aussiejohn

A monumental win for the sex tourism industry. More single women on the street...lower prices. Way to go Thailand........ruin any chance to legitimize young women through marriage.

What a shame. Especially because there is really no benefit to marrying a thai anyway when compared to the benefits in the uk and us. It is like children are running this country. They should do the opposite of this and award valid marriages and demonize people who stay here and do NOT get married. I am sure the uscis would work closely with them to introduce a framework by which marriages are examined for validity. It costs around 3000 dollars to go from marriage to green card in the us without a lawyer. That would be a welcomed income stream for Thailand and would eclipse the 400,000 baht discrepancy. And they could even go ahead and make it 800,000 for everyone who wishes to marry a girl under 25.

This whole thing is sort of stupid. Noone should rent jet skis any way because they are a nuisance.

fyi, it is actually illegal to threaten anyone in any way in thailand, especially if it involves bodily harm, however it is also illegal to record conversations of any type in thailand. it is also illegal to have sex with someone under the age of 17 in thailand. That is why it is has been so hard in the past to get men to even come to Bangkok. Dont worry about the law or the police though, just be fair and give her stuff back asap. and dont have anything to do with her. start to get rid of any ties you have with her. Thais respond well to this type of treatment.. Try not to involve to many different people because they may look for oppertunity in your dispute. try to arrange for someone YOU trust to meet her at the apt to get her stuff. make sure she know s that aftyer she gets her stuff you will not be available for her to contact. I heard about this brittish guy (not sure if it is true)who had a similar problem with an three underaged bar girls in his short time hotel, somebody's x wife went down to try to sort it out and got sucked in to the mess that ended up with everyone around nana getting involved. All these old swiss men came around trying to get the girl to leave with them because she was so hot. listen, if you are going to date the kind of women that want to be with us here you had better have a good dissappearing act when stuff like this happens. Remember that most of the threats are like a puffed up cock trying to scare you. just ignore it and rent a new girl.

have fun

idiots

Aussiejohn in the Uk with all his young g/f has to be a Troll living under the bridge.

im not sure what you mean by that but you better be careful. im no troll....68 and looking like more like 58. Oh and I got the ages mixed up my wife was not 13 when I met her she was 21 now she is 25. and the brother is 16. lol sorry I no padafile. You all must understand about having to keep paying so much money for these thai beauties. I guess there is a price to paradise. you understand...right?

My wife wants to leave the UK go back to see her brother in thailand and she needs money for him to visit a hospital because he is sick. How much money should I give her for that. I met her brother one time a few years ago after we were engaged and they did not look very much alike and he was alot older like 21 and she is 16 now. he was sick then too and their mother had the same illness and I paid them once before. I am starting to feel like there Miiiiiiiiiight be something going on. My pension doesnt pay much and I have a lot of young girlfriends so I may just give her a few hundred quid. I smell a scam! what should i do

Pai and MHS are on a dark and lonely frontier where justice has an entirely different definition. It is a forgotten place...a riverbed of the drug trade... steeped in multicultural organized crime. Just a few miles away is one of the most dangerous and heavily armed guerilla armys in the world, dug in to protect the flow of drugs and weapons. The police in Pai and the thai army are resting happily in the Wa army's pocket. The level of danger on a daily basis is equal only to the level of its beauty and serenity. It is not the type of place one would want to enjoy the lifestyle of frolic and consumption. Unfortunately this is the fatal inconsistency of Pai. Most free living expats of Pai have no idea what is going on on a socioeconomic level in the villages around their eclectic yoga retreats. I lived in Pai for years and I consider it one of the most dangerous places I have ever seen. Pai is deceptively unpredictable and this is a warning. Dont dance with Pai.

they are not politicial prisioners. They are criminal and needs to be locked up until proven innocent.. . . . . Just like the Saudi case. . . . "Ashri and other Saudi officials at the meeting were seen shaking their heads when Suthep cited the doctrine of "innocent until proven guilty" in response to the diplomat's statement citing cases of Thai police officers' promotion being put on hold while investigation into their past wrongdoings were pending.- Nation 16Sept2010"

