Thai navy boards cabin of fugitive 'seasteaders' facing death penalty

[Cranky]

Wish they put as much effort into clearing up all the other <deleted> floating around the sea

[generealty]

visarunner "why no one think about the stupidity of such a structure , did this person or persons think about enter and leaving his "new" state. Looks like a prison to me. Entering Thailand, going out to Sea and than ????????????? Don't we have real problems at hand. Why he not do in front of US coast? Why always blame Thailand?" Seriously dude - Are you for Real ? Float a raft and expect the death penalty - where the heck do you come from if you consider this normal ?

[Wake Up]

7 hours ago, YetAnother said:

thailand does not have to try hard to be an international laughingstock, over and over

I disagree 100 percent. Very few nations would allow this type of housing in the ocean. I will bet you that your home country if it borders an ocean or sea would not allow squatters to build buildings near their border.  I know you are not an international law expert but a lot of this freestanding BS is the same type of BS that lay lawyers argue that taxes are unconstitutional etc.... these people have no chance in hell of making a city in International waters or anywhere else. 

[Wake Up]

7 hours ago, YetAnother said:

thailand does not have to try hard to be an international laughingstock, over and over

Your words in your post makes you look like an expat laughingstoc@

[Destiny1990]

Is it professional  to talk about any kind of punishment  without having even warrants and or made  any arrests and or having any legal case pending  in court? Isn’t this up to the judges?

Talking about death penalty for a couple just being on a ship is ridiculous.  

[tifino]

now if there were ever a CrossOver Episode with The Goodies Pirate radio Station, being raided by the Spanish Inquisition...

[Mexlark]

Mr & Ms Bitcoin Homestead clearly have no idea what they have got themselves into. The Junta must have wet themselves in excitement when they saw the first reports on this come up. A nice juicy sovereignty issue with which to deflect loads of flag-waving nationalists (both pro & anti-junta) away from the extremely disappointing election for a few days, so the old hands have more time to .... do the books

[moe666]

5 hours ago, car720 said:

or, why not just wait for the first decent storm?

That piece of junk would come apart in the first storm of the season then they would have shown their freedomm, please Thai Navy come and save us. The only dips involved here is the American guy and his really influnced girl friend

[Peterbkk99]

4 hours ago, TKDfella said:

Okay I may be among the minority here but I think the 'seasteaders' should have thought this one through a bit more. They must have had some idea of what's been going on in the past few years under a junta government and the current 'witch hunt' on the political opposition front. It was bound to happen that having such a structure in the internationally recognized contiguous and economic zone, without prior consultation, that the junta would be on the offensive. I do admit that the death penalty or life sentence is far too excessive a punishment but then with the junta they'll do what they want to do and d**n everyone else. I would have thought a simple warning then boarding/confiscation would have sent the right signals.

 

Exactly.

Also regardless of what other people in this forum say, Thailand certainly does not want more 'seasteaders' like this. What the Navy is doing is basically discouraging others to do the same. 

[Caldera]

A whopping 14 nautical miles out, I'm surprised that the Thai navy vessel didn't sink on its way that far from shore. Who would have thought they're actually seaworthy, I'm in awe.

[mike787]

9 hours ago, neeray said:

This extreme threat, lacking in any diplomacy, is just one more blow to Thai tourism.

"Thai navy boards cabin of fugitive 'seasteaders' facing death penalty"

 

The above headline has been all over North American news for days, front and centre. Words like

"facing death penalty" would hardly be conducive to creating a warm and fuzzy feeling, as it relates to vacationing in Thailand. Perhaps a bit extreme. Why not hold back on the threat.

Noteworthy: There has been other negative stories of late. Gang them all together and it doesn't sound like a very safe place to visit.

Land of smiles is no longer a valid description that describes day to day living here.  With immigration in hot pursuit and shaking down every foreigner, road kill maintainig epidemic international levels, and the cost of living rising here...Not the same warm and fuzzy cheap place it used to be anymore.

[Peterbkk99]

10 hours ago, YetAnother said:

thailand does not have to try hard to be an international laughingstock, over and over

No.

Would you like the idea that a group of Thai 'seasteaders' set up their offshore home in the waters anywhere near your home country?

 

Am sure any means and "legal loophole" would be utilized to kick them out. It is no different here.

[DavisH]

8 hours ago, SiSePuede419 said:

along with his partner Supranee Thepdet, whose Facebook page describes her as a "Bitcoin expert,Trader, Chef, seastead Pioneer".

 

"Bitcoin expert"?  "Trader"? "Chef"? "seastead Pioneer"?

 

So, a loony criminal who sells worthless currency to other people and occasionally cooks a meal or two?

 

If you don't want to obey the laws of Thailand, put your "seastead" in the middle of the ocean.

 

Wait.  That would mean they couldn't travel easily to Thailand in order to take advantage of everything Thailand has to offer.

 

Lazy freeloaders. ????????????????????

 

...and when he docks in Thailand, immigration can meet him to ask to see his visa...every time!

[Dumbastheycome]

this story is becoming trash. 

[smudger1951]

What would prompt anyone to live on a small structure. What would your address be and how does the postman get there. Is it just a tax dodge ? I'm confused. It's a hazard to shipping, remove it.

[Docno]

Now this guy knows how to do 'seasteading'... been at it for a while and offers his own citizenship papers. One of my friends is a baron or duke or some such thing...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principality_of_Sealand

[beechbum]

20 hours ago, kensisaket said:

You have to believe this is more an issue of untapped oil deposits in the waters surrounding Thailand than anything.  Nip in the bud the possibility of someone claiming mineral rights before that becomes an issue.  

