Koh Phangan: "Broken" foreign divers languishing in jail - expect deportation

[PEE TEE]

if they were thai divers this would not posted ,yet you can have your photo taken on the beach or around the nightlife with a beautiful doped up lizard  .double standards again. remember the lady who fed the fish with bread and got done for it. well done Thailand NOT  

[DrPhibes]

35 minutes ago, mushroomdave said:

From the first link below:

 

"Both (these men) have given evidence to the Koh Phangan police and admitted they were the ones in the video at Salat Beach that was posted on YouTube. We have pressed charges according to the law because that is an environmentally protected area. 

 

"Touching wildlife there warrants a 100,000 baht fine or a year in jail or both".

-------------------------------------

Bottom line to make it easy for you:  It's a protected area and they shouldn't have done what they did!

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Only 60% of the area is protected.  They say they were not in a protected area, officials say they were.  Because the video evidence cannot clearly say they were in a protected area or not, the government would have a hard time proving they were in a protected area and the case would be dropped in any western court.  But undocumented believing they were is enough for LOS.

[crazykopite]

I live on the island they have been languishing in cells now for at least a week that surely is punishment enough go to Koh Tao the fish are all around you it’s hard not to touch them when they nip you . Any divers reading this will be thinking very hard about coming to Thailand to dive you can see by the pictures all they are guilty of is picking up a sea cucumber would they have treated these guys any differently had they been involved in the cave rescue of those boys or when Raja Ferry 4 sank and foreign divers went to help .

[Kaopad999]

3 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

Quickly made up ones

regards Worgeordie

incorrect.  I think you need to go and read the laws about interfering with marine life in these protected areas. 

[ChipButty]

3 minutes ago, PEE TEE said:

if they were thai divers this would not posted ,yet you can have your photo taken on the beach or around the nightlife with a beautiful doped up lizard  .double standards again. remember the lady who fed the fish with bread and got done for it. well done Thailand NOT  

Been a few in Phuket over the years

[worgeordie]

Just now, Kaopad999 said:

incorrect.  I think you need to go and read the laws about interfering with marine life in these protected areas. 

Was it a protected area.......

regards Worgeordie

[AhFarangJa]

[Kaopad999]

7 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

Was it a protected area.......

regards Worgeordie

According the the original report, yes. 

They quote "Touching wildlife there warrants a 100,000 baht fine or a year in jail or both"."  

"They face a year in jail or 100,000 baht fine or both after it was determined they were in a protected area"

 

[robertson468]

Once these Guys case is over and they have (compulsory) returned to their homeland, I would recommend that they publish an article in their National Press, Facebook and Diving Magazines so that others are aware of how Ex-pats (I refuse to use the word Farang) can be treated in this Country having through their diving classes, have contributed so much to Thai Tourism and the economy.  I have been here for 16 years and must admit that situations like this and xenophobic comments by the Health Minister, who is meant to be a diplomat and has just been appointed to the World Health Organisation, makes me absolutely fuming.  Yes, they did wrong, but it is a relative minor offence deserving of a fine of about 5,000 baht and ordered to carry out some civic work for several month, like cleaning the beaches or such like.  I strongly suspect that if it was a Thai, they would received a 500 baht fine and a slap on the wrist.  Yet again a classical example of Thai double standards.????.

[Jimbo2014]

Thailand is the lead plastic polluter in the World.  Its treatment of the ocean and over tourism on the coast is appalling.  These guys pick up a few bits of sea life and their lives are ruined! - why not accept their apology and use them to promote good practice and safe diving.

[ChipButty]

7 minutes ago, crazykopite said:

I live on the island they have been languishing in cells now for at least a week that surely is punishment enough go to Koh Tao the fish are all around you it’s hard not to touch them when they nip you . Any divers reading this will be thinking very hard about coming to Thailand to dive you can see by the pictures all they are guilty of is picking up a sea cucumber would they have treated these guys any differently had they been involved in the cave rescue of those boys or when Raja Ferry 4 sank and foreign divers went to help .

More fool the foreign divers, next time let the Thai's get on with it, you are not appreciated and at the drop of a hat you can get banged up

[Paiman]

The hate / hostility towards expats is really getting scary.

 

As said before, double standards becoming more common. 

 

A simple fine should have done.

[yankee99]

52 minutes ago, mushroomdave said:

From the first link below:

 

"Both (these men) have given evidence to the Koh Phangan police and admitted they were the ones in the video at Salat Beach that was posted on YouTube. We have pressed charges according to the law because that is an environmentally protected area. 