This is ridiculous and detrimental thinking to the cause of the yellow shirts and all of those who seek true democracy in Thailand. I understand your fear and hatred of the red shirts but try to realize that what you are saying is not only ignorant, but offensive to the yellow shirt movement. First of all, the saudis are monarchists and do not believe in true democracy, hence the statement guilty until proven innocent. The yellow shirts in thailand have faith in their monarchy, but support a democratic government. In order for there to be democracy, you must have an operative judicial system whereby the criminal is ALWAYS innocent until proven guilty. It should be a burden to produce evidence to convict any criminal. THEN when that burden is served and the criminal IS found INNOCENT or GUILTY....that verdict can be celebrated as absolute fact and completely indiputable. Maybe you should take a remedial course in basic political science before you post next time. Good Luck...whew!

All iis fine in patsy. Works fine on true

I'm off to the bars for some fun with your wife and her brother who is not really her brother.

this is total bs. no way...nice try though!. when was the last time you heard of a big company like thai mart letting its mid level mgmt tote around 350,000 dollars worth of thai currency in a freaking bag around nana plaza in a pick up truck......no way.....moreover, what kind of moron leaves that much money in a parked car?that is why you see armored trucks everywhere here. anything over 1,000,000 goes in an armored car...and that is broad policy. this story was concocted by thai visa to rile up all you old bored pensioners, or the thai guy is lying(what a notion)...both are equally feesible!?!

!lololololmfao!!!

they have this great modern treatment for bad infections. Its called Penicillin. It comes in the form of a shot. You can get one on demand at any hospital or clinic in thailand for about 200 baht. Or 1000 baht you can get a cef 3 injection which probably would have been smart for him to do if he had a bad infection. Sorry for this guy, but it sounds like their may be more to the story. I wonder if he was taking pain medication or drinking alcohol when he died. COD would be a nice piece of info since there seems to be a lot of time between the attack and when he died, and some major deficits in the story as a whole. Full treatment in Thailand probably would have been less than his deductible on his insurance back in Oz. Ive lived here 10 years and I have never seen a hospital bill more than 200,000 baht, and that was for 3 months in icu with two surgeries. Something just doesnt seem right about this story. VERY VAGUE, but a pearl of a story for a lame forum such as este es.

Another one to add to the list from http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thre...hreadID=1800664

Warning for people travelling from Surat Thani to Ko Samui or Ko Pha Ngan

If you will be travelling to Ko Samui or Ko Pha Ngan via Surat Thani railway station please be warned of the following:

I made this trip three weeks ago and was robbed by employees of one of the shuttle bus services running between the railway station and Donsak ferry port (the departure point for ferries to Ko Samui and Ko Pha Ngan).

The bus involved was blue and white with mostly Thai script on the outside; the only words in Roman script were either 'Ko Samui' or Ko Pha Ngan'. An employee of the company, or someone in cahoots with them, hides in the luggage hold during the journey with a torch (flashlight) and goes through all of the bags, stealing any valuables. The driver makes at least one unscheduled stop (presumably for the accomplice to escape) and makes sure that the bus gets into the ferry terminal five minutes before the departure time, so that no-one checks their luggage until they're on the ferry. It was only when my partner and I were on the boat that we realised our bags had been thoroughly rummaged through and that items were missing.

Also, from speaking to other travellers, it seems that a taxi from the railway station to the ferry port might actually be a cheaper as well as a more secure option. We were charged 550 baht each for a combination bus / ferry ticket. We later found out that the ferry ticket alone is something like 220 baht, so if you can get a shared taxi for less than 330 baht you'll be saving yourself some beer money.

If you're travelling in the area, please warn other travellers of the above. In the absence of any recourse to the law (the local police were not very interested), I'd be pleased if I could at least save a few others the hassle of being robbed and hopefully help to put the offending company out of business too. Posted

23-Jul-2009 22:16

by: Thaigerwan

'in' "cahoots".......I love that word. It really sets the scene for a hilarious, imaginative

story. and I love the part about the guy who crawls down into the luggage hold with a flashlight. That probably did happen!!!its great! It's like the GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY except on a bus in Thailand! WARNING....watch out backpackers!

Sounds more plausible that Mr Georgesen is scamming his local press - I don't buy this story at all.

The bribes were paid to an intermediary named Sunil "Tony" Rathnayaka, a Sri Lankan national in his fifties who works as a "volunteer" interpreter for Thailand's tourist police (motto: "To serve and to protect").

