Constitution, saying that if the committee took up Sanoh's proposal, society would be in a turmoil because it knew for whom Sanoh made the proposal.

"The committee may not be convinced by Sanoh, because many of them understand the problems of the country and will not listen to him. This committee plays a significant role. Whether or not the country reels under political crises depends on the committee,'' said Banyat, a former Democrat leader.

In a related development, Sirichai Maingam, a leader of the People's Alliance for Democracy, airport seizures, government office seizures and high tourist season wreakers, said the PAD was ready to stage a protest if the committee whitewashed banned politicians or favoured former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra or any other person with views differing from their own. by dissolving independent agencies, interfering with PAD/junta appointed courts of justice.

He said the PAD would first pressure the Democrat Party not to amend the Constitution on those issues and if the party backtracked on its stance the PAD would call a rally to oppose the move and bring the country to its knees again safe in the knowledge that the Junta will again stand on the sidelines to prevent the police from acting against them.

-- The Nation 2009-05-10

If you want to persist with your childish red pen, let me help you along a bit.

Why not just cut and paste as normal and put your comments below?

Can we please raise the bar a bit in these debates.

Copying Thaksin's populist agenda - 15 years too late by handing out cash to the peasants - looks silly too. The Dems did nothing for years to help the rural poor.

Perhaps the Dems have learned, benefiting from Thaksin/TRT's example, that it pays to be seen to follow policies which help the poor ? Surely a good thing to be doing, with the current economic problems, I'd have thought ?

But why was this statesmanlike, when Thaksin did it, but "looks silly" now ? Surely not because it reveals, that Thaksin was not the only Thai politician, who might ever help the poor !

Dems have been in power slightly over three years

I suspect you might have meant ... three months not three years ? (The Dems came to power in December 2008)

Freudian slip perhaps.

As the Democrats, Army, PAD are inseperable, the Dems have been in power since the 2006 coup.

Incredibly Al Jazeera were reporting on the suppression of free speach and journalism in Thailand only yesterday. Selectively shutting down TV stations whilst setting up propaganda units to try and convince the majority of the population (the same majority they have been lambasting as too stupid to vote for the past three years) that this corrupt gerry mandered government/junta is the way forward for Thailand.

Too stupid to vote, but not too stupid to throw 2,000 baht per head at and bombard with anti Thaksin BS.

The entire mainstream media of the world see it like this. Can't be long now before he goes and its a shame really. I wanted this guy to beat Thaksin in the last two elections, I really wanted Abhisit to come to power with a majority of the vote. In that situation he could have become popular and successful.

Try this.

Find a bar on the Island, similar (however slightly) to what you have in mind.

Drink in it from opening time to closing time every day for a month.

Find out what time the staff come in to clean in the morning, then start turning up to watch them clean, and stay behind after the bar shuts to watch them lock up.

You may have some money you can afford to lose but when the effects of drinking take over, you will not be able to handle them. Your wife could easily end up an acoholic schizo as she could begin drinking to handle the boredom and so could you.

Despite not being interested, she will almost certainly be manically jealous of any staff she sees as prettier, whiter, more useful or more adept than her. There will be serious tantrums, accusations of you sleeping with them, accusations against them and on the spot sackings. You are then in a position where you have no control of who you hire and fire. Believe it, believe it.

I can't believe (even though I have seen it thousands of times during my 15 year here) that people can still imagine that this could possibly be for them. It really isn't mate, spend your money on something else. I have seen so many nice (naive) people end up dead, wrecks, seriously ill and having to be transported home by relatives, beaten up, bribed and money extorted from them, mentally ill from the constant battling with Thai staff that you cannot begin to understand if you stay here another 100 years, need I go on.

Try paying a bar 5,000 baht a night to let you manage it on the odd occasion.

After all, he was corrupt at an unprecedented level (just ask the auditor-general), he personally implemented a policy which killed in excess of 2,500 innocent people without allowing them a trial - innocent or not we'll never know - and has a really square head.

Oops, one of those statements is wrong, but I can't remember which.

Nope actually they were all pretty much correct - just required a little editing for more accuracy. I saved you the trouble.

Write in big fancy crayon all you want. He was elected, he did reign in the nightlife and drugs (to many's distaste), he did set up health care and give Thailand a belief that it could do something over than provide cheap prostitutes to rich thais and no-hope-ever-of-getting-a-woman falang bar flys.