 

"Touching wildlife there warrants a 100,000 baht fine or a year in jail or both".

-------------------------------------

Bottom line to make it easy for you:  It's a protected area and they shouldn't have done what they did!

------------------------------------------

 

Well i read this 

"Attila said that he was not in a protected area though conceded that 60% of the waters around the island were protected. "

i like to believe innocent until proven guilty

 

Here if it makes it easier for you 

 

 

[micmichd]

17 hours ago, 2 is 1 said:

And whitout farang divers , Thai boys still be in that cave! Dead!

There's certainly not much diving in the caves of Chiang Rai. 

[Kaopad999]

1 minute ago, Jimbo2014 said:

Thailand is the lead plastic polluter in the World.  Its treatment of the ocean and over tourism on the coast is appalling.  These guys pick up a few bits of sea life and their lives are ruined! - why not accept their apology and use them to promote good practice and safe diving.

I agree the punishment seems to be very harsh, but these are two experienced divers that have been living out here for several years. So, do you think they are going to be forgiven for an apology when they must have known what the consequences would be for their own actions? If it was some tourists that didn't know better, then  i'm sure an apology would have been accepted.

[4MyEgo]

2 hours ago, ChipButty said:

I guess the moral of the story is stay off Facebook

He posted it on Youtube, that is what got him in trouble, although he did say he describes himself as a videographer on Facebook. Either way a sad event and a little over the top from the Thai authorities just looking to pounce on Mr Farang to show their almighty powers.

[holy cow cm]

The Thai tour operators destroyed more marine life than anyone could ever imagine. These foreign guys are divers and did not destroy anything. To take it further, they are experienced in handling marine animals and did zero harm. Again, if Thailand wants to hold these guys up on a cross, then they need to first look at themselves for what they put into the water as just being run off from every city with no pollution control. Look at Jomtien's sludge pond problem that goes into the water just to name one. Or how about marine noise or all the chemical factory or hotels or resorts?  These guys are not mass murderers, just the opposite. 

[Keesters]

18 hours ago, GeorgeCross said:

breaking up families over playing with (not harming) wildlife - disgusting way to treat people

 

 

 

 

 

How do you know wildlife was not harmed. Are you a sea cucumber? 

[Orton Rd]

'Attila,44, told Thaivisa that he first came to the country 20 years ago and fell in love with the country, its culture and ocean'

 

Probably not so keen on that culture now then, people who claim to love the culture rarely seem to know much about it though.

 

 

[Pumpuynarak]

Well i wonder what they would do to me for stabbing and killing several Crown of thorns that i've come across on coral reefs over the years, the mind boggles. 

[ChipButty]

So they want to split the family up? wonder what his wife thinks about that?

[recom273]

I was just reading about the naga caves being closed due to “vandalism” by thais searching for the lottery numbers - obviously no witch hunt there - again another case of double standards. These guys brought it upon themselves but still .. 

[Keesters]

"play with a crab on beach or swim and play with a sea cucumber, it helps to protect nature in their life in the future"

 

Try asking the crab or sea cucumber if it wants to be played (man handled) with. 

[ChipButty]

Not able to apply for bail? not like the guy in Cha am 

[bristolgeoff]

L,am sure the thais are no angels when it comes to the seas or oceans.they never get caught or someone turns a blind eye.what they did is nothing really,just a pic only and the creature received no harm in the process

[holy cow cm]

In the end there will be more detrimental harm splitting up a family than handling a sea creature that had no ill effect in the end. 

[fxe1200]

15 hours ago, johng said:

I'm sure its all just a big "misunderstanding"  

(if it ever becomes big enough international news to embarrass Thai authorities)

 

 

I remember the story of a Russian woman who got fined a lot for having a sea shell wind chime at her house.

...those chimes are being sold on Songkhla beach mostly by muslims by the thousands.

[rupert the bear]

as many people comment its absurd disgusting and down right racist,look at the pollution and damage on any beach by thais and the reefs as many have said......really i hope the embassies of these people step in and say ok we will treat your people in the same way.hungary may well do that.its about time the embassy and diplomatic corp did what theyre supposed to and stand up for their cirizens in such absurd situations  pathetic again as usual,always have an excuse not to do what theyre here for

[Crusader]

Basically, it is simply a case of, "don't do what I do, do what I say".  Many others (Thais included) do much more damage to the "nature of the country".

[bodga]

good  job they didnt feed  that sea cucumber as  well otherwise they would already have been shot