OH MY GOD>>>I JUST REALISED WHO THAT IS>>>ITS TONY FROM CHANG MAI TOURIST POLICE he is a crook. but that still doesnt convince me that they did not steal the wallet. TONY is a legend in chang mai.

Unfortunately Aussiejohn you are completely incorrect in your "realisations". The "Tony" you refer to is a Thai national and not Sri Lankan, and for obvious reasons I will not mention his Thai name here. Try to have some more rational realisations in future.

Eleven posts in one day from the Aussie.

At this rate he'll soon be in Bedlam

But as he says "so far I have seen nothing that makes me think these people did not commit a crime or that there is any scam at all involving the police or King Power". Given his current posting record he must be right, and all of us guys who have lived here and know the score have obviously been wrong all along.

And for his next post - the moon is made of cheese.

Dont be agro...I am simply stating that the King Power surveillance video is clear. What most posters are referring to as a a scam on the part of King Power is very unlikely and baseless. However it is true that one could view the situation with the police interpreter Tony as a "scam" but actually it was a way for the couple to avoid a trial and get home faster. Tony put a price on it and they took the offer. I personally dont view this as a scam as much as simple corruption in the form of bribery resulting in a favorable situation for both parties involved. I have lived in Thailand for 14 years on 14 non-o's, dont think for a second I dont know what goes on in Thailand. I usually refrain from getting involved with this forum precisely because of replies like your own. This time I could not resist. Good luck and thanks for the welcome.

British couple fights Bangkok airport extortionists

Two tourists were held by an airport gang until they paid up £8,000

Stephen Ingram and Xi Lin were falsely accused

of stealing from a shop at Bangkok airport. Photo: Michael Sheridan

A British couple who were falsely accused of shoplifting in Bangkok airport and were forced to pay £8,000 in bribes to secure their release are to take legal action for compensation.

They were the victims of an extortion racket that has ensnared other foreign travellers at the airport, which handles most of the 800,000 British visitors to Thailand every year.

Stephen Ingram, 49, and Xi Lin, 45, both technology professionals from Cambridge, were detained by security guards as they went to board Qantas flight QF1 to London on the night of Saturday, April 25.

They were accused of taking a Givenchy wallet worth £121 from a King Power duty-free shop and were handed over to the police. An official release order from the local Thai prosecutor’s office subsequently conceded there was no evidence against them.

They were freed five days later after a frightening ordeal in which they said they were threatened and held against their will at a cheap motel on the airport perimeter until they had handed over the money.

The bribes were paid to an intermediary named Sunil “Tony” Rathnayaka, a Sri Lankan national in his fifties who works as a “volunteer” interpreter for Thailand’s tourist police (motto: “To serve and to protect”).

“Our main motivation is to protect other innocent British tourists from being caught up in this nightmare,” said Ingram last week. “We intend to take every legal means to recover our money and obtain justice.”

Last week Rathnayaka admitted in a telephone interview that he had received cash and money transfers amounting to more than £7,000 from the Britons. He said the money was for police bail and for a payment to a figure he called “Little Big Man” who could withdraw the case against them.

“In Thailand everyone knows it’s like that,” he said. “They can go to jail or they can just pay a fine and go home. It is corruption, you know?”

Rathnayaka also agreed that the “bail” — about £4,000 — was never returned to Ingram and Xi. Thai law says bail should be refunded.

In a detailed statement the couple said they were first detained at an airport office of the tourist police and later taken to cells at a police station in an isolated modern building on the fringes of the airport.

Rathnayaka confirmed that he met them in the cells on the morning of Sunday, April 26, and arranged the “bail”. The police kept the couple’s passports. Rathnayaka then escorted Ingram and Xi to the Valentine Resort, a lurid pink motel a few hundred yards from the runways. They were to remain there for four days.

During that time, Rathnayaka warned them not to tell anyone about their plight, especially the British embassy, lawyers, friends, family or the press.

However, on April 27 they sneaked out of the hotel and found their way to the embassy, where they met Kate Dufall, the pro-consul.

According to the couple, she told them the embassy could not interfere with the Thai legal system and put them in contact with Prachaya Vijitpokin, a lawyer.