It has nothing to do with any untapped oil, there's nothing worth trying to extract out there, a little bit to the east of Nicobar but to small to be of any use.

[AlQaholic]

19 hours ago, farq said:

That's the Convention that the US ignores at their own convenience and has not ratified but uses as an excuse to stir up the Chinese in the South China Sea.

According to the Chinese, all seas belong to them.

[PumpkinEater]

Simply this "Vessel" needs to be adequately licensed and inspected as a marine vessel with the appropriate Country that it was built or comes from. Once that is accomplished (as like a sailboat or other motorized vessel) then the legal issue of anchoring the vessel offshore should be addressed...

If it is within Thai waters then the Thais have authority...If not then they should not be anywhere near this thing, unless of course it is a hazard to navigation (which it probably is).

 

The death penalty thing is a media frenzy...

 

My guess is that it will be towed onshore and possibly destroyed unless properly documented.

[metisdead]

Some inflammatory posts have been removed. 

[Teacherduck]

Must be the first job the Navy has had to do in 5 years.

[BernieOnTour]

“The location of the seastead as given by the Navy puts the structure at 7º 29.37 N, 98º 34.91 E, which is 27.5km (14.8nm) east of Koh Racha Noi and 25.22km (13.61nm ) southwest of Koh Bida Nok, south of Phi Phi Island.
Read more at https://www.thephuketnews.com/american-thai-partner-in-hiding-fearful-of-charges-for-seastead-south-of-phuket-71114.php#Cp1iWorfAKJhiSEo.99 “

 

I am more than astonished that Thai Authorities are claiming infringement of the EEZ as reason...

1) The position of the Seastead is not within the 12 nm Territorial Waters, but well with the 24 nm Contiguous Zone, where a nation can exert control regarding “infringement of its customs, fiscal, immigration or sanitary laws and regulations within its territory or territorial sea"”

2) Connecting the outer island ring Ko Kaeo Noi near Phuket with Ko Racha Noi to Ko Butang , they might even claim that as archepelagic waters.

 

[The Deerhunter]

On 4/21/2019 at 8:04 AM, YetAnother said:

thailand does not have to try hard to be an international laughingstock, over and over

It is difficult to decide who of the two parties involved is demonstrating the most obtuseness.

Edited April 22, 2019 by The Deerhunter

[ttrd]

RE - Noteworthy: There has been other negative stories of late. Gang them all together and it doesn't sound like a very safe place to visit.

 

Overall, Safe to visit - Not to invest, especially without proper permits - needed or not … 

Edited April 22, 2019 by ttrd

[herwin1234]

i dont get it. all the usual extreme cynical and negative comments. you all live in Thailand, how about more understanding for your host country? want a seahome off the coast? how about doing it in yr own magnificent country off the coast of Florida?  Why come here as an ignorant gringo, and with zero respect think you are in your own Disneyland. Plz go back home and take yr bargirlfriend with you. and that goes for all the cynical expats. dont like it here? its not yr country and nobody forces you to stay. 

[DPKANKAN]

1 hour ago, herwin1234 said:

i dont get it. all the usual extreme cynical and negative comments. you all live in Thailand, how about more understanding for your host country? want a seahome off the coast? how about doing it in yr own magnificent country off the coast of Florida?  Why come here as an ignorant gringo, and with zero respect think you are in your own Disneyland. Plz go back home and take yr bargirlfriend with you. and that goes for all the cynical expats. dont like it here? its not yr country and nobody forces you to stay. 

Wow! Take a chill pill! There has been one that I know of off the coast of the UK since WW2. You can see it from the beach. It has its own 'royalty' and currency. No threat to national sovereignty or anything. As usual Thai 'maskirova'!!!

[sobrann]

You can turn this however you want , it is illegal. If this would be somewhere at US waters , you’d get one warning and after they would sink it. And if not quick enough those on it with it. Dead penalty is in every part of the world the common sentence on this. The only difference they do not make a media crisis of it, it just happens quiet. 

(This also is the case for Europe , Russia China, Japan and so on. )

Seasteading is just a way to try to undermine other country’s , avoiding to pay taxes and so on. It is a base for everything that is illegal. 

 

 

[TKDfella]

5 hours ago, sobrann said:

You can turn this however you want , it is illegal. If this would be somewhere at US waters , you’d get one warning and after they would sink it. And if not quick enough those on it with it. Dead penalty is in every part of the world the common sentence on this. The only difference they do not make a media crisis of it, it just happens quiet. 

(This also is the case for Europe , Russia China, Japan and so on. )

Seasteading is just a way to try to undermine other country’s , avoiding to pay taxes and so on. It is a base for everything that is illegal. 

 

 

Ha, as far as China and Russia are concerned I don't think there would be any info at all. They'd probably just use it for target practice and blow it out of the water.

[bristolgeoff]

saw it on the news they were towing it into their waters or within the 12 miles.then they can do what they want now.don,t think it is right when outside in international waters.look at the islands the Chinese built in international waters they use force to keep ships away and don,t come near the island.that is also wrong but nothing is said

[BernieOnTour]

20 hours ago, bristolgeoff said:

Chinese built in international waters they use force to keep ships away and don,t come near the island

So ... what’s your conclusion ?

- he should have installed a machine gun on his cabin ? ????