Eighty year old Frenchman pays 50,000 bail for flouting Pattaya beach regulations

[webfact]

Eighty year old Frenchman pays 50,000 bail for flouting Pattaya beach regulations

 

Picture: Ban Muang

 

Ban Muang reported that an 80 year old Frenchman was taken to Pattaya police station after flouting the beach ban in the seaside resort. 

 

The man was with several elderly French and Belgian friends - all residents of Pattaya - hanging around at the beach at 5pm as was their custom.

 

A contingent of local police and tourist police came along in a pick-up and took them all to the station.

 

Pim, 42, the wife of the Frenchman went along to help and said that police took her husband's passport causing him considerable consternation as his visa needs to be renewed on May 15th.

 

She said police were rude and offhand and would not allow her to take pictures of documents for evidence purposes. She found this most irregular.

 

Then she said that a bail bondsman suggested they pay 50,000 baht to him to expedite matters. He told them they wouldn't get this back and the matter would go to court. They paid but got no receipt.

 

Pim, who Ban Muang reported was now 48, said it took until 1 am the next day until they were allowed to go home.

 

They were concerned that on the ride on their motorcycle to Jomtien that they would be stopped for breaking curfew so they asked for a note to allow them to be out.

 

This, she claimed, was also refused but the police agreed to lead the way in a pick-up. Two friends went too.

 

When they reached home the police charged them 2,000 baht for the service. Each of them coughed up 500 baht, she said.

 

This had left her husband and friends very concerned, she said.

 

Source: Ban Muang

 

 

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[brucec64]

Roadside income is down so new income sources are required.

[darksidedog]

4 minutes ago, webfact said:

Pim, 42, the wife of the Frenchman

 

4 minutes ago, webfact said:

Pim, who Ban Muang reported was now 48

Poor woman. The experience aged her 6 years in the course of an evening.

[Traubert]

Ouch....

 

Maybe would have been best not to be the example.

[OnTheGround]

4 minutes ago, darksidedog said:

 

Poor woman. The experience aged her 6 years in the course of an evening.

 

Ssshhhhh She just lost a year in support from the french man. Who can blame her?

 

It"s the first report we see about foreigner had to pay 50,000 - this will make magic for future tourism.

[smedly]

 

13 minutes ago, webfact said:

Then she said that a bail bondsman suggested they pay 50,000 baht to him to expedite matters. He told them they wouldn't get this back and the matter would go to court. They paid but got no receipt.

by the book - all legal 

[NCC1701A]

what happened to the guy who said he was in the mafia?  

[MJKT2014]

17 minutes ago, webfact said:

Each of them coughed up 500 baht, she said.

Never heard a Thai woman say "cough up" in this context before. Perhaps some embellishment of the story to be wary of as well.

[Ventenio]

hello, my friends...I am 75, worked my whole life, i want to relax and SAVE my hard-earned money.....yes, a beach, everything cheap, ok ok

 

few years later.... fine 50,000....   after saving 5 baht every night by walking 2 kms to the market to get fruit for 20 baht instead of 25.  I walked 1000000 kms to save 10,000 baht.  then i go to the beach.... omg.... gone

 

they will get your money.  it will not leave here.  

 

thanks for playing and paying

 

i am curious if this guy has living relatives.  80 and in pattaya.  omg.   more than a few wrong turns...and at 80....your mind might not be good.  hard to read signs well or even remember your name.  

Edited May 4, 2020 by Ventenio

[keith101]

The sign next to them clearly states 1 year imprisonment or fine not exceeding 100,000 baht or both , so if he paid 50.000 its only half of what he could of had to pay .  

[Oldie]

Perhaps it needs a mine field on the beach. There seems to be no other way that some people get the message that the beach is closed. 

[Thaiwrath]

38 minutes ago, webfact said:

She said police were rude and offhand

No surprise there.

If you pay peanuts, you get ....... !

[sammieuk1]

The bail bondsman suggested they pay 50,000 baht to him to expedite matters

 

You bet he did????

[JeffersLos]

There's clearly a large sign warning of fines double what he was fined.

 

Pay half without receipt, or the full amount with. 

 

They helped him save 50,000thb.

 

It should read, caring police help law breaker save 50,000 baht.  

Edited May 4, 2020 by JeffersLos

[mancub]

6 minutes ago, sammieuk1 said:

The bail bondsman suggested they pay 50,000 baht to him to expedite matters

 

You bet he did????

Call me cynical, but I wonder if the wife got a cut for "advising" him to pay ?

[blackcab]

A post in a foreign language has been removed.

 

English is the only acceptable language anywhere on ThaiVisa including Classifieds, except within the Thai language forum, where of course using Thai is allowed. Short Thai translation of technical terms is permitted in specialty forums.