Vijitpokin and a colleague, Kittamert Engchountada, of the Lawyers Association of Thailand, urged them to stay in the country to fight the case and have since assembled a dossier for potential prosecutions.

However, Ingram said the couple were so terrified by this stage that they decided to meet the demands for money, which they raised by bank transfers from Britain direct to Rathnayaka’s account. The Sunday Times has copies of the transactions.

Ingram and Xi were put on a British Airways flight to London early on Friday, May 1, having received their passports with official documents from prosecutors and police stating that no charges were to be brought against them.

They have said they are willing to return to Thailand and testify to try to stop the extortion if the government will guarantee their safety.

That could become a priority for Thailand, which has suffered a series of blows to its tourist industry through economic and political upheaval.

Inquiries last week established that Rathnayaka and his accomplices have continued preying on tourists who end up in police custody after being accused of theft from the airport duty-free shop. “I am just helping people,” he explained. “I don’t get paid to do this. All the embassies know me.”

Officials at the Danish embassy confirmed that a Danish woman fell into Rathnayaka’s hands about two weeks ago and was allowed to leave Thailand only after handing over more than £4,500.

When a Sunday Times journalist posing as a businessman in trouble contacted Rathnayaka last week, the first thing he said was: “If it’s a case, for example, of shoplifting at the airport duty-free then I can help. Bail is 100,000 baht (£1,800).” He later declined an interview, saying the Sri Lanka embassy — which employs him as an interpreter — had told him not to speak.

The Foreign Office said consular officials had offered to raise the case with the Thai authorities at the time but had been asked by the couple not to intervene.

A spokesman for King Power duty-free said the company had strict rules for evidence to be submitted to the police in shoplifting cases, but added: “We cannot control what happens after that.”

-- timesonline.co.uk 2009-06-28

OH MY GOD>>>I JUST REALISED WHO THAT IS>>>ITS TONY FROM CHANG MAI TOURIST POLICE he is a crook. but that still doesnt convince me that they did not steal the wallet. TONY is a legend in chang mai.

(Mario2008 @ 2009-06-28 09:47:59)

Although it happened at a King Power store, there is no involvement of King Power itself. Let's not suggest it is or call for boycotts etc.

(dominique355 @ 2009-06-29 08:42:29)

What are you talking about? Of course King Power was involved. If some one is accused of stealing, only the owner of the stolen good can accuse or press charges and that was King Power.

And these lame excused "we cannot control what happens after" doesn't get them off the hook. They, King Power through it's employees started the whole thing. So clearly they are involved.

What it means is that there is a difference between individual employees operating a scam and the company itself operating a scam. Here the company itself is not scamming its costumers.

How are they involved? What is this scam everyone is talking about!? How is it a scam!? you can see clearly on all of the videos, people blatantly shoplifting items from these stores. The Malaysian guy takes the merchandise off the counter and puts it in his bag. Nobody puts it in his bag for him. The English couple were captured on video doing the shoplifters dance, then trailed and the woman was found separated from the man and they were both had different clothes. The man was trailed to a bathroom where the stolen item was found in a rubbish bin. The money these two paid is normal in Thailand. It is also normal for the amounts to vary greatly between incidents and individuals. You are always given a chance to pay your way out of ANY crime including murder and EXCEPTING HEROIN TRAFFICKING. I agree this practice by the police may be ultimately problematic, but to think that because of these peoples nationalities, jobs and stature in life that they are immune to addiction, imperfection, the disease of shoplifting, and the enabling of such pathological behavior, is ludicrous. Their crime is clear and any specialist in crime analysis will agree that the video shows an orchestrated effort to obtain merchandise without paying for it. One would be amazed at the social level and net worth of some shoplifting addicts; And it is not unusual to have a man and wife involved in a systemic shoplifting addiction, even being caught many times and never prosecuted because of their standing in society, or disbelief that they could have committed such a crime. I like to pay attention to the facts in a case like this and so far I have seen nothing that makes me think these people did not commit a crime or that there is any scam at all involving the police or King Power.

(Mario2008 @ 2009-06-28 09:47:59)

Although it happened at a King Power store, there is no involvement of King Power itself. Let's not suggest it is or call for boycotts etc.