Didn't they do that last time ?

Army chief Anupong Paojinda has given his personal guarantee that Asean health ministers ... will be safe...

His neck is well and truly on the line now.

I wonder what his definition of "safe" is?

Nice to see the Army back in control

Actually at this point, if reds DO protest the Asean Summit flu meeting next week, one wouldn't be surprised to see reds running to the Army begging for protection- from normal citizens whom have frankly had enough.

The Asean Summit is held in countries like a circle. Each country will take turn to be host. The Summit could not be held last year because of PAD's protests.

Following the queue, the Summit is set for Khun Thaksin, not Abhisit.

But the coup stops Khun Thaksin.

this is a health meeting regarding a dangerous disease which everybody can catch including you!

Are you jealous that Khun Abhisit is chairing this meeting and not Taksin???

This is too much for me to understand...

Koos logic wins the day again I see.

Indeed, those who whinge about the pattaya summit have short memories about the meeting planned for last year that the PAD scuppered (along with the high season).

I love the way Koo bats on against these hi-so intelectual falangs and kicks ass day after day.

Thaksinophobia - a hatred of elected Prime Ministers by supposed intelects with no knowledge of Thailand.

They seek him here

they seek him there

those PAD pupets seek him everywhere

Is he in heaven

or is he in hel_l

That damned elusive Thaksin... kin'ell

Be a shame to catch him now as they may have to do something about he economy next!

Actually Abhi is only popular with the Bangkok ladies. Perfect husband, perfect son ... And, officially, their husbands agree. But when they're alone in the voting booth...

If this were true, I wonder how could the Democrats win 166 seats in the last election? Unless, you are saying that Bangkok ladies form 35% of the entire voting population....

I wonder if overthrowing the previous and decisive elections that TRT won, Staging a coup with the Junta putting its own rules in place with its own people to judge them, banning anybody that is popular and any parties that were popular, spreading blanket propaganda by banning electioneering by TRT, staging elections with a state of emergency still in place in the north of the country, THEN HILARIOUSLY LOOSING THE ELECTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and subsequently disposing of two prime ministers because they were not subservient to the Bangkok elites had something to do with it.

I really don't think it could be more obvious to any but the most ardent PAD apologists that Abhisits route to chief puppet came about by fair elections.

With all this, how could the Democrats not have been "elected"?

Pheu Thai threatens to boycott tripartite reconciliation panel

The Pheu Thai Party Wednesday threatened to boycott the tripartite committee to bring about political reconciliation and study charter amendments.

The tripartite panel is supposed to have representatives from the government, opposition and Senate.

The Nation

I have said all along that Abhisit is the northeast's best friend since he really is trying to do the right thing, despite non agreement from his own party. Still, the PTP continue to confirm the stereotype that they are too stupid to recognize it. If he fails, the people of the northeast have nobody to blame but themselves.

Puea Thai became obsolete when the first bus started burning. Thai's might not have a lot of formal education (the majority at least), but they know a turkey when they see it. Puea Thai is a big dead turkey, and its starting to stink horribly. Abhisit is going to be in power a looooong time. Thank God.

Abhisit isn't ever going to be in power, thats the point.

The only PM ever to have a full elected majority and be independent of the Elites was Thaksin.

Thats why you now have (after three years or army meddling, a rigged election, the banning of anybody who garnered more votes than the Democrats, the conscription of Newin into the ranks and the army standing by whist PAD destabalised the country and promptly showing up in force at the first sign of a comeback by Thaksin) a Junta installed puppet.

You perhaps can't see it, but all of the serious mainstream media see it like that.

Fantastic post as ever Koo.

Problem with PAD falangs is that they think corruption started with Thaksin.

I remember from the Thaksin days that the biggest topics of whingeing from falangs was about the crack downs on pole dancing, nudity and bar opening hours. Thats what really got their goats and now they are so self righteous and indignant that Thaksin might have been as corrupt as all other Thai politicians before him.

Most expats here have a vested interest in the poor remaining poor. How else could these dregs of society live like kings on the pittance they have? The villification of Thaksin and the pathetic references to his being convicted (as if the Juntas appointed courts could possibly ever have not convicted him) are their increasingly shrill inputs into an argument they can never possibly hope to understand.