[sapson]

Absolute disgraceful bar stewards!

 

80 years old should have been sent on his way with a warning for standing near the beach with friends.

 

Ripped for 50k by a bail guy, a future court date and and passport retained.

 

Ripped by the escort home just extortion at its finest.

 

Have they no common sense or shame? ..... guess the redundant jet ski scam is leaving empty coffers that need replenishing!

 

One for the international press I think to see Thailands finest at work!!

[KhunBENQ]

36 minutes ago, OnTheGround said:

It"s the first report we see about foreigner had to pay 50,000 - this will make magic for future tourism.

Draconian, arbitrary rules and punishment.

It should all be put in a brochure for the tourism authority and the "expat guides".

Stay away, find another country!

[JusticeGB]

He still has a Court Date and could face a fine of 100,000 baht if that fine is even legal! The 50,000 he has paid he has lost,he didn't get a receipt so has no proof that he paid it or who he paid it to.

 

[Kerryd]

My very first call would be to my (Thai) lawyer.

Then a newspaper (or 4 or more). 

Then to the Tourist Police to investigate the "bail bondsman" for fraud. According the story - he was charging them 50,000 baht and saying they still have to go to court, where he would still face a possible 100,000 baht fine. (No, the money they gave the bail guy would NOT count towards their potential fine. That money is "supposed" to be just to get you out of jail until your court date.)

All with NO proof that he'd paid the bail guy anything (and no way to get it back). And the BS of releasing people after curfew, and then charging them to escort them home so they don't get busted for violating curfew ? I think the media (here and abroad) would have a field day with that one. Not to mention the lawyer.

The Tourist Police are supposed to be looking after tourists after all, and investigating things like people fraudulently ripping off tourists.
I recall a story on ThaiVisa a long time ago where (supposedly) the Tourist police were called about an incident where a foreigner had been arrested and thrown in jail. The TP investigated, determined that the tourist was innocent and had the RTP release him.

And few years ago (about 12 now), a Thai guy I know got busted in a raid on the go-go he was managing. The cops arrested him (while the owner snuck out pretending he was just a customer) on suspicion of drug dealing (he wasn't the one doing the dealing).
They told him his bail would be 300,000 baht. Supposedly, as long as he showed up for court (until the trial ended I'm guessing), he'd get the money back. 

(The owner was busted a few weeks later at his house, in Bang Saray I think it was. It was cops from Bangkok who did the bust. For some reason, the local cops were kept out of it.)
(Numpty got caught with a variety of Class 1 drugs, multiple passports and weapons - and plead not guilty !) 

[brokenbone]

out of all proportions, and to top it off its double pricing,

a thai would get a 500 baht fine

[Oldie]

1 minute ago, KhunBENQ said:

Draconian, arbitrary rules and punishment.

It should all be put in a brochure for the tourism authority and the "expat guides".

Stay away, find another country!

There is a big sign with the consequences. Or do you expect the laws especially here in Thailand are not valid for foreigners? Is it like this in your home country? 

[spidermike007]

This is beyond the pale. I would have refused to pay the fine, had my family all over social media and shamed the franchisees into letting us go. Also, I would have flatly denied their requested donation of 2000 baht once we were home. Get off my property. You have done enough damage. See ya! 

 

It is absolutely incumbent upon us to fight the astonishing corruption of these lowlife RTP, with every nanogram of our beings. Whatever it takes. Just say NO! I say NO all the time to these creeps. Usually they back down. 

[shy coconut]

33 minutes ago, keith101 said:

The sign next to them clearly states 1 year imprisonment or fine not exceeding 100,000 baht or both , so if he paid 50.000 its only half of what he could of had to pay .  

After a lifetime avoiding such matters, therefore not an expert, the 50,000 wasn't a fine,

but bail, which I believe is paid by a suspect as a bond to ensure that he turns up in

court on the appointed date to face sentencing.

 

I may well be wrong......

[Geordie59]

Perhaps next time he will follow the rules that I'm he must have been aware of. 

[RichardColeman]

48 minutes ago, smedly said:

 

by the book - all legal 

only if they can prove it, or its all slander

[Grumpy one]

1 hour ago, darksidedog said:

 

Poor woman. The experience aged her 6 years in the course of an evening.

Thailand does that to some people

[JoePai]

Stupid old fool got everything he deserved

[anchadian]

Once again, a foreigner.

 

Am waiting for the following headline:

 

Thai man pays 50,000 bail for flouting Pattaya beach regulations

Will never happen.

Pathetic.

 

[stephenterry]

It's a sad story of extortion and greed that pervades Thai culture. IMO, to zero in on an old man is contemptible to the extreme, and why didn't he have the gumption to request the presence of the tourist police and/or a lawyer, once arrested.

 

Makes me want to spit.