(dominique355 @ 2009-06-29 08:42:29)

What are you talking about? Of course King Power was involved. If some one is accused of stealing, only the owner of the stolen good can accuse or press charges and that was King Power.

And these lame excused "we cannot control what happens after" doesn't get them off the hook. They, King Power through it's employees started the whole thing. So clearly they are involved.

What it means is that there is a difference between individual employees operating a scam and the company itself operating a scam. Here the company itself is not scamming its costumers.

That is BS...In Thailand once the police arrive it is in their's and the courts hands...King Power cannot "drop the charges".The only thing they could have done was not called the police rather let them go free; but that would have been really stupid because they found the wallet in a trash can in the bathroom where the guy ran after the lady was apprehended.

Quite a twist to this story (if it's true), specially the changed "outerwear" and the wallet beeing abondend in the trash bin... Looking at the video does make it look like these guys are actually shoplifting... That Thai police is corrupt shouldn't be anything new for a bunch of expats I would think ?! It's like living in Pakistan beeing suprised that there are mujahedin in the country... LOL

The moral of this story is don't accidentally shove merchandise into your bag and run for the door then to a bathroom and change clothes when you really just accidentally mixed a few items up when you were shopping in a store in an airport in Thailand!!!!!lol

Watch the video...you can clearly see the british man look around just before his wife goes in to the mark. These guys are working a classic confidence game. Textbook my whinging friends! She mixes the merchandise up and then switches positions to confuse. puts one mark back but has two....the one goes in the bag from the other side where the man stands watching before he comes around and looks at her to see if she has made it as well as block the view from back stage left. She leaves before him and from a different exit point. You have to focus on the body language around the mark not on the mark itself. Remember they know there is a camera and they do not care because it wont matter later when they scream CORRUPTION on the part of the shop because the mark is not in their possesion and the video is vague concerning the path of the mark into the bag and because the fourth person(keen or not) gets on the plane with the mark which was handed to him in the security line. The problem with their game in this case is that they assumed that since they did not have the mark when searched that they would be let free(this is usually the case)This is where the corruption comes in...Thai law provides for immediate incarceration for shoplifting until the court case which in Thailand can take months...but only the video is enough to incarcerate. Look....these guys freaked out like landed fish(typical of confidence guys) and were offered a way to avoid hard time and they cut a deal and paid and this was not part of their plan to have to pay. Now they are looking for(and obviously getting) your confidence in them as victims of dreaded incarceration due to misunderstanding and corruption. In Chang Mai last year an Aussie man shot another man in the face at point blank over a war that has been protested extensively for 30 years and received only 2 years in the chang mai jail and spa resort where you can get sleeping poills, KFC, Pizza Company delivered to your door. He will be out soon and paid nothing to speak of...NOW THERE IS SOMETHING TO WORRY ABOUT. In some countries you would lose your hand for what they did. Anyone who lives an honest life in Thailand should be glad this happened.

CHECK THIS OUT. THEY ARE GUILTY AS ALL F**** or shall I say probably NOT innocent until never to be proven guilty b/c they were lucky the demonized Sri Lankan guy rocked up!!!!!

uk_case.pdf

Watch the video...you can clearly see the british man look around just before his wife goes in to the mark. These guys are working a classic confidence game. Textbook my whinging friends! She mixes the merchandise up and then switches positions to confuse. puts one mark back but has two....the one goes in the bag from the other side where the man stands watching before he comes around and looks at her to see if she has made it as well as block the view from back stage left. She leaves before him and from a different exit point. You have to focus on the body language around the mark not on the mark itself. Remember they know there is a camera and they do not care because it wont matter later when they scream CORRUPTION on the part of the shop because the mark is not in their possesion and the video is vague concerning the path of the mark into the bag and because the fourth person(keen or not) gets on the plane with the mark which was handed to him in the security line. The problem with their game in this case is that they assumed that since they did not have the mark when searched that they would be let free(this is usually the case)This is where the corruption comes in...Thai law provides for immediate incarceration for shoplifting until the court case which in Thailand can take months...but only the video is enough to incarcerate. Look....these guys freaked out like landed fish(typical of confidence guys) and were offered a way to avoid hard time and they cut a deal and paid and this was not part of their plan to have to pay. Now they are looking for(and obviously getting) your confidence in them as victims of dreaded incarceration due to misunderstanding and corruption. In Chang Mai last year an Aussie man shot another man in the face at point blank over a war that has been protested extensively for 30 years and received only 2 years in the chang mai jail and spa resort where you can get sleeping poills, KFC, Pizza Company delivered to your door. He will be out soon and paid nothing to speak of...NOW THERE IS SOMETHING TO WORRY ABOUT. In some countries you would lose your hand for what they did. Anyone who lives an honest life in Thailand should be glad this happened.