The only group more deluded, are the PAD themselves. They on their minute salaries at the bank, office or department stores see themselves as part of the Hi-So elites ruling the country. If fact, they are virtually as poor as the farmers they so despise when you compare their wealth to the real elite!

Keep it up Koo.

2 posts have been edited by me because not the proper name of the politician is given. Further postings like that will be deleted in whole.

Can I ask who is the politician in question here? And why is it that the mods are coming down on this so hard?

Yes, you can, but in a private message to a moderator.

Thankfully it seems to now be enforced for ALL politicians.

A good move. May raise the level of debate a bit if we refer to them by their names and not the childish mock ups we (I include myself here) have descended into.

Looked like smiles all round in parliament yesterday. Maybe we are on the path to recovery!

It's the duty of politicians to decide on amnesty laws for banned politicians : Constitution court judge

It is going to happen

It'll be a sad day for Thailand if it does, IMO.

The ability to hold these people's feet to the fire was having positive effects as far as I saw. Hard for me to believe that party executives don't have complicit knowledge of the actions of the party. It doesn't seem all that different from conspiracy laws for crime syndicates that can net a group of criminals over the actions of some.

The positive effects I suppose meaning airport closures - 3 Government house seizures - 2, overthrown elected PM's 3, (with Abhisit still in the balance), riots on the street, Thai society divided, assasination attempts, holiday industry in tatters, and all this during a coup that started in 2006 and is still (in practice) effective.

Glad it didn't go tits up, thats all I can say.

Reconciliation is another word for red victory. Having failed to spark a revolution, they want to achieve exactly the same goals under the name of reconciliation.

What exactly it would reconcile is anyone's guess.

Perhaps if they allow only politicians who sworn off Thaksin, perhaps that would be acceptable to yellows. Maybe that's the goal - to isolate the die hards.

This "Thaksin as bogeyman" approach is just what the army want. It's a welcome distraction from their incompetence and gerrymandering. Whilst people see them as protectors against Thaksin, they are not anylysing the situation on the ground correctly ie. this an ongoing coup that started in 2006, not a return to democracy.

At no time have they relinquished control, they have all their appointees in place ruling according to a constitution they made. A constitution that nobody outside their elite circles had any input into, nor one that anybody that is not of their ilk will will be able to influence.

The goal of Democracy is not to isolate anybody. Extremists attract marginal votes from marginal supporters, thats democracy. After all the judgements, bans, disbanding of parties - but of course not the (anti)-Democratic party, the mass propaganda and bans on radio stations, etc, Thai Rak Thai in its third guise in as many years still attracts enough of the population to win a general election. If, big if mind, they are allowed to stand in a free election.

An interesting post today suggested that the future of the reds and yellows may lie together in a joint front against the ruling elites, corrupt general and police all of whom seem to have escaped from high minded purges.

Any westerners who are not sure who runs this country should try this. Send your wife out to set up a small market stall anywhere in Bangkok. Just do it and see who starts coming round for money. Find out why all the pavements have small markings on them, even outside existing businesses whose shop frontage they completely obscure. Walk round and note the same sets of "ladies" in exactly their alloted space each night. It's not as random and chaotic as you think.

If you are a thai woman or have a thai wife, dress sexy and walk down pattaya beach as my wife once mistakenly did. The danger is not from Falang sex tourists, its from the "organisers". Think you are safe opposite Soi 9 (Police Station).... try it.

The PAD seem to have aligned themselves with the ruling classes as a sop to their ego of thinking themselves above the rural poor. In effect thinking themselves as a part of this class when if fact they are nowhere close, in terms of money or power. When they realise how little they have and how little they will be allowed to run the country as puppets of the Army, they may need to think again. They need to realise that middle class here is probably on a par with unemployment benefits in the west... at best.

There is currently a three way split in Thai society, not the us and them that PAD see and I think there is desire for change throughout the country, apart from this ruling elite. Abhisit is not offering it and will not be allowed to disrupt the business as usual attitude of those above him.

Even PAD are not blaming Thaksin for having Sondhi shot.

I have confidence in his abilities.

Unfortunately, he is not in power! He will do as his is told so we will never know.