where do you get the video mate?

http://www.kingpower.com/2009/popup/pop_case2.html

In some countries you would lose your hand for what they did. Anyone who lives an honest life in Thailand should be glad this happened.

Thats the kinda talk we need, cut off the crook's hand. But why stop there? Why not just do a summary execution right in the shop? After all, "honest" people have nothing to fear in LOS, do they?

Jeez, I hope they don't crack down on jay walking too.. Gonna be a lot of bodies piled up near intersections

That is ridiculous....The point is that different countries have different ways of dealing with criminals and foriegners should respect those laws or choose not to travel there. Your point on jaywalking is silly and unrelated to the issue that these guys were caught on video, and given a chance to walk and pay or stay and pay and probably do 3 months in jail after being prosecuted. Again I should state that they were lucky they were not in Daharan and of Pakistani descent.....or they would have lost their hand. Needless to say, you are right that we should never want this kind of justice anywhere else especially for petty crimes.

Watch the video...you can clearly see the british man look around just before his wife goes in to the mark. These guys are working a classic confidence game. Textbook my whinging friends! She mixes the merchandise up and then switches positions to confuse. puts one mark back but has two....the one goes in the bag from the other side where the man stands watching before he comes around and looks at her to see if she has made it as well as block the view from back stage left. She leaves before him and from a different exit point. You have to focus on the body language around the mark not on the mark itself. Remember they know there is a camera and they do not care because it wont matter later when they scream CORRUPTION on the part of the shop because the mark is not in their possesion and the video is vague concerning the path of the mark into the bag and because the fourth person(keen or not) gets on the plane with the mark which was handed to him in the security line. The problem with their game in this case is that they assumed that since they did not have the mark when searched that they would be let free(this is usually the case)This is where the corruption comes in...Thai law provides for immediate incarceration for shoplifting until the court case which in Thailand can take months...but only the video is enough to incarcerate. Look....these guys freaked out like landed fish(typical of confidence guys) and were offered a way to avoid hard time and they cut a deal and paid and this was not part of their plan to have to pay. Now they are looking for(and obviously getting) your confidence in them as victims of dreaded incarceration due to misunderstanding and corruption. In Chang Mai last year an Aussie man shot another man in the face at point blank over a war that has been protested extensively for 30 years and received only 2 years in the chang mai jail and spa resort where you can get sleeping poills, KFC, Pizza Company delivered to your door. He will be out soon and paid nothing to speak of...NOW THERE IS SOMETHING TO WORRY ABOUT. In some countries you would lose your hand for what they did. Anyone who lives an honest life in Thailand should be glad this happened.

Sounds reasonable but if they were arrested at the departure gate why didn't either of them have the wallet? Surely, once out of the shop and into the departure gate area they would have felt safe? Afterall, they were about ready to board the plane.

The old aussie fart shot someone, what has that got to do with lifting stuff out of a shop? By the way Chiangmai prison is the only one in the country that allows foreigners to get KFC, or pizza on special occasions but its always cold.

lol

Nevermind. So are theycoming back to get money back, file charges?

Think before you post, aswin

He is a UK Government consultant , she is ex UN

Things will be done quietly. No face lost

A little bit of the pot calling the kettle black here. How do you know there will be no fuss or loss of face?

Getting your picture plastered all over Times Online is hardly a no fuss start.

Personally I would like to see them have a go if they still claim they are innocent. But since they preferred to pay 8,000 pounds to the Sri Lankan conman rather than 50,000 baht for a lawyer I am not holding my breath.

Nevermind. So are theycoming back to get money back, file charges?

Think before you post, aswin

He is a UK Government consultant , she is ex UN

Things will be done quietly. No